Digital Sports Desk

Online Destination for the Best in Boston Sports

Patriots

Big Bill Signed for Big Bucks

by

FOXBORO – (Staff and Wore Service Report) – New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick signed a multi-year contract extension during the offseason, NFL Network reported Sunday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed for Belichick, whose Patriots have lost three in a row to fall to 1-5 on the season. New England has missed the playoffs in two of the past three seasons, leading to questions being raised about his future with the team.

Belichick, 71, has won six Super Bowl titles since becoming the Patriots’ head coach in 2000. The Patriots have missed the playoffs just five times in his 23 seasons prior to this campaign.

Speculation on Belichick’s future had surfaced repeatedly when New England’s record fell to 1-5.

His 299 regular-season coaching victories — accumulated with the Cleveland Browns (36) and Patriots (263) — entering Sunday’s games are third-most all-time in NFL history behind Hall of Fame members Don Shula (328) and George Halas (318).

–Field Level Media

Raiders Lose Garopollo But Defeat Pats

by

LAS VEGAS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Las Vegas QB Jimmy Garoppolo threw a touchdown pass before leaving with a back injury and Daniel Carlson kicked four field goals as the host Raiders defeated the New England Patriots 21-17 on Sunday afternoon.

Embed from Getty Images

Garoppolo completed 14 of 22 passes for 162 yards and was intercepted once before Brian Hoyer replaced him to start the second half. Several reports said Garoppolo was taken to a local hospital for further testing.

Hoyer completed 6 of 10 for 102 yards as the Raiders (3-3) won their second straight after a three-game losing streak. Josh Jacobs ran 25 times for 77 yards for Las Vegas.

The Patriots (1-5) continued to struggle offensively, though they did end a 12-quarter touchdown drought. Mac Jones completed 24 of 33 for 200 yards and threw an interception.

New England coach Bill Belichick failed for the third consecutive week to join Don Shula and George Halas as the only NFL head coaches to win 300 regular-season games.

On the first possession of the third quarter, former Cowboy Ezekiel Elliott ran 2 yards for his first touchdown with his new team, providing New England’s first touchdown since the second quarter of a 15-10 victory against the New York Jets on Sept. 24.

Elliott’s touchdown trimmed the Las Vegas lead to 13-10 before Carlson kicked a 30-yard field goal that pushed lead to six points at the end of the third quarter.

Carlson added his fourth field goal, a 24-yarder, to increase the lead to 19-10 early in the fourth.

Rhamondre Stevenson’s 1-yard touchdown run pulled the Patriots within 19-17 with 3:33 remaining, but Jones was sacked for a safety with 1:47 remaining.

The Raiders received the opening kickoff and used 16 plays to drive 69 yards before Carlson kicked a 25-yard field goal that left the Raiders with a 3-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

They extended the lead to 10-0 early in the second when Garoppolo threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Jakobi Meyers.

The Patriots closed within 10-3 when Chad Ryland kicked a 43-yard field goal midway through the quarter.

Carlson added a 37-yard field goal that extended the Raiders’ lead to 13-3 at halftime.

–Field Level Media

NFL: Patriots Sign Cunningham

by

FOXBORO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The New England Patriots signed quarterback Malik Cunningham to a three-year deal, NFL Network reported Saturday. The team announced he had been elevated to the 53-man roster for Sunday’s game but did not announce the signing.

Embed from Getty Images

Cunningham, a dual-threat quarterback, signed with the Patriots as a rookie free agent in May, then was released on Aug. 9 and signed to the practice squad the following day.

“He’s a smart kid, works hard and, the opportunities he’s had, he’s shown a lot of improvement,” head coach Bill Belichick said this week.

In parts of five seasons at Louisville, the undrafted Cunningham, 25, threw for 9,664 yards and 70 touchdowns and

Defensive lineman Jeremiah Pharms Jr. and wide receiver Jalen Reagor were elevated from the practice squad to the active roster.

