New England Patriots: 3 players who need to improve in Week 3
By Sam Minton
The New England Patriots face off against the Oakland Raiders in Week 3 and these three players will need to step on Sunday.
In Week 2, the New England Patriots lost their first game of the season. Hopefully, they won’t make losing a familiar outcome. In Week 3 the Patriots have a great chance to bounce back.
The Las Vegas Raiders come to town this Sunday to face the Patriots. Vegas is coming off a big win over the Saints on Monday night. They are 2-0 to start the season.
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New England will be looking to give the Raiders their first loss of the season. That seems like the most likely outcome.
The Patriots are the more talented team. They have a better offense as well as a better defense. It should be an easy game for them.
New England also has something to prove. The best way to get over a difficult loss is to dominate an opponent for 60 minutes.
But the Patriots need some players to step up. They have had some uncharacteristic performances. If they don’t start performing, some of these guys could see a decrease in snaps.
Overall there should be better performances on Sunday against the Raiders. Patriots fans should enjoy what they see in Week 3.
Ja’Whaun Bentley
2020 is an important season for Ja’Whaun Bentley. He has been given a lot of responsibility and is looked at as a leader on defense.
With no Dont’a Hightower this season, Bentley has the green dot on his helmet. He’s the one barking out orders on defense.
On Sunday night Bentley was able to tally five total tackles and played 100 percent of New England’s defensive snaps, but that doesn’t tell the whole story.
Bentley looked slow on plays and struggled to make plays at the line of scrimmage. Russell Wilson is a great quarterback, but Bentley needs to be better.
We have yet to see Bentley record a tackle for loss or get any pressure on opposing QB’s. That needs to change.
If Bentley has a bounce-back game against the Raiders, the Patriots should walk away with the win.