Patriots’ Lessons-Learned from Week Seventeen Victory over the Jaguars

The New England Patriots returned to their winning ways in Week Seventeen.

Quarterback Mac Jones completed 22 of 30 passes for 227 yards and three touchdown passes, two of which went to practice squad elevation wideout Kristian Wilkerson. Rookie Rhamondre Stevenson ran for 107 yards on 19 carries. On the preventive side of the ball, New England’s defensive backfield picked off Jaguars rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence. The Pats’ dominated in all three phases to earn a 50-10 victory at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro

Their victory, combined with a 34-3 loss by the Miami Dolphins to the Tennessee Titans secured a playoff spot for the Patriots after a one-year absence. New England also sits at the fifth seed in the AFC’s postseason positioning.

While the mood in the Patriots’ locker room is significantly higher than it has been throughout the past few weeks, there are still plenty of lessons to be learned from the Pats’ performance on Saturday against Indianapolis.

Lesson One: “Look out, ol’ Mac is back.”

While Jones was criticized for his performance in the Pats’ Week Sixteen loss to the Buffalo Bills, neither he nor his teammates expected him wallow in self-pity. The 23-year-old turned three pinpoint throws into three touchdowns, while completing 22 of 30 passes for 227 yards. But for a drop by Kristian Wilkerson (more on him, in just a moment), Jones might have had four scoring strikes.

Still, Jones’ stat line does not tell the complete story of his performance on Sunday. After two consecutive weeks of looking a bit shaky in his delivery, Jones looked comfortable in the pocket, as well as making throws on the move. His touchdown to Jakobi Meyers was a calculated throw to the back of the endzone, placed where only his receiver could field it. His cross-body completion to Wilkerson displayed his ability to make plays on moving pockets. He even showed some athleticism when scrambling for first downs. Overall, Jones did a great job of protecting the ball and exploiting the Jaguars’ short zones to his inside receivers. It resulted in a robust point total for New England, and a return of their rookie quarterback’s confidence.

Lesson Two: Kristian Wilkerson Earned His Spot on the Patriots’ Playoff Roster

For the second straight week Wilkerson was elevated form the practice squad to the active roster. On Sunday, the soon-to-be 25-year-old (Wilkerson’s birthday is on January 10), delivered an impressive performance. In the process, he may have earned a spot on the Pats active roster heading into the playoffs. Wilkerson earned both his first regular-season reception as well as his first touchdown; finishing the day with 42 yards on four catches with two touchdowns.

Since joining the Pats in 2020, Wilkerson has been a mainstay on the team’s practice squad. Yet, his regular-season pro resume is limited to Wilkerson has taken a total of six offensive snaps across two practice squad call-ups over the past two seasons, with zero targets. Still, the Southeast Missouri State product had an impressive showing during training camp. He saw most of his reps in an X-Receiver role, in conjunction with the team getting solid contributions at the X from both Nelson Agholor and N’Keal Harry. He also received notable work on special teams’ drills; at one point, alongside special teams captain Matthew Slater. However, his preseason spotlight began to dim amidst issues with securing the catch. Though Wilkerson was rumored to be in line for a roster spot, he was released by the team during roster cutdown, and subsequently signed to the practice squad.

With Nelson Agholor still sidelined on concussion protocol, and N’Keal Harry a healthy scratch, Wilkerson made the most of his opportunity. While the occasional drop is still a matter of concern, he has both the prowess, as well as the budding synergy with Jones to deserve a chance to remain on the Pats’ positional depth chart at wide receiver.

Lesson Three: Patriots Were ‘In the Zone’

Much of the Patriots’ defensive struggles in recent weeks has stemmed from their struggles in man coverage. With the defensive backs having difficulty in containing their opponents’ receivers, the front seven struggled to contain the run. However, on Sunday, the Pats returned to disguising their zone coverages and found success.

On Trevor Lawrence’s interception to Kyle Dugger, the Pats were able to lure the Jags’ rookie quarterback with a zone rotation between Dugger and safety Devin McCourty. Still, the Patriots did not completely abandon man coverage. When deployed in individual coverages, cornerback J.C. Jackson once again blanketed his targets. Jackson will need to continue that trend into the playoffs. However, New England’s defense is at its best when they are blending situational man coverage with disguising different zone coverages. Should they find the proper balance, the Patriots will make life difficult on opposing offenses in the postseason.

Lesson Four: The Pats Running Back Tandem Might Be its Best Dynamic Duo

Heading into the 2021 season, New England was thought to have procured the best tight end tandem in the NFL in Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith. While the pair has been effective (with Henry being the more impressive of the two on the stat sheet), the 12-man personnel for which fans a media alike clamored has been largely quiet. In actuality, the Pats true offensive dynamic duo has been in its running back room.

Damien Harris and rookie Rhamondre Stevenson have been an effective scoring pair both combining strong field vision, speed and power when carrying the football. On Sunday, Harris and Stevenson combined for 142 yards on 28 carries for four touchdowns: each finding the end zone twice.

As the Pats’ feature back, Harris has been quite effective when carrying from outside toss plays. Stevenson, on the other hand has demonstrated a strong lateral rush, along with impressive speed to reach the corners. Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that each can mirror the others’ primary strengths, if necessary. With the dual-threat capabilities of both Harris and Stevenson pacing their ground attack, the Patriots should find success running the football into the postseason.