Following a Thursday night victory and a few days off, the 9-2 New England Patriots are back to work and heading out to Cincinnati for a matchup with the Bengals. The Bengals offense will not get quarterback Joe Burrow back from injured reserve will be down a suspended Ja’Marr Chase, while Drake Maye and Co. will get a chance to feast again a historically bad Cincinnati defense.
Here on Pats Pulpit, our focus this week both wrapped up the win over the Jets and prep for the Bengals. For anything else not covered previously, let’s clean out the notebook. Welcome to this week’s edition of our Sunday Patriots Notes.
Stefon Diggs admittedly does not trust everyone.
But as the wide receiver took his free agency visit to New England back in March, he grew to trust a “conglomerate” that attracted him to eventually sign a three-year, $69 million contract with the Patriots.
That group featured the expected trio of quarterback Drake Maye, head coach Mike Vrabel, and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, but also wide receiver Coach Todd Downing.
“When I said conglomerate of people, [Downing is] definitely one of the main people,” Diggs said. “We had multiple conversations, especially when I first got here on my visit. And I trusted him. I don’t trust many people. I believe him. He gave me face-value words. I appreciate his honesty. Same with Coach Vrabes. I appreciate straight shooters, and you can tell me the truth, no matter what it is. I rock with you, if it’s the truth. But, you try to pull the wool over my eyes, it gets a little dicey.”
Downing has carried that reputation as a straight shooter throughout his coaching career, and it stemmed from a Hall of Famer’s advice who also lined up out wide for the Patriots during his career.
“I will give Randy Moss a little bit of credit,” Downing shared. “I was a young quality control coach with the Minnesota Vikings way back in the day, and I remember Randy Moss saying that if you tell a player a lie, and he knows it, he won’t trust you, and he won’t listen to you. And so I remember taking that to heart and thinking, well, if I don’t know that, I’m just not going to say anything.
“And that developed into, as I grew up as a man and wanted to be a man of character, that I like to be a truth teller, and on top of that, I’m not smart enough to remember lies. So I try to just tell the truth. And I think that players appreciate that, because even if they disagree with you, then you can have an honest conversation about it. But, if you’re worried about somebody’s feelings you’re in the wrong industry.”
After spending just the 2005 season with the Vikings, Downing’s coaching career eventually brought him back to Minnesota as the team’s tight end’s coach in 2018. It was there he overlapped with Diggs and developed a relationship that the two rekindled during the wide receiver’s first initial visit.
“Give Josh and Mike the credit they were the recruiters and the guys that painted the picture for the role and all that,” Downing said of the recruiting pitch. “I was able to meet Stef at the Renaissance and walk over to dinner with them and catch up a little bit. And, kind of fell back into that relationship that we had in Minnesota, which was nice.
“I think he just was looking for a place that was going to be competitive, that he was going to be able to have an impact on the culture of the team.”
Through 11 weeks, New England sits atop the AFC East while their nine wins is tied for the most in the conference. Diggs’ impact on and off the field is a large reason why — as the veteran has become a key voice in the locker room beyond leading the team in receptions and receiving yards.
“He’s been a tremendous professional,” McDaniels said. “Great influence on everybody. Comes ready to go. Wants to win. Very competitive. Smart player. He’s tough. Has great savvy. Football makes sense to him. I think he’s been a really good guy for our young players to watch work, watch during the course of the day, how he prepares.
“And then certainly obviously his influence on our team. On the practice field. During the course of the game. There’s an energy and an intensity about him that never stops. I appreciate that as a coach because it’s a long season. There’s a lot of ups and downs and a lot things you go through, and there’s some lulls in the action on game day, and it never seems to affect him. So very consistent with his approach, his demeanor, and his performance. As a coach, I don’t know what else you could ask for from him.”
There are times on the sideline where offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels can not find quarterback Drake Maye. Even though McDaniels has important information to talk over with his quarterback, he’s not frustrated when Maye is not immediately next to him on the bench.
“You’ll see him after a series, sometimes I’m looking for him because he’s walking up and down the sideline and he’s communicating with his teammates, which I think is really important,” McDaniels said. “They need to see him. They need to feel him. [Vrabel] is adamant about that, too… You can always tell when a guy is really confident and really pushing because you can hear him.”
Maye, a first-time captain, has come into his own as a leader on this team — which is one of the biggest areas McDaniels has seen the 23-year old grow.
“He’s done a really good job of understanding his role in that,” he added. “I think we’ve seen a lot of things grow for this young man this year. Certainly, as a leader, it’s been very impressive.”
On the field, one of the biggest reasons for Maye’s growth and success has been the lack of turnovers. After throwing 10 interceptions in 12 starts last year, Maye has tossed just five through 11 games this season. Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor has taken notice, as Maye’s 4-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio was the first thing Taylor noted when asked about Maye this past week.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero put together his annual list of future head coaching candidates who could receive opportunities this upcoming offseason. Among the 24 candidates was Patriots tight ends coach/pass game coordinator Thomas Brown, who previously served as the Chicago Bears interim head coach in 2024 and has interviewed with three other franchises about past head-coaching vacancies.
Speaking this week, Brown did truthfully note that that would be the eventual goal, but his current focus remains on the Patriots.
“It’s always humbling and extremely appreciative to have your name mentioned in any positive light,” he said. “Also just means that you’re probably a part of a successful organization and team. I think when it comes to players and coaches, when a team has success, you have a chance to get some individual highlights. My focus always has and will remain on how do we continue to improve week in and week out? Because I’m a firm believer in being where your feet are.”
Among the current Patriots coaches listed to watch for future seasons: QB coach Ashton Grant, ILB coach/defensive play caller Zak Kuhr, and special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer.
“Some things, especially like the one on ones, can take a little bit of time to build that chemistry and that connectivity,” wide receivers Coach Todd Downing said of rookie Kyle Williams.
“I think you’ve seen some of that with Kayshon and Drake, you know, over into the boundary. So, there’s going to be a learning curve there, a courtship period, if you will. But, he’s working really hard, and he does get plenty of reps at practice and reps after practice to try to accelerate that curve.”
It is not rare for players on season-ending injured reserve to be around the facility during the season, but UDFA RB Lan Larison was noticeably around the team this past week as he continues to rehab a foot injury he suffered this preseason. Larison’s work to getting back on the field next season seems to be progressing well, as the rookie back was visibly going through warmups on the adjacent practice field to start each session this week.
The Patriots have adapted a “Road Warriors” mentality this season when traveling, and the results have followed. To this point in the season, New England is the NFL’s lone undefeated team on the road at 5-0 — a streak they’ll look to continue this week in Cincinnati.
“[Vrabel is] always talking about ‘packing our identity’,” CB Christian Gonzalez said. “We got to bring in no matter where the game is, what day the game is, the weather, just go out there and execute.”
A longer week is on deck for the Patriots as they’ll prepare for a Monday night matchup with the New York Giants. With Thanksgiving also in the mix next week, New England’s usual media availability will be slightly altered:
- Monday, Nov. 24: Mike Vrabel media availability, player media availability
- Tuesday, Nov. 25: Day off
- Wednesday, Nov. 26: Practice, Mike Vrabel media availability, player media availability
- Thursday, Nov. 27: Happy Thanksgiving – no media availability
- Friday, Nov. 28: Practice, player media availability, injury report
- Saturday, Nov. 29: Practice, player media availability, injury report
- Sunday, Nov. 30: Pre-game walkthrough, practice squad elevations
- Monday, Dec. 1: Game day vs. New York Giants at Gillette Stadium (8:15 p.m. ET)
