The New England Patriots will travel west for a tough matchup vs. the San Francisco 49ers. While few expect them to pull off the upset as 10.5-point underdogs, it's still a pivotal week for head coach Jerod Mayo and Co.
Mayo's group is coming off a dismal 24-3 loss to the New York Jets. The defeat followed an uplifting win over the Cincinnati Bengals in their season opener and a hard-fought overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2.
As the Patriots continue to search for their identity, our Phil Perry believes Sunday's game marks a critical juncture for the new regime. He expanded on the topic in the latest episode of the Next Pats Podcast.
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"Huge, huge week for Jerod Mayo," Perry said. "It's been described to me by players as a 'fork in the road' kind of week. Now, why is that? And why does it relate specifically to Mayo? To me, this week is a culture test. What kind of culture have you been building? It hasn't been an incredibly long period of time since Jerod Mayo took over the head job, but it's been long enough that we should see signs of the culture that he's trying to implement this Sunday in San Francisco.
"The reason I say that is because they laid an egg that we all saw on Thursday night last week down in New Jersey. They didn't show up. No energy, no emotion, loss of fundamentals. Is that just a blip on the radar? Is that a fluke? Is that just a classic Thursday night dud? ... The question is, is it going to happen again? Because if it does, that to me is a red flag. That to me would lend itself to a lot of, I think, in some ways, legitimate applications of the panic button across the greater New England region."
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According to Perry, Mayo's style hasn't been any easier on players than Bill Belichick's was. A competitive effort on Sunday would show that the team is buying what Mayo is selling as a new NFL head coach.
"This is a huge week for Jerod Mayo and the culture that he's trying to establish," Perry added. "Because it has been, at times, a hard-driving culture. I think it has been the antithesis of what many thought it would be with Jerod Mayo. 'Oh, he's gonna come in, he's gonna replace Bill Belichick, so it's gonna be a softer kind of gentler New England Patriots coaching staff, and they're gonna let the players do what they want and they're gonna allow the players to have a say.' It hasn't been that way. They ran what was one of the hardest camps they've had here in New England in years. His camp was much more difficult than many that Bill Belichick has run in Foxboro, especially in recent seasons. ...
"Are they still in all likelihood going to lose? Yes, I think so. But if they can keep it close, if they can be much more competitive, if they can bring some sort of energy to put them in a position where they are a play or two away from potentially upsetting what many thought would be one of the best teams in football on the road this year, that's a check for Jerod Mayo and the culture that he's trying to establish here in New England."
Perry goes on to explain why this is also a critical week for offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett, and rookie backup QB Drake Maye.
Also in the episode:
- Making the most of the play-action pass
- Could Drake Maye be ready to start sooner than anticipated?
- Patriots-49ers preview with Jennifer Lee Chan.