It appears that the Patriots are in quarters where they’re matching the backside routes like it’s man coverage, but zoning off the three-receiver side. However, Jones runs with the slot crosser, which would usually be a pass-off in zone, leaving the flat vacated for Robinson to pick up 12 yards. Jones either needed to fall off the crosser into the flat or LB Robert Spillane should’ve matched Robinson in man. On the next play, London scored from the 1-yard line.
The Patriots defense made some positive strides in man coverage against a good skill group, hopefully leading to more volume and better results in man schemes. However, Vrabel noted that the red zone defense must improve moving forward.
Quick-Hit Film Notes From Pats-Falcons After Further Review
– The play design by McDaniels on Douglas’s touchdown was a thing of beauty. The Patriots ran a dressed-up version of mesh-rail with Douglas in the backfield on the wheel route and WR Kayshon Boutte running a crosser, leaving Douglas 1-on-1 with EDGE Jalon Walker. Just a perfectly designed play with a perfect throw – that’s the good stuff. However, McDaniels might’ve called one too many tosses on an -8 run with the Pats scrimmaging at the ATL 45 with 11:16 left. The play had a chance if WR Mack Hollins made the block, but the misdirection was probably not the best call in that spot.
– WR DeMario Douglas had a career-high 100 receiving yards on four catches, and there was more meat on the bone. Douglas found his niche as a speed slot, where his targets are coming downfield like they did in college, rather than the short option-style routes. He gained nearly 30 yards after the catch on his 58-yarder, won his schemed matchup vs. Walker on his TD, and caught a contested ball on a 15-yard “squirrel” route. The more meat was on a throwback where Douglas was winning on the route, but the ball hung up just long enough for CB Dee Alford to recover (good recovery speed by Alford), and another deep crosser where Douglas broke off the route sharper than Maye expected. Overall, Douglas is averaging a career-high 10.2 air yards per target.
– RB TreVeyon Henderson took over as the lead-back with a team-high 18 touches and 51 snaps to lead all RBs. The rookie started hot with a 19-yard downfield screen, an 11-yard check down, and a good duo read to gain six yards. He then hit back-to-back outside runs for 14 more yards, and had an 8-yard run on duo. That said, Henderson did allow two pressures in blitz pickup, including one that led to a sack. Still, the run reads and usage to get him on the edges are improving weekly. I’d still like to see him show some more patience on interior runs.
– WR Stefon Diggs gained +4.7 yards after the catch over expectation on his touchdown catch, juking Falcons S Ronnie Harrison for an impressive run after catch score. Diggs also caught a 21-yard sail route against zone to move the chains on third down, a clinical rep for QB1 and WR1, and occupied the deep safety on Douglas’s 58-yarder. Diggs draws attention and makes plays when targeted, which is all you want from the star receiver.
– Although he was the targeted receiver on Maye’s interception, TE Hunter Henry remains rock-solid. He had three third-down conversions to move the chains, including icing the game on a pick play that the Patriots executed well. Henry did allow a run stuff as an in-line blocker, though, as both tight ends continue to be hit-or-miss in the run game.
– RB Terrell Jennings ran hard through contact with good balance and lower-body power. Jennings converted a 3rd-and-1, 2nd-and-1, had a goal-line touchdown, and gained 5.5 yards after contact to move the pile on a 2nd-and-2 conversion. He also had a nice 11-yard run on counter and caught a 9-yard check-down. Jennings might be the Pats best short-yardage back, making him a fine RB3 behind Stevenson and Henderson.
– TE Austin Hooper caught a 20-yard crosser and was open for another chunk crosser, but Maye didn’t pull the trigger. He was on the scene for two run stuffs but had a nice double-team of the play-side end with FB Jack Westover to get the edge for Henderson on a 7-yard run.
– WR Mack Hollins moved the chains with a five-yard slant and was open for a potential touchdown if Maye stayed in the pocket, but he missed a crack block on Arnold Ebiketie, resulting in an 8-yard loss. It appeared that the Pats had numbers with Campbell pulling to the play-side corner. Again, maybe not the time for misdirection, but the execution could’ve been better.
– Rookie WR Kyle Williams will get more opportunities if Kayshon Boutte (hamstring) misses time, but Williams is still working on the details. It appeared that Maye threw a three-step slant, but Williams ran it in five steps, leading to an incompletion. Typically, you side with the QB there.
