Archives for November 2, 2020

‘Last year, New England ranked No. 6 in the NFL against the run. But last year, the Patriots could play their dime defense with a monster at middle linebacker in Pro Bowler Dont’a Hightower. He’s sitting at home, having opted out due to the pandemic. His replacement, Ja’Whaun Bentley, is a third-year, former fifth-round draft pick and a big downgrade. The Pats also had a fierce edge-setter last year in Kyle Van Noy. He’s with the Dolphins.’

‘“Zim came in at the end of the game and probably made the play of the year so far,” safety Jordan Poyer said. “We have the Patriots driving down the field looking like they’re going to either score or put the game into overtime. Our tackle comes up with the huge play and changes the entire game. Happy for him and happy for this team.”’

‘”We just kept it personal that we were going to run the ball today,” Dawkins told reporters on a video call. “We wanted to set our running backs free. And I’m just happy to say that we’re blessed enough that we went out there and we did it.”’

‘McDermott could only imagine what it might have been like with a packed stadium, a community catharsis for all those Patriots victories and times the Bills thought they were closing the gap between the franchises, only to lose again.’

‘“Big credit to Justin Zim and the whole defensive line,” Marlowe said. “The whole unit with that play. Great work ethic. He made a great play at a great time and I happened to be there and see the ball come out and hopped on it. And that’s all she wrote right there.”‘

‘It’s hard to second-guess Bill Belichick, but the Patriots coach again showed a glaring lack of confidence in his offense and his quarterback when he opted for an onsides-kick attempt after his team had tied the game, 14-14. The Bills recovered.’

‘It was on its way to an easy “F,” but Justin Zimmer forced Patriots quarterback Cam Newton to fumble with less than a minute to play and Dean Marlowe jumped on the loose ball to secure a victory, so that automatically raises it to a passing grade. The run defense was solid in the first half, limiting New England to 44 yards on 14 carries. Marlowe, in for the injured Micah Hyde, dropped running back James White for a loss of 2 yards in the second quarter on a third-and-2 play. Things got much worse in the second half. The Patriots converted a third-and-10 on the ground. Linebacker Matt Milano was in position, but couldn’t tackle Rex Burkhead. Given Milano’s lack of playing time, it’s fair to wonder just how much his pectoral injury is impacting him. The linebackers overall are a problem. Tremaine Edmunds (six tackles) and A.J. Klein (three tackles) did not have many – maybe any – impactful plays.’