Five bold predictions as the Patriots take on the Ravens

By Fran Brown | Sep 23, 2022

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - NOVEMBER 28: Matthew Judon #9 of the New England Patriots (R) celebrates his quarterback sack against the Tennessee Titans in the first quarter at Gillette Stadium on November 28, 2021 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Getty Images) /

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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – DECEMBER 06: Jabrill Peppers #21 of the New York Giants looks on before their game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on December 06, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

Five bold predictions for Patriots in week three

Jabrill Peppers leads the Patriots in tackles

Kyle Dugger was expected to make a huge leap in his third year, but the safety had to leave last week’s win over the Steelers with a knee injury. He has yet to practice this week and that leaves a big void on the Patriots defense. Fortunately, the safety position was one of the team’s strengths heading into the season, and Jabrill Peppers inserted himself pretty nicely after Dugger went down a week ago.

Peppers only saw 17 snaps on defense (29% of the total snaps) but was able to make three tackles during that time. With the Steelers driving in New England territory in the third quarter, Peppers was able to make tackles on back-to-back plays, including a big stop for no gain on third down, holding the Steelers to a field goal. With a full week of practice in a larger role, I expect Peppers to have a much bigger impact this week.

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