– FB Jack Westover had two plus-blocks on the perimeter in front of a Henderson screen (19 yards) and doubled the end with Hooper to gain seven yards. However, they haven’t gotten Westover to the second level much. Vrabel alluded to that in his Monday morning presser: “When you get a diagram, it’s like, ‘OK, go block this guy.’ And then when the ball’s snapped, it never really looks like that. So, he’s done a good job.”
– LT Will Campbell had some losses to power where he was a bit tardy to anchor, which has happened more recently as rushers challenge his ability to establish first contact. However, Maye could’ve helped him with a better read on his sack allowed, and there were some dominant flashes in the run game, including clearing a path for Jennings on his TD. Campbell looked like he was in control for most of the game and is grading out as an above-average starting left tackle in his rookie season.
– LG Jared Wilson also had some losses to power that show up almost every week. He sometimes gets overpowered when asked to single-block in the run game. He also gave up a few pressures to power, either by bull rushers or trying to pick up interior stunts. Wilson flashes when he’s mirroring finesse interior guys and can block in space or moving laterally, but the power engagements playing at guard are an ongoing battle for the rookie.
– C Garrett Bradbury had a tough time inside with old friend Sam Roberts, who is playing some nose tackle for the Falcons in their odd fronts. Roberts logged two bull rush pressures against Bradbury while stuffing an interior run. Defenses are starting to challenge the Wilson-Bradbury combo at LG/C with power rushers on a weekly basis.
– RG Mike Onwenu had two plus-run blocks folding defenders out of gaps on downhill runs (11 & 8 yards), but he mostly struggled. Onwenu was beaten twice on stunts, including on Walker’s strip-sack, and was on the scene for three stuffed runs. Onwenu’s lateral mobility to protect his edges and square up looping rushers was shaky this week.
– RT Morgan Moses had some issues with high-side rushers testing his outside edge from wide alignments, and got beat by an inside spin, but the run-blocking was solid. In particular, Moses had some single blocks at the point of attack where he generated movement and had a nice second-level climb on Jennings’ 11-yard run. We’ll continue to keep an eye on the pass pro.
– QB Pressures: Onwenu (sack, two hurries), Wilson (sack, two hurries), Campbell (sack, two hurries), Moses (three hurries), Henderson (three hurries), Bradbury (two hurries).
– The Patriots last-ranked red zone defense continued to struggle with the Falcons scoring three TDs in their three red zone trips. Atlanta won the chess match with two-receiver stacks/three-receiver bunches against New England’s coverage rules. First, the Pats tried to “banjo” or switch on the goal-line when London went in motion, but London returned to the flat, leaving CB Marcus Jones (5-8) on a jump-ball vs. a 6-foot-5 receiver. Jones was the point man (locked) in man coverage on London’s second TD, and then London made a spectacular catch on Davis in lock-and-level (man) for his third TD. You tip your call on the third touchdown, but the Patriots have to avoid putting Jones in those size mismatches.
– CB Christian Gonzalez had a fun matchup with London, shadowing the Falcons WR1 on 20 routes. He allowed a 16-yard slant (cover three) and an 11-yard hitch (quarters) in off-coverage. But he forced three incompletions in man coverage, including a fourth-down slant PBU and a dropped INT on a slot slant. Gonzalez also allowed a 40-yard catch to London, where he was on the deep-third in cover three, which is always tough to climb the ladder to high-point the ball when the receiver is working toward the ball and the CB is backpedaling. In summary, Gonzalez vs. London: 7 targets, three catches, 67 yards, PBU.
– DT Milton Williams was terrific with seven total pressures and a stuff on a Bijan screen. Williams had his swim move working on his QB hit and another clean win, while his T/E stunt pressure caused another hurried throw. Williams had two pressures on third down, and his motor is infectious whenever you turn on the tape – a great game for him.
– CB Carlton Davis was having a quiet day shadowing Falcons WR Darnell Mooney (17 routes), who had one catch for 15 yards into Davis’s zone. However, he had to cover London late in the fourth quarter when Gonzalez left the game and had some struggles. Although we won’t hold the touchdown against him, Davis allowed a fourth-down conversion and a 25-yard completion on Atlanta’s final drive, where he couldn’t stay connected to London on an extended man coverage down. It was the only completion the Pats allowed in man coverage between the 20s.