–Field Level Media

Problem-laden Patriots Head to Vegas

by

LAS VEGAS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Familiar faces with similar problems look to lead their respective teams to victory Sunday when the New England Patriots visit the Raiders.

Let’s start with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who has seen his struggling team average an NFL-worst 11.0 points per game this season. New England (1-4) has been outscored a staggering 72-3 over its last two games and gone 34 consecutive drives without scoring an offensive touchdown.

Embed from Getty Images

Belichick, however, confirmed Wednesday that Mac Jones will remain the team’s starter despite pulling the quarterback in consecutive contests. Jones is just 24-for-43 for 260 yards and four interceptions in that stretch.

“Right now, it’s not looking too good,” Jones said of his team’s troubles. “But we have to flip the switch and start over and figure out ways to go out there and have fun and sling the ball around — guys go make plays and then celebrate with each other, too.

“One of the best things I do is my ability to communicate. Somebody told me that in the locker room and I took it to heart; I need to do a better job of that.”

Jones’ job this weekend could be a bit tougher given his injured wide receiver corps. JuJu Smith-Schuster and Demario Douglas did not participate in Wednesday’s practice while in the NFL’s concussion protocol, leaving DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne as the top options for Jones.

While the Patriots have the NFL’s 26th-ranked total offense (287.4 yards per game) and 26th-ranked rushing offense (83.8), don’t expect Raiders coach Josh McDaniels to take his opponent lightly. After all, he knows Belichick quite well after joining New England in 2001 as a personnel assistant before shuffling over to defensive assistant, quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator.

“I have great respect for their team and their coaching staff and obviously for Bill,” said McDaniels, who is 2-0 in his coaching career against Belichick.

“They’ll be ready to play. They’ve got a lot of things that they do that create issues for you. We’re going to have to, on a short week, get ready for a lot of different things. We have not seen a team that plays like this. There’s a lot of challenges inherently in getting ready for them. I’m sure he’ll have them ready to go.”

Like New England, Las Vegas (2-3) will need to find a way to ignite its sluggish offense. After all, the Raiders are listed as 29th in total offense (281.2) and 32nd — yes, dead last — in rushing (71.4).

Las Vegas mustered 279 total yards and 96 rushing in its 17-13 victory over the Green Bay Packers Monday. The decision snapped a three-game losing skid for the Raiders.

Former Patriots wideout Jakobi Meyers had seven catches for 75 yards and a touchdown versus the Packers. He has recorded at least seven receptions in three of the four games he has played this season since signing a three-year, $33 million contract in the offseason.

Speaking of former Patriots, Jimmy Garoppolo completed 22 of 31 passes for 208 yards with one touchdown and one interception in his return to the lineup from a concussion.

Maxx Crosby was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week after recording five tackles — including a career-high-tying four for a loss — and a sack versus Green Bay.

Meyers (wrist) was listed as limited in the team’s estimated practice on Wednesday. Fellow wideout Davante Adams (shoulder) and cornerback Nate Hobbs were estimated as failing to participate.

–Field Level Media

Patriots Beaten Down (Again)

by

FOXBORO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Saints veteran QB Derek Carr threw two touchdown passes and the New Orleans’ defense forced three turnovers in a 34-0 victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts.

Carr passed for 183 yards, Alvin Kamara rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown and Tyrann Mathieu got the rout started by returning an interception of Mac Jones for the game’s first score.

Embed from Getty Images

The Saints (3-2) ended their NFL-worst streak of 10 consecutive games scoring 21 or fewer points.

For the second straight week, Jones had two interceptions and a lost fumble before being replaced by Bailey Zappe in the fourth quarter.

The Patriots (1-4) nearly matched the futility of their 38-3 loss at Dallas a week earlier, the most lopsided defeat in Bill Belichick’s 29 seasons as a head coach. Sunday’s margin was the largest in a home shutout loss in franchise history.

