FOXBORO, Mass. — A lot happens when you cover the New England Patriots throughout the week.
You get at least three Jerod Mayo news conferences, a presser with the starting quarterback, multiple locker room availabilities, and access to a few practices. Some takeaways become individual stories, while other quotes and nuggets are left on the cutting room floor.
With that in mind, my Patriots notebook publishing Friday for the rest of the season rolls on. These pieces mostly focus on top Patriots storylines and leftovers from each week but also include a non-football thought or two — because I’m a dork who likes to talk about other stuff.
So, let’s get into it.
When Could Christian Barmore Play in a Game?
Christian Barmore is officially back.
The star defensive tackle, arguably the Patriots’ best player, practiced Thursday for the first time since being diagnosed with blood clots in late July. He was listed as a limited participant in the first Week 11 injury report.
First look at Christian Barmore, who's practicing for the first time since late July pic.twitter.com/2Yf6PDesNJ
— Dakota Randall (@DakRandall) November 14, 2024
Blood clots can be life-threatening if not detected early, so it’s remarkable that Barmore is back on the field at all, let alone just three months after his diagnosis. He once seemed destined to miss the entire season.
With all that said, now that Barmore is practicing, when could he appear in an actual game for the Patriots?
Before Friday’s practice, Mayo said there was a “chance” Barmore could play on Sunday. He also said there was a meeting planned with doctors after practice.
Still, it’s hard to envision Barmore playing Sunday — or anytime soon, for that matter.
He didn’t practice on Wednesday, when the Patriots were in full pads, and wore shells for Thursday’s session. With New England traditionally running lighter practices on Fridays, Barmore essentially would be playing against the Los Angeles Rams with one non-padded practice under his belt in 3.5 months.
Considering he missed virtually all of training camp due to a serious illness, he might need a longer ramp-up period than most players returning from injuries.
From The Insiders, on the coolest story of the day: #Patriots DT Christian Barmore is back at practice. pic.twitter.com/wqVRf8IfP9
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 14, 2024
To that end, the Patriots might want to spare Barmore the brutal Miami humidity when they visit the Dolphins in Week 12.
With his 21-day practice window opening on Thursday, the Patriots have until Dec. 5 — the middle of their bye week — to activate Barmore off the non-football illness list. That would leave the pre-bye home game against the Indianapolis Colts and post-bye road matchup with the Arizona Cardinals (Dec. 15) as the most likely spots for his return.
When asked about Barmore’s return timeline on Thursday, Patriots defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington put things in the proper perspective.
“To me, like, I look at it like this, and I’ve told Christian this, and I’ll tell you guys this too,” Covington said. “Just remember, manage expectations. You guys should manage the expectation of whatever it is. It’s a blessing to be out there on the field. That’s what the focus needs to be on.
” … Shouldn’t be any pressure on him, like he’s out there. That’s what it is: ‘I’m happy that you are out there, bro. You out there. It’s one step; it’s 50 snaps. Don’t play this game. Whatever it is, perfect.’ It’s better than not being out there, right? It’s better than not being able to play football again.”
Last season, Barmore established himself as one of the best all-around defensive tackles in football. The 2021 first-round pick was then rewarded with a four-year, $92 million extension this past offseason.
Whenever Barmore returns, he’ll provide a needed boost to a Patriots defense that struggled to stop the run and generate a consistent pass rush in the first half of the season.
Drake Maye’s Improved Footwork
Drake Maye entered the 2023 college season as the consensus No. 2 quarterback prospect behind USC’s Caleb Williams. However, by the time the 2024 NFL Draft rolled around, Maye had slipped to third on many QB boards — if not lower — with the Merril Hoges of the world calling Maye a player that “will get you fired.”
Maye’s subpar footwork was among his more nitpicked flaws ahead of the draft.
“Drake Maye — his footwork needs a lot of work,” Bill Belichick said during ESPN’s draft coverage. ” … He’s just all over the place. Never resets his feet.”
Bill Belichick says the biggest issue with Drake Maye is his footwork.
(🎥 @PatMcAfeeShow) pic.twitter.com/xa802MMqzS
— Carlos Talks Pats (@LosTalksPats) April 26, 2024
During training camp, Maye’s sloppy footwork came as advertised. Errant throws were aplenty, and he looked especially uncomfortable when dropping back from under center, something he rarely did in college.
