New England Patriots Scouting Pac-12 Showdown

The New England Patriots have a busy weekend ahead, one that kicks off long before the Sunday tilt against the Las Vegas Raiders.

The New England Patriots will be addressing both their present and future this weekend: ESPN's Pete Thamel has reported the Patriots will have "multiple" scouts in attendance for the top 10, Pac-12 battle between the Oregon Ducks and Washington Huskies, one of the most anticipated games on Saturday's college football docket (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC). 

Nearly 17 hours later, the Patriots (1-4) will battle the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday late afternoon (4:05 p.m. ET, CBS).

One look at the Football Bowl Subdivision statistical ledgers explains the Patriots' presence: the seventh-ranked Huskies lead the nation in yards per game at 569.4 while No. 8 Oregon is right behind them at 557.8. The Ducks are second in the nation in scoring at 51.6 points per game while Washington is third at 46 even. Both teams hold matching 5-0 records and will have an inside track on the Pac-12 title game race.

The Patriots will have several scouts on hand to take in the Saturday battle between Michael Penix (L) and Bo Nix (R) / USA TODAY SPORTS

The New England area needs hardly any reminder about why they'd be focused on one of the biggest offensive battles in recent collegiate memory: the Patriots' worst start in over two decades has been brought about by a drastically poor offensive effort, one that's averaged a mere 11 points a game, including a mere three over the last two contests combined. 

The Seattle shootout will be headlined by quarterbacks Bo Nix (Oregon) and Michael Penix Jr. (Washington), each of whom has made sterling cases for the Heisman Trophy in the early going. If the NFL season ended today, the Patriots would hold the fifth pick in the 2024 draft. They have not used a top 10 pick on a quarterback since selecting another Pac-12 alum, Washington State's Drew Bledsoe, with the top choice in 1993.

Saturday's New England contingent is perhaps the most vocal sign of the lost faith in current franchise quarterback Mac Jones: having endured two of the most one-sided defeats in recent Foxborough memory over the last two weeks, the first-round pick from 2021 has not finished either game. New England reportedly has no interest in giving 2022 selection Bailey Zappe another shot, making Dallas Cowboys castaway Will Grier the next in line. 

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