With Super Bowl LI just a mere six days away, it's now time to start the Super Bowl week festivities, kicking off tonight with Media Day. Media Day is always known to be a crazy and fun filled night, especially after last year when a guy in a clown costume was the highlight of the night. For the players, it can be stressful, and also boring to some. Guys like Devin McCourty, Julian Edelman, and obviously Tom Brady, have all been here before and know what to expect. Other Patriots stars such as Chris Hogan, Chris Long, Dion Lewis and Martellus Bennett, are all new to the Super Bowl and will be in for an exciting night.
However, as much as we at Boston Sports Barrage wish we could be down in Houston with all the players and coaches in person, we have some rhetorical questions of our own, and will be making our own Media day if you will. Here we go: This first question is for Tom Brady, "With a win this Sunday, would you consider yourself the best of all time?" Allow me to take this one, he damn well better. No quarterback in the history of the NFL has ever played in seven Super Bowls, and no quarterback has ever won five times. Brady has a chance to do both next weekend. I don't think I need to explain myself too much on this subject, if Brady and the Patriots win, there's no debate. Case closed. Next question is for coach Belichick. "Coach, there's no doubt that you have a great team going into this game. Does this team speak volumes to the so called, Patriot way, of the past Super Bowl teams?" Now, your typical Bill answer would be, "Well, you know we just have a great group of guys, great group of players that have worked hard day in and day out to be where we are." Here's what he should be thinking. This team is the best we've had in a long time and with the way we've been playing the past 9 weeks, the Falcons stand no chance of stopping us because my staff and I will be prepared for anything they throw at us and nothing can stop us. This Patriots team is 16-2 currently with one of their losses coming with a third string QB, and the other came down to the final play against Seattle on a questionable non-holding call in the end zone with Rob Gronkowski going for a jump ball. Other than that, the Patriots have demolished everyone. The Falcons on the other hand, have played good football, I will admit that. But, they played a banged up Russell Wilson and the Seahawks in the Divisional round, who were only in the playoffs because they had 3 low life teams to compete with in the NFC West. Then they faced the Packers in the NFC Championship, with a barely mobile Jordy Nelson, and no Randall Cobb. I realize Aaron Rodgers might be super human but c'mon guys, the man needs a LITTLE help out there. With all that being said, I'll let you take your pick for who comes out on top next Sunday. This last question is for Matt Patricia. "What plan do you have to slow down arguably the best receiver in football?' There's many ways Matt could go with this one. The best bet for new England however, is to have Malcolm Butler match up with him for the speed matchup, and then bring safety help of McCourty and Harmon over the top on deep balls. As for the other receivers, Sanu and Gabriel, matchup on Sanu with Rowe, because of the height and the fact that Sanu is Matt Ryan's last option when Gabriel and Jones are covered. If you put Rowe on either of them, he'll get burnt all day long. Then, that leaves Logan Ryan to cover Taylor Gabriel. If the Patriots stick to that gameplan, they should be able to at least stifle the Falcons offense, and give Brady a chance to put the game at a point where it's just out of reach for Atlanta. There's no doubt that this Super Bowl will be great, and a shootout the whole way through. The question is, which team will make the first mistake, and will it cost them the ultimate prize? Final Prediction: Patriots 38 Falcons 30
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All throughout the week leading up to kick-off of last night's AFC Championship game, many people wondered if the Patriots could bounce back after their less than convincing performance against the Houston Texans the week prior. Now, the day after the Patriots clinched their seventh Super Bowl trip in the Brady/Belichick era with a 37-16 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, all those questions have been answered. The Patriots are clearly the best team in the AFC and deserve to be playing in Houston in two weeks time.