After Maye played one drive late in New England’s Week 3 loss to the New York Jets, offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt said Maye’s footwork was a “work in progress” and that he feared the rookie would “revert” to bad habits.
When asked for an update on Thursday, Van Pelt said Maye had significantly improved his footwork since taking over as the starting QB in Week 6.
“Big growth,” Van Pelt said of Maye’s footwork. “Yeah, so really, plus-pluses, double-pluses on some of the footwork in this past game.”
Van Pelt then highlighted one of Maye’s plays from last Sunday’s win over the Chicago Bears — a 12-yard completion to Austin Hooper in the fourth quarter — as an example of his improved footwork.
“There was a play there late in the game to Hooper that was like clinic tape,” Van Pelt said. “So, when you take it off, you’ll put that in … teach tape of what to do with your feet, your eyes and everything. So he’s continuing to grow.”
Here’s a video of the play Van Pelt was talking about:
Alex Van Pelt pointed to this throw as an example of the growth Drake Maye has shown with his footwork https://t.co/7Jb42KauaA
— Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) November 14, 2024
Maye’s far from a finished product with his footwork. And you worry that his inconsistent mechanics and penchant for turnovers — he leads all starting QBs in turnover-worthy-play percentage, per Pro Football Focus — will culminate in an ugly “rookie game” sometime soon.
But Maye is also a quick learner and clearly has taken to the coaching. If he continues to put in the time, his poor footwork will be a distant memory.
Jerod Mayo Endorses Alex Van Pelt Amid Patriots Coaching Rumors
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer made headlines last Sunday when he reported that Robert and Jonathan Kraft had “done some research over the past few weeks” on how best to develop Maye. The reporting was vague, but it indicated uncertainty about Van Pelt’s job status.
“The Krafts have asked people and done their homework on what the right way to handle a young quarterback is and how they’re going to do that going forward,” Breer said during NBC Sports Boston’s pregame coverage of Patriots-Bears.
Breer offered additional insight during an appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub.
On Wednesday, Mayo was asked to share his thoughts on Van Pelt’s importance to the offense and Maye’s development.
“He’s been huge,” Mayo said. “I’d say that, look, there’s no one in this organization that deserves more credit, as far as what Drake’s been able to do on the football field, than Alex Van Pelt.
“When we interviewed Alex, I’d say when we interviewed all of the coaches that are here, one of the prerequisites or requirements was a guy who was level head and a guy who believes in working together — a guy who doesn’t get too high or get too low. That’s Alex, and I appreciate that.”
That was a strong endorsement, one that made it seem like Mayo had heard the noise surrounding Van Pelt.
Maye was asked a similar question about Van Pelt.
“You love playing for an offensive coordinator like AVP,” Maye said during his Wednesday news conference. “He’s positive but also at the same time, he’ll coach you hard. He’s done it — he’s played quarterback, played quarterback in this league at a high level. So, he knows what needs to be done — and he knows the tall tasks as well.”
Van Pelt’s been a roller-coaster in his first season as an offensive play-caller. The negatives — poor offensive line strategy, simplistic scheme, bad situational play-calling — arguably have outweighed the positives, depending on how much weight you put on Maye’s growth since early in training camp.
Regardless, Van Pelt will need to continually improve over the rest of the season to keep his job in 2025.
Dell Pettus Looking Like UDFA Steal
The Patriots had an undrafted rookie make their initial 53-man roster every season from 2004 through 2022. The impressive streak ended last year, but this season saw the beginning of a new streak with undrafted safety Dell Pettus earning a spot after his impressive training camp.
With over half the season over, it looks like the Patriots found a steal.
Pettus’ role was inconsistent over the first seven weeks. The Troy University product played fewer than 10 defensive snaps in six of the Patriots’ first seven games, with his 54-snap effort in Week 5 the outlier.
However, with Kyle Dugger nursing an ankle injury and Jabrill Peppers still on the commissioner’s exempt list, Pettus saw his playing time increase over the last three weeks with 37, 42, and 38 snaps, respectively. He even started to eat into the workloads of Marte Mapu and Jaylinn Hawkins — and deservedly so.