Belichick failed for a second consecutive week to join Don Shula and George Halas as the only NFL head coaches to win 300 games.

New England, which finished with 156 yards and eight first downs, went 1-of-14 on third-down conversions and 0-for-2 on fourth downs.

Jones lost a fumble on the first possession of the third quarter, leading to Blake Grupe’s 54-yard field goal and a 24-0 New Orleans lead at the end of the third quarter.

Pete Werner intercepted Jones at the New England 31, and Carr’s ensuing 6-yard touchdown pass to Foster Moreau made it a 31-0 lead. Grupe’s 53-yard field goal completed the scoring with 5:43 left.

Jones, who had an interception and a fumble returned for touchdowns last week, was intercepted on New England’s second possession Sunday by Mathieu, who returned it 27 yards for a touchdown that gave New Orleans a 7-0 first-quarter lead.

On the second play of the second quarter, Kamara ran 2 yards for the Saints’ first offensive touchdown in 20 possessions, increasing the lead to 14-0.

They made it two touchdown drives in a row when Carr threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Chris Olave for a 21-0 halftime lead.

–Field Level Media

Big Game for Patriots and Saints

by

FOXBORO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The New England Patriots are coming off the most lopsided loss in Bill Belichick‘s 29 seasons as a head coach while the New Orleans Saints are in the midst of one of the worst stretches of offense in the NFL.

Embed from Getty Images

Both teams are seeking significant improvement when they meet Sunday afternoon in Massachusetts.

New England (1-3) lost 38-3 at Dallas last Sunday as quarterback Mac Jones turned the ball over three times, including a pick six and a scoop and score.

“The biggest thing is moving on from it and learning from it,” Jones said. “(I need to) take care of the football, go through my reads. That’s all I can do as the quarterback, and I feel like the guys are doing a good job. So, I just have to get the ball out to them and let them make plays.”

Belichick, who’s in his 24th season as Patriots head coach after five seasons as Cleveland’s head coach, has a chance to achieve a far more positive milestone this week. If New England beats New Orleans, Belichick will join George Halas and Don Shula as the only coaches with 300 career regular-season victories.

“That wasn’t our best game,” Belichick said of last week’s loss. “We’re capable of more than that. We just have to play collectively better complementary team football, and that includes everything – offense, defense, special teams.”

The Patriots rank 30th in scoring and 17th in yards. The Saints are tied for 25th in scoring and are 23rd in yards.

New Orleans has scored 21 or fewer points in 10 consecutive games, the longest such streak in the NFL.

The Saints (2-2) have lost two games in a row and failed to reach the end zone in a 26-9 home loss to Tampa Bay last week.

Derek Carr passed for just 127 yards while playing with a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder that forced him to miss two days of practice last week.

“I feel much better this week than I did at this time last week,” Carr said after practice Wednesday. “I’ve been through tougher times than this. We’re going to be all right. We’ve got the right kind of people in our room.”

New Orleans ranks 25th in rushing offense even after leading rusher Alvin Kamara returned last week from a three-game suspension. He had 51 yards on 11 carries against the Bucs.

“The sense of urgency is extremely high,” guard James Hurst said. “We’re not playing up to the level that we hoped to at this point in the season.

“It’s extremely frustrating because we know we have the potential to move the ball and score points, but at the same time we’re hopeful because you look around the offense and see players who have proven they can make plays.”

Two Patriots injured against the Cowboys missed practice Wednesday – rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez (shoulder) and pass rusher Matthew Judon (elbow). New England addressed Gonzalez’s absence when it re-acquired former All-Pro cornerback J.C. Jackson in a trade with the Chargers on Wednesday.

Two Saints starters besides Carr were limited Wednesday: cornerback Paulson Adebo, who has missed the past two games because of a hamstring injury, and center Erik McCoy (knee).

