Patriots 2021 Week Four Snap Counts: Interpretations and Implications
Despite falling just short of a victory in one of the most-anticipated regular season games in recent memory, the New England Patriots have some positives to take from the night as they prepare to move forward into the 2021 NFL Season. The Pats fell to 1-3 on the year with a 19-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night at Gillette Stadium. Though the story of the night may have been missed opportunities, the Pats saw some standout performances on both offense and defense.
Heading into their Week Five matchup with the Houston Texans, there are plenty of areas in which the Patriots will seek improvement. While game-film analysis will be the main focus, a look at playing time may assist the Pats in helping to devise effective strategies moving forward.
Here is a look at the Patriots offensive and defensive snap counts from Sunday’s matchup, along with some possible insight on New England’s future game-planning.
Offensive Snaps
On offense, the Pats snap count was 59 on Sunday:
In addition to quarterback Mac Jones, offensive linemen David Andrews, Isaiah Wynn and Shaq Mason were on-field for 100 percent of the Patriots' snaps on Sunday night. Wynn continues to struggle in pass protection, including a breakdown in communication between he and Ted Karras which led to Jones’ only interception of the night. Speaking of Karras, the reserve swing lineman took 46% of the Patriots' snaps, in relief of starting left guard Michael Onwenu. The second-year lineman saw a dramatic decrease in snaps from Week Three, only seeing action in 33 of New England’s offensive snaps. Onwenu was relegated to the bench after being penalized for two holding calls on Sunday night.
Jakobi Meyers continues to be the Patriots most reliable, and most utilized offensive target. Meyers saw action in 95 percent of the Pats’ offensive snaps. He led all receivers with 70 yards on eight receptions. Meyers was also the Pats second-leading passer, completing 2-of-2 passes, one of which came on a flea flicker to Nelson Agholor for 30 yards. In his 2021 debut, N’Keal took 15 snaps, finishing the night with one catch for 10 yards.
The Patriots receiving touchdowns each came within the hands of their new tandem of tight ends. New England finally utilized both Hunter Henry (40 snaps) and Jonnu Smith (28 snaps) in the red zone, indicating that the Pats may finally be moving towards employing the two-tight end sets, which so many had anticipated seeing this season.
New England had a dismal showing in attempting to run the ball on Sunday night. The Pats finished with -1 rushing yards, unable to find any spark to effectively move the football. After a costly fumble in the second half, J.J. Taylor would be banished to the sidelines, taking only four snaps on the night. Despite Damien Harris being the team’s feature back, the 24-year-old finished the night with -4 yards on four rushing attempts, having been on the field for 36 offensive snaps.
Defensive Snaps
On Sunday, the Patriots took a total of 78 snaps on defense:
With the Pats heaving utilizing both nickel and dime packages in an attempt to fill the field with defensive backs against Tom Brady and the Bucs’ offense, it should come as no surprise that three key members of the Patriots secondary led the way with taking all 78 snaps: safety Devin McCourty, and cornerbacks J.C. Jackson and Jalen Mills (who continues to be the Pats second option at corner, alongside Jackson). Safeties Adrian Phillips (67 snaps) and Kyle Dugger (60 snaps) each contributed solid coverage on Sunday, while slot corner Jonathan Jones took the field for 49 snaps.
The Pats deployed their linebackers in several pass-rush situations on Sunday, with Kyle Van Noy (75 snaps) and Matt Judon (68 snaps) leading the way. Dont’a Hightower saw action on 69 percent of the team’s defensive snaps, with Josh Uche taking 31 snaps. Uche had been limited in practice throughout the week with a back injury.
Rookie Christian Barmore continues to see greater playing time, demonstrating a veteran-libe ability to push the pocket. With Henry Anderson likely to be sidelined with a torn pectoral, Barmore’s usage along the defensive line will only continue to grow.
Practice squad elevation Myles Bryant saw nine situational snaps in the defensive backfield, while fellow elevation, linebacker Jahlani Tavai, took only one defensive snap. Tavai was elevated for the second time, making him ineligible from further future elevations. Whether Tavai is promoted to the Pats 53-man roster during the week will be something to monitor in the coming days.