Pettus is limited in size and speed but makes up for it with solid coverage, consistent tackling, and a strong grasp of the defense. Would you believe Pettus currently is the 22nd-ranked safety by PFF?
His finest performance came last Sunday when he registered a pass breakup and one sack while logging 63% of the defensive snaps.
"You never made Dell Pettus do anything"
Harsh words from Daryl Johnston 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/U3KFjwUStP
— Ben Brown 🌻 (@BenBrownPL) November 10, 2024
As an undrafted rookie, Pettus wasn’t guaranteed anything when he joined the Patriots. And though he’s starting to see the fruits of his hard work, Pettus knows he still has a long way to go.
“I take it with a lot of humility and I’m extremely grateful for it, just to have my coaches feel like they can trust me enough to put me out on the field,” Pettus told Pro Football Network on Wednesday.
” … I always come in with the mentality that today could be my last day. And I take that very seriously. I know that just because I might make one or two plays on the field, that doesn’t mean anything for a career.”
Pettus pointed to his man coverage as a major area of growth
“How we teach man is different than how I learned it playing in college,” Pettus said. “So, learning the proper way to play the technique, and the patience that goes with it, definitely something I feel I’ve improved on a lot.”
There’s a long list of UDFAs who’ve excelled with the Patriots. David Andrews, Jonathan Jones, Malcolm Butler, Jakobi Meyers, and Brenden Schooler all come to mind.
Pettus said the history of UDFAs in New England gave him confidence that he could earn a role.
“It definitely helped me have a more positive mindset of being here and being a part of this organization,” he said. “There have been an immense amount of players who came through here as undrafted rookies and continued to go on and have really good careers for themselves. It definitely was a boost for me.”
During a recent conversation with PFN, safeties coach Brian Belichick said Pettus has done what most defensive UDFAs must do: embrace special teams.
“For a lot of these guys, you emphasize the importance of special teams,” Belichick said. “Not everyone is going to be able to play defense the first game of the season as a rookie. … For some, it’s a bit of a shock because they’ve been one of the best players on defense for a lot of the teams since they’ve played football.
“Dell has played a lot more on special teams. Great way to get on the field and make it to the game and be there. And for the young players, that’s extremely important. That’s how a guy like Jon Jones really got started, and now he’s such a good corner for us and a good special-teams player.”
Pettus credited Belichick for helping him understand New England’s notoriously complex defense.
“His intelligence sticks out a lot to me,” Pettus said. “Just how much he’s been able to teach me throughout my duration here. I don’t feel like that’s easy, especially with a rookie, someone who doesn’t know a lot because it’s their first time being here.
“I feel like he’s been extremely patient and informative with me.”
Yannick Ngakoue’s Perspective
Yannick Ngakoue, whom the Patriots claimed off waivers last week, would be forgiven for being disappointed about going from the 7-3 Ravens to the 3-7 Patriots. But the veteran edge rusher said all the right things on Wednesday while speaking with reporters for the first time since arriving in New England.
“It doesn’t matter to me,” Ngakoue said about joining a rebuilding team. “Where I was drafted to, it was a team that didn’t win a lot, and the next year we were in the AFC Championship. It’s all about your perspective.
“It’s all about how you can build team camaraderie and change those things. … I’m excited. Happy for the opportunity. We just won a game last week vs. the Bears, so just want to help build on that energy and momentum so we can continue it for the following week.”
Yannick Ngakoue shares his initial thoughts on joining the Patriots.
Said "it's all about perspective" when asked about going from the Ravens to a team at the bottom of the standings. pic.twitter.com/0lmM6b4lfQ
— Dakota Randall (@DakRandall) November 13, 2024
Ngakoue was inactive in Week 10 but could play this Sunday against the Rams. The Patriots hope he can provide pass-rushing production while replacing Joshua Uche, who was traded to the Chiefs in early November.
“He’s been a very productive player in this league,” Mayo said. “He’s not just a pass rusher, this guy has the skill set to play on all three downs”
Crazy To Think About Playoffs?
Yes, it’s crazy to think about the Patriots making the playoffs. New England hasn’t earned consecutive wins since it won three straight in the middle of the 2022 season, so you’d have to be mad to suggest this team has a chance at making it to the postseason.
But hear me out.
