The New England Patriots snuck by the Atlanta Falcons by the proverbial "skin of their teeth", 24-23 after a missed extra point by the Falcons. A lot went wrong, including two unusual gaffes by the soaring Drake Maye, but one aspect loomed particularly large for the listless Patriots' defense. They can't get sacks when they need them, and they have to remedy that now.
The Patriots were out-sacked six to one by the Falcons in this tale of two halves. The Patriots dominated the first half until poor clock management by Mike Vrabel helped set up a Maye gaffe that ended any chance for a late score.
Yet, the clear imperative for the Patriots before the 4:00 PM trade deadline on November 4th is to do whatever it takes to land a real sack producer. They have a couple of decent guys in Harold Landry III and K'Lavon Chaisson, but they need a true finisher. It could make all the difference.
The Patriots need to deal now for a top sack producer
The trade deadline is November 4th. The Patriots need to scan the NFL and pay the freight to acquire the top pass rusher they can acquire. Pressures and quarterback hits are OK, but they aren't the real deal. You need to put the quarterback on the ground to make a big play. The Patriots aren't doing that enough.
The Patriots are getting no pass rush.
— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) November 2, 2025
That's got to be a focus before Tuesday's trade deadline.
Graff hit the nail on the proverbial head. The pass rush isn't getting the job done. The Patriots have a chance before the trade deadline to get a top sack producer. If they can, no matter the cost, if they want to contend for all the marbles in 2025, they need to deal for that sack man.
The players the Patriots need to target now
There are several top sack guys the Patriots should target now. One is Trey Hendrickson of the Bengals. He's not happy with his contract. The Patriots have cap space, and if he checks out to be healthy, he's a monster sack producer with 35 the past two seasons. He's a top two target.
Also on the list is Maxx Crosby of the Raiders. The Raiders are languishing and maybe willing to deal. Crosby is a clear upgrade for the Patriots. He's had double-digit sacks in three of his previous six seasons. Make the deal if the top choices are unavailable.
The last top target is the best of all. It's a player who single-handedly wreaked havoc on the Patriots in the Patriots' 32-13 victory over the Browns. Garrett doubled his sack total that day to 10. That's about twice that of any current Patriot. He's averaged double-digit sacks in all but one of his eight previous seasons.
If it takes a first and second or maybe even two firsts, the Patriots should pay the freight for Garrett. He's a game-changer and maybe even a season-changer. No future draft pick will help the 2025 Patriots win anything. It's time for Mike Vrabel and the Patriots to go all in. Any of the top pass rushers available will help. But the guy who could make all the difference is Myles Garrett. Go get him.