Pats Posits

Pats Posits: Let the Brady Legacy Tour Begin!

January 1, 2017 by Mike Dussault

The Patriots finished off their 2016 season with a convincing, if not slightly scary, 35-14 win over the playoff-bound Dolphins. New England capped off a 14-2 campaign, locking up the top seed in the AFC and looking far more like a Super Bowl contender than 2015’s squad that blew their last two.

The rest of Sunday around the NFL unfolded exactly how the Patriots would’ve scripted it. The Chiefs snagged the second seed, while the Raiders fell to the fifth. Now the Pats await the lowest remaining seed, either Houston, Oakland or Miami. I am a-okay with all of them.

Overall, the 2016 was a fascinating campaign that began with Jimmy Garoppolo, got a dash of Jacoby Brissett before a near-flawless Tom Brady took over and the team never looked back after a goal-line-stop loss to the Seahawks.

A whole lot more on the 2016 season, the playoff outlook, and yes, a thank-Hoodie-nobody got hurt win in Miami in the Posits…

The longest fumble return in #Patriots history: https://t.co/oejSkyA6Dz

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) January 1, 2017

Pats Posits: Peaking Pats Dispatch Overmatched Jets

December 25, 2016 by Mike Dussault

Merry Christmas!! The Patriots wiped out the Jets 41-3 on Christmas Eve, moving to 13-2 with just one win in Miami next weekend standing between them and homefield advantage in the AFC. If there was any worry about a repeat of 2015, when the Pats lost to the Jets and Dolphins to close out there season, it was quickly apparent Bill Belichick’s squad came to prove a point on Saturday.

There’s plenty of praise to go around — Malcolm Butler had two interceptions and a recovered fumble, LeGarrette Blount put up his team-record 16th and 17th touchdowns and the defense was once again near impossible to score on. Tom Brady was, well, Tom Brady and, perhaps most importantly, NO ONE GOT INJURED!

The 13th win of the year only cemented what we had learned the last two weeks, that the Patriots are now firing on all cylinders and are peaking at the perfect time.

Here’s the Christmas edition of the Pats Posits…

Pats Posits: Primed, Again

December 18, 2016 by Mike Dussault

2016 AFC East Champs!

The Patriots locked up the AFC East championship and a first round playoff bye with their 16-3 win over the Broncos, moving to 12-2 on the season, and putting to rest some of their Denver demons.

Yup, if you didn’t love the 2016 Patriots before impressive wins over Baltimore and Denver, you sure do now!

The victory was perhaps the most complete of the season, with the defense completely neutralizing Denver’s offense in the second half and becoming the top scoring defense in the NFL; the offense capitalizing in key spots while maintaining excellent balance; and the special teams generally dominating every hidden yard there was.

With just two games to go, the Patriots look as primed as ever to make a run at another Super Bowl. But they might need to win both to secure homefield.

More on the Pats’ playoff aspirations and a feel-great win over the Broncos…

Pats Posits: The Rumble with Double Fumbles

December 13, 2016 by Mike Dussault

The Patriots overcame three critical turnovers in what was otherwise their best game of the 2016 season, defeating the Ravens 30-23. It was interesting, as it always is with these teams, but the Pats sealed the game with a clutch 79-yard touchdown pass to a streaking Chris Hogan. That put the Pats back up by 10 and effectively won the game.

A quick-strike 79-yard touchdown? A 1,000 yard rusher leading the league in touchdowns? A defense leading the league in points-against and safeties? Who is this Patriots team, because I think I love them.

It’s hard to win in the playoffs against good teams when you turn the ball over three times in the second half. But the good news is that great teams don’t collapse when they cough it up twice on back-to-back returns.

It was hard not to recall the 2015 season and how everything seemed to be going pretty great until Harper’s Muff in Denver. That team still fought to overtime before succumbing to the Broncos and watching their homefield advantage and season slowly fade away, but the 2016 team decided:

Cyrus’ Muff was not the hill they were dying on. Nor was Slater’s Cough Up.

Resiliency. The mark of any championship team. No matter how much people want to complain about Cyrus Jones this week, things are looking good for the pending Super Bowl run. Clean up the turnovers and the Patriots will be primed for a run at number five.

More on the 2016 Patriots’ identity, how to proceed with Cyrus, and more in the Posits…

Pats Posits: Tom Brady, Legend

December 5, 2016 by Mike Dussault

brady2

The Patriots dominated the Rams 26-10 Sunday, nabbing Tom Brady his NFL-record 201st win and closing out the third quarter of the 2016 season at 10-2.

Of course there’s plenty of #YBITR (yeah but it’s the Rams) disclaimers, but still, the Patriots handled an inferior team at home as we expect them to and looked very much like a balanced contender.

Unfortunately, Gronk wasn’t the last injury buzz kill of the last week, with Danny Amendola (seen leaving on crutches in a walking boot) headlining those who left and didn’t return.

Now, the Patriots face a 7-5 Ravens team that has won four-of-five and always plays them tough, even in Foxborough.

More on that, win #201 and the AFC home field playoff chase with the Raiders in the Posits…

Brady by the numbers. pic.twitter.com/1oyGceaOMB

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) December 4, 2016

Pats Posits: Toughness and Resiliency

November 28, 2016 by Mike Dussault

The Patriots survived the Jets like they often do, coming up with three big defensive plays and a game-winning touchdown drive in a 22-17 victory that moved Tom Brady into a first place tie with Peyton Manning with 200 all-time wins.

The defense that hadn’t forced a turnover in three games came through with a forced fumble from Malcolm Butler, a blocked field goal attempt by Alan Branch and a game-clinching strip sack by Chris Long.

The offense turned in a gritty performance, with Brady still hobbling with a knee injury and losing Rob Gronkowski in the first half to a back injury. The final come-from-behind touchdown drive took eight plays and 83 yards and including a fourth-down conversion that went to James White.

Vintage Brady, with passes to Edelman (24 yards), Lewis (16 yards) and Hogan (25 yards). It once again illustrates why the Patriots are always so hard to beat — they never quit and are always at their best with the game on the line.

The Jets couldn’t make the last play to seal the game and the Patriots did.

The Pats are now 9-2 and remain tied for the top seed in the conference with a two-game lead in the division.

More on the win, with only Rams standing between Brady and becoming the winningest QB of all time in then Posits…

Pats Posits: Winning in the Rain

November 21, 2016 by Mike Dussault

My second Pats Pilgrimage of the season was a brilliant-though-wet success, raising my record at games attended to 12-3 since 2006. I am always surprised by how many Patriots fans show up for away games and this one was close to 2014’s in San Diego. There’s nothing quite like the pure joy of passionate Pats fans assembling on the road to cheer our favorite team on.

It was clear we were in Foxboro west from the moment arrival.

First I was accosted on the BART after landing by an airport employee who had been waiting 16 years for Tom Brady to play in his home city. He was more fired up that I was! From that point there were just Patriots fans every where you looked and by the time we got to the stadium it looked like they outnumbered the 49ers fans.

When Brady came out for warmups the stadium exploded. Every section he walked by erupted in cheers, and during the game there were multiple “Brady” chants throughout. I’ve had two amazing game experiences this season that were just loaded with Brady love.

The game itself seemed like a no-win situation outside of a dominating blow out and really, that’s pretty much what we got. I know there were some things that didn’t look great at times and Matthew Slater got hurt, but overall things are progressing and the Pats are in the driver’s seat in the AFC.

More on a great weekend with family and Pats fans and another Patriots win in the Posits…