After a week full of questions regarding their offensive system, the New England Patriots came into Glendale, AZ with the determination to bounce back against a struggling Arizona Cardinals squad on Monday night, and walked out with a 27-13 victory.
The Cardinals lost star quarterback Kyler Murray on just the third play from scrimmage, and so veteran backup Colt McCoy helmed Arizona’s offense for the vast majority of the contest. While McCoy put up solid numbers in Murray’s stead (27/40, 246 yards, 1 INT), he was unable to make key throws against a Patriots secondary whose play improved as the night went along.
Here are four big takeaways from the game.
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1. The Patriots offense was... not bad
De facto offensive coordinator Matt Patricia has taken a lot of heat this season from fans and media alike, and rightfully so. His transition from the defensive side of the football to the offensive side of the football has been rather rough so far this season, as Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph noted on Thursday.
Not sure I can remember a NFL DC ever openly laughing at his upcoming opponents OC’s play calling. Pretty bold move by Vance Joseph, though I’m not sure many would disagree with his assessment of Matt Patricia’s performance. pic.twitter.com/EGncELHyIX
— Dan Kelley (@DanKelley66) December 9, 2022
Despite the fact that the opposing defensive coordinator knew exactly how New England’s offense was going to operate, the Patriots had one of their better games in recent weeks.
While the performance undeniably fell short of their Thanksgiving duel with the Minnesota Vikings, New England’s offense was able to put together multiple lengthy drives (yes, the bar is that low right now) and scored in two of their four red zone opportunities.
On their first touchdown drive early in the second quarter, the Patriots did not try to force any big plays or throw the ball into tight coverage for no reason. Arizona’s defensive backs were largely playing off-ball coverage, and so New England exposed them with quick passes about five yards beyond the line of scrimmage. When the Cardinals then subbed in more defensive backs to cover the perimeter, the Patriots gashed them up the middle with rookie running back Kevin Harris, including this 14-yard touchdown run.
OK Kevin Harris. Running angry. pic.twitter.com/Qwxfl4I77K
— Henry McKenna (@McKennAnalysis) December 13, 2022
Although they stumbled again on the very next drive and quickly gave the ball back to Arizona, this drive was one of a few in this game that showed progress in New England’s ability to play offense, one that will hopefully continue to improve towards the tail end of the regular season.
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2. The defense bounced back
Leading into this game, it had been a bit of a rough few games for this New England defense, who lost a shootout against a top-ranked Vikings offense and then got torched by Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen in back-to-back weeks.
While the Cardinals were without their starting quarterback in Kyler Murray for most of the game, the defense was still able to stop McCoy from getting the ball to many of Arizona’s explosive playmakers for most of the night. Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins led the team with 79 receiving yards on seven receptions, and running back James Conner totaled 85 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Even when the ball was in Hopkins’ hands, it was not necessarily safe, as Patriots defensive back Kyle Dugger demonstrated midway through the third quarter.
DeAndre Hopkins’ fumble leads to a touchdown for the Patriots defense.
It’s New England’s fourth defensive touchdown this season (2nd most behind Arizona).
🎥 @NFL pic.twitter.com/YktplvIhD2
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) December 13, 2022
With this lockdown by the secondary came a brutal attack from the defensive line. The Patriots totaled six sacks on nine QB hits, with pass rusher Josh Uche recording half those sacks himself.
In an all-around great game for this defense, an interception by every-play specialist Marcus Jones almost went unnoticed. While Jones had made more highlights on special teams and offense than on defense this season, he remains a critical component of New England’s defensive scheme. On the night, he recorded two passes defended, 12 receiving yards, an interception, and seven tackles, including this massive hit on Cardinals tight end Trey McBride.
Trey McBride: 6-4, 249
Marcus Jones: 5-8, 175
Advantage? Marcus Jones. pic.twitter.com/cwdbSIGOEe
— Alex Barth (@RealAlexBarth) December 13, 2022
Yeah, this defense is pretty good.
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3. Rookie running backs shine
The Patriots arguably have a top-10 running back duo in the league between Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson. With those two players already splitting carries, the other backs on the depth chart have had a hard time getting playing time this season.
However, Harris has been out for multiple weeks with a thigh injury, which thrust Stevenson into an every-down role, one that he did not relinquish until tonight when he was taken out of the game with an ankle injury. The departure of Stevenson left the door open for rookie running backs Kevin Harris and Pierre Strong Jr. to supply New England’s ground game, and they both made the most of the opportunity.
Harris struck first, scoring the Patriots’ first touchdown of the game and showing an exciting level of explosiveness. Later in the game, Strong pulled off a 44-yard dash, demonstrating his combine-leading straightaway speed.
Pierre Strong Jr. breaks free for 44 yards!
📺: #NEvsAZ on ESPN
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/UKeBTYKCRY pic.twitter.com/dJRIkT1iGT— NFL (@NFL) December 13, 2022
Strong would also score a touchdown of his own later in the drive.
While Damien Harris and Stevenson are undoubtedly the starting running backs when fully healthy, it is nice to see New England have a surprising amount of depth at a position where they have historically been thin. With Damien Harris also in a contract year, it will be interesting to see how much the Patriots value their young studs when negotiating with him this offseason.
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4. Praise for Nelson Agholor
Statistically, wide receiver Nelson Agholor did not have a good game. He had multiple drops, nearly lost a fumble (though it was determined that he never caught the ball), and was not able to execute in clutch situations.
So why should he receive praise, you may ask? It was not for something he did while the ball was in play, but rather something he did in between plays.
After fellow receiver DeVante Parker hit his head on the ground while making a first-down grab, Agholor noticed that his teammate was unbalanced when standing back up – a clear sign that Parker had suffered a head injury.
While normally, a player who suffers a significant head injury will be taken to the sideline for an evaluation, New England seemed to miss just how out of it Parker was and quickly lined up to run another play while he was still trying to collect himself.
Rather than let his teammate who had clearly suffered a significant injury play on, Agholor chose to take a knee and delay the play from occurring. Once the team and officials could tell that something was going on, they blew the whistle and Agholor walked a still-stunned Parker off the field.
A failure by the concussion spotter. DeVante Parker could not stand up straight after hitting the ground. Nelson Agholor took a knee and was flailing desperately to try to get the play stopped for Parker. pic.twitter.com/TtjfOqyEbH
— Michael Hurley (@michaelFhurley) December 13, 2022
Parker was later ruled out of the game with a head injury.
Say what you will about Agholor as a receiver, but this play shows just how much he cares for the health of his teammates. Football, despite being a great source of entertainment, is a physically brutal game, and we should praise players looking out for each other in this manner when coaches and support staff miss something.
