Joshua McInnis
FRANKLIN, MA (@J_Money_426) Week 10 of the NFL season is now upon us and the New England Patriots will be taking on former Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel and the Tennessee Titans, Sunday afternoon at 1 PM at Gillette Stadium. Patriots are coming into the week riding a 6 game win streak and fresh off a win against the Green Bay Packers led by Quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The Tennessee Titans are coming into Gillette off a short week after winning the Monday night showdown against the Dallas Cowboys. With both teams coming off wins, this week’s game should be an exciting one to watch for sure. Former Patriots corner Malcolm Butler will make his first start against New England, where his career started off. Former Patriots running back Dion Lewis will play his first game against New England since leaving for Tennessee this past offseason. Lastly, Mike Vrabel will be taking on his former team for the first time in his head coaching career. Patriots The Patriots have been on a roll in recent weeks led by the emergence of wide receivers Josh Gordon, Julian Edelman, James White, and Tom Brady on offense. Gordon has been a real spark for New England with 13 catches and 272 receiving yards over the last 3 weeks, with two of the games reaching the 100 receiving yard mark. James White has been terrific since taking a full-time role since Sony Michel went down a couple weeks ago with a knee injury. Michel is on track to make his return this weekend after being out since week 7 when he injured his knee in the 2nd quarter against the Chicago Bears. On the defensive side of the ball, defensive end Trey Flowers and linebacker Kyle Van Noy have led the way to stopping opposing offenses. Van Noy has been terrific for New England this season and has made a big impact so far through nine games with 53 tackles, 2 sacks, an interception, and a forced fumble. Another player who has been a stud for the Patriots is defensive end Trey Flowers and has accumulated 32 tackles, 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Flowers has wreaked havoc on opposing quarterbacks even though the statistics might not show it. Titans The Titans are coming off a very good performance this past Monday night against the Dallas Cowboys with a 28-14 victory. Tennessee has been good this year despite the record sitting at 4-4 on the season. On another note, the defense has been very solid all season; only the inconsistent offense has really held them back so far through 9 weeks. 4th year starting quarterback Marcus Mariota has been decent this year but needs to be more consistent if the Titans are expecting to make a playoff run. The offense has been below average, only scoring just under 17 points a game with a group of young talent with the likes of 2nd year wideouts Corey Davis and Taywan Taylor leading the way with veteran tight end Delanie Walker who is currently on injured reserve and out for season with an ankle injury. On defense they have been pretty stout against teams all year with the help of defensive end Jurrell Casey and safety Kevin Byard who has led the defense. Players To Watch Malcolm Butler – He is someone to watch out for as he plays his first game against his former team. Butler has had a pretty down year but still could show up fueled by fact he was benched in last year’s Super Bowl and then not resigned by Bill Belichick in offseason. Josh Gordon- Flash is another player to watch out for this weekend against Titans. He’s coming off a big game where he finished with 5 catches for 130 yards and a touchdown against Green Bay last Sunday night. He will be matched up against two former Patriots corners in Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan. The question is, can he keep this hot streak he has been on in recent weeks and keep offense rolling with star Tight End Rob Gronkowski, who is not expected to play Sunday. Prediction: New England Patriots 28 Tennessee Titans 20 Joshua McInnis FRANKLIN, MA (@J_Money_426) Tonight, in primetime two of the greats square off featuring Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers in a Week 9 match-up that is expected to be must watch television. Brady and Rodgers will face off for the second time going head to head in their careers. It will be the first time since week 13 in 2014 when the Packers defeated the Patriots 26-21. This game is very important to both teams on their quest for the Lombardi trophy. It will be the first time Rodgers visits Gillette Stadium, a place where Brady is very good boasting a record of 111-19. Tom and the Patriots have been very good of late winning the last 5 after starting 1-2. They