PatsPropaganda

This here is really the key to the game. Both starting tackles are out, Ryan is not a threat to run, that means the pass rush has to cause disruption. They have to get Ryan off the spot. If they don’t, it won’t matter how well the secondary plays.

This is the kind of game where Chandler Jones could make a name for himself on national television. He’ll get moved all over the line to give him an advantage, but now’s when we get a good barometer of where he’s at. Will he be a top defensive end in the NFL? Or is he still an inconsistent work-in-progress?

I expect Ninkovich to be his usual solid self, and I’d even expect a couple blitzes from the linebackers. Tommy Kelly is another big key.

I know I’m a defense-first guy, but I think this game is won or lost by the Patriots front seven.

It’s certainly not going to get easier for them as they put more on tape, the opponents get better, and the weather gets worse, even at home.  That was one thing about Peyton with the Colts, he always had that dome, but now even his home playoff games he’s going to have to deal with the elements.

I think part of the 2007 Pats running out of steam was that they were playing so angry the first few months of the season, fueled by the Spygate baloney. You can only run on that for so long.

But the interesting corollary is Wes Welker. You look at the Pats teams of 2007-2012 and even in the losses you’ll see Welker still picking up a bunch of catches. For that reason my idea right now, if I’m an opponent, is to focus on Thomas and Decker and force Peyton to throw 15 5-yard passes to Welker to move the ball.

That’s what always killed the Pats offense with Welker. Not only do you force continued execution, you add up hits on Welker and by the end of the game he won’t be as sharp as he was at the start.

I think if teams start to do this in the coming weeks, the wear and tear will start to build up on Welker. Still, Thomas and Decker are great players and Peyton will make some pinpoint throws to them.

The key is just to stay close and make the plays in the clutch, and hope they don’t. But yes, I expect they’ll slow down. 

Certainly in the red zone and third down, where they’ve been most weakened the last two weeks. I mean, Gronk alone has been the most dominant red zone and third down weapon in the NFL the last three seasons, so talk about being exactly what the Hoodie ordered.

There’s no question things will be better once all three of them are back, but in my view, Gronk is the key.

That’s a lot of hypotheticals, but really, if the Pats had gone 19-0 it’s hard to argue that they wouldn’t be the best team of all-time. And really, as it stands, they’re clearly the best team ever to not win the Super Bowl for whatever that counts. So, then they would’ve won 4 out of 7 Super Bowls, including the undisputed greatest team of all-time. That looks pretty good to me to say they’d be the greatest coach-QB combo ever.

Still, I think in the long run the two Super Bowl losses to the Giants are ultimately a positive point in their career discussions, because it comes with playing in eight conference championships, winning six of them. Not to mention both of their Super Bowl losses came on the final drive. That’s a very thin line.

So what does it all mean? I don’t really get too wrapped up in ranking who’s the greatest of all-time whether it’s the team, coaches or players. All I know is that there has never been a better run in NFL history and I’ve enjoyed every moment of it.

A fourth Super Bowl win would really be the perfect way to come full circle, especially considering it would be with just BB/TFB from the 2001 win. That’s pretty amazing when you think about it.

Which I’d actually be okay. In fact that was kind of what I was saying a lot this offseason. Look, the pass defense has been the achilles heel of this team for the past three seasons, and as we saw last year, when they had their best run defense in a decade, that it still didn’t matter much, even against the Ravens who have traditionally been a run-first team. 

So I’m really not that concerned about it, but I think part of it is that Spikes was not himself the first two weeks for whatever reason. He can singlehandedly destroy a run game.

We’ll see how it plays out in the coming weeks, but if the pass defense keeps playing well I’m fine if it comes at the expense of the run defense a little bit. But with their defensive line and linebackers I’d expect the run D will still be top-10.

I think we could see him take on even more of a role than he did last week. I’ve made no secret that he’s my favorite back on the roster, no offense to Ridley, I just like how aggressive Bolden runs plus his ability to catch the ball is pretty underrated. 

So maybe I’m a little bit biased in his favor, but I’d look to see him get an increased role this week, especially if the Pats aren’t protecting a lead and need to throw the ball a lot.