The Patriots face winnable games over the next three weeks (vs. the Rams, at the Dolphins, and vs. the Colts). They already own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Bengals and still have remaining matchups against other non-divisional playoff-hopeful AFC teams in the Colts and Chargers.
New England already has split with the New York Jets and still could earn a split with Miami. If it finishes ahead of both in the AFC East standings, it also will be higher in the conference standings.
Here’s what the AFC standings looked like through 11 weeks (the top seven teams make the playoffs):
- Kansas City Chiefs (9-0)
- Buffalo Bills (8-2)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (7-2)
- Houston Texans (6-4)
- Baltimore Ravens (7-3)
- Los Angeles Chargers (6-3)
- Denver Broncos (5-5)
- Indianapolis Colts (4-6)
- Cincinnati Bengals (4-6)
- Miami Dolphins (3-6)
- New York Jets (3-7)
- New England Patriots (3-7)
- Cleveland Browns (2-7)
- Tennessee Titans (2-7)
- Las Vegas Raiders (2-7)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (2-8)
I’m not saying the Patriots are good. They’re not. They’re really bad.
However, I am saying that, aside from the Chiefs and Bills, the AFC is hot garbage. You could make a case for the Patriots beating any of the other teams, and that’s not a compliment. If they win their next three matchups, they’ll enter their bye week at 6-7 and be right in the thick of the playoff race.
It sounds crazy to suggest New England could rip off four straight wins — until you realize that the Rams, Dolphins, and Colts all stink.
Now, with all those qualifiers out of the way, using the Pro Football Network Playoff Predictor I picked all remaining games and found a way to get the Patriots in the playoffs at 8-9. I gave them two losses over the final seven games: Week 15 at the Arizona Cardinals and Week 18 vs. the Bills. They finish seventh in the AFC and visit the Ravens in Round 1.
Here’s the proof:
You’re probably saying something like, “Yeah, but you probably gave the other teams a bunch of bogus losses.”
No, not really.
Here’s a breakdown of how other contenders, who ultimately missed the playoffs, performed over the final eight weeks in my simulation:
- Colts: 4-3 (losses to Jets, Lions, Patriots)
- Bengals: 4-3 (losses to Steelers, Broncos, Steelers)
- Chargers: 2-6 (losses to Bengals, Ravens, Chiefs, Buccaneers, Broncos, Patriots)
- Jets: 3-4 (losses to Seahawks, Dolphins, Rams, Bills)
- Dolphins: 2-6 (losses to Raiders, Patriots, Packers, Texans, 49ers, Jets)
TL;DR: The Patriots need to go 5-2 the rest of the way, and ideally, those losses would come against the Rams, Cardinals, or Bills.
Is any of that unreasonable? I don’t think so.
Actually, the Patriots going 5-2 down the stretch definitely is unreasonable. Probably. Maybe.
Non-Football Thought No. 1: The Juan Soto-Red Sox Rumors
The Boston Red Sox reportedly are dead serious about pursuing free agent Juan Soto. And I believe the reports, some of which have come from some of baseball’s top insiders, including Jeff Passan.
Over the course of a week, fans have gone from mocking the notion of the recently frugal Red Sox pursuing someone like Soto to being obsessed with the idea of Boston landing one of the game’s best players. And they should be rooting for Soto to join the Red Sox. That would be incredible.
But my concern is that fans now view the offseason as Soto-or-bust — and they shouldn’t. The reality is the Red Sox don’t need to make nearly that big of a splash to be a playoff team in 2025.
They have the best farm system in baseball, including multiple top prospects on the cusp of the big leagues, and are a frontline starter and top bullpen arm away from competing in the American League.
So, get fired up about the idea of Soto joining the Red Sox. Just don’t overreact when he signs elsewhere.
Non-Football Thought No. 2: Song of the Week
The pick this week is “You Know What They Do to Guys Like Us in Prison” by My Chemical Romance.
I know what you’re thinking: “Lame!!!”
That’s fine. Maybe I’m lame for still listening to MCR two decades later. But, in my opinion, that band aged better than nearly every other early 2000s emo outfit. Yeah, the lyrics were cringy, but they were supposed to be, and the performances, songwriting, and overall give-a-bleep factor all were through the roof.
Anyway, this is a great song to play at the gym if you don’t take yourself too seriously.