look to keep this hot streak going with a win tonight. This game is very big because a match-up like Brady vs Rodgers only happens a few times in history of the game when two future Hall of Famers get to face each other. This game will also hopefully settle some debates of who people consider the greatest of all-time. Tonight’s game will help clarify the argument when Tom and Aaron faceoff for 2nd time at TB12’s house and not Lambeau. Brady/Rodgers 2018 Stats 16 TD 13 7 INT 1 2200 Passing Yards 2283 275.0 Yards Per Game 326.1 7.5 Yards Per Attempt 8.0 67.5 Completion % 61.3 199 Completions 174 295 Pass Attempts 284 11 # of Times Sacked 22 Prediction: New England Patriots 24 Green Bay Packers 17 Joshua McInnis
FRANKLIN, MA (@J_Money_426) The NFL Trade Deadline is approaching quite rapidly and has already been quite active in recent weeks. the deadline is only a few hours away but expected to be very active. The Patriots have a huge chance of getting some amazing talent for relatively cheap to help them on their way to a possible 6th Super Bowl title. The Patriots currently sit at 6-2 and took on the division rival Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football defeating Buffalo 25-6. The Patriots started off the season cold but have heated up in recent weeks with the emergence of rookie running back Sony Michel from Georgia, the recent trade acquisition of Josh Gordon and the return of Julian Edelman, but still have some major holes. The Patriots defense has been very mediocre this year and have had trouble stopping a nosebleed. Defense is something New England wants to address at the deadline if they really want a shot at a 6th Super Bowl this year with teams like the Los Angeles Rams who have very good offense and defense. The positions that need to be filled are linebacker, defensive line and the secondary. The Patriots offense has been quite good this year but with limited depth on offense, it would be very smart for New England to address this. They should try and get some new toys for Tom Brady to torture opposing defenses with. Wide receiver would be the first thing to take care of with Edelman, Gordon, Hogan, Dorsett and Patterson. especially with recent reports of New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick wanting to trade high draft picks for a premium star wide receiver to help out Brady. Edelman and Gordon have been the only solid options TB12 has been able to trust outside Gronk and James White. Demaryius Thomas – Denver Broncos: Demaryius would give the Patriots true number 1 WR they have needed for a very long time since Randy Moss. He will help open up the field for Tom Brady by taking pressure of Edelman, Gronk, Gordon and the rest of the WR’s. Odell Beckham Jr – New York Giants: First off, I know Odell is a longshot for Patriots to acquire but this is the type of player they need. He is someone who plays with a great deal of passion and swagger that is very visible on field. Beckham will give the Patriots a new dynamic on offense they have never had. Odell’s elite speed, elusiveness and homerun threat he offers on every play that will help TB12 tremendously by giving him a true number 1 wide out. Beckham is the type of WR Belichick has been recently wanting to try and acquire. Golden Tate – Detroit Lions: Tate been connected with New England in recent weeks and would fit very nicely in the Patriots offense. He would provide Brady another target to help take coverage off others to open the field. Golden Tate has ability to work on deep, intermediate and short routes with his great hands. Jared Cook – Oakland Raiders: As Jon Gruden and the Oakland Raiders are having a fire sale by clearing house of anyone not in Gruden’s plan for the future. Cook would be a great option for New England to get as some security to Gronkowski and probably get him relatively cheap. Cook would provide Gronk someone to take pressure off him to create more space for him to do his thing. Jared would also help Patriots with depth in case of injury. Chris Harris Jr – Denver Broncos: Chris Harris Jr would a great option for Bill to try and go get him to help solidify the secondary. Chris would supply excellent coverage skills and ability to work from the slot and on the outside. He would help Stephon Gilmore by taking off some burden in coverage and making it more difficult to throw on Patriots secondary. Gareon Conley – Oakland Raiders: Conley is a young upcoming corner who has great potential and could thrive with change of scenery with Gruden making it clear he really isn’t in the sights of Oakland’s future. Patriots should capitalize on this opportunity to get a young and very talented corner