Mills Feeling Picky, Rookies Getting Ball
If there’s one thing the Patriots defense can almost always be counted on for, it’s taking the ball away and Jalen Mills got the team off to a good start with an interception on Houston’s first possession of the game. Playing from a safety position, where he’s spent training camp thus far since moving over from cornerback, Mills dropped down as a robber and picked off a bad throw by rookie second-overall pick C.J. Stroud.
Unfortunately, in the kind of non-complementary play that often littered 2022, the offense was unable to get a touchdown off of the turnover, instead losing a yard in three plays and then settling for a 44-yard field goal from Nick Folk.
But for the defense, this highlighted an overall strong start, including Daniel Ekuale’s sack and some quality pressures from Anfernee Jennings and rookie Keion White. Jennings also drew a hold later in the second quarter, while White was able to disrupt a botched handoff, helping free the ball for recovery by Calvin Munson.
Christian Gonzalez and Jack Jones started at cornerback, as the rookie first-rounder got his feet wet with extended action. He forced a fumble that unfortunately rolled out of bounds, but already flashed some playmaking ability in his first NFL action. Gonzalez also chipped in on the kickoff team and saw his night end midway through the second quarter.
While Mills made the first flashy play, it was the top two selections from April’s draft that kept the ball disruption going. It was a strong first step for Gonzalez and White in the NFL.