PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

Mike Dussault

Injuries Strike Pats Just After They Clicked

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We’re all sick of hearing it but here it is again “injuries are the only thing that stand between the Patriots and Super Bowls at this point in the Belichick/Brady dynasty.” You either get years where they stay almost entirely healthy — 2014/2016 (with a notable exception or two like Gronk last year), or 2013/2015 where key guys are lost and it’s just not enough to get past the AFC Championship.

Every year is a bit different. And this year, the injuries to Julian Edelman, such a critical player, and others cam early enough that they could still be overcome. But it’s a long season and we’re not even half way through it. And now, after a couple weeks of injury reprieve, the Pats once again had a frightening injury report on Wednesday with Dont’a Hightower, Malcom Brown and Danny Amendola leading the way.

These were three gut punch absences, especially after the Pats were coming off their first complete game performance of the season. A feel-good “Pats are back” type win that made the sloppy start a distant memory.

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Film Review: Pats vs. Falcons – Defense (Until it Got Too Foggy) Edition

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The Patriots defense turned in their best performance of the season against the Falcons, a total team effort where they were fundamentally sound from top to bottom. Things got a little too foggy to breakdown the entire game, but from a half-plus of review I got a pretty good sense of how well they played and how they were able to shutdown a Falcons offense that had shredded them for much of the Super Bowl.

Here’s what stood out…

— Van Noy continues to make really good progress and his development is a big reason why the defense is playing so much better, especially against the run. The 3rd-and-4 on the Falcons’ second possession was a perfect example as Van Noy splits a double team in space to make a solo tackle for a three yard loss on a toss sweep. It was an excellent play, a great example of the kind of things that weren’t happening earlier in the season.

— After converting the following fourth down via a Matt Ryan scramble the Falcons put together a nice little drive that ended with a Cassius Marsh blocked field goal. On the last third-and-10 the coverage was excellent. Ryan had nowhere to go and the pass rush flushed him out of the pocket. He thought about scrambling again, but McCourty peeled off his middle field help coverage to prevent it. Just an overall really solid team defense play in a key spot, the kind of stuff we haven’t really seen enough of.

— On Marsh’s block he again demonstrated a strength — getting skinny and getting through gaps to make plays. It’s shown up a few times on defensive plays and now it set up what might’ve been a season-changing special teams play. After this the Patriots just played with even more confidence.

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Patshow #111: A Foggy Falcons Victory Wrap

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Join yours truly and Nick “Fitzy” Stevens as we break down the Pats’ Super Bowl 51 rematch win over the Falcons. We’ll also take a look through the fog at Brandin Cooks’ touchdown, check out the best tweets from the game and take a look ahead to this weekend’s matchup with the Chargers.

Pats Posits: The New England Football Machine Rolls On

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After showing brief glimpses that they were a good team through the first six games of the season, the 2017 New England Patriots finally turned in their first consistent performance in a 23-7 win over the Atlanta Falcons. Yes, rumors of the Patriots demise have once again been exaggerated.

Simply put, it all worked against the Falcons. The four-headed running back monster finally showed how well it could power the offense, and most importantly, close games out. The much-maligned defense turned in one of their most impressive performances in recent memory, and they did it without Stephon Gilmore. It was a total team, total game win, the first of its kind this season and it was incredibly refreshing.

I’ve been saying there was a good defense inside there somewhere, and against the Falcons we saw what they were capable of. This is where the bar is, and it’s now set pretty high. Way above the worst defense in the league, but maybe not quite the all out domination we saw on Sunday night through the fog.

It looks like the 2017 Pats finally realized the season had started and that’s bad news for an NFL loaded with parity.

Here’s what I think in the Posits.

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Pregame Meal: Hmmmm, Lots of Tix Still Avail

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A quick glance at the Patriots ticket exchange this morning showed over a hundred tickets available for tonight’s game, which is a first for this season. Maybe it’s because it’s a late one or maybe because fans have, in the words of Hudson from Aliens, “a bad feeling about this drop“.

Does any of us really know what to expect tonight? It seems like a tall order to expect the Patriots defense to hold the Falcons under 30 points no matter how bad Atlanta’s looked in back-to-back home losses to the Bills and Dolphins. Those poor performances were largely powered by turnovers. In the last three games the Falcons have seven turnovers, but those are fickle as we saw with the 2010 Patriots’ defense who lived off turnovers and helped power the team to a 14-2 season. Then the Jets didn’t have a giveaway in the playoff game and the Pats couldn’t overcome it.

On paper it would appear that the Patriots defense must get a pick or force a fumble if they’re to get the Falcons off track.

Still, I, like most of you I’m sure, am still waiting for the Patriots defense to suddenly come alive. It’s been too many years of good football for the sloppiness and inconsistency to continue. At least that’s what I’m still telling myself. So as much as I want to just resign myself to it being a long night of the Falcons going up and down the field, I can’t bring myself to abandon hope just yet, especially when great football defense can happen even when you think your defense sucks.

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A Look Back: The Fan Journey of Super Bowl 51

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On Saturdays I try to take a historical look back at the matchup the Patriots will be facing tomorrow. Obviously there’s one big game on everyone’s mind in Pats-Falcons history, so it’s a good chance to remember how crazy it was to live through that game.

For the Patriots, it was maybe their ultimate moment. An impossible comeback that sealed their greatness for even their most ardent doubters and haters. If you can’t at least look at that game and put aside all the conspiracy theories you’re not truly a football fan.

Usually football games don’t really impact us any more than we let them. It all depends on how invested you allow yourself to be. But for me personally, Super Bowl 51 impacted my life in a very real way that ultimately was in large part responsible for 2017 being a life-changing year for me.

For that, no sporting event will ever compare to Super Bowl 51. I’m still wrapping my head around it even eight months later to be honest.

 

Let’s start with how we all felt when the score was actually 28-3, when it seemed almost assured that the Pats were about to lose their third Super Bowl in ten years.

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