who can contribute now but be a player to build upon for the future. Janoris Jenkins – New York Giants: As of recently the Giants have gone from going all in to rebuilding and want to move on from players to start rebuilding. Patriots need to jump on this chance to get a premium player in Janoris Jenkins that can help right away and give them a star corner that will help force turnovers that the New England desperately needs if they want to win a 6th Super Bowl. Deon Bucannon – Arizona Cardinals: This year Arizona is in clear rebuild stage with rookie QB and some good veteran players that teams want. Patriots would be wise to attempt at getting Deone Bucannon who can play in a hybrid role as a safety/linebacker both positions of need for the Patriots. He is very versatile and could thrive with a change of scenery. Haason Reddick – Arizona Cardinals: Reddick would be a great pickup to help solidify the linebacker core with all the injuries have dealt with and lack of depth at the position. Haason was drafted in 2017 but hasn’t fully shown what he is capable of a change of teams could help him out a great deal in reaching his full potential. Patriots should try and snag Reddick, a young player who has ability to be a star in NFL. He shouldn’t cost much to get but with immense upside it should be hard to pass on the opportunity of acquiring young talent. Shane Ray – Denver Broncos: Shane Ray is an option New England shouldn’t overlook with him coming into NFL as one of the top linebackers in the nation but has yet to really shine his full potential. Ray would be a great lottery pick to take a shot on a could payoff greatly for the Patriots. Jamie Collins – Cleveland Browns: Jamie Collins would be a very solid pickup and reunite him with Bill after being traded away a few years back. He can come in and pick up playbook quicker with his experience in his previous stint with Patriots. He will provide a well-rounded game with good pass defense, run stopping and pass rush help the Patriots are in desperate need of if they want a shot at a 6th ring. Benjamin Kruse
FRANKLIN, MA (@benkruse144) On a beautiful Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium, the undefeated Miami Dolphins traveled to Foxborough, Massachusetts to take on the struggling 1-2 Patriots. Many New England Patriots fans were very concerned to see their team go down to 1-2. Fans were asking, is the dynasty over?. Is Tom Brady’s last season this year?. After reading this game recap, Patriots fans will feel a lot better after reading the result of Sunday's game. The Patriots coming into this game were struggling picking up first downs on offense and their problems on defense was being able to limit long drives. The Patriots got great news on one of their new receivers before the game started. Josh Gordon was activated for the game and was going to make his debut. The Patriots were able to dominate the running game with running backs Sony Michel and James White. The Miami Dolphins offense who came into Foxborough hot, had nothing going. The Patriots got two main players back in Patrick Chung and Trey Flowers. Those two gave the Patriots defense a huge boost. Miami quarterback Ryan Tannehill had a hard time staying in the pocket and he only threw for a total of 100 yards. Their duo running backs Kenyon Drake and Frank Gore combined, got nothing going in the ground game. The Patriots caught a break when they found out one of their top receivers Devante Parker was ruled out. Cordarrelle Patterson and Phillip Dorsett made key contributions for New England with a touchdown catch each in the first half. Sony Michel and James White really ignited the offense which definitely needed a spark. White ran and caught a touchdown, as well as Michel got his first touchdown run of the season, and his career. The Patriots played their best half of football so far, this season and after they took a 24-0 lead to halftime. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has really had a hard time getting acclimated with his new receivers and he could not just rely on his tight end Rob Gronkowski to make all the plays. Patriots receiver Chris Hogan played in the slot where he’s typically better on the outside. Good news for the Patriots is they get their best receiver back in Julian Edelman back against the Colts. The Patriots did have three players who got hurt on Sunday. All three players were very important to the win. However, tight end Rob Gronkowski who left the game early with an ankle injury, is questionable to play this Thursday. The good news is that the injury is not serious and that’s a sign of relief for New England. Defensive players Elandon Roberts and Adam Butler got hurt as well. Butler reportedly will be at full strength soon, and might even suit up for the game against the Colts. Roberts limped after the game was over but hopefully it’s not a long-term concern. The Patriots seem to not have long term type injuries which is good news after a dominating win. With the Patriots now at 2-2, fans should not be too worried. It also will help that their next two games will be at home this Thursday against the Colts, and the following week against the Chiefs. Brendan Howe
