3 days Ago By Bernd Buchmasser
The New England Patriots escaped their season opener without any major nicks and bruises, but saw their depth tested in Week 2. Their 23-20 overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks saw starters on both sides of the ball go down. First up was Ja’Whaun Bentley, who left the game after just 10 defensive snaps because of what was later announced as a shoulder issue.
Later, left tackle Vederian Lowe had to miss the final drive in overtime due to a knee injury. With those two out, the Patriots had to make adjustments on the fly. In Bentley’s case, that meant more snaps for backup off-ball linebacker Raekwon McMillan: after playing exclusively on special teams in Week 1, McMillan was on the field for 41 of 70 defensive snaps against Seattle, plus 24 more on special teams.
Lowe, meanwhile, started at left tackle and played the first 65 snaps before getting banged up. The team turned not just to third-round rookie Caedan Wallace to replace him, but also tight end Hunter Henry: the former lined up at left tackle for the first two snaps of overtime, with the latter in that spot for the final ill-fated third down — a play that saw Wallace return to his original position as what offensive line coach Scott Peters referred to as “muscle tight end.” With that said, here is our full snap count report from the Patriots’ loss to the Seahawks.
Total snaps: 68 | Time on the field: 34:27 QB Jacoby Brissett* (68; 100%), LG Michael Jordan* (68; 100%), C David Andrews* (68; 100%), RG Layden Robinson* (68; 100%), RT Michael Onwenu* (68; 100%), LT Vederian Lowe* (65; 96%), TE Hunter Henry* (57; 84%), WR K.J. Osborn* (51; 75%), RB Rhamondre Stevenson* (49; 72%), WR Ja’Lynn Polk* (41; 60%), WR DeMario Douglas (38; 56%), TE Austin Hooper* (37; 54%), WR Tyquan Thornton (31; 46%), RB Antonio Gibson (16; 24%), LT/TE Caedan Wallace (11; 16%), WR Javon Baker (6; 9%), RB JaMycal Hasty (3; 4%), OL/TE/FB Nick Leverett (2; 3%), TE Jaheim Bell (1; 1%) *denotes starter With the exception of Lowe leaving late, the offensive line was a model of stability — one that again started practice squad call-up Michael Jordan at left guard.
Like center David Andrews, right guard Layden Robinson, right tackle Michael Onwenu and quarterback Jacoby Brissett, Jordan played all 68 offensive snaps between the first four quarters and overtime. On the other end of the spectrum was backup O-lineman Nick Leverett, who played two snaps. Neither of those came at his listed position: Leverett lined up as a jumbo tight end at one point, and as a fullback in another situation.
Elsewhere, the Patriots changed their wide receiver usage a bit. K.J.
Osborn remained as the No. 1 in terms of snaps, but Ja’Lynn Polk moved up to the second position ahead of DeMario Douglas and Tyquan Thornton; the rookie had been the fourth option last week. Douglas’ role in particular continues to raise questions.
Arguably the Patriots’ most dynamic pass catcher, he has been on the field for just 77 of 133 offensive snaps (57.9%) through two games. The team’s receiving yards leader as a rookie last year, he has caught only two passes for 12 yards so far.
“We have to get him going. We have to scheme up some things for him,” said head coach Jerod Mayo after the game. At running back and tight end, on the other hand, there were no surprises.
Rhamondre Stevenson and the aforementioned Hunter Henry are the top options at their respective positions, with Antonio Gibson and Austin Hooper also contributing. Total snaps: 70 | Time on the field: 28:44 S Kyle Dugger* (70; 100%), S Jabrill Peppers* (70; 100%), LB/ED Jahlani Tavai* (69; 99%), CB Christian Gonzalez* (69; 99%), DE/ED Keion White* (58; 83%), CB Marcus Jones* (56; 80%), CB Jonathan Jones* (56; 80%), DT Daniel Ekuale* (54, 77%), DT Davon Godchaux* (47; 67%), ED Anfernee Jennings* (44; 63%), LB Raekwon McMillan (41; 59%), S Jaylinn Hawkins (29; 41%), DE/ED Deatrich Wise Jr. (27; 39%), DT Jeremiah Pharms Jr.
