Here are some half-baked thoughts and hacks (aka NickNacks) that came to mind while watching the first half of the New England Patriots vs Arizona Cardinals Sunday:
— Things haven’t gone well for the Patriots this season. But on Sunday, the ball literally didn’t bounce, resulting in one of the strangest touchdowns of the year.
— The first touchdown of the day was scored by, of all people, Cardinals right tackle Jonah Williams. The senior scored on a wild play where Anfernee Jennings hit the ball from catcher Greg Dortch. The ball came out and was about to roll into the end zone for a touchback. Instead, Williams pounced on the ball just before it went out of bounds. You can see the work here.
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— Corner Christian Gonzalez looks like a rising star. He played brilliantly against rookie star Marvin Harrison Jr. in the first half, producing multiple pass breaks.
— The Patriots are on the wrong side of a Charles Dickens story when it comes to their kicker situation. They are haunted by their present kicker, along with the ghosts of past kickers.
— Sunday’s game was a good example: After a tough game last time out, Joey Slye missed a 53-yarder early.
— Slye won the Patriots’ kicking job this year after beating out Chad Ryland, who is now with the Cardinals. The 2023 draft pick has been solid in Arizona, going 19-for-23 for this game. Slye entered 22-for-28.
— Then there’s Nick Folk, who the Patriots traded for Ryland in 2023. He’s been the NFL’s most accurate kicker since New England dealt him.
— Ghosts are scary. You know what’s not scary? That receiving bodies of the patriots. It’s pretty telling that Drake Maye did all his damage on pass rushes and screens. There was really nothing for Maye on the field.
–Here’s what CBS color analyst Ross Tucker had to say about Vederian Lowe after the tackle went up in smoke on a sack: “OK, the Patriots have a problem, guys. And the problem right now is The left tackle will have to help him. … Vederian Lowe again late coming out of his position and (Baron) Browning just goes by him. …I don’t know if it’s too strong for Lowe or what? But he doesn’t move away from his position fast enough.
— Center Ben Brown had a brutal first half. He had two shots that went wrong and almost turned into disasters. Fortunately for him, Drake Maye caught the ball. The first time, Maye managed to turn it around for a nice gain. The second time, he was tackled near the line of scrimmage.
— Brown was not alone. Cardinals center fielder Hjalte Froholdt also had a botched hit. You may remember Froholdt as a fourth-round pick of the Patriots in 2019.
— Speaking of former Patriots, linebacker Mack Wilson was injured on the fourth snap of the game. The Cardinals announced that he suffered a concussion and would not return to the game.
— Weird trivia about this game: The first incompletion came with 10:27 left in the second quarter. Even that pass didn’t hit the ground. It was a clear throw by Kyler Murray. His pass fell into the hands of Brenden Schooler, who was on the sideline.
— Another start for rookie Layden Robinson at left guard. He continues to have problems. He was called for an early holding penalty that brought a run back to first.
— Christian Elliss has been impressive this season since taking on a bigger role in defense. The linebacker had a big open field tackle on Kyler Murray on third down. He forced a field goal by cornering one of the league’s most athletic quarterbacks in space.