In Week Seven, my prediction was spot on! The Pats rolled over the Titans, in the Mike Vrabel revenge game, and moved to 5-2 on the season.
Vrabel had a sweet return to Tennessee, and the game ended with the crowd chanting for him. The decision to fire Vrabel by Tennessee continues to confound, while that franchise struggles. The Pats got off to a slow start on defense and offense, which could come back to haunt them against superior competition. This is still a young team, and maybe the third road game in a row, coupled with the emotion of Vrabel’s revenge, kept them from being efficient early.
Drake Maye was far and away the best player on the field for both teams. He set a Patriots record for completion percentage, going 21 for 23, threw for 2 scores and ran for 62 yards on the ground. He took 4 sacks, and 2 of them were in bad spots. On back-to-back plays from the 12-yard line on the first drive of the game led to the Pats settling for field goals.
Maye continues to shine, and is clearly making the other players around him better. On the positive side, the o-line looks good, 3 of the 4 sacks were really Maye’s fault, so the young linemen continue to get better.
Sometimes he takes off a little too soon. It is his second year, so this could be a part of normal development, but other running quarterbacks and their injuries should give Patriot’s coaches pause as the years go on.
Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels heard my criticism of the running game and came out with a heavier plan for establishing Rhamondre Stevenson. Stevenson had 88 yards on 16 carries, by far his best game on the ground this year. Maye was the second leading rusher, and the rest of the backups continued to run play directly into tacklers. Even Stevenson had a couple of into the middle pile runs that seemed to have no visible value to a functional running game.
The defense had a poor 1st quarter, with Cam Ward slashing the Titans to two scoring drives. The Titans scored on three of their first four drives, and then shut down the rest of the day. Veteran free agent LB K’Lavon Chaisson had his best day as a Patriot, with two sacks and a fumble recovery touchdown earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Stefon Diggs had another good game with 7 catches for 69 yards. His 22 first downs on the year lead the Patriots. He continues to be clutch for the fast-growing Maye.
Old Grumbly Fan Predictions
5-2 so far on the straight-up win line. The Browns have one of the best defenses in all of football, anchored by the great Miles Garrett, who could be the toughest test that Will Campbell has all year. He can be a one-man game wrecker.
The Pats return home, where they have suffered both of this season’s losses, after three weeks on the road. While Cleveland can be a pest, I expect the momentum to continue with the Browns just not having enough offense to complement the defense.
Pats 17 – Browns 10
