Patriots Rewind: Seven Points on the Patriots 27-13 win over the Cardinals

Posted By on December 13, 2022


The Patriots picked up a much needed win last night In Arizona. With the win, New England is currently the seventh seed in the AFC and squarely in the thick of the playoff race. Here are seven points from last night’s win.

1. Defense dominates: The defense was flat out dominate last night. Matthew Judon and Josh Uche combined for four and a half of the team’s 6 sacks on the night, Marcus Jones notched his first career interception and Raekwon McMillan had a scoop and score. It helped that Kyler Murray got hurt on the third play of the game but regardless, the defense took the game over in the second half and rose to the occasion.

2. Emergence of the rookie running backs: With the injury to Rhamondre Stevenson early in the game, the Patriots had to turn rookies Kevin Harris and Pierre Strong. Both stepped up and scored touchdowns. Strong was especially impressive. He had 70 yards on five carries, scored a rushing touchdown and caught two passes for 20 yards. We got a good glimpse of why the Patriots drafted him when he busted a 44 yard run on a draw. 

3. Mac leads despite frustration: Mac Jones was once again frustrated. What else is new? Despite that, he stepped up and led the offense on four productive drives. He ended up going 24-of-35 for 235 yards but what is most important is he was a leader. 

4. Henry catches on: Hunter Henry made two big seam catches that set up two Patriot scores. He was Jones security blanket last season and it is nice to see him once again emerging into his favorite target.

5. Parker concussion: The DeVante Parker hit and what followed are concerning. He was clearly concussed. The fact that no one other than his teammates, specifically Nelson Agholor noticed is concerning. The NFL needs to get it together with its concussion protocol. When in doubt, get ’em out! 

  1. Injuries: The first half of the game was marred by injuries. The Patriots lost Stevenson, Parker and Jack Jones. It is a safe bet that Parker and Jones won’t be available Sunday. Stevenson’s status is still to be determined.

  2. Staying West: The Patriots will stay out west and practice at the University of Arizona this week. They will depart for Las Vegas on Saturday.