"We'll have to tackle [running back Jaylen] Warren, [tight end] Jonnu [Smith], [wide receiver DK] Metcalf, [wide receiver Calvin] Austin," he added. "That's the focus. That'll be a critical part of this game plan. Those guys are great with the ball in their hands. They run very hard. They're skilled. They're big. And present a challenge."

A sizable challenge. Warren has made a habit of breaking tackles early in the season, including a 65-yard run-and-catch last Sunday against the Seahawks. In addition, Smith is an oversized target used to bullying his way past defenders, while Metcalf is fully capable of bowling over a linebacker or defensive back to pick up extra yards after the catch.

Heading into this Sunday, getting those players to the ground remains the primary focus for a New England team that has struggled with missed tackles over the first two games.

"We'll have to be better, be able to use the right technique and the right mentality, and then also having everybody else come in full tilt at a tackle to, again, sometimes make up and atone for some of those misses," Vrabel said Monday.

Over the course of his career, Robert Spillane has built a rep as a rock-solid defender and tackling machine. The linebacker topped 100 tackles the last two seasons with the Raiders, displaying nice sideline-to-sideline pursuit abilities.

But over the first two games of the season, Spillane has recorded eight missed tackles, while fellow linebacker Christian Elliss has six, ranking first and tied for second in the NFL, respectively, for missed tackles by linebackers.

In the locker room, Spillane pulled no punches when informed of Vrabel's assessment.

"No doubt," said Spillane. "That's why we come into work every day. We're going to go out there, focus on the details, the fundamentals, getting back to the basics and getting better.

"Tackling is all about footwork, all about going chest to chest, with the ball carrier wrapping your arms and going to the ground. So we're going to work on that [Wednesday]. We're going to continue to imagine ourselves making plays throughout the week, visualizing success, and go from there."

A portion of it could be traced back to the fact that the Patriots faced two of the NFL's fastest offenses in the league over the first two games in the Raiders and Dolphins.

But Elliss isn't having it.

"Yeah, they're quicker. They can make people miss more than bigger guys," he said of the Las Vegas and Miami offensive skill position players. "But at the end of the day, it still comes down to your technique and fundamentals. The person you're tackling doesn't necessarily change things, but it's more about what you do and how you approach it once you get to that point of attack."

What are the fundamentals that need to be addressed? Elliss said it's simple.

"It's a mentality," Elliss explained. "Not that you don't want to tackle, but it's like when you get to that point, it's not going off the diving board. It's not lunging. You're making the conscious effort to keep your feet under you. Hit them and drive."

With a limited amount of padded practices, honing your tackling technique can be difficult. Elliss said he leans into added drillwork before and after practice, while Marte Mapu said he engages in extra film study.

"I think you just start being more intentional about your angles that you're taking, whether it's a walk through or we're in practice with the limited reps that we get," Mapu said. "And then you can also kind of adjust. Sometimes, when you're watching on tape, it feels like you took a better angle than you thought. But then you can take that and kind of learn from it, moving into the next opportunity."

Antonio Gibson was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his 90-yard touchdown return Sunday against the Dolphins.

https://x.com/NFL/status/1967312945911849324

"It felt good," the 27-year-old Gibson said of the honor. "It's been a long time. I've been in the league six years and that was my first return, and then to capitalize on that with Player of the Week, it's a great feeling."

It marked the first time the Patriots had a Player of the Week since the tail end of the 2022 season when safety Kyle Dugger won the award for his work on defense.

Gibson, who also tallied 27 yards on five carries against the Dolphins, had six kick returns in total for 171 yards, including the 90-yard runback that went for the game-changing touchdown. The celebration included a splash into the end zone, one that was ad-libbed by Gibson.

"I was really going for a front flip, and ended up diving too far straight," he said with a laugh. "But I'm all good though. It was worth it."

Defensive end Keion White (illness) was the only DNP for the Patriots. White, who didn't play Sunday against the Dolphins, hasn't practiced since before the season-opener against the Raiders ... In all, New England listed nine players as limited, including cornerback Christian Gonzalez (hamstring), linebacker K'Lavon Chaisson (hamstring), cornerback Carlton Davis III (achilles), and offensive tackle Morgan Moses (foot) ... The Steelers had five players who didn't practice: cornerback Darius Slay (rest), cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (hamstring), safety DeShon Elliott (knee), linebacker Alex Highsmith (ankle), linebacker T.J. Watt (rest).

Christopher Price can be reached at christopher.price@globe.com. Follow him on Bluesky at christopherprice.bsky.social.

Patriots go back to basics to improve tackling, which has fallen short the first two games - The Boston Globe