Three Areas That Hurt The Patriots

The Patriots have plenty of areas for improvement going into week two. They lost 25 to 20 because they gifted points to the eagles on multiple occasions.  While there were several players that had an impact and could get called out, here's ny three areas where I had issue.

Kendrick Bourne only caught 54% of his 11 targets. Although he caught 2 touchdowns, their were 5 passes that he didn't bring in. One he dropped and one he turned into an interception by not catching after getting his hands on it. Bourne's first half for most of it was not great. In fact, his day was inconsistent.

The offensive line was not up to par. They let their quarterback get pressured 27 times. They gave up 2 sacks, 4 quarterback hits and caused Mac Jones to scramble twice. The line only allowed Stevenson to rush for a 1.9 yard average on 12 carries.

And the the defensive line allowed 3.8 yards per carry. Almost every time the Eagles rushed up the middle it was a 3+ yard gain. The Patriots are still an open door in the middle of the line. They need a nose tackle or nose guard to clog the middle on the first two downs.

I don't know what the Patriots can do besides coach but they're gonna need improvement going forward or there's going to be a lot more close games like this.

Patriots Sign Jalen Reagor To The Practice Squad.

The Patriots signed Jalen Reagor to the practice squad. He was drafted in the first round by the Eagles in 2020. And has played for the Eagles and Vikings.

Reagor has only appeared in 45 games, being targeted 124 times, catching 72 of them for 799 yards and 4 scores. He's got 18 carries under his belt. He's also had a combined 73 returns over his career. Taking one punt to the house.

I went looking for to see what I could find out of college. Many said he could do alot but he was listed often as a Z or deep slot. His main problems where drops, route running, physicality, and consistency. Speed and versatility were the main things people talked about with him as his pros. Not much has changed.

His NFL comparisons were: Curtis Samuel, Stefon Diggs, Corey Coleman, Mecole Hardman, Randell Cobb, Percey Harvin, James Washington, D.J. Moore, and Tyreek Hill. I came across Samuel, Hardman, and Cobb a few times as comparisons. 

I saw him listed as an elite number two or low tier number one. He's the typical type of Patriots, with that being said. He brings skills that Tyquan Thorton was supposed to bring but if the Patriots can get consistency out of him, he also brings the skills that Kendrick Bourne has. And Bourne's in a contract year. Something to monitor for now.