The Patriots have been the "gold standard" of the NFL, to use Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger's words, for the past 15 years. Now, they will play in their NFL record ninth Super Bowl. Their opponent? The team with the highest scoring offense in football, and arguably the best wide receiver too, the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons are definitely flying high into the Super Bowl, coming off a dominating performance in the NFC Championship game, where they dismantled the Green Bay Packers in a 44-21 rout. What a way to close the Georgia Dome than a trip to your first Super Bowl since the 1998-99 season right? Well, no doubt the Patriots will have their hands full with Atlanta, but don't forget, the Patriots just happen to have the NFL #1 scoring defense as well. This Super Bowl could very well turn into a defensive battle. As for the game last night, the Patriots played pretty much mistake free football. There were no penalties for either side in the first half, and the Patriots had taken a 17-9 lead into the locker room. Although the scoreboard showed it was a close game, the Patriots had clearly outplayed Pittsburgh in the first half, with Tom Brady throwing for a pair of touchdowns, each to Chris Hogan, who had a career high 180 receiving yards, and also set a Patriots record. Julian Edelman racked up 118 yards as well, passing Deion Branch for most receiving yards in Patriots playoff history. Even though at this point we take Tom Brady's greatness for granted, last night's performance was one of the better he's had in his entire playoff career. He posted incredible numbers at 32/42, 384 yards, 3 TD, and a total QBR of 127.5. Is that good? Yes, that's good. Good enough to propel the Patriots to their ninth Super Bowl, Brady's seventh, and the second in the last 3 seasons. Houston, you have a problem, and it's the New England Patriots. On Sunday, the Patriots and Steelers will meet in the AFC Championship game with a trip to Houston and a spot in Super Bowl 51 on the line. The winner of this game will be the first team in NFL history to play in nine Super Bowls. This will certainly be an offensive showdown (literally and figuratively) as both teams have traded verbal shots back and forth, starting with Mike Tomlin's leaked speech on Antonio Brown's Facebook Live video, calling the Patriots "a**holes". Patriots WR Julian Edelman responded when asked about it by saying, "That's how that team is run". Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger fired back by saying "I don't think I need to talk much, we have our trophies out there."
Sunday should be fun. Now, here's what both teams need to do to advance to the big dance in Houston. Patriots: 1. Limit the ground game For the Patriots to be victorious on Sunday, they will need to slow down Steelers star RB Le'Veon Bell, who has run for 337 yards in two games in the playoffs so far this year. Bell has the ability to carry the Steelers offense and take over the game at any point and time, and the Patriots front seven will certainly have their hands full against one of the league's premier backs. 2. Keep Antonio Brown in check The Patriots have the number 1 scoring defense in the NFL but, the Steelers still have arguably the best wide out in the league in Antonio Brown. At times when the Steelers look like their offense is struggling, Roethlisberger can just loft a pass for Brown and let him do the rest. His strength combined with his speed allows him to break tackles and accelerate in open field, and the Pats will need to really focus in on wrapping up Brown and limiting the big play ability he possesses. 3. Control the pace of the game For New England to put themselves in a good spot and avoid a tight game in the final minutes, Tom Brady and the Patriot offense will have to control the pace of the game and chew up clock on each drive. Not only will they have to make sure they use clock, Brady will need to find his targets in the red zone and cash in for six points each time. For New England to beat Pittsburgh, they need to do it by punching the ball in the end zone. Pittsburgh won their divisional match-up against Kansas City strictly off field goals, 18-16. That will not fly this week, for either team. The Patriots just need to make sure they aren't on the short end of the scoreboard this Sunday. Steelers: 1. Get Brady out of his comfort zone Tom Brady was tormented last week in the Patriots win over the Texans, getting sacked twice and hit multiple times by Texans defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. On a couple occasions, the hits on Brady were late, and the Pats QB was looking for a flag. He did not get one on the first late hit, but he did successfully get a flag on the second time. If the Steelers can force Brady out of his comfort zone and get him to scramble out of the pocket, it will definitely benefit the boys from the 'Steel City'. 2. Bend but don't break The Patriots have the best offense in the league and they have so many weapons at their disposal. And you can bet they have more than one way to beat you. But, if the Steelers can weather the storm and buckle down when the Patriots get into the red zone and force them to kick field goals, they will give their offense a great chance to win the game. 3. Expose the Patriot secondary The Patriots secondary has been exceptional all season long but, they will have their hands full with Antonio Brown. If the Steelers can break off a few big plays and rattle the Patriots confidence, it could spell trouble for New England. Final Prediction: Patriots 36 Steelers 30 After this weekend's Wild Card "games", the Patriots now know who their next opponent will be this Saturday night in Foxborough. It's a team that their third string QB, Jacoby Brissett manhandled for a win, 27-0. The Houston Texans. This time, the Texans will be without All-Pro DE J.J Watt, who was lost for the season back in week 4, and with Tom Brady back at QB for the Patriots and playing some of his best football ever, this has the potential to be a blowout.
