Bourne’s Return Provides Hope for New England in Week Five
The New England Patriots will play their second AFC East matchup on Sunday afternoon against the 1-3 Miami Dolphins. The teams entered ranked 31st and 32nd in scoring respectively, so fans are in for quite the treat with this likely barn burner. Defensively, the Patriots will expect to miss both their starting safeties, Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers, against the speedy Miami offense. On the other side of the ball, New England will face a Miami defense without their top rushing threat, defensive end Jaelan Phillips. This key absence will hopefully bode well for a Patriots’ offensive line that has struggled, to say the least, to start the 2024 season.
This game is a must-win for New England. As of four games into the year, the Patriots have begun to fail their already low expectations for this season. The offensive line which is projected to be one of the worst in football is worse than imagined due to a number of injuries, most significantly, veteran center and captain David Andrews. Quarterback Jacoby Brissett has somehow managed to record the highest average time to throw across the NFL despite the lack of protection. While the front office’s plan may never have involved Brissett playing at a high level, his ineffectiveness is beginning to affect the rest of the offense. While Brissett is pressured more than any other passer in the league, New England averages 112 yards through the air, the worst in the NFL.
Part of the reason for the poor offensive output, Brissett holds the fourth-lowest average depth of target in the NFL at 6.2. Defenses can play right up on the line of scrimmage to take away the short passing game, forcing the quarterback to hold onto the ball longer amidst the oncoming pressure. Until New England proves that they can attack down the field, they will continue to see these kinds of stacked boxes which are also useful when trying to stop the run. In three of their four games, the Patriots have ranked in the top 10 in these types of defensive looks and it has worked out well for the defenses, clearly.
Plus, the defense will have their hands full despite the lack of points averaged by the Miami offense so far this season. Based on pure talent, Miami’s receiving core of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle could win this game for the Dolphins. Fifth-year man Jaylinn Hawkins and rookie Dell Pettus will be asked to keep the top on the defense as often as possible. With a low-scoring affair ahead of the two squads, keeping the big plays to a minimum will be key to winning the matchup.
On the bright side, top receiving option Kendrick Bourne will make his return from an ACL surgery in 2023. Bourne, who started the season on the PUP list, will hopefully lift the passing attack and provide his quarterback with a consistent answer to the questions being asked. On defense, 2023 third-rounder Marte Mapu will see his first action of the season. The safety-linebacker hybrid will be useful with the impact of the injuries as well. The Sacramento State product’s versatility provides size and speed with the ability to come downhill and make plays in the run game that the Patriots have been lacking for quite some time. To learn when the appropriate time to start rookie quarterback Drake Maye, please click here.