SANTA CLARA, Calif. — There are some things these Patriots players can’t control.
They can’t control their lack of top-end talent, which leaves them overmatched against an opponent who boasts the abilities of Fred Warner, George Kittle, Trent Williams, among other All-Pros. They can’t control their lack of depth, which will be exposed when players like David Andrews and Kyle Dugger get banged up. They can’t control roster construction, which left them with their fourth starting left tackle in four weeks.
But there are things the Patriots players on the field absolutely can control, and that’s why repeated mistakes were the most concerning part of Sunday afternoon’s 30-13 thrashing in San Francisco. Whether it’s putting the ball on the ground or not setting the edge, these Patriots are letting the same fixable things foil them.
For the fourth game in a row, Rhamondre Stevenson fumbled. Since signing a well-earned, four-year, $36-million contract extension in June, the 26-year-old back has fumbled in every game he’s played in. On Sunday, that burned the Patriots, who absolutely can’t afford to lose the turnover battle against a stacked team like the 49ers.
On the defense, the Patriots emphasized the importance of setting a strong edge all week.
“We’ve been doing a poor job of keeping the quarterback in the pocket all year,” Jabrill Peppers said. “I know they saw that. I knew they were going to test us.”
The Patriots defense failed that test, repeatedly letting Brock Purdy escape the pocket. The San Francisco quarterback extended plays with his legs, leaving him with 288 passing yards and Jerod Mayo irked.
“It’s a frustrating thing,” Mayo said. “Sometimes you tell guys over and over and over, ‘Look, the stove is hot. The stove is hot.’ And they still touch the stove… it’s on them to set the edge. This is your job. Do your job and we’ll be okay.”
Whether it’s Stevenson putting the ball on the ground or guys running upfield instead of setting the edge, Mayo said the Patriots will “100%” consider keeping repeat offenders off the field going forward
“These guys are competing and will be evaluated every single day. Every single week. We want our most dependable players out there,” Mayo said. “Especially when it’s a huge target. We have targets on our back. Can’t keep the quarterback in the pocket. Can’t take control of the football. So we’re going to deal with it until we fix it.”
It’ll be fascinating to see how Mayo handles Stevenson. As a rookie, when Stevenson fumbled and whiffed on a crucial block in pass protection during his Patriots debut, Bill Belichick brought the hammer down on him. The young back was a healthy scratch for New England’s next three games. Though the discipline seemed severe, Stevenson didn’t fumble again for the remainder of the 2021 season.
Following the fourth fumble in as many weeks, Stevenson was benched for a series, and Mayo spoke to him on the sideline before he returned to the game.
“There’s no one out there more disappointed than Rhamondre as far as his ball security issues are concerned,” Mayo said. “So there was a talk, ‘Look, it is what it is, and let’s move forward.”
Mayo’s challenge is now this: If he benched everybody on his roster who repeated a mistake, he’d have trouble fielding a lineup, especially on offense. The depth just isn’t there. But one way or another, Mayo needs his players to stop making the same mistakes or he’s going to be stuck with the same underwhelming results.