As I predicted in my last article, I said that Tom Brady would throw for the most TD in a playoff game in NFL history. I'm sticking with that prediction, and for him to break the record he'd have to throw 7 touchdowns, shattering the previous record held by 3 people. Steve Young, Daryle Lamonica, and himself. Brady did it back in 2012 in a Divisional playoff game against Tim Tebow's Broncos. If Brady throws 7 touchdowns next Saturday, you can pretty much just put him in the Hall of Fame right after the game. 7 touchdowns in the span of three games is impressive for some quarterbacks, nevermind in one game, especially a playoff game. Brady will be entering his 32nd playoff game this weekend, an equivalent of 2 full regular seasons spent in just the postseason. That gives you a little sample of just how succesful TB12 has been. New England heads into this game as an absolutely absurd 16 point favorite. I suspect them to shatter that number and win this game by at least 30. Seems ambitious, I get that. But, New England has rolled over everyone lately, and Houston has no business in being in a matchup with a team like the Patriots. But, for all intents and purposes of this playoff preview, say Houston does make a game out of this, here's what they'll need to do: 1. Lock down the trenches LeGarrette Blount led the NFL in rushing touchdowns with 18, and Houston will need to plug up the holes up front if they want to avoid being run all over. Fittingly in this game, former Patriot Vince Wilfork makes his return to Foxborough in what could be his last game ever in the NFL. 2. Disrupt Tom Brady's timing The Texans don't necessarily have to get to Tom Brady every play, they just need to collapse the pocket and force Brady to hurry his throws and disrupt his timing with his receivers. Now, will either of those two things happen? Probably not. Let's be real, even fans in Texas aren't pretending their team has a chance. But, as the saying goes, any given Sunday right? Or in this case, Saturday. The Patriots and Texans will play this Saturday night at Gillette Stadium. Kick-off at 8:15 p.m ET on CBS. The Patriots won't play their next game until January 14th, but they'll be watching very closely this weekend during the Wild Card showdowns, as their next opponent will be decided. It's guaranteed the Patriots wil be facing a backup QB as well, either Matt Moore and the Dolphins, rookie Connor Cook/Matt McGloin and the Raiders, or Tom Savage/Brock Osweiler and the Texans. Either way, none of those teams stand much of a chance of coming into Foxboro and taking down the playoff experienced Patriots. Here are 5 big predictions on the Patriots' path to ring number 5.
1. Tom Brady will set a record for most TD thrown in a playoff game in the Divisional Round As I mentioned before, the Patriots will be up against a backup QB in their Divisional matchup, and none of those teams stand much of a chance to win. Oakland has a solid defensive line, lead by Khalil Mack, but their secondary has some holes, and with Brady's quick release, that could pose a problem. As for Houston, they had the second best pass defense in the league, so that could be a tough matchup but, there's no doubt Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels have something up their sleeve that teams have yet to see from them in 2016. We all remember the infamous Julian Edelman double pass don't we? With the amount of weapons Brady has at his disposal, he'll find a way to put the ball in the endzone, over, and over, and over, and over again. 2. The Patriot defense will give up less than 14 points in the Divisional Round Not only will Tom Brady expose the opponent's defense in the Divisional round, but the Patriots number 1 scoring defense will add insult to injury. The Pats are the league's stingiest defense, allwoing just 15.6 points a contest. They will continue right where they left off and hold down the fort in Foxboro, not giving up more than two touchdowns at the very most. 3. Brady outlasts Roethlisberger in the AFC Championship game The Patriots will cruise past their Divisional round opponent, but when they get to the AFC Championship, it could very well be like what we saw from Baltimore back in 2014, where they jumped out to a 14-0 lead right off the bat. The Pats will be caught by surprise, and the game will be a nail-biter all night. This will be a matchup of two of the best passing offenses in the league, Pittsburgh at #6 while New England is at #4. The game will come down to which team has the ball last, and the Steelers will make a fatal mistake of leaving Tom Brady with too much time, and TB12 once again, leading yet another game winning drive. 4. The Patriots will meet the Packers in Super Bowl 51 As great as the Patriots have been all season long, finishing at a marvelous 14-2 record, there has been no team in the NFL hotter than the Green Bay Packers. Right after Aaron Rodgers said that he believed his team could "run the table" they did just that, capturing the NFC North title and winners of their last six games in a row. By the time the Super Bowl comes around, the Pack will have won an incredible 9 straight games, and would appear to have all momentum. But, never count out Tom Brady and the Patriots. This is by far the best possible Super Bowl matchup 5. The Patriots win the Super Bowl and Brady wins MVP The Patriots and the Packers will battle it out in Houston, Texas for the top prize in all of sports, the Vince Lomabardi trophy. In 2014, the Patriots won on a heroic play by Malcolm Butler, undercutting the route and picking off Russel Wilson's pass to seal the win for New England. This time, two years later, Butler will make another interception in the fourth quarter, this one won't be for the win though. That will be up to Brady, as Tom will lead the Patriots back from a 7 point deficit to tie the game, then again to kick the go-ahead field goal, further adding to his historic playoff performances. Then, the sight every Patriots fan wants to see, Roger Goodell handing over the Lombardi trophy to the team that rightfully deserves it, the Patriots. Sorry Roger, Brady wins again. Super Bowl Prediction: Patriots 31-Packers 28 |