Game Preview, Week 9: Washington at New England Patriots
November 3, 2023
by Steve Thomas
Washington played an exciting contest last week against the Eagles, that features some quality offensive line play, for once, with some notable improvements from quarterback Sam Howell. The team’s 2023 history suggests that this may be a down week, as they have been playing good games followed by bad games all season. However, this week’s opponent is the New England Patriots, who are a far cry from the heyday of their Tom Terrific days, and our now slogging through the Mac Jones era. It therefore seems like Washington should have a pretty good opportunity to win this week against an opponent who is at or below their level. However, Washington’s defense has mostly been a disappointment this year, and you never know what kind of “bad” that they might turn in. As a result, I think this game might just be more of a contest than fans might want, particularly up in Foxboro. We’ll all find out how they do on Sunday. Our game preview begins below.
Game time & location: Sunday, November 5, 2023, 1:00 p.m. ET, Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, MA; Gates open 11:00 a.m. ET; parking lots open 9:00 a.m.
Television: FOX
Television announcers: Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma
TV broadcast map: click here
DC-area radio: BIG-100 (WBIG FM)
Washington radio network: click here
Patriots radio network: click here
Satellite radio: SiriusXM: 232 (Patriots broad.); 389 (Wash. broad.); internet: 831
Washington roster: click here
Washington depth chart: click here
Patriots roster: click here
Patriots depth chart: click here
Records: Washington 3 – 5 (away 2 –2); Patriots 2 – 6 (home 1 – 3)
All-time head-to-head record vs Patriots: 6 – 5 (last 5: 1– 4; streak: 0 – 4)
Last meeting: L, October 6, 2019, 7 – 33
Early odds: Patriots, -3
3 KEYS TO THE GAME
Pass more; wait, what?
Statistically, the Patriots have the second-best run defense in the league, and a fairy unsuccessful passing defense; plus, they’ve also only had 13 sacks this season. Therefore, this game seems to be tailor-made for Washington offensive coordinator’s pass all the time / ignore the run game plans. At this point, there’s no reason to suspect that he’s going to change, and at least for this game, he probably shouldn’t. Washington needs to take advantage of New England’s big defensive weakness.
Sam Howell and the offensive line each repeat last week
Howell in particular seemed to have figured things out last week in terms of his ability to quickly read the field and release the ball. The offensive line also seemed to have better results. There’s no reason why Washington should regress against a poor pass rushing team – the Patriots have blitz percentage is the third-highest in the NFL, but they are tied for 31st in sacks, and are in the lower middle in both pressure percentage and quarterback knockdowns. Howell and the offensive line simply need to repeat last week’s performance.
Force the Patriots into being a running team
New England’s offense has not been successful this year, in general, but even moreso on the ground. They do have some talent and well-known names in their receiving corps, but they have been simply terrible on the ground, averaging only 3.6 yards per carry, which is tied for 28th. Washington’s secondary needs to be on point this week, and does their pass rush, in order to force Bill Belichick into having no choice but to run the ball.
3 KEY MATCHUPS
Bill Belichick loves tight ends, and Henry already has 34 targets this season. Washington has historically been terrible against good tight ends. As a result, I think Henry might be the X factor in this game. Davis, then, will need to be front and center in the job of covering Henry. Davis has had a decent year, at least by Washington linebacker standards, so keep an eye out of how many receptions Henry is getting throughout the game and how well Davis is doing to stay with him.
This is more of a high-profile matchup than it is an important matchup. Elliott is a guy who Washington knows well from his days with the Cowboys. He’s long past his prime, and the Patriots are one of the worst rushing teams in the league this year, but we can probably expect plenty of Dallas references from the broadcast crew in this game, particularly if it isn’t an exciting or competitive contest.
Terry McLaurin vs Kyle Dugger and Jabril Peppers
This is an another matchup that is more high-profile than critical. McLaurin, is, of course, Washington’s best player, and Peppers, in particular, was a high profile draft pick and is a name that’s well known to NFL fans. This will be another matchup that will likely be featured in the broadcast, so keep an eye out on how often McLaurin can get free in the Patriots’ deep secondary.
OFFICIAL INJURY REPORT (active roster only)
LP – limited practice FP – full practice DNP – did not practice
NIR – not injury related Q – questionable O – out
D – doubtful NL – not listed
| Washington | Patriots |
| WR C. Samuel, toe; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP | OL C. Anderson, illness; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP |
| C R. Stromberg, knee; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP | T T. Brown, ankle/knee; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP |
| S P. Butler, calf; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP | DL D. Godhaux, illness; Wed: NL; Thurs: DNP |
| TE L. Thomas, heel; Wed: LP; Thurs: FP | WR D. Parker, concussion; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP |
| DL C. Barmore, knee; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP | |
| LB L. Bentley, hamstring; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP | |
| TE P. Brown, back; Wed: DNP; Thurs: LP | |
| CB M. Bryant, chest; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP | |
| CB J. Jones, knee; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP | |
| OL V. Lowe, ankle; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP | |
| LB J. Ucke, ankle/toe; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP | |
| DL D. Wise, Jr., shoulder; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP |
Steve’s Prediction
New England’s strengths and weaknesses play right into Washington’s hands. Washington gets a win here, 24 – 10.