FOXBORO — No Mac Jones means the Patriots should ask extra of their large receivers Sunday in Green Bay.
Over the previous three years, that might have spelled bother, because the Pats yearly fielded one among least feared receiving corps within the league.
Lucky for them, and particularly backup quarterback Brian Hoyer, these receivers are actually beginning to put in a scare into opponents effectively earlier than Halloween.
Over the previous two weeks, Nelson Agholor and DeVante Parker produced the franchise’s first back-to-back 100-yard video games since 2017. As an offense, the Patriots rank because the sixth-best receiving staff in soccer, per Pro Football Focus grades. Even extra critically, they’ve made strides of their weakest space final season: beating man-to-man protection.
No offense confronted a better price of press-man final season than the Patriots, who struggled to separate usually, however particularly towards prime defenses like Buffalo and Miami. Even zone-heavy groups, such because the Colts, opted to play extra man towards the Pats late final 12 months and succeeded.
But this week, Agholor, Jakobi Meyers and Kendrick Bourne rank within the prime 20 of PFF’s highest-graded wideouts versus man-to-man. As a bunch, the Pats are averaging 12.5 yards per goal towards man protection, sixth-highest, and rank No. 5 in common yards gained per route run, based on Sports Info. Solutions.
Agholor’s 44-yard contested landing seize at Pittsburgh is the clearest instance of the Patriots’ enchancment towards man-to-man, following a spring and summer season the place they labored on tilting the percentages on 50-50 balls of their favor by bettering their timing with Jones and energy on the catch level.
“If the ball’s in the air, it’s mine,” Parker stated this summer season. “It’s more like a 80-20 (ball than 50-50).”
After rising from soccer witness safety in Week 3, Parker racked up 156 yards on simply 5 catches, most of which have been additionally grabbed towards 1-on-1 protection on completely synced connections with Jones. Parker says he acquired faster this offseason, when he devoted extra time to operating and stretching. Agholor has parlayed his personal offseason into above-average numbers after the catch and when breaking tackles, two profession weaknesses.
The Patriots’ receiving corps continues to be and not using a regular star, however its newfound depth has already paid dividends below assistant coaches Troy Brown and Ross Douglas.
When a participant like Meyers misses a sport, comparable to final weekend and this upcoming Sunday, Parker, Agholor or Bourne can step up. Parker did final week. When Parker was a no-show in Weeks 1 and a pair of, Meyers and Agholor shouldered the load.
Who Sunday’s star shall be stays to be seen, but it surely’s truthful to anticipate extra from Bourne, who has been handled because the staff’s No. 4 wideout. Despite his lowered function, Bourne has been the Patriots’ best receiver on a per-snap foundation and grades out because the staff’s greatest at PFF. He additionally ranks fourth-best in all the league towards man-to-man protection, based on PFF; one thing the Pats are sure to see in Green Bay.
“We want to try to win on every route, but third downs, when you gotta have it to keep the drive going, and you know the team is blitzing or playing man, we emphasize winning,” Bourne stated Friday. “I don’t know what the stats say, however we’ve to try to preserve that quantity up and never get caught up in what individuals say or what the media says (about us not with the ability to separate) or what different groups say.
“It’s more about having confidence in ourselves.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com