The Two Most Important Players On The Patriots Offense
After a somewhat demoralizing home loss to the division rival Miami Dolphins, the Patriots have a familiar foe ahead. The Aaron Rodgers-less New York Jets are on deck as a potential 'get back' game for New England. It's like when you eat two dozen chicken wings and follow it up by eating the four celery sticks that come with it. It doesn't change much, but at least you can feel better about yourself.
There's a lot that needs to improve with the Patriots offense, but one thing's for sure: Trent Brown and Demario Douglas better be on the field Sunday.
Trent Brown
Brown missed their week 2 game with a concussion. His value became clear as Mac Jones felt pressure on what felt like every snap. Linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel looked like Von Miller against both tackles. Sidy Sow is expected to play at one of the tackle spots as well, and was missing from this game.
The Patriots offensive line allowed 4 sacks, 8 QB hits, and 8 tackles for loss. Jones is among the league's worst in time to throw as he averages 2.2 seconds from snap to pressure according to fantasypros' advanced metrics. The Patriots need a fully healthy offensive line, and week 3 projects to be the first time they have that.
Demario "Pop" Douglas
Douglas has been one of the few bright stars amongst the playmakers for the Patriots. His elite athleticism and agility in space has been on display in his few opportunities. Douglas was benched after fumbling early in the game, as Belichick tends to do when young players make mistakes. He held a football tightly on the sideline for an extended period of time after the fumble, and boy I hope he slept with one in his arms that night, too.
Most NFL offenses don't rely on heavy rookie production, but the Patriots refuse to be like most NFL offenses. At the bare minimum, they are least running new concepts and using motion to their advantage.
Bill O'Brien hinted at the fact that he wished Douglas hadn't been benched for his fumble mistake.
It seemed that he was frustrated at Douglas not being available to him, as they were unable to effectively execute certain plays without him. They ran a similar screen pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster later in the game that gained no yards. If they didn't realized Douglas' impact before, they certainly do now.
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