GRESH’S GRADES: The opportunity to win was there

This was a shocking loss for the New England Patriots against a bad Denver Broncos team on Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium. The performance defensively wasn’t perfect by any stretch, but they shouldered the load in keeping the team in the game. Offensively, the Patriots did all they could to lose the game. I am aware there were injuries and players out of the lineup because of COVID-19 issues. But in the past, when this team was presented an opportunity to win a game it should [...]

This was a shocking loss for the New England Patriots against a bad Denver Broncos team on Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium. The performance defensively wasn’t perfect by any stretch, but they shouldered the load in keeping the team in the game. Offensively, the Patriots did all they could to lose the game. I am aware there were injuries and players out of the lineup because of COVID-19 issues. But in the past, when this team was presented an opportunity to win a game it should surely lose, it found a way to win.

QUARTERBACK: D

I do have empathy for Cam Newton who was trying to run the offense with little to no practice time, and his offensive line did him no favors. But I was waiting for "Supercam"o show up and lead the team to a win. His huge fourth-quarter run to set up the Patriots lone touchdown was more of what I was expecting. It was very clear that Denver head coach and defensive play-caller Vic Fangio was not afraid that Newton would make plays in the passing game as he blitzed Cam and the offensive line early and often.

RUNNING BACKS: B-

Not a lot of running room for this trio of running backs (Damien Harris, Rex Burkhead, James White) to work. White was the leading receiver, but if felt like it was a struggle to get him the ball in space. This unit needed to be productive to open up the offense and there were just too many inconsistencies for this unit to excel. I do continue to see great fight and all the backs excel in pass protection.

WIDE RECEIVERS: D

Julian Edelman had two nice throws in the game. Otherwise there was little separation from Denver defenders. This unit provided ZERO octane to the offense. It seemed that, across the board, none of these receivers could get open consistently because of a lack of running game. This unit is not as bad as it showed on Sunday. But these receivers must prove that they can get open even if there is no consistent play-action to help with creating separation from defenders.

TIGHT ENDS: D

When Ryan Izzo gets his opportunities to catch the ball and gain the trust of the coaching staff, he must hold onto the pigskin. Izzo’s third-quarter fumble was a killer as it was in Denver territory, still a 15-3 game, and a touchdown or field goal builds some second-half momentum offensively. This unit struggled in the running game as did the offensive line.

OFFENSIVE LINE: F

I understand that James Ferentz was out and Jermaine Eluemunor got injured during the game. But Shaq Mason didn’t start in KC. Michael Onwenu along with Justin Herron started that game and neither played as bad in that game as they did on Sunday. Isaiah Wynn had his worst game of the season. He looked tentative at guard and had issues with his footwork. Tough job for Joe Thuney to nail down the shotgun snaps but he can’t have a bad snap on first down in the red zone. Inconsistent all the way around.

DEFENSIVE LINE: B

Including defensive ends like John Simon, this unit held up pretty well. Overall these guys gobbled up blockers to allow Ja’Whaun Bentley to have a great day statistically. The pass rush was disruptive at times, no real flash plays, but good grunt work.

LINEBACKERS: B+

Ju’Whaun Bentley played his tail off in this one. I thought he was physical, active and, when asked, did a nice job rushing the passer. I will lump Adrian Phillips into this group for his job in the running game. Both of these guys had two tackles for losses in the game. Bentley and Phillips managed pretty nicely considering there were a lot of guys in front of them who were rotating on a nearly constant basis.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: A

I can’t quibble with the overall results. If you look at the Broncos QB Drew Lock’s passing stats, 103 of his 189 yards came on three plays. And the two longest yardage plays, (41, 35) to Ben Patrick were fantastic catches against really good coverage. Every team the Patriots plays will look to make plays against Jonathan Jones and Kyle Duggar in one-on-one coverage. On Sunday. those two and their mates did a nice job whether in man or zone coverage.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B+

The kickoff coverage was very good, but I’d like to see the Patriots take the touchback as much as possible when receiving the kickoff. Jake Bailey was his usual self with good punts, including a 60-yard rip. Folk did his job when called upon. (NOTE: How big a weapon was placekicker Brandon McManus for Denver? The Pats need to find their McManus.)

3 THINGS TO WATCH FOR:

1. If Shaq Mason is healthy, let’s see if Thuney stays at center with Onwenu to his left, at least until David Andrews gets back.

2. I expect more motion from the offense next week in trying to help free up wide receivers get into their routes.

3. I do not think the Patriots are immune from the inconsistencies that befall most NFL teams. Their Brady buffer is gone.

"The Gresh Show" airs each weeknight on 99.7-FM and 630-AM WPRO from 6 to 9 p.m.