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Scouting Report

Patriots Scouting Report: Super Bowl 52 vs. Eagles

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I’ve spent the last few days taking a look at a bunch of Eagles games and, like last week watching the Jags, it’s been an enjoyable experience. I get so caught up trying to decipher the Pats game film each week of the regular season that I never get much of a chance to check out another team. Now with a couple weeks to prepare it was nice to not be under the gun and immerse myself in the other team in the Super Bowl.

It should be a fantastic matchiup which should make any bet on Superbowl LII an interesting one.

The games I focused on were primarily toward the end of the season, once Nick Foles took over for Carson Wentz, including a special focus on the two playoff games. Here’s a bunch of things that stood out to me and how I could see the Eagles matching up with the Pats.

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Jags Defense Will Attack Patriots’ Offense With Speed At All Levels

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This week instead of jumping into the Patriots film, I jumped into the Jags. I never get a chance to really study another team because I’m so busy trying to decipher what the Bill Belichick is cooking up. So a chance to take a look at multiple games of film, including the Pats-Jags preseason game, the Jags loss to Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers, and both playoff wins.

The Jags defense vs. the Patriots offense is where this game will be won or lost. Their schemes are not complicated, but they have so much speed that they’re really effective. They’re at their absolute best when they get offense’s in third and longs. They have dominant pass rushers and a flexible secondary.

Here are a bunch of quick hits on the Jags defense and how I think they’ll match up against Tom Brady and friends.

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Scouting Report: Denver Broncos

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The second half of the Patriots’ 2017 starts at the closest thing Tom Brady has to a house of horrors — Mile High Stadium (or whatever it’s called now). Brady has had three playoff runs end in Denver (2005, 2013, 2015), which ties the number of playoff losses he’s had at home (2009, 2010, 2012).

The three recent losses, two in the playoffs and the overtime bummer against the quarterback they’ll face Sunday, make it seem like the Broncos rivalry is a big deal. But after their Super Bowl win, the Broncos have been on a slow-to-medium descent, which has them at 3-5, losers of four straight. Their once-feared defense just gave up 51 points to the Eagles, and despite a poor performance, they’ll start Brock Osweiler for a second week in a row.

Still, it’s hard to take much solace in how the Broncos have stumbled recently. Their three wins were all over three pretty good teams — Chargers, Cowboys and Raiders, and if there’s one team Denver will be up for, it’s New England.

Here’s a look at the Broncos and why I think this one will be closer than many of us expect or hope.

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Scouting Report: Atlanta Falcons

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Yeah, yeah Bill Belichick has sworn the Patriots players to not mention last year’s Super Bowl in preparation for this weekend’s rematch with the Atlanta Falcons, and while I usually try to ask myself “What would BB blog” that’s out the window as far as the next fews days. At least somewhat, because really it’s unlikely that there is all that much we can take away from that game back in February because, as you might remember, the Pats laid a giant turd on the field for three quarters.

Avoiding that kind of start will be imperative because as much as I’d love to whip up another comeback tee shirt, the odds of the Pats climbing out of a similar hole are less than likely.

Here’s some of what we know about the Falcons this year. They’re coming off two-straight AFC East losses, one to Buffalo 23-17 and last week’s to Miami 20-17. Both came at home which is mind boggling when you consider Matt Ryan coming off an MVP season and most of us thinking the Bills and Phins were going to be mostly rebuilding this year.

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Scouting Report: New York Jets

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The Patriots head to New Jersey to take on the Jets in a battle for first place in the AFC East this weekend. Both teams are 3-2 and it’s an unexpected competitive matchup that many thought would see a near-undefeated Patriots juggernaut slamming a tanking Jets team, but alas that storyline has been destroyed.

Let’s not get too carried away. Yes, the Jets have won three-straight, but it’s been over a who’s who of terrible NFL franchises including their last two against the Jags and Browns. Still, for a team that blew it all up and started over, they’re getting good play from some young players who should be eager and unafraid to play the Patriots in a game no one expects them to win.

Let’s take a quick look at five headlines about the 2017 Jets.

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Scouting Report: Carolina Panthers

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The Carolina Panthers are coming off a disappointing loss to their divisional rival New Orleans Saints, dropping to 2-1 on the season after opening wins in San Franciso and against Buffalo. The Patriots and Panthers are mirror images of each other, with the Pats defense and Panthers offense ranking near the bottom of the league while the Pats offense and Panthers defense both rank near the top of the league.

After losing Greg Olsen to a broken foot and then having Kelvin Benjamin injuring his knee, the Panthers’ offense is extremely shorthanded. They’ll lean heavily on rookie Christian McCaffrey, a shifty and dynamic weapon who can do it all. On defense, Luke Kuechly is once again the man in the middle, with some talented pieces in front of him, but a secondary that was picked on by Drew Brees last week.

The Patriots started to find their stride last weekend against the Texans, but their performance was far from consistent, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Cam Newton and McCaffrey embody a lot of what has given the Patriots problems and despite their poor start to the season, should be a good test.

Here are five quick hits on the Panthers.

  1. McCaffrey Makes It Go: McCaffrey is the Panthers most targeted receiver with 23, grabbing 18 receptions while also carrying the ball 25 times through the first three games. He’s the proverbial straw stirring the drink, and without Benjamin he should be a big point of focus this week. How the Pats deal with him — Patrick Chung might be a good bet with limited threats at the tight end spot now as well.
  2. Keep Newton Contained: This will be another one of those games where it’s imperative not to over rush the quarterback and allow him to squeak out and pick up yards. The Patriots defense struggled to finish plays against Deshaun Watson last week, they must close in on Newton and finish him off.
  3. Find the Short Game: The Patriots have gone vertical on offense this year and the offense has stagnated at times like the three-straight punts they had in both the first and second halves last week. Part of this is needing to find the short passing game, especially with the running backs. The Panthers have similar pieces to the Texans and the Pats’ goal should be to find some consistency because you can expect the Panthers to force Brady to take underneath stuff.
  4. Protection Progression: While the offensive line came through in the clutch last week, they sure had their struggles against JJ Watt, JaDaveon Clowney and the rest of the Texan front. That’s not an uncommon problem, but the Panthers cause similar problems and the offensive line must be ready to play more consistently. We’re four games in now, the excuses for rust and miscommunication are running out.
  5. Defense Same Page: The Panthers don’t have a ton of healthy threats, but that’s no reason for the Pats defense to relax. What must be stressed is communication and making sure everyone is playing within themselves and doing their job. There are a number of new pieces on the Patriot defense playing significant roles, but like the offensive line, the excuses are running out. It’s time to all get on then same page and play the Patriot defense like it’s meant to be played — BEND DON’T BREAK.

Scouting Report: Texans

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We’re slightly turning the page to the Texans today, though I’ll still dive into some offensive film study from the Saints game tomorrow. The Texans are 1-1, coming off an extended break after beating the Bengals in the first Thursday Night game of the regular season (aside from the season kickoff where the Pats got blown out of course, but who needs to remember that game?).

The two teams have met six times in the last five seasons, including twice in the playoffs and really, none of them have been all that close except for 2013’s 34-31 surprising nail biter in Houston. Many of the other games were far more hyped and far less close. Last season the Pats outscored the Texans 61-16 in two meetings.

Now, with a set of preseason practices and a game together, the already-familiar teams have gotten to know each other even better. Yes, there are plenty of connections between the two franchises but on Sunday all that will once again be out the window.

Let’s take a quick look at the Texans and how they match up this time around.

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