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Pats Posits: Patriots Win a Weird One in Chicago

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The Patriots needed to stop a Hail Mary at the one-yard line to hang on to a 38-31 win over the Chicago Bears after one of the most bizarre games in recent memory. Boiled down to its essence this was a game of good — two impressive interceptions and two special teams touchdowns — and bad — multiple long Mitch Trubisky runs and multiple penalties/giveaway.

The Bears were better than the Patriots on third down. They were better in the red zone. They had fewer penalties. They had more yards. But what they didn’t have in the end were more points and that’s why the Patriots are now 5-2 as they approach the midway point of the season.

Perhaps the biggest headline was the injury to Sony Michel, whom I’ve been harping on as perhaps the key piece of the offense. Michel’s leg was twisted around as he fumbled early in the game and had to be carted off. Of everything we take from this game, that injury might be the only significant piece that affects the Pats long term.

Overall this is the third disappointing performance on the road of 2018 but it was the first win, so that has to count for something. What else can we read into for the big picture beside the potential Michel injury? Here are the Posits.

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Pats Posits: Order Restored

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And just like that the New England Patriots reminded everyone what they seem to forget every single year no matter what — that a well-coached football team can quickly go from looking terrible to dominant when everyone is playing on the same page. The Patriots didn’t suddenly go out and grab a bunch of new more talented players, they just all did their job and the result was a confidence-restoring win over the Dolphins.

The defense didn’t allow a drive over five plays long and forced two turnovers. The offense got Sony Michel going and the positive effects trickled down through the rest of their game, as they converted 10 of 15 third downs and put up a season-high 38 points. It was a total team effort and was beautiful to watch.

Yes, it feels like order has been restored to our lives. The Patriots are not done and with the promise of Josh Gordon, who showed some flashes in 18 snaps with two catches both coming on third downs, along with the return of Julian Edelman, it’s hard to feel anything but good vibes now about this Patriots team and that’s a welcome relief after the last two weeks.

It’s a quick turnaround to face the Colts on Thursday night and there are still areas to improve, but at 2-2 the Pats are still very much in control of their season and showing signs of how high the bar should be set for this team despite what all the critics murdered them for over the past two weeks.

More on that and everything else in the Posits…

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Will Josh Gordon to the Pats Work?

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QAiLZKL5hI

The Patriots once again proved that the team building process goes well into the season as they acquired wide receiver Josh Gordon from the Browns.

My initial reaction is just wow, because it’s so exciting to think what Josh Gordon playing at his best would do for the Patriots’ offense. But the chances seem remote that Gordon not only buys into the Football Machine but that he stays the straight and narrow, immersing himself in the culture and takes to it like Moss 2007.

Perhaps a more plausible case will be that McDaniels throws him some Patterson-esque plays, and he isn’t quite Moss 2007, but he’s a guy that can chip in with a couple plays a game (CAN YOU SAY UNDERNEATH CROSSERS?). After last weekend, even a couple plays per game sounds appealing.

It will be interesting to see how problem child Gordon takes to New England. It’s a huge opportunity for him, to finally tap his unquestionable talent, or let it all go to waste probably for the last time. It’s no easy task, he’ll have to totally buy in, and it’s been apparent that totally buying in was never his thing in Cleveland. Still, that’s Cleveland.

The Patriots have strong organizational stability and can afford to roll the dice on Gordon. He’ll be treated just like everyone else and he’ll either cut it or be cut.

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Pats Posits: And We’re Off…

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The Patriots got the 2018 season rolling yesterday with a 27-20 win over the Texans. For all the talk of last season and offseason drama, the Patriots very much looked like the same old Patriots that have laid waste to the league for the last 17 seasons.

Tom Brady finished with three touchdowns and one tipped-ball interception, looking nothing like an average 41-year old should look navigating an NFL pocket. The biggest difference was that he still had Rob Gronkowski, and the devastating QB-TE combo was just unstoppable.

This was nothing like last year’s maddening loss in the opener to the Chiefs. The Patriots have depth and new personnel issues, but they managed to rotate plenty of players in and showed that there isn’t any personnel problem that can’t be overcome with good coaching. Most exciting is a defense that has had an influx of improvement on a variety of fronts.

Yes, if you’re not a self-hating, self-punishing Patriots fan you should feel pretty good today. Clearly, the New England Football Machine is still firing on all cylinders and looks like they’ll once again be a formidable opponent for every team they face.

Let’s fire off a bunch of Posits and we finally get into the regular season flow!

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What Will 2018 Pats Unveil Sunday?

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-q7OC4su4Y

With the roster set and the first week of the regular season upon us, it’s time to find out who the 2018 Patriots are. Or at least get the first chapter of what will be a long book, with ups and downs. But this one counts and that means it’s time to see how the team has evolved for the new season.

Some pieces are obvious. Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and James White will make the offense go. Dont’a Hightower and Stephon Gilmore will be the playmakers for the defense. But who else will need to chip in? What are the options and what will they ride on both sides of the ball?

Let’s break out the crystal football and predict what we’re going to see from the Pats on Sunday.

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Film Review: It’s All There for Pats

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I know most of us came out of Friday’s preseason game with a bland taste in our mouths but after reviewing the film of the game, I’m feeling pretty good actually. That’s usually the case, especially in games that get overreacted to. My favorite example being the 2014 Chiefs blowout, which showed up in film review as just a game of bad fundamentals, something that is often quickly fixed.

It’s clear who the 2018 Patriots are now. And while there are still some questions toward the bottom of the roster, the top lines of the offense, defense and special teams have taken shape. Yes, even without adding another huge name wide receiver.

It’s impossible to know how the health of the team will hold up. So far so good. If they stay healthy no one can tell me this isn’t a Super Bowl roster. As always things will remain a work in progress but all the elements are there. Now it’s just a matter of bringing them all together under an actual gameplan and executing. There will be steps forward and steps back, but the aim of this team is the same as it’s ever been under Bill Belichick.

Here’s what jumped out in the film review against the Panthers.

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Can We Be Excited About 2018 Patriots Now?

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The Patriots’ preseason win over the Eagles was a different viewing experience for me as I got tied up down the cape on a beautiful and perfect day and had to listen to the first half in the car on the way home. I actually kind of enjoyed it. Obviously, Dan Roche and Matt Chatham know their stuff and are fun to listen to but it was also a bit of a throwback to the old days when catching a Patriots game didn’t always trump everything else. You’d tune into Gino and Gil as you ran your Sunday errands and the Pats *most likely* got toasted.

There was also no way to consume any kind of social media or worry about blogs, it’s was just old school football consumption and from the sounds of it, it