– Field Level Media

NFL: Patriots vs Saints Preview

by

New England Patriots vs New Orleans Saints Preview

Patriots (1-3) vs. Saints (2-2): The sky is seemingly falling in New England. The Patriots’ feeble offense is averaging just 13.8 points per game, third-fewest in the league. Bill Belichick is coming off the worst loss of his head-coaching career — a 38-3 setback against Dallas — and Mac Jones is hitting on just 63.7 percent of his passes with five touchdowns to four interceptions.

Embed from Getty Images

Things won’t get any easier against a New Orleans defense that has held three of four opponents under 20 points. The Saints’ offense is also trending in the right direction, with star running back Alvin Kamara looking to build off a season debut in which he went for 84 yards (51 rushing, 33 receiving) and had 13 catches. Kamara will look to take advantage of a New England front seven without Matt Judon, who is out indefinitely with a lower bicep tendon tear. The Patriots bolstered their secondary, though, trading for cornerback J.C. Jackson in the wake of what will likely be a season-ending shoulder injury for rookie Christian Gonzalez.

RB “Peep-iel” Elliott a Factor for Pats

by

DALLAS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer is concerned longtime Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott and quarterback Will Grier are telling secrets.

Embed from Getty Images

As the New England Patriots prepare to travel to Dallas to face the Cowboys on Sunday, Elliott and Grier add tangible value with their knowledge of the inner workings of the Cowboys’ operation.

“Certainly Will knows where a lot of the bones are buried,” Schottenheimer said. “Zeke obviously does as well. Those are thing you talk about, and you think about, ‘OK, let’s adjust this one.’ We certainly have more than one hand signal for most of our core concepts, and sometimes you can use it to your advantage because they think they know what’s coming. And they hear something they think, ‘Oh, hey, it’s this,’ and we’re smart enough to adjust those things.”

Grier was waived in August when the Cowboys made a trade to acquire Trey Lance from the San Francisco 49ers.

Elliott played 103 career regular-season games in Dallas and was released in the offseason. He’s a close friend of Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and has unique insight, despite the team changing offensive coordinators from Kellen Moore to Schottenheimer. But head coach Mike McCarthy has taken over play-calling this season.

The cat-and-mouse game can work both ways.

Cowboys cornerback Stephon Gilmore played for the Patriots from 2017-20 and was a prized pupil of head coach Bill Belichick. Well-traveled wide receiver Brandin Cooks spent the 2017 season in New England.

“Everybody does it, you get a player that’s been somewhere, you talk to him about different things,” Schottenheimer said. “And then you’re very selective about how much you put into it. Excited to see Will, it’ll be great to see him, but I’m sure he is definitely being interrogated and spending a lot of late nights with their defensive coaching staff.”

Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien belly-laughed when asked if he interrogated the new practice squad quarterback.

“Interrogating?” O’Brien asked rhetorically Tuesday. “Schotty is a good guy, I’ve known Schotty for a long time. I think that’s the way it is in this league — and it goes both ways. It’s always going to happen. At the end of the day, you’ve got to study the film.

“I’ve never thought in all of my years in the league that any of that was an overriding factor in a win or a loss. I don’t think we’re trying to hold a light over anybody and (asking), ‘Tell me what you did on July 20, 2023.’ We’re not doing that. We’re not interrogating anybody. We’re trying to put together the best game plan we possible can.”

–Field Level Media

Patriots Keep Winning Streak Over J.E.T.S. Alive

by

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Matthew Judon recorded a safety with 2:19 to go and the visiting New England Patriots preserved a 15-10 win over the New York Jets on a rainy Sunday in the Meadowlands.

Embed from Getty Images

 

The Patriots (1-2) extended their winning streak against their AFC East rival to 15 games, dating to 2015. That ties the Kansas City Chiefs’ run against the Denver Broncos for the NFL’s longest active streak against a single opponent.

