The New England Patriots are looking to keep their winning streak alive as they welcome the New York Jets to Gillette Stadium.
So, let’s get into this week’s #PostPulpit Mailbag.
How would you attack the Jets defense? – Maye The Force Be With You
What’s different about the Jets this year that would help them avoid another drubbing like they got at the end of last year? – paulnewman
As he did with his defenses in Detroit, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn wants his defense to play man coverage and blitz. Through the season, New York ranks second in blitz rate and 10th in man coverage rate.
However, that approach could be costly against Drake Maye, who has excelled against the blitz and can exploit man coverage by pushing the ball downfield or making plays with his legs. If the Jets lean heavily on single-high coverages, expect Maye to take his shots, as he did last week.
The most notable change for the Jets this season has been Glenn’s increased versatility on defense. New York is leaning more heavily into split-safety coverages, including a significant increase in Cover 6, and could feature those looks Sunday to limit Maye’s deep-ball opportunities.
While there isn’t much to fear from the Jets’ offense from this perspective with Christian Gonzalez available to limit Garrett Wilson, New York has also overhauled its defensive personnel this offseason, potentially setting the stage for a low-scoring divisional battle. Rookie David Bailey has gotten off to a fast start on the edge, while veteran safety Minkah Fitzpatrick is still making plays in the backend.
With Henderson being out a few weeks, how do you see the offense compensating for that? More Stevens, Corey Kiner increased load, or perhaps getting our younger WR’s more involved by adding more 4-5 WR sets & spreading out opposing D’s? – KissBillsRings
With Henderson out for sometime, could we see Larison called up? – jpd985
We’ll see if Henderson misses time after somehow logging a pair of limited practices this week. If he’s out Sunday, Rhamondre Stevenson should be expected to carry the load, as he did in the regular-season opener when he played 60 snaps with Henderson sidelined.
Behind Stevenson, Larison would likely be elevated from the practice squad again, as he was in Week 1, with Kiner handling the change-of-pace carries. While the fumble is something a depth running back can’t afford, I thought Kiner actually ran well against the Raiders last week.
If Yahoo’s stats are right, the Pats are 11th in the league in rushing yards/game at 121.6, and 16th in the league in rushing yards/attempt at 4.1yd/att. So they’re persistent?
With Gilliam and Henderson laid up, and a Jets team begging for jumbo packages running down their throat to wear down their talented defensive line, what do the Pats have to do to improve rushing efficiency? – WannaBe Pats GM
More of what they’ve done the last two weeks. After a slow start on the ground this season, the Patriots have changed things up and become less predictable scheme wise. They’ve spiced up their go-to ground game with more motion and window dressing and have leaned into new schemes as well.
With much being written about how Maye couldn’t handle the 2 high safety looks from last year’s playoffs and the first few games of this season, what has changed? Did BUF and LV not play those looks or have worse personnel? Or are there signs that Maye is starting to handle that better? – Palm_Fronds_and_Shamrocks
Maye ranked near the top of the league in several metrics against Cover 2 last regular season. However, given his exceptional deep-ball efficiency, it was — and still is — viewed as one of the best strategies for limiting explosive plays.
The issues in the playoffs seemed to stem more from the quality of opposing defenses than from the schemes themselves. Maye hasn’t had many issues against those coverages in recent weeks, although it was puzzling to see Las Vegas opt for the opposite strategy and play single-high man coverage on more than 50% of its drop backs — a risky approach against a quarterback like Maye.
Were you excited to finally see the Patriots use Pop Douglas & Kyle Williams correctly against the Raiders leading to 3 TD’s and 156 Yards combined? – For Pats Sake
The usage didn’t really change for DeMario Douglas and Kyle Williams last week. Douglas scored two touchdowns against busted coverages and ran a pair of really strong routes.
Williams, meanwhile, finally got opportunities to make plays downfield against a Las Vegas defense that played single-high safety on more than 50% of its snaps. He capitalized.
Considering the injury bug that hit our team until now, who would be the 8 IR players you think should be brought back during the regular season? What about the extra two players, after we go into the playoffs? Would you wait with the last 2-3 spots closer to the playoffs to see if a certain position needs more help than others (say CB instead of WR)? – Maxxwell
This is something the Patriots will have to manage moving forward when it comes to their roster. They have already used two return designations on Marcus Bryant and Brenden Schooler, with A.J. Brown set to take the third.
Of the remaining players on injured reserve, Mack Hollins and Reggie Gilliam should be considered likely candidates for two more spots. From there, the Patriots can remain flexible with the final three regular-season return designations, plus two additional spots in the playoffs, as no other player on IR appears to be an immediate priority to return.
That’s all for this week’s #PostPulpit mailbag. If you have questions you’d liked to be answered next week, submit them online in our weekly submission post on the Feed. Make sure to follow@iambrianhines and @PatsPulpit as well.