FRANKLIN, MA (@Brendan__Howe) Ah, yes. That's more like it. Remember last week when I published an article telling all of Pats Nation to just r-e-l-a-x? Yeah, you're welcome. All week, the Patriots heard the criticism from fans and media alike. But, as they've done for so many years, the kings of blocking out the noise, did it again. And it resulted in a resounding blowout win over the Dolphins, and a message sent to the rest of the NFL. Tom Brady rebounded from a poor showing in Detroit a week prior, by throwing for 274 yards and 3 touchdowns. The rest of the offense woke up too. James White and Phillip Dorsett each caught a TD from Brady, and even newcomer Josh Gordon hauled in a couple passes for 32 yards. The ground game was also dominant for New England on Sunday, something that isn't very common with Josh McDaniels doing the playcalling. Rookie Sony Michel left his fingerprints all over the football, averaging 4.5 YPC while rushing for 112 yards and his first NFL touchdown. Granted, it came in garbage time with the Patriots already firmly in the drivers seat, but, it still counts all the same. However, the aspect of the Patriots gameplan that was even further under the microscope on Sunday was the defense, and it did not disappoint. New England's defense held Miami to just 172 yards of total offense, and made Ryan Tannehill run for his life almost all afternoon. DT Adam Butler and newly acquired DE John Simon each busted through the Dolphins o-line to record sacks, and J.C Jackson also came away with his first career interception. Key pieces returning to the Patriots defense also helped immensely, as Patrick Chung and Trey Flowers both came off the inactive list after suffering concussions and missing the Pats week three matchup in Detroit. New England made a much needed change to their defensive scheme, instead of playing zone and double-high safety, they instead switched to press coverage with linebacker help over the middle. They made life tough for Dolphin receivers to get off the line, which in turn, allowed the New England pass rush to get to Tannehill and force him out of the pocket. The Patriots never let the Dolphins settle in on offense, and it led to much needed success. Bottom line, the Patriots aren't going anywhere. So, for all those Patriot haters out there that are hoping and praying for the dynasty to end? You may have to wait just a little bit longer. Especially if the defense continues to throw new looks at each opposing offense week in and week out. The offense will fix itself, now the defense needs to hold up their end of the bargain. Spearheaded by Brady, the Patriots improved to 2-2 on Sunday and will have a quick turnaround this week when they play host to Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday Night Football. Benjamin Kruse
FRANKLIN, MA (@benkruse144) Coming in with a 1-1 record to Ford Field in Detroit, the New England Patriots traveled to take on Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions. The Lions had an 0-2 record and they were looking for their first win under head coach Matt Patricia. The week coming into the Sunday night showdown, the Patriots needed to make an upgrade to their wide receiver position. The Patriots took a flyer by acquiring Josh Gordon. Gordon of course is a very athletic wide receiver who led the league in receiving yards in 2013. In the Sunday Night Football showdown, the Patriots struggled to move the football offensively. With Josh Gordon officially declared out in this contest, the only healthy Patriots receivers were Chris Hogan, Cordarelle Patterson, and Phillip Dorsett. Rob Gronkowski was getting doubled teamed all game because the Lions secondary wasn’t worried about any other dangerous threats on the Patriots offense. The Lions took a 3-0 lead on the first Detroit offensive drive. This seemed similar to the start the Patriots had in week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay scored a touchdown with Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore in coverage. With another field goal by Matt Prater, the Lions were already up 13-0. The Patriots finally got on the scoreboard with 40 seconds