An Independent Patriots Blog
As I updated everything on the big Pats stat page I keep, it occurred to me that most of the important numbers I track supported what I thought I saw with my eyes.
This wasn’t a dominant offensive team, but it is an underrated defensive one. Inconsistencies on special teams also fed into what set this edition of the BB/TB Pats apart.
Let’s dive into five key stats that defined the inconsistent-but-hopefully-peaking 2018 Patriots.
[Read more…] about 5 Patriots Standout StatsIf nothing else, the NFL season depends on attrition. Just a key injury to a player or two can completely derail the best-laid offseason plans. It happened in the first quarter of the first game of the 2008 Patriots’ season. That’s why you shouldn’t bet on Super Bowl 53 in June.
These days, all that really matters is if Tom Brady, Julian Edelman, Dont’a Hightower and Rob Gronkowski make it to January. Despite any regular season ups and
Here we are on the playoff bye week a
They’ve got their bumps and bruises for sure, as does every team, but with every key veteran piece accounted for the Pats should still have their best football in front of them.
Here’s a breakdown of who played the most, it’s no surprise the Pats once again gained a first round bye.
[Read more…] about Patriots 2018 Season Snap Counts: Nobody Died
The Patriots finished off their 2018 with perhaps their most complete game of the season. Most importantly, the Pats survived the 2018 campaign with the key pieces intact.
Against the Jets, the offense spread the ball around and had success both on the ground and through the air. Despite reports of his decline, Tom Brady looked every bit like his same old self.
The defense once again put together a strong home performance. The continued playmaking of Trey Flowers and Kyle Van Noy, along with shutdown corner Stephon Gilmore, have rounded this into one of the more underrated of Belichick’s defenses.
They’ve earned the right to get a bye and a home game. After that, we’ll just have to see. A lot can happen over the next two weekends. Maybe they will have to prove themselves on the road, or maybe not.
Let’s dive in with a bunch of travel-delayed Posits!
[Read more…] about Pats Posits: Here We Go AgainThe Patriots wrap up their regular season on Sunday, hosting the Jets. It’s pretty simple, if the Pats win they lock up the second seed. Yeah, maybe they could also get as high as the top seed but it’s more likely that the Chiefs will hold serve at home against the Raiders, securing the top spot.
I’ve been on vacation this week in California, and I’m most looking forward to my favorite thing about the Pacific Time Zone —
It’s impossible to separate each season into its own separate headspace. Inevitably, Tom Brady of 2018 must be compared to Tom Brady of years past, just as the entire team is. The ticking clock of decline has everyone waiting with
Here’s the gameplan to finish off a tumultuous regular season.
[Read more…] about Patriots Gameplan: Week 17 vs New York JetsThe Patriots ran their way to a victory over the Bills that delivered New England’s 10th-straight divisional title and put them back in the driver’s seat for a first-round bye in the playoffs.
Sony Michel racked up 116 yards on 18 carries, while the rest of the backfield, including Cordarrelle Patterson gave the team 273 yards rushing, their most since 2008.
If you wanted a perfectly executed PatsPropaganda Gameplan, you need to look no further. My final score prediction (24-13) was one point off while the running the ball and stopping the run were the key features to this week for the team. I loved the approach and the execution, but there are still plenty of elements giving me pause before firing up the Super Bowl hype train.
With a Chiefs loss the Pats now have an outside shot at the top seed, but what matters most, after Houston’s loss to the Eagles is that the Pats control their own fate for the second seed. All they have to do is beat the Jets. And given how Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski look, never before has a Pats team needed that extra week off more.
Let’s jump in and unpack everything from the second-to-last regular season game of the season.
[Read more…] about Pats Posits: Bye, Bye, Bye!
After one of the worst two-week stretches of the Patriots dynasty, playoff losing ones not included, the Patriots return home to cap off the final two games of their season, first against the 5-9 Bills.
Strangely, this is very much a must-win game for the Pats. They need to win out and hope that Houston loses once to open up the second seed in the AFC. With the disparity between how they’ve played at home and how they’ve played away, never has a bye and homefield advantage felt more important.
The 2018 Patriots might not be the same 12-plus-win juggernauts we’ve seen for the past handful of spoiled seasons, but they’re still a very good team capable of making a Super Bowl no matter what seed they end up at. Still, the most favorable road is the one that stays in Foxboro as long as possible and there’s nothing wrong with hoping for that.
The Pats won’t win many people back over with a victory over the Bills. If the sky is falling at 9-5, beating a team Tom Brady has owned more than any other feels more like an obligation. But again, this game matters in the standings and it matters for the team to get back on track and gain some playoff momentum.
Here’s the gameplan.
[Read more…] about Patriots Gameplan: Week 16 vs. Buffalo BillsIt was just a couple weeks ago when the Bend Don’t Break Defense Analytic had the Patriots ranking as one of the top five defenses under Belichick. Two games later, things have planed off a bit as you might expect, but there’s one consistent factor that gives the Pats’ defense hope for the playoffs.
Let’s dive into the changes in the four key areas:
[Read more…] about Bend Don’t Break Defense Analytics Update