FOXBORO — Since Mac Jones retook the reins of the Patriots offense on Oct. 30, he’s focused two teammates with nearly half his passes.
Rhamondre Stevenson and Jakobi Meyers.
Stevenson leads all Patriots with 30 targets, whereas Meyers led the Patriots in catches for many of the season till Stevenson overtook him with 9 grabs in Minnesota final week. Against the Vikings, Meyers additionally harm his shoulder.
If Meyers is in search of a rebound efficiency, Thursday towards Buffalo is unlikely to supply a springboard. Entering Sunday, the Bills boasted the league’s No. 7-ranked move protection by Football Outsiders’ opponent-and-situation-adjusted metric, DVOA. They additionally returned All-Pro cornerback Tre’Davious White from harm final week and have allowed simply two passing touchdowns to the Patriots since 2019.
So the place does that depart the Pats? Turning again to Stevenson, their main rusher and receiver and arguably Thursday’s second-most necessary participant after Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen.
Stevenson figures to take nearly each offensive snap towards the Bills, with Damien Harris seemingly sidelined by a painful thigh harm. Bill Belichick has already expressed utmost confidence in Stevenson’s skill to function a three-down again, and Stevenson’s efficiency has rewarded that religion week in and week out. Better but, he can unlock two of Buffalo’s treasured few defensive weaknesses.
Entering Sunday, the Bills’ move protection ranked fifth-worst towards working backs by DVOA. Meanwhile, Stevenson ranks among the many league leaders in each main receiving class at his place. His man-to-man matchup with Bills linebackers Matt Milano and Tremaine Edmunds, two of the higher protection linebackers within the league, must be one of many battles that swings Thursday’s battle.
One of the struggles inside that battle will likely be how Stevenson avoids contact on the line of scrimmage. As he described Tuesday, Buffalo is unusually aggressive in its protection of working backs, an aggression which will intensify contemplating how a lot Jones trusts him as a checkdown possibility and occasional first learn.
“They try to literally get you at the line of scrimmage, put hands on you so you can’t get out into your route,” Stevenson stated. “So it’s going to be a challenge. No one’s ever really played us like that.”
The resolution, Stevenson added, will likely be sustaining self-discipline in his routes. No additional steps or time wasted to keep away from contact, merely be bodily and stick with his guidelines. Of course, the Bills might blitz extra to maintain him in safety, a typical tactic towards harmful pass-catching backs.
But if Buffalo does, the Patriots are assured Stevenson will deny incoming rushers and provides Mac Jones extra time to take advantage of single protection downfield. On Sunday, Belichick praised Stevenson’s blitz pickup and in contrast him to a franchise legend within the course of.
NFL Notes: Buffalo remains to be the true litmus take a look at for the Patriots
“He’s had a couple of really good plays in pass protection, James White-level plays,” Belichick stated. “Seeing things, making adjustments, that kind of thing. He’s been a big help for us in that area of the game, and whether it’s been blitz pickup, flare control, catching the ball, all of the above.”
But assuming he is both speeding or receiving, Stevenson’s skill to create yards on his personal will drive Buffalo to confront one other defensive deficiency: tackling.
Through 11 video games, the Bills rank because the NFL’s fifth-worst tackling workforce, per Pro Football Focus grades. As for Stevenson, he is compelled 43 missed tackles, in keeping with PFF, together with 17 as a receiver, the fourth-most in the complete league. Look for the Patriots to focus on him on swing passes or swing screens, just like the 4 they referred to as at Minnesota to get their most harmful weapon into area towards zone protection.
As a runner, Stevenson has compelled 26 missed tackles and averaged 3.46 yards after contact this season, per PFF. For greater than a month, his tackle-breaking skill has carried the Patriots’ speeding assault, which continues to endure from a turnstile offensive line. According to Sports Info. Solutions, opponents have hit Pats ball carriers on the line of scrimmage on 45.6% of run performs, the fourth-worst proportion within the league.
Without Stevenson’s energy and elusiveness, this offense would actually be spinning its wheels. Or worse, going backwards. And if the Patriots need to spring ahead Thursday, within the division, within the AFC playoff image and briefly in a rivalry they not personal, their path is behind Stevenson.
The teaching workers has requested a lot of him already this season, they usually’re about to ask extra.
“Whatever the offense needs him to do, whether that’s play wide receiver — he does it all,” Pats linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley stated Thursday. “I’m glad he’s on my team. I’ll just say that.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com