😬 The Pats’ fatal flaw

Good Morning, Boston.

🏀 Jayson Tatum might go off this season. He’s shown he can sacrifice to win a title and take a back seat with grace for a gold medal. Now, he says he wants to be league MVP this year. Former Celtic Kendrick Perkins says that goal’s a little “selfish” of Tatum, but we’d love to see it anyway.

What’s on tap today:

• Celtics’ cash conundrum

• Red Sox-Yankees reignite beef

• Sox miss Chris (Sale)

Let’s get into it…

LEADING OFF

Pass protect, please!

The Patriots have a big problem: They can’t protect their QB – or their field goal kicks, apparently. Being good at running the ball and opening lanes for Rhamondre Stevenson is great. But you have to pass the football to win in today’s NFL. The problem is … you can’t pass the ball if your QB is always running for his life. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what Jacoby Brissett had to do this Sunday, and it cost New England dearly in an overtime loss to Seattle.

As expected, the Seahawks exposed New England’s offensive line. Brissett withstood eight QB hits, pressure on half his dropbacks and had to conjure plays out of nothing while under major duress. Even the trusty Michael Onwenu surrendered a rib-rattling shot that had Brissett grimacing in OT. At one point, it looked like we might see Drake Maye sooner than expected due to the punishment Brissett took. The final result: just 125 net passing yards, several failed drives in the clutch and the Patriots’ first loss of the season.

We knew the O-line would be an issue. So did the Patriots. They didn’t do much to meaningfully address offensive tackle aside from drafting Caedan Wallace. Here’s how that’s gone so far:

• The right tackle play was so bad in preseason the Pats moved Michael Ownenu out of his normal position (right guard) to solidify it.

• Chuks Okorafor struggled so badly at left tackle in Week 1 that he doesn’t want to play football anymore.

• Vederian Lowe wasn’t much better in Week 2 and got hurt, forcing the rookie Wallace into action at left tackle.

That’s ugly.

Now, it’s affecting the rest of the offense. Another bad stat for the Patriots against Seattle: the team’s receivers only caught three passes for 19 yards. Tight end Hunter Henry (eight catches, 109 yards) was New England’s passing offense. Why? Because he stayed close to the QB. If Brissett doesn’t have time to throw the ball down the field, the receivers won’t be productive. And if the receivers aren’t productive, how will this offense put up points?

The line is the biggest limit on the Patriots’ potential. New England’s Week 1 win was fun, but grounding and pounding opponents to death isn’t sustainable if they want to do more than compete every week. The Pats tried to open up the playbook this week and couldn’t execute it. That’s why media pundits don’t expect them to win many games this year, and it’s why Drake Maye isn’t playing – yet. We can dream about trading for or drafting expensive receivers, but we know what the Patriots really need: guys who can block.

POLL

🤔 Have the Patriots outplayed your expectations?

BOSTON SPORTS

Quick hits & headlines

⚾ Red Sox-Yankees drama ramps up on Saturday. First, Gerrit Cole hit Rafael Devers, who owns the Yankees ace, with his second pitch to the Boston slugger. Then, Cole intentionally walked Devers in his next at-bat with no one on base to avoid pitching to him. Manager Alex Cora was so incensed that he apparently told Brayan Bello to hit Yankees star Aaron Judge in retaliation. Devers and the Sox got the last laugh on the scoreboard (more on that later), but those ill feelings toward Cole probably aren’t going anywhere. Somewhere, Karim Garcia shudders.

🎙️ Another local legend walks away from the mic. Longtime Red Sox broadcaster Joe Castiglione announced his retirement during Sunday’s Sox-Yankees series finale, wrapping up 42 years as the radio voice of Boston baseball. According to the Sox, he’s had the longest play-by-play career of any announcer in franchise history, spanning over 6,500 games and four World Series. Between him, Mike Gorman and Jack Edwards all stepping away, Boston sports will sound very different next year. “Can you believe it?”

💵 The Celtics pay the price for title contention. C’s fans are probably happy with the organization’s willingness to spend big to keep the championship squad together. But the hefty payroll and tax bills they’ll incur going forward reportedly drove the Grousbecks to sell their majority stake in the team. Winning in the NBA doesn’t come cheap these days. So we’re left with two questions:

• Will anyone pay the record $6 billion price tag the league and Celtics are seeking?

• Will the team stay in the family or go to deep-pocketed strangers?

BEYOND BOSTON

Out-of-town report

Chris Sale’s stellar season hurts to watch. You know who could’ve used a Cy Young-caliber pitcher who’s leading the league in wins, strikeouts and ERA this year? The Red Sox. Too bad Sale couldn’t stay healthy enough to deal like this in Boston. Maybe the bike lanes are larger in Atlanta. 

Will Levis won’t stop messing up. The second-year QB reallyshould’ve taken Bill Belichick’s advice about living to fight another day instead of repeatedly handing the ball to the other team in the most absurd ways. Jacoby Brissett might not be exciting, but he’d never throw the ball backward for a turnover … right?

LAST CALL

Protect yourself, Tua

Tua Tagovailoa should retire. Sunday marked the third major head injury the Miami Dolphins QB and Patriots scourge has suffered in two seasons. He reportedly has no plans to retire, having just signed a four-year, $212 million extension this offseason. But football eventually has to come second to Tagovailoa’s long-term health. The choice won’t be as easy as it sounds for Tua, as Patriots legend Tedy Bruschi laid out on Sunday. But at this point, it should be.

THE BEST THING I SAW IN SPORTS

Devers delivers

😤 Rafael Devers still owns Gerrit Cole. You can’t hide, G. Cole. Dread him, run from him … Raffy still arrives.

🗞That’s a wrap. I’ll be buying tickets to Cole’s next start at Fenway Park and posting up in the right-field bleachers.

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