Five thoughts on the Patriots as they prepare to spend a week out west . . .
1. Coming out of the bye week, I advocated for the Patriots to incorporate rookie wide receiver Tyquan Thornton into the offense more. Thornton had a breakout game against the Browns in Week 6 but hadn’t maintained that level of production. I thought it would make sense for the Patriots to give Thornton more opportunities, given his initial flash and the sad state of the passing attack.
Since the bye week, however, Thornton’s snap count has decreased significantly.