left in the second quarter. The Patriots finally showed some life in this game after Patriots linebacker intercepted Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford on the first drive in the third quarter. Patriots running back James White made the deficit a 3 point game after Tom Brady found White in the back of the end zone. The score was now 13-10 and it looked like the Patriots could have came back to win this game. The problem with the Patriots defense was similar to last week, was the execution on 3rd down. The Patriots had a very hard time being able to get off the field. The Lions were starting to pull away after Marvin Jones Jr had a 33 yard touchdown reception late In the third quarter. Matt Prater finished it off with two late field goals in the 4th quarter to put the game away. The Lions would go on to win, 26-10. Patriots fans out there, including myself, don’t panic, for whatever reason the Patriots start their season off slow. Once the Patriots get Josh Gordon and Julian Edelman back, this offense will get going and will help Tom Brady out a lot on the receiving core. The Patriots return for week 4 as they take on the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium. Kick-off is at 1 p.m ET. Brendan Howe
FRANKLIN, MA So, the Patriots are 1-2. Not just any 1-2, but an ugly one at that. For the first time since 2012, New England finds themselves under .500 through the first three weeks of the season. To make matters worse, the Dolphins have channeled their inner 1972 and started out 3-0. Now, that puts Tom Brady in a situation he probably didn't think he would be facing until at least December: A must win game. In week four. To be fair, the offense has been stagnant mainly because of the lack of weapons Brady has at his disposal. Look, I'm not going to be that guy that sits here and calls Sony Michel a bust, but he certainly didn't help his case with a couple crucial drops on third down last week. Chris Hogan, who was supposed to be the number one option at receiver until Edelman returned, has been targeted just 14 times throughout the first three weeks of the season, hauling in 50% of those passes for 84 yards. Phillip Dorsett put on a decent showing in week one, but has been quiet since. Rob Gronkowski draws a double team on almost every play that Brady drops back, and 90% of the time, it should be a defensive PI. But that's a conversation for another day. As far as the defense goes, it's as bad as it's ever been. These guys couldn't stop a nose bleed. Runs up the middle and to the outside. Crossing routes, play-action, deep shots, screens, you name it. Detroit knew what their gameplan was and they shoved it down New England's throat. All. Night. Long. However, before you go and slap the panic button, just keep in mind we've seen this before. New England also started 2-2 in 2014 after getting popped in the mouth by Kansas City on Monday Night Football, 42-14. Everyone said the sky was falling. Guess what happened? The Patriots finished 12-4. And won the Super Bowl. Don't say "this time it feels different", either. Of course it does. It's that sense of unfamiliarity and uncertainty that is swirling around Gillette Stadium that doesn't sit just right with you at the moment. Again, it's not something we haven't seen before, and it's not something that can't be fixed. Think about this, next week, Julian Edelman comes back, and Josh Gordon will make his debut. That, hopefully, should open up the playbook for Brady and maybe, just maybe, leave some holes open for Rob Gronkowski. Let's get one thing straight: when Gronk is on, he's the most unstoppable force in the NFL. Cue the Gronk spike. Now, hear me out on this next part. The defense can be fixed. It's just a matter of execution and effort. Not to mention the injuries that have been piling up on that side of the football, too. The Patriots best pass rusher, Trey Flowers, as well as reliable veteran safety Patrick Chung, were both absent with concussions. Other than injuries, it really all comes down to the level of effort being put in on the field. There's an old saying, "practice like you play". Maybe it's time New England starts practicing how they envision themselves playing on Sunday. On numerous occasions, the Patriots front could've had Kerryon Johnson tackled for short gains or even losses, but instead the linebackers would give up on the play and Johnson would bounce off a tackle and pick up an extra 6 or 7 yards and in some cases, extend Detroit's drives. Detroit hadn't had a back go for 100 yards rushing in a game since 2013, just to put that into perspective. I'll admit, we don't see this kind of funk from a Bill Belichick squad