– CB Marcus Jones was put in some tough spots against London (two TDs) and was on the scene for a ridiculous Robinson catch – it’s hard to hold any of those catches against him. Jones also forced an incompletion covering Robinson on a slot fade, had a run stuff, and was terrific in perimeter screen/run support, avoiding a crack block on a no-gain rush and pressing a block on a 1-yard perimeter screen block. His physicality in those areas was notable.
– DT Christian Barmore was double-teamed a team-high 14 times, contributing to a quiet day. Barmore didn’t log a pressure or a run stuff. Atlanta mostly ran outside the tackles and were doubling him, inviting Williams’s big day, but we usually have one or two splash plays to write about with Barmore.
– EDGE K’Lavon Chaisson beat a crack block by London for a run TFL and logged his sack with a long arm/bull rush to go through LT Jake Matthews. Chaisson also added another bull rush pressure to his ledger. He has a few rushes per game that really pop off the film, with his four-yard loss on a crack toss being that flashy play this week. The sack was nice, too.
– EDGE Harold Landry has been doing more dirty work in recent weeks with fewer schemed-up rushes, but Landry still logged two pressures and had a fantastic edge set for a run stuff. Landry got pressure with a third-down ghost rush and used power to log another pressure. The edge-set to press the block and string the ball out was great stuff.
– Rookie S Craig Woodson had some good moments covering Falcons TE Kyle Pitts in man coverage on third down, took away a read with a tricky flat zone-drop in cover two, and had a great run stuff where Robinson nearly got loose. Pitts appeared to have a step on Woodson on a crosser on third down, but Penix threw the ball to Robinson on a slot fade.
– S Jaylinn Hawkins is finding his niche at free safety. He provided deep-safety support most of the afternoon while helping shut down a screen. That said, Hawkins appeared responsible for the “sail” route by Pitts that gained 22 yards. Typically, the corner route from the No. 2 receiver is the flat defenders’ responsibility, but that’s just a guess as we don’t know the Pats coverage rules.
– LB Christian Elliss took a page from his brother’s book (Falcons LB Kaden Elliss) to log two pressures as a blitzer on the same drive. Elliss logged a QB hit through Robinson’s blitz pickup and was unblocked on a third-down pressure that contributed to a stop. Elliss also had a nice zone-drop in the curl window to take away a read – good tape for Elliss.
– LB Robert Spillane had some nice low-zone coverage stops against Falcons TE Kyle Pitts, making two good tackles to prevent Pitts from gaining yards after the catch. However, Spillane appeared late to overlap in his fit on Robinson’s 15-yard run.
– DT Cory Durden had some noteworthy reps as a pass-rusher with two bull rush wins, a push-pull win, and a good rep against outside zone to avoid a reach block. Durden is in a crowded room but might be earning more playing time.
– EDGE Anfernee Jennings had some vintage edge-sets with the Patriots “boxing” the Falcons stretch runs and logged a QB hit by going through RT Elijah Wilkinson. Jennings is still a stout run defender, and he had a good rush on his QB hit, but you can see a need for a third pass-rusher who can make a consistent impact while spelling Chaisson and Landry.
– NT Khyiris Tonga had a run stuff and one snap on offense where he helped pave the way for a conversion on third-and-1. Tonga noted that the Falcons were in an unscouted front when he went into the game, and he did a nice job taking “first color” to help open a hole.
– LB Marte Mapu was in coverage eight times, and had some good reps on running backs, but did appear to give up his leverage away from the ball on a Robinson angle route and opened a rushing lane for Penix to gain 15 yards on a scramble.
– LB Jack Gibbens had two solid coverage reps, forcing an incompletion on a screen by blanketing Robinson and plastering to Pitts in zone on a third-down incompletion. S Dell Pettus also had a good coverage rep in man coverage against Pitts to force an end-zone incompletion.
– QB Pressures: Williams (7), Chaisson (sack, 3), Landry (3), Farmer (2), Elliss (2), Jennings (2), Durden (1), Davis (1). Run Stops: Gonzalez (2), one each (Woodson, Chaisson, Jones, Tonga, Hawkins, Davis, Landry).
– Coverage: Davis (5/5/61 yards/TD/PBU), Gonzalez (8/3/58 yards/two PBUs), Spillane (5/5/30 yards), Hawkins (4/2/30 yards/PBU), Tavai (1/1/16 yards), MJones (3/3/13 yards/2 TDs), Chaisson (1/1/6 yards), Woodson (2/1/5 yards), Gibbens (2/1/2 yards), Pettus (1/0/0).
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