The Patriots have yet to get their pass catchers involved.
Two weeks into the 2024 NFL regular season, the New England Patriots’ passing game has yet to find its rhythm. Likewise, quarterback Jacoby Brissett has yet to find the entire width of the weaponry available to him.
With games against the Cincinnati Bengals and Seattle Seahawks in the rear-view mirror, the veteran has distributed the ball rather unevenly. While eight total players have been targeted, a lion’s share of the opportunities has gone to tight end Hunter Henry: his 15 targets, 10 receptions and 127 yards are head and shoulders above his teammates.
While the Brissett-Henry connection has been a bright spot so far, the Patriots know that they need to be more balanced. This is precisely what they want to accomplish on Thursday night against the New York Jets.
“You want to get everybody involved. I think that’s the plan, to try to spread the wealth a little bit more this week,” Brissett told reporters this week.
“We were two plays away from winning the game [against Seattle], and then everybody would be like, ‘Oh, Hunter had a great day, run game was good, and all of this and that.’ But obviously, we want to get more players involved. We want to spread the wealth, for sure. And this game is an opportunity to do that.”
Head coach Jerod Mayo expressed a similar sentiment earlier in the week.
“We’ve got to find a way to get the ball down the field,” he said. “We’ve got to find a way to get the ball in our playmakers’ hands so those guys can go out there and make yards. And that’s a hybrid. It’s on the coaches, starting with myself. That definitely is something that we have to continue going forward.”
Doing so against the Jets will not be an easy task. Led by standout cornerback Sauce Gardner, the team fields a formidable defense whose problems have primary come in the running game.
“A defense that’s been in this defense for a long team,” said Brissett. “Lot of good players. Coached really well. Play fast, play hard. Really physical defense. We got a good test for us, but I think we’ll be up for it.”
One way to challenge the Jets through the air might be to get wide receiver DeMario Douglas involved. The sophomore, who led the team in receiving yards last season despite missing three games, has been quiet so far this year. Through two games, he has caught just two passes for 12 yards on three targets.
Whereas Hunter Henry accounts for 32 percent of targets, 33 percent of catches, and 47 percent of yards so far this season, Douglas stands at just 6, 7, and 14 percent, respectively. The sample size is obviously small, but the early trends this season have left the former rookie free agent frustrated.
“I’m the quarterback, I have to talk to him for sure,” said Brissett about his teammate. “But it’s a good thing that he’s frustrated. You want players that want the ball. It would be a crime if he didn’t. I understood his frustration.”
Whether that frustration will come to an end on Thursday will be seen. The Patriots might be better off if it did.