New England Patriots links 10/16/23 - Comeback sacked, Patriots in free fall

It’s been so long I had forgotten what a touchdown drive looked like. The Patriots managed two successful ones yesterday, and while the points weren’t enough to seal a win, it least it was ... something.

Not much positivity in the day-after links today but there’s really not much on the bones of that carcass for even the diehards to pick out. One writer even suggests leaf raking as a more pleasant and productive way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Guess I’m a diehard then. Our football crowd had fun yesterday, but that’s because we make Sundays about being together as much as watching the game. Thank goodness we like each other, or the last few weeks would have been miserable. I would still like to see the team try to improve as the weeks go on, even if the wins don’t come. I’m curious to see how the franchise handles being on the bottom rung. But I’ll always be watching.

TEAM TALK

• Post Game Notes: Patriots vs. Raiders. LB Jahlani Tavai has second career interception; RB Ezekiel Elliott scores first TD as a member of the Patriots; WR Kendrick Bourne has career-high 10 receptions; More.
• Gamebook: Full Patriots at Raiders stats.
• Evan Lazar’s Game Observations: The Patriots were more competitive but couldn’t make enough plays to pull off a comeback. Play of the game: Jabrill Peppers obliterates Devante Adams to force first-quarter interception by Jahlani Tavai.
• Mike Dussault spotlights 8 Keys from Sunday’s loss. 1. Defense bends but doesn’t break on first drive. 2. Defense gets a takeaway!
• Post Game Quotes: Patriots and Raiders.
• Post Game Pressers: Bill Belichick - Mac Jones - Rhamondre Stevenson - Kendrick Bourne - David Andrews - Ja’Whaun Bentley.

LOCAL LINKS

• Matt Dolloff writes how the Patriots free-fall continues after 21-17 loss to the Raiders.
• Taylor Kyles shares ten takeaways from the Week 6 loss. Implosion continues to plague the offense. Mac Jones was reportedly on a short leash in this game, but the coaching staff stuck with him despite another sloppy interception that killed a promising drive.
• Alex Barth gives us 9 takeaways from the loss to the Raiders: Starting over but looking familiar.
• Nick Goss posts his Pats-Raiders takeaways: Self-inflicted mistakes cost Pats in 21-17 loss. The Patriots are 1-5 for the first time since 1995.
• Chris Mason’s nine Patriots takeaways from the costly loss: The Patriots had the ball late with a chance to win in Las Vegas, but ultimately, Mac Jones and the offense kicked into reverse.
• Alex Barth questions why the lack of tempo on the Pats’ 4th-quarter clock-killing drive.
• Chris Mason explains how the phrase “starting over” didn’t fix an undermanned offense.
• Karen Guregian observes how Bill Belichick can’t fix the mess he created. All the Patriots needed to do was get into field goal range, but that final drive was a microcosm of what’s gone wrong this season.
• Matt Vautour is tapping out, wants to know why anyone is still watching this unwatchable team.
• Andrew Callahan says it’s time for the Patriots to start selling. ‘The Patriots are 1-5. Their long-term hopes are shot. The only remaining value in this season is how it can fertilize the future. The Patriots’ future is nowhere on their current roster.’
• Zack Cox notes Mac Jones believes he’s still the Patriots’ best QB — and he’s right.
• Zack Cox notes Bill Belichick didn’t explain Bailey Zappe being a healthy scratch and Malik Cunningham’s promotion. Here’s a look at the roughly half-dozen snaps played by Cunningham.
• Dakota Randall highlights a Boston Herald report on the reasons why Bailey Zappe got cut in August. He ‘stunk’.
• Alex Barth profiles some quarterbacks to watch in a loaded 2024 NFL Draft class.
• Dakota Randall says it’s not why the Patriots lost, but J.C. Jackson’s late defensive pass interference penalty didn’t help. It also might’ve been a bogus call.
• Matt Dolloff picks the Patriots Ups & Downs: Who stood out in a close loss to the Raiders?

NATIONAL NEWS

• Brad Spielberger (PFF) NFL Week 6 Game Recap: Las Vegas Raiders 21, New England Patriots 17. Offensive spotlight: Kendrick Bourne continues his strong start to the season; Rhamondre Stevenson looked sharp; More.
• Tyler Sullivan (CBS Sports) Patriots fall to 1-5: New England’s poor late-game execution vs. Raiders a common theme in rock-bottom season.
• Will Brinson (CBS Sports) Sorting the Sunday Pile, Week 6.
• Mike Tanier (The Messenger) Monday Walkthrough: 49ers, Eagles fall on a Week 6 upset Sunday; The Bills barely escaped a visit from the shorthanded Giants; More.
• Around the NFL (NFL.com) Week 6: What we learned from Sunday’s games. Nothing is easy for the Patriots right now. New England performed better offensively than it had in the two previous weeks, but the bar was basically buried underground after mustering three points combined between Weeks 4 and 5. Seventeen points is indeed better. How they got them, though, was like pulling teeth. ...
• NFL Nation (ESPN) Week 6: Biggest questions, risers and takeaways. Should the Patriots trade away players before the Oct. 31 deadline?
• Kaelen Jones (The Messenger) NFL Week 6 Takeaways: 49ers, Eagles suffer first losses as Brock Purdy, Jalen Hurts fall flat. Where do we go from here?: Believe it. The Patriots are 1-5. Can we please stop fooling around with the sticks: The year is 2023… and mankind still cannot get a proper measurement of 10 yards…
• Jeff Kerr (CBS Sports) NFL Week 6 overreactions, reality checks. Jets defense can beat any QB in NFL: Reality.
• John Breech (CBS Sports) NFL Week 6 grades. Patriots: C, Raiders: B.
• Cody Benjamin (CBS Sports) Week 6 NFL winners and losers: Loser: Mac Jones.
• Josh Edwards (CBS Sports) 2024 NFL Draft order, team needs: Patriots drop to 6. Team needs: OT, DT, TE, WR, LB. Notable free agents: TE Hunter Henry, OT Trent Brown, TE Mike Gesicki, EDGE Josh Uche, S Kyle Dugger, Ezekiel Elliott.