Week 11 stock watch: Patriots remain atop the AFC after win over Eagles

The New England Patriots improved to 9-1 after defeating the Philadelphia Eagles in a low-scoring contest, thanks in large part to their efforts on defense.

The New England Patriots escaped with a narrow 17-10 road victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 11. It wasn’t pretty, but a win is a win, and New England is still in position for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs if the regular season were to end today.

However, we still have six weeks to go, and the team needs to clean things up as the postseason quickly approaches. The Patriots continue to struggle on offense. They are still searching for their identity 11 weeks into the season, and it took some trickery for them to score their lone touchdown of the game… but they cannot rely on gadget plays forever.

Defensively, it appeared that “The Boogeymen” found their groove again. They were much better against both the run and the pass compared to their performance against the Ravens two weeks prior. After allowing 10 points over the first quarter and change, the defense shut out the Eagles offense for the remainder of the game.

New England played well enough in all three phases to get a road victory in Philadelphia. That said, there are several areas that they need to improve upon as the season draws to an end.

Here are the top takeaways from Week 11:

Stock Up

Defense

The Eagles were missing multiple key players on offense, but it was still one of the better units the Patriots have faced this season. New England’s defense really tightened up after a forgettable first quarter and managed to keep Philadelphia from scoring any points in the second half. Furthermore, they only gave up 81 yards on the ground and did not let Philly run the ball down their throat like some teams have earlier this year (Cleveland, Baltimore, Buffalo).

If the Patriots offense continues to struggle, then they are going to have to rely on their defense to win games moving forward. Thankfully, that formula has proven to be successful for the most part in 2019.

Ben Watson

The Patriots have not gotten much production out of their tight ends this year, but Watson flashed that he can still be a reliable option for them. The veteran tight end hauled in three of his four targets for 52 yards. His numbers weren’t earth-shattering, but he displayed the ability to get down the seam and make a few big plays when the team needed him. This was definitely Watson’s best game of the season.

Jake Bailey and Nick Folk

In a low-scoring game like this, special teams becomes increasingly important. Rookie punter Jake Bailey punted eight times versus the Eagles and pinned them inside the 20-yard line six times. He played a key role in the Patriots victory.

Nick Folk remained perfect in the kicking game in his second Patriots appearance. His three field goals in the first half helped New England to stay within striking distance while they trailed Philadelphia. It’s also worth noting that it was extremely windy in Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, which makes Folk’s performance even more impressive.

Stock Down

Marshall Newhouse

New England’s backup tackle has been receiving an unfair amount of blame for their struggles on offense, but he is deserving of some of the blame. Newhouse has become a turnstile at left tackle, and Brady’s paranoia in the pocket reflects that. The Patriots will get a much-needed boost when Isaiah Wynn makes his return to the offensive line, but he won’t fix all of their problems on that side of the ball overnight.

Sony Michel

Michel is beginning to become a regular on the “stock down” list. He hasn’t been good in the running game all year and is a virtual non-factor in the passing game. The second-year running back is averaging just 3.3 yards per carry this season.

The University of Georgia product only notched 10 carries versus the eagles, which indicates that the coaching staff is beginning to lose faith in him. His inability to pick up significant yardage on the ground is affecting the team in numerous areas, including their play calling. New England threw the ball 48 times against Philadelphia in Week 11… and that typically isn’t a formula for success.

Red Zone Offense

The Patriots red zone offense has been atrocious this season, as was the case Sunday in Philadelphia. They got inside the Eagles’ 20-yard line three times and only got into the end zone once, and it took a Julian Edelman double pass to do so. New England won’t be able to beat high-powered offenses by settling for field goals, so they are going to have to figure something out quickly with matchups against the Cowboys, Texans, and Chiefs in the coming weeks.