Despite getting thrown off my usual schedule by the Patriots’ Thursday night game, I don’t mind a full Sunday of the Red Zone Channel and no stress. Lots of great games yesterday, capped off by the Broncos knocking the Packers off in a game that I think most everyone believed would result in Denver getting smacked.
So now the Pats’ game in Denver certainly looks a bit more intriguing, but I think it’s worth reminding everyone out there thinking about 16-0 and making reservations in San Fran for early February that the season is not even halfway over yet. So many things can still change. Even I’m guilty of imagining what might be possible if the Pats can avoid the injury bug for the next two months. They got off to a great start and then got whacked with the Brown/Solder/Cannon/Sheard hits in weeks 5 and 6.
As I’m sure you’ve heard the trade deadline is tomorrow. I would never rule anything out but I just can’t play the trade speculation game. Everyone has a certain player that makes sense, but when it comes down to it I think the Patriots are a Super Bowl contender as currently constituted. Again, it’s just a matter of staying healthy. But making a trade for a starting corner or tackle seems like a longshot to me at this point.
One thing I noticed this morning was that Brandon Browner is once again leading the league in penalties and I don’t think this is something we can dismiss when considering the Pats letting him walk.
Truth be told, I was more annoyed at letting Browner walk than Revis at the time last spring, because that sparked everyone to say the Pats were going back to a more zone based defense. That was unthinkable to me because quarterbacks are just too good against zone defense now to make that your bread and butter. I was ecstatic when the Pats continued to stick primarily with man defense even if the personnel didn’t totally scream man-to-man. And really I think it’s paid off, in good part because the front seven has been fresher and better for 60 minutes overall than they have been in a long time.
Lot of love out there for Patrick Chung, Devin McCourty and Duron Harmon this week, with Harmon and Chung both begin chosen as PFF’s top safeties this week. Belichick mentioned that in his first stint with the Pats, they used Chung more in Cover-2, whereas now he’s basically playing linebacker 90% of the time. His coverage of tight ends has certainly improved over the last two years, and he certainly had his struggles facing more wide receivers from 2009-2012.
The guy I’m most curious about though is Jordan Richards, who continues to impress me each week as his role continues to grow a bit each time he takes the field. Richards will replace Chung at some point, and my early impression is that his ceiling will be even higher.
Despite Chris Ivory’s injury, the Pats’ run defense has been as good as we’ve seen it the last two weeks against two very tough running teams. The inside defensive tackle rotation is really working well and I wonder if not having Wilfork to rely on has helped the front deliver a more consistent performance.
What I’d like to see most is for the defense to show their full potential against the Broncos. How would the defense look once Sheard and Easley hit their stride alongside Collins, Hightower, Chandler and Nikovich? That’s when things might get scary good and hopefully that’s what we’re building to in Jan/Feb.
Stop me if I get annoying but I can’t get enough of Dion Lewis. The offense was already a bunch of impossible choices when it was mainly Gronk and Edelman leading the way while LaFell and Amendola filled in with timely clutch catches. Now the third dynamic that Lewis brings is what is truly making this new version of the offense unique and potentially as unstoppable as we’ve ever seen. Lewis doesn’t just make something out of nothing, he makes amazing out of nothing. And when there is something there he has yet to fall short. I’m not sure there’s a defense out there that can match up with Gronk/Edelman/Lewis.
After this lackluster Redskins game there are four interesting games in a row – @NYG, BUF, @DEN and PHI. These will be the best, and likely only remaining tests on the schedule, unless the Jets find a way to bounce back after losing to the suddenly dangerous Raiders.
It’s hard not to just think about the playoffs this year with the light schedule and overall dominance so far, but I still believe there will be more adversity to define this team. I just hope it’s not a critical injury because it still looks like that might be the only thing that can stop the Patriots from getting back to the Super Bowl.
