Lastly, Milton’s rushing touchdown came on a well-designed zone-read concept. In the play, Milton is reading the unblocked edge defender to his left. Buffalo appears to have a scrape exchange on anticipating a designed QB run, meaning that No. 48 crashes with No. 44 filling the edge. However, TE Austin Hooper’s sift block takes care of blocking Bills LB Joe Andreessen, and Milton walks in for his first career touchdown.
As we move forward with the Patriots coaching in flux, the good news is that New England appears to have two viable first-year quarterbacks. There isn’t a quarterback controversy between Maye and Milton. Maye is the future and likely a draw for prospective head coaches, but having two capable quarterbacks on rookie contracts is never a bad thing.
Based on his performance during the season finale, Milton made a strong case to be Maye’s primary backup in the two young QBs’ second NFL seasons.
2. QB Drake Maye Plays One Series as Rookie Season Comes to a Close
After speculation this week about how much the third-overall pick would play in the series finale, Maye played one series after starting the game on Sunday. Unfortunately, his final play in his first season was a third-down sack, with the Patriots offense going three-and-out on their opening drive. We’ll have plenty of time to dissect Maye’s rookie season, which was a success despite the team’s record. For now, here are Maye’s final stats for the year: 12 starts, 66.8% completion rate, 2,276 passing yards, 17 total touchdowns, 15 giveaways, 421 rushing yards, and a 58.9 QBR. Maye ends the season ranked 17th among 33 quarterbacks in QBR.
3. Rookie OT Caedan Wallace Opens Up About Significant Leg Injury
Along with drafting a quarterback third-overall last April, another major piece to the Patriots rookie class was third-round draft choice Caedan Wallace.
New England selected Wallace with the 68th overall pick in the 2024 draft. The hope initially was to transition Wallace from a college right tackle to left tackle in the NFL since the team re-signed standout OL Mike Onwenu in free agency as its starting right tackle. While the rookie was getting up to speed, the Patriots signed veteran Chuks Okorafor as a stop-gap left tackle. Unfortunately, the front office’s plan at left tackle didn’t go as planned, which is a major reason why the Patriots were 32nd in both pass and run-blocking win rate heading into Week 18.
Speaking to Patriots.com, Wallace explained that he suffered a major high-ankle sprain and a fractured fibula during New England’s loss to the 49ers in Week 4. The injury sidelined Wallace for most of his rookie year, with the third-round rookie returning for the final two games in 2024.
“Real [expletive], coming back from a broken leg, this was more than I could ask for,” Wallace said of playing these final two games. “I knew there was a shot that I could come back, but I didn’t know if I needed surgery until three or four weeks after it happened. It was a big deal.”
As for how he felt his 41 snaps went vs. the Bills, Wallace said, “It was alright. I had a couple of plays that I want back. But nothing catastrophic, to be honest. It was alright.”
According to Pro Football Focus’s initial charting, Wallace allowed just one hurry in 21 pass-blocking snaps. In my initial viewing, the rookie appeared to pick up post-snap line movement like stunts and blitzes well, along with holding his own as a one-on-one blocker.
On Monday, we’ll see how the film was for Wallace, whose snaps were limited because he wasn’t 100 percent healthy. The 68th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft could be a big puzzle piece for the Patriots offensive line. If he can be a viable starting right tackle, it is one less hole for the Patriots to fill next offseason, with left tackle already a top need.
4. Reviewing the Patriots CB Rotation Without Star Corner Christian Gonzalez
After being snubbed from the Pro Bowl last week, Gonzalez missed Sunday’s finale due to a concussion. With the second-year CB inactive, it gave the Patriots a chance to evaluate the other young corners in the room that could factor into the mix in 2025, with the outside cornerback spot opposite Gonzalez up for grabs as a potential offseason need.
On Sunday, the Patriots mostly leaned on second-year corner Alex Austin (51 snaps) and rookie Marcellas Dial Jr. (55 snaps). They also mixed in second-year DB Isaiah Bolden (28 snaps) and practice-squad addition Miles Battle (17 snaps). Austin continued to stand out as a potential piece moving forward, allowing just one catch on four targets for -1 yards with a pass breakup. Although he was up-and-down, Dial also had his moments. The rookie is a sound open-field tackler and has good play speed, which projects him into at least a depth corner/special teams role. He does get a little loose in man coverage, though, allowing five catches for 45 yards.
5. WR Kayshon Boutte Logs Career-High 117 Yards in Sunday’s Finale
Another potential piece for the Patriots offensively is second-year WR Kayshon Boutte. Although there are questions about where Boutte belongs in a proper passing offense, his stat line on Sunday was impressive: seven targets, seven catches, 117 yards, TD – a perfect 158.3 passer rating when targeted. Nearly half of Boutte’s yards came on the 48-yard touchdown from Milton, where he relocated nicely to uncover for his quarterback. Boutte also caught a nice RPO glance route (five-step slant) for a 21-yard gain and can get open underneath the coverage on hitches, comebacks, and out routes. Ideally, Boutte is further down the pecking order than he was this season, possibly as a WR3/4 or backup X receiver in terms of base packages. However, he proved he belonged this season and could factor into the mix moving forward.
6. RB Antonio Gibson and TE Austin Hooper Bright Spots in 2024 Free-Agent Class
Although the Patriots free agency class didn’t produce any high-impact players, Gibson and Hooper deserve credit for being a steady veteran presence for this team. With the Patriots resting lead-back Rhamondre Stevenson, Gibson got a bulk of the workload, finishing his season with 61 scrimmage yards on 18 touches. Gibson had four successful runs, including one rush over 10 yards, while adding 69 yards after contact. Hooper also continued to be reliable, with four catches for 27 yards and some notable run blocks.
Gibson is under contract for next season, but Hooper only signed a one-year deal with the Patriots last offseason. Depending on who is coaching the offense next season, bringing back Hooper to keep the Pats TE room together is a fine choice. Tight end was the most consistent position group on the team this season.
7. Standouts in the Defensive Front Seven for the Patriots in Week 18
A few defenders stood out in the front seven on Sunday. Mainly, edge-setter Anfernee Jennings (five pressures, run stuff), DE Truman Jones (pressure, run stuff), and LB Christian Elliss (two run stuffs) caught the eye. Although he’s ideally a depth piece on defense, Elliss would be a good backup inside linebacker and core special teamer if the Patriots want to keep him in the mix.
8. K Joey Slye Heads Into Free Agency with Three Field Goal Performance
It seems the Patriots needing a kicker is becoming a regular offseason occurrence. This offseason won’t be any different, as Slye is a pending free agent. The veteran kicker made field goals from 41, 42, and 50 yards on Sunday, finishing his season 26-for-33 on field goal attempts and 25-for-26 on extra points. Slye had some ups and downs, so we’ll see if the 28-year-old returns. Second-year P Bryce Baringer feels safer in his job, with one of his best plus-50 punts of the season downed by Dial at the Bills five-yard line in the first half.
