The Patriots are gearing up for the beginning of the Drake Maye era in Sunday's tilt vs. the Texans at Gillette Stadium, but the Pats game-day inactives include some key contributors.
With 11 players listed as questionable heading into Sunday's game, New England's game-day inactives are RB Rhamondre Stevenson (foot), LS Joe Cardona (calf), G Layden Robinson (ankle/wrist), WR Javon Baker, WR Tyquan Thornton, DT Eric Johnson, and rookie Joe Milton is the emergency third quarterback. Houston's inactives are G Nick Broeker, CB Kamari Lassiter, FS Jimmie Ward, OLB Rashad Weaver, and WR Robert Woods.
Starting with the supporting cast around Maye offensively, the Patriots offensive line will have some stability for the first time this season. After starting five different line combinations in the first five weeks, the starting five from last week's loss to the Dolphins are all active, including C Nick Leverett (ankle/questionable). The Patriots are expected to start the same line for the second consecutive week: LT Vederian Lowe, LG Michael Jordan, C Nick Leverett, RG Mike Onwenu, and RT Trey Jacobs.
Last week, New England's offensive line produced a season-best 43.2% pressure rate, while the run game averaged a franchise single-game record 7.9 yards per rush. The Pats pressure rate was still on the higher end, ranking sixth-highest for the week, but it was a step in the right direction. In particular, Jacobs (two hurries) and Lowe (clean sheet) gave New England its best tackle play of the season. On Thursday, offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt called Lowe "our best pass blocker on the edge" and said the left tackle is "playing at a high level."
During the week, Lowe told Patriots.com that he spent a two-game absence due to a knee injury self-scouting after he felt like he played below his own standard in Week 2. The third-year pro's self-evaluation worked last week, and Jacobs had some good moments switching sides to right tackle. However, Houston's pass-rushers Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter, who each have 21 pressures through five games, will be a real test. If the Pats tackle duo can hold up in this matchup, then the Patriots O-Line might be on to something.
With the tackles holding their own against Miami, the area where the pass protection was shaky vs. the Dolphins was on the interior. According to Pro Football Focus, Leverett allowed a team-high 10 quarterback pressures in Week 5. Now, some of those pressures could be split between the center and two guard spots, meaning it wasn't all on Leverett, as the interior as a whole needs to be more stout.
Overall, the Patriots offensive line showed improvement last week, and it's positive news that the same starting five will likely begin the game against Houston – continuity is critical on the line.
As for the offensive backfield, the Patriots will be without lead-back Rhamondre Stevenson (foot) this week. Although that's a big absence, speed-back Antonio Gibson is having a great year. Gibson ranks second in average yards after contact (4.54) and fifth in yards per rush attempt (5.9). The veteran back will make his second-straight start for the Patriots and be spelled by JaMycal Hasty and practice-squad elevation Terrell Jennings.
At wide receiver, K.J. Osborn returns to the lineup after missing last week's game with a shoulder injury. The Pats active receivers are Kendrick Bourne, Ja'Lynn Polk, DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, and Osborn. That means that rookie wideout Javon Baker and third-year WR Tyquan Thornton are healthy inactives. After playing only 16 snaps in his season debut, the hope is that Bourne will play a larger role in his second game back from the physically unable to perform list (knee). In the preseason, Maye also had great chemistry with fellow rookie Ja'Lynn Polk. As the team's top two picks in the 2024 draft, we finally get to see this duo together in the regular season.
With all that in mind, here are the offensive players who will mostly be around Maye on Sunday:
RB - Gibson, Hasty, Jennings
TE - Henry, Hooper
WR - Bourne, Douglas, Polk, Boutte, Thornton
OL - Lowe, Jordan, Leverett, Onwenu, Jacobs
Moving over to the defense, the Patriots will get a boost from two injured players returning to the lineup. First, the team activated LB Sione Takitaki (knee) from injured reserve on Saturday, and he is officially active. Starting safety Kyle Dugger (ankle) is also active after missing last week's game vs. the Dolphins. Dugger and Takitaki will factor into the middle-of-the-field defense, which could use a spark. Since captain Ja'Whaun Bentley suffered a season-ending injury, the run defense is 17th in EPA, and the pass defense is 23rd on throws between the numbers (+0.15).
Dugger will step back into his starting role as a hybrid safety who plays at all three levels of the defense. The expectation is that LB/S Marte Mapu will continue to wear the green dot as the defensive signal-caller. Veteran free safety Jaylinn Hawkins will also be in the mix to allow Dugger and Mapu to play closer to the line. It's a good mix, with three players who can play off one another to get to their strong suits.
Lastly, the Patriots are being forced into a change at long snapper due to Joe Cardona's calf injury. On Saturday, New England elevated LS Tucker Addington from the practice squad after signing him this week. This is Addington's third stint with the Patriots. He previously played three games for the Pats in 2022 and spent some time with the team in training camp this summer. Cardona leads all long snappers with four special teams tackles and has run a clean operation, so this is worth monitoring with Addington stepping in on Sunday.
As for the Texans, the notable pre-game news is that lead-back Joe Mixon (ankle) is active after missing the last three games. Houston's run game has suffered without Mixon recently, sinking to 26th in rush DVOA. Texans RB Dameon Pierce is also active, so Houston will be a more formidable rushing attack on Sunday.
New England is kicking off a new era at quarterback with third-overall pick Drake Maye making his first career start. Although it's exciting for the franchise, the Patriots are still a 6.5-point home underdog to the Texans, who are vying for the top seed in the AFC. It's a challenging first matchup for Maye, but we'll learn a lot about the rookie right out of the gate.
The Patriots host the Texans at Gillette Stadium with kickoff at 1:00 pm ET on Sunday.
DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer
