Four Changes Patriots Could Make To Lineup After Jerod Mayo Comment
Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo intends to make more personnel changes when New England travels to London for an international contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
“I will say this, there will be changes for this game,” Mayo told reporters at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday, per a team-provided video. “My message for the coaches and the players, really, we want our most dependable players out there that we can really count on.”
Mayo referred to it as a “wake-up call.”
The biggest of such changes took place when rookie quarterback Drake Maye replaced veteran Jacoby Brissett behind center. But it’s clear that won’t be the only tweak when the Patriots take the field across the pond.
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Here are four changes the Patriots could make against the Jaguars:
Ja’Lynn Polk fewer snaps? It’s not like the rookie wideout is going to be benched during a season where the Patriots are trying to see what they have with their younger players. But Polk has three drops in his last two games compared to just two receptions. “I think he just needs to get over this mental hump,” Mayo said in reference to Polk. Polk didn’t agree. The second-rounder has noticeably failed to create separation at the catch point. Mayo credited DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte and Kendrick Bourne for being the receivers to pop — Polk being left out of that group was noticeable. It’s likely Bourne will see more snaps in his third game back, especially since his snaps nearly doubled from Week 5 to Week 6. Perhaps fellow rookie Javon Baker jumps Tyquan Thornton (inactive Week 6) and K.J. Osborn (didn’t play Week 6) and is active for the fourth time this season? It’d be a surprise to see Baker jump Polk, too, but Baker only needs to play seven offensive snaps in order to record a season-high.
Raekwon McMillan loses starting jobMcMillan started each of the last four games with the injury to captain and starting linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley. However, he saw a noticeable decline in snaps in Week 6, likely a result of McMillan’s struggles against the run. He routinely is getting beat in the run game and took himself out of position on a 50-plus-yard touchdown run against the Texans. Christian Ellis likely is in line for more time as a result, as expressed by defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington. Ellis played a season-high 35% of defensive snaps in Week 6 with four tackles and a half sack. The ramp-up of Sione Takitaki, who played 14% of defensive snaps in his season debut, figures to alter McMillan’s role, as well.
Changes to pass rush?While New England’s run defense has been porous in recent weeks, the pass rush hasn’t been much better. The Patriots struggled to get pressure with four in recent losses. Keion White continues to be the biggest advantage in those pass-rush situations and ranks as New England’s second-best defender, per Pro Football Focus. Veteran pass-rusher Deatrich Wise is the team’s 24th-graded defender and 14th pass-rusher while Joshua Uche is the 16th-graded defender and fourth-ranked pass-rusher. Wise played more than double the snaps Uche did in Week 6.
Less Austin Hooper? The veteran tight end committed a costly turnover in the loss to the Texans. Hooper, who has played 54% of snaps or more in five of six games, has been limited to two catches for 14 yards in his last two games. The Patriots have been successful in two tight end sets this season, but Maye targeted tight ends less in Week 6 than Brissett did during the prior five games. With Maye’s ability to scramble and make plays outside of the pocket, perhaps the Patriots view a receiver like Douglas, who typically isn’t on the field in two-receiver sets given his size and blocking ability, go more to three wideouts with Hunter Henry representing the lone tight end. Rookie tight end Jaheim Bell has been behind Hooper and played just 3% of offensive snaps this season.
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