Will speedy rookie WR Tyquan Thornton fix Patriots' red zone issues?

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Quick-hit thoughts and notes astir the New England Patriots and NFL:

1. Thornton successful the (red) zone: The Patriots’ discourtesy has had a reddish portion problem, but with 2 dynamic plays successful conscionable his 2nd NFL game, rookie receiver Tyquan Thornton showed helium tin beryllium a cardinal portion of the solution.

Thornton’s enactment wrong the 20 has been a revelation to those who viewed him arsenic much of a straight-line speedster coming retired of Baylor, aft helium ran the 40-yard dash successful 4.28 astatine the NFL combine.

“To beryllium that accelerated and halt that quick, man, that’s tough,” chap receiver Jakobi Meyers said. “A batch of guys couldn’t bash that, to beryllium capable to halt connected a dime and astatine the aforesaid clip get up to 4.2.”

Thornton’s 2-yard touchdown drawback past Sunday successful the 38-15 win implicit the Cleveland Browns showcased 1 crushed wherefore helium projects to beryllium a large portion of the team’s reddish portion discourtesy aft missing the archetypal 4 games of the play due to the fact that of a breached collarbone. He faced property sum from cornerback Greedy Williams and was uncovered rapidly connected an implicit route.

Veteran receiver DeVante Parker, present successful his eighth NFL season, was among those impressed.

“He crossed the defender up connected the enactment and was capable to get open. It’s footwork and the precocious assemblage -- shoulders, caput moving and everything -- making the defender deliberation you’re going 1 way, but spell the other,” Parker said. “For a gangly receiver to determination similar that is good.”

Parker besides noted that the 6-foot-2, 182-pound Thornton has a “long stride,” which showed up erstwhile helium took a fourth-quarter handoff connected an extremity around, galloping untouched into the extremity portion for a 19-yard touchdown.

Thornton’s enactment helped the Patriots decorativeness with 1 of their champion reddish portion days of the play (three touchdowns successful 5 trips). They inactive fertile 29th successful the NFL successful reddish portion touchdown percent (9 TDs successful 20 trips), an country that looms arsenic captious arsenic they hole to big the 2-4 Chicago Bears connected Monday nighttime (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN).

“For a tall, linear-built guy, helium has a batch much looseness than you would think," violative adjunct Joe Judge said. "He decidedly has immoderate savvy to him, a batch of earthy quality of conscionable having a consciousness for wherever the defender is.

“Obviously, helium has top-end speed. That’s nary secret. I deliberation the happening that truly benignant of jumped retired astatine america successful grooming campy was seeing him successful abbreviated space, of however good helium moves successful and retired of cuts, and however elusive helium is close there.”

2. Monday nighttime memories: Ahead of the Patriots’ archetypal Monday nighttime crippled of the season, players and coaches reflected connected their memories of watching the play lawsuit arsenic kids. Kicker Nick Folk told the communicative of however helium and his brothers Erik and Greg had soft lessons each Monday from 5 to 6 p.m. PT, splitting 20 minutes apiece, truthful the large statement was who got to spell archetypal truthful helium wouldn’t person to miss kickoff.

For Bill Belichick, it was watching broadcasters Howard Cosell, Don Meredith and Frank Gifford.

“Monday nighttime highlights, that was big," helium said. "That was earlier Boomer [ESPN's Chris Berman] had his ["NFL PrimeTime"] wrap-up, and that was benignant of your lone accidental to spot what the highlights from the play were. Usually, you waited up until halftime, watched the highlights, past went to bed. That was my regular if you could marque it that long.”

3. Zappe’s likeability: Rookie backmost Bailey Zappe won implicit a batch of fans with his play implicit the past 11 quarters and a premix of genuineness and humbleness successful media interviews. One of the communal themes successful societal media interactions with followers has been however Zappe’s emergence and dependable betterment made watching the squad fun.

So erstwhile Mac Jones yet returns -- and signs constituent to it apt being Monday nighttime -- that’s portion of the dynamic he’s stepping backmost into from a nationalist cognition standpoint.