Zach Wilson and the Jets (1-2) attempted to salvage a dismal offensive performance with an 87-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter that cut their deficit to 13-10. But after New York got the ball back, Judon beat left tackle Mekhi Becton on third-and-long and took down Wilson in the end zone for his second sack of the day.

The Jets forced two three-and-outs to stay alive. Wilson’s Hail Mary throw with 1 second left reached the end zone but fell incomplete, with Randall Cobb just missing the grab.

Wilson completed 18 of 36 passes for 157 yards and the Jets managed just 38 rushing yards. New York had six three-and-outs and 171 total yards (2.8 per play).

Mac Jones went 15-of-29 passing for 201 yards and a touchdown, and Ezekiel Elliott led the Patriots in rushing with a season-high 80 yards on 16 totes.

The score was 3-0 after one quarter thanks to Chad Ryland’s 48-yard field goal on New England’s opening drive. Ryland went on to miss from 48 and 57 yards during the second quarter.

In the meantime, the Jets went nowhere on their first five possessions, which netted 1 yard and one first down. Wilson took a 12-yard sack early in the second quarter and received a chorus of boos as the Jets went three-and-out.

The Patriots made it 10-0 when Jones hit uncovered tight end Pharaoh Brown over the top after a play-action fake with 10:38 left in the half. Brown chugged 58 yards to the end zone for his first touchdown since 2020 with the Houston Texans.

Breece Hall and Dalvin Cook combined for 29 rushing yards on the Jets’ sixth possession, which included a fourth-down conversion before Greg Zuerlein’s 52-yard field goal with 1:21 left.

Ryland made it 13-3 Patriots with a booming 51-yard field goal with 10:31 left in the third quarter. The teams combined to punt on their next six possessions before the Jets’ touchdown drive.

Wilson completed seven passes on the march, and after a pass interference call on New England brought the Jets to the 1, fullback Nick Bawden pushed in for his first career touchdown with 5:24 left.

Dolphins Hold on For Win Over Patriots

by

FOXBORO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Miami’s RB Raheem Mostert rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns, and the Miami Dolphins held on for a 24-17 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday night.

Embed from Getty Images

Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa completed 21 of 30 passes for 249 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Tyreek Hill was limited to 40 receiving yards but had the lone touchdown catch for Miami (2-0).

Patriots’ QB Mac Jones completed 31 of 42 passes for 231 yards, one touchdown and one interception for New England (0-2). The Patriots have lost their first two games of the season for the first time since 2001.

New England pulled within 17-10 with 11:21 to go in the fourth quarter. Jones rolled right and found Hunter Henry, who caught a 6-yard pass for his second touchdown in as many weeks.

Miami responded with a touchdown to increase its lead to 24-10 with 8:45 remaining. Tagovailoa took the snap out of the shotgun formation and quickly handed the ball to Mostert, who found daylight and sprinted 43 yards for his second touchdown of the game.

Once again, the Patriots tried to claw back. Rhamondre Stevenson punched in a 2-yard rushing touchdown up the middle with 5:25 remaining to finish a nine-play, 75-yard drive.

The Patriots’ final drive stalled at the Dolphins 30-yard line after a wild play in which Mike Gesicki caught a pass and tossed a lateral to offensive lineman Cole Strange. The 310-pound Strange tried to muscle past the first-down marker, but officials ruled that he was down just shy of the line to gain after a replay review.

The Dolphins opened the scoring with three minutes left in the first quarter on a 23-yard field goal by Jason Sanders.

Miami made it 10-0 with 9:39 to go in the second quarter. Mostert cut toward his left and outraced a Patriots defender for an 8-yard score.

New England got on the scoreboard with a 49-yard field goal by Chad Ryland with 1:49 remaining in the first half.

Miami answered with 11 seconds to go before the break to increase its lead to 17-3. Tagovailoa zipped a pass to Hill, who caught it in stride just across the goal line for a 2-yard touchdown.

–Field Level Media