(24; 34%), ED Joshua Uche (23; 33%), CB Marco Wilson (14; 20%), LB Ja’Whaun Bentley* (10; 14%), LB Christian Elliss (4; 6%), ED Oshane Ximines (3; 4%), S Dell Pettus (1; 1%) *denotes starter Besides the adjustments necessitated by Bentley’s departure, the Patriots continued to rely on their usual cast of characters — including sophomores Christian Gonzalez and Keion White both leading their positions again, and looking the part, too. Where things get more interesting, though, is further down the list. At safety, Jaylinn Hawkins continues to play just under half of defensive snaps alongside starters Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers.
Undrafted rookie Dell Pettus, the team’s personal punt protector, also played the first defensive snap of his career. Speaking of firsts, Christian Elliss played his first four defensive snaps as a Patriot; the 2023 waiver wire pickup was used exclusively in the kicking game so far. With Bentley getting ruled out early and Oshane Ximines also suffering an injury, however, he too saw a handful of opportunities both on and off the line of scrimmage.
Deatrich Wise Jr., meanwhile, continues to play a smaller role than the last few years. With Keion White proving himself a reliable option as an end/edge hybrid, the team captain was on the field for “only” 27 snaps.
He is still an integral part of the operation, but it will be interesting to see how his usage will change — if at all — over the next 15 games considering his status as a free agent next spring. Total snaps: 31 | Time on the field: 2:12 LB Christian Elliss (26; 84%), S Brenden Schooler (26; 84%), LB Raekwon McMillan (24; 77%), S Jaylinn Hawkins (24; 77%), CB Marcellas Dial Jr. (20; 65%), S Dell Pettus (18; 58%), ED Anfernee Jennings (17; 55%), ED Oshane Ximines (12; 39%), LB Jahlani Tavai (11; 35%), LS Joe Cardona (11; 35%), P/H Bryce Baringer (11; 35%), RB JaMycal Hasty (10; 32%), S Kyle Dugger (10; 32%), DE Keion White (10; 32%), CB Alex Austin (10; 32%), K Joey Slye (10; 32%), S Jabrill Peppers (6; 19%), G Layden Robinson (5; 16%), G Michael Jordan (5; 16%), OT Michael Onwenu (5; 16%), TE Austin Hooper (5; 16%), RB Antonio Gibson (5; 16%), OT Caedan Wallace (5; 16%), WR Javon Baker (5; 16%), OL Nick Leverett (5; 16%), TE Jaheim Bell (5; 16%), CB Marcus Jones (5; 16%), DT Daniel Ekuale (5; 16%), DT Davon Godchaux (5; 16%), DE Jeremiah Pharms Jr.
(5; 16%), OL Zachary Thomas (5; 16%), Despite a healthy workload on defense as well, both Raekwon McMillan and Jaylinn Hawkins resumed their roles as core special teamers in Week 2. The same is true for rookies Marcellas Dial Jr. and Dell Pettus, with the former being one of seven players used exclusively in the game’s third phase.
Joining him on that list are Brenden Schooler, Alex Austin, the three specialists — Joe Cardona, Bryce Baringer, Joey Slye — and backup O-lineman Zachary Thomas. The latter was a waiver wire pickup after roster cutdowns, and dressed for the first time since arriving in New England. QB Drake Maye, DT Eric Johnson Another week, another day spent on the bench for first-round rookie quarterback Drake Maye.
With Jacoby Brissett going wire-to-wire again in a close contest, the youngster remained sidelined throughout the contest alongside depth defensive lineman Eric Johnson. WR Kayshon Boutte, QB Joe Milton III (emergency QB), LB Curtis Jacobs, G Sidy Sow, OT Demontrey Jacobs The Patriots did not pull any real surprises out of their hat when announcing Sunday’s inactives. The only injured player listed was starting left guard Sidy Sow, who continues to recover from an ankle injury sustained in preseason.
Kayshon Boutte was the headline name among the healthy scratches; he was subbed out for Javon Baker as the No. 5 wide receiver..