As for wrong the locker room, information Devin McCourty described it this way: “Zap’s been awesome. Mac’s been awesome. You saw Mac commencement the year, past Zappe travel successful and we triumph 2 games, truthful it creates the full story. But I deliberation overall, guys are conscionable appreciating things and having a bully time. That feeling of winning is what everyone is chasing, and I would accidental the past 2 weeks person been a batch of fun. That’s been much of the absorption than ‘How is it with Zappe?’ And ‘How is it with Mac?’”

4. QB spot solidified: By the extremity of the week, 1 subordinate said it was a conflict to spot which backmost – Jones oregon Zappe – would beryllium the past disconnected the tract aft practice. They’re pushing each other, and the effect is that the Patriots person further solidified the astir important presumption connected the field.

5. Belichick’s legacy: If the Patriots bushed the Bears connected Monday night, Belichick volition walk legendary Chicago manager George Halas for sole possession of 2nd spot connected the all-time wins database with 325, including playoffs. Don Pierson, who worked astatine the Chicago Tribune starting successful 1967 (Halas’ last twelvemonth arsenic coach) and covered Halas arsenic proprietor until his decease successful 1983, thinks highly of Belichick.

“I deliberation he’s the champion manager successful history. I don’t deliberation determination is immoderate question -- he’s past [Vince] Lombardi and everybody, conscionable by the record, the fig of games he’s won and the playoffs,” Pierson said. “The Bears won six championships nether Halas, but those weren’t playoffs. They [played and] won 1 [postseason] game. The Patriots, it’s conscionable unthinkable however ascendant they’ve been.”

Pierson rubbed elbows with Belichick, arsenic some were connected the sheet to prime the top 100 players successful NFL history arsenic portion of the NFL’s 100th season.

“Of each the people, I deliberation helium did much enactment than immoderate of us,” Pierson said. “He watched film, asked questions, talked during our meetings. He was unbelievable.”

6. Meyers extension?: The Patriots’ bye comes the play of Nov. 12-13, and sometimes that tin beryllium a interruption erstwhile the nine looks up to contract-related concern successful hopes of striking an aboriginal extension. Along those lines, Meyers is scheduled for unrestricted escaped bureau aft the season. His show -- a team-high 24 catches for 321 yards and 1 touchdown -- has him successful presumption to bid a bully payday. Thus, the squad would beryllium omniscient to beryllium proactive successful talks.

7. Draft trades: In his 23 years starring the Patriots’ shot operation, Belichick has ne'er been connected the timepiece connected draught time and traded a aboriginal prime successful an earlier circular to prime a player. One crushed he’s avoided it is what has unfolded for the Panthers successful their draft-day woody with the Patriots this year.

The Panthers were assertive successful acquiring the Patriots’ third-round prime (No. 94) successful speech for a fourth-round prime (No. 137) and 2023 third-rounder -- arsenic they targeted backmost Matt Corral. Now, with the Panthers (1-5) struggling and selling disconnected assets specified arsenic moving backmost Christian McCaffrey, that third-round prime could perchance beryllium arsenic precocious arsenic No. 64 (there are lone 31 first-round picks successful 2023 owed to Miami Dolphins' penalty).

8. Montgomery’s status: Belichick wouldn’t uncover if the ailment that landed seasoned moving backmost Ty Montgomery connected injured reserve aft Week 1 is of the season-ending variety, which immoderate mightiness presumption arsenic an denotation it is. Montgomery had sprained his ankle successful the preseason finale, and it would person been casual to presume helium aggravated it successful the opener. But a root adjacent to Montgomery said the moving back's wounded is antithetic from the ankle, and thing related to his precocious body.

9. Pats successful 3-3 pack: The Patriots are 1 of 10 teams with a 3-3 record, which is simply a higher-than-usual total. Elias confirms this is conscionable the 4th play successful NFL past with astatine slightest 10 teams astatine 3-3 done the archetypal six weeks. There were 11 teams astatine 3-3 done six weeks successful 1985 and 2012, and 10 teams successful 1989. ESPN Analytics rates the Patriots arsenic having the eighth-lowest likelihood among those teams to suffice for the playoffs, astatine 31%.

10. Did you know? After the Patriots signed peculiar teamer Raleigh Webb disconnected the Ravens' signifier squad Wednesday, Webb is present acceptable to go conscionable the 2nd subordinate from The Citadel to ever suit up for the franchise. Kicker Greg Davis, who played successful 9 games successful 1989 earlier Jason Staurovsky rejoined the team, is the other.