often, but when we do, they snap out of it pretty darn quickly. Next week could play to the Patriots advantage. It's a home game, and if there's one thing that's known about the 'Foxboro Faithful', it's that they're one of the loudest and most passionate fan bases in all of sports. Bet your bottom dollar that Gillette Stadium will be sold out and rockin' when Tom Brady comes trotting out of the tunnel next Sunday for his pre-game warm-ups. New England should be able to handle Miami, who is bound to come back down to earth at some point. Let's hope Brady can serve the fish a reality check. If he is able to do that, it wouldn't just be sending a message to the Dolphins; it would be a message to the rest of the NFL, Patriots fans, and most importantly, Bill Belichick. That message would be loud and clear. And it would read something like this: I am the guy. Always have been, always will be. I'm the same guy that defeated all the odds to win the starting job 18 years ago, and that's what I continue to do. If you give me the tools, I'll take you where you need to be. That place for the Patriots, is Atlanta, GA. If I had a message for all of you however, it would be this. Stay confident. Even through the hard times, like the one that's currently staring you in the face. That anxiety you feel? That anger? That confusion? That's all normal. And it will all subside in due time. Why? Because in case you may have forgotten, this is the New England Patriots. They figure it out. Even when there isn't an answer, they still get it right. Somehow. Tom Brady is the quarterback, and it goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway. Anytime you have number 12 under center, you have a chance. Period. So, take a deep breath. The Patriots will be just fine. That's a promise. Brendan Howe
FRANKLIN, MA The Patriots open their 2018 season tomorrow afternoon with a pretty similar look to what the past 18 seasons have featured. Bill Belichick on the sideline. Tom Brady at quarterback. Neither of those things have changed. The Pats play host to the Houston Texans in Foxboro this Sunday. Last time we met... The last time these two squads faced off was in week three of last season, with the Patriots coming out on top 36-33. Tom Brady was able to lead another game winning drive, finishing it off by rifling a 25 yard touchdown to Brandin Cooks in the corner of the endzone. What's at stake now... For New England, it's about momentum. With a 41-year old QB who, to some, still has to prove he can play at an elite level as he ages. Starting off on the right foot is essential for the Patriots to establish their dominance. For Houston, their young star QB Deshaun Watson is coming off a torn ACL that cut his 2017 campaign short. Many people are hyping this Texans team up to be a real contender in the AFC, and it's their time to prove themselves against one of the league's gold standard teams. Players to watch... Tom Brady QB: We mentioned it before, Brady is 41 now. It's going to be interesting to see how much he lets it fly in week one. Phillip Dorsett WR: Dorsett has really stuck his foot in the door with Julian Edelman being out for the first four weeks of the season, and it looks like he's entered the 'Brady circle of trust'. Eric Rowe CB: Rowe has slotted himself into the CB2 role for week one, and Belichick seems to trust him. With Gilmore on the opposite side, Texans coach Bill O'Brien may draw up some plays to get stud WR Deandre Hopkins some looks against him. Prediction... Patriots 27 Texans 19 Finally, the pre-season is over. With 6 days until the NFL regular season kicks off with the Eagles hosting the Atlanta Falcons, here's our predictions for the winners of each division across the league and our playoff match-ups (as well as the Super Bowl).
AFC East: New England Patriots AFC North: Pittsburgh Steelers AFC West: Los Angeles Chargers AFC South: Houston Texans NFC East: Dallas Cowboys NFC North: Minnesota Vikings NFC West: Los Angeles Rams NFC South: Atlanta Falcons PLAYOFFS AFC Wild Card: (6) Kansas City Chiefs vs. (3) Houston Texans, (4) Los Angeles Chargers vs. (5) Jacksonville Jaguars NFC Wild Card: (6) Green Bay Packers vs. (3) Atlanta Falcons, (4) Dallas Cowboys vs. (5) New Orleans Saints AFC Divisional Round: (1) Pittsburgh Steelers vs. (5) Jacksonville Jaguars, (2) New England Patriots vs. (3) Houston Texans NFC Divisional Round: (1) Los Angeles Rams vs. (6) Green Bay Packers, (2) Minnesota Vikings vs. (5) New Orleans Saints AFC Championship: (2) New England Patriots vs. (5) Jacksonville Jaguars NFC Championship: (1) Los Angeles Rams vs. (2) Minnesota Vikings Super Bowl: (1) Los Angeles Rams vs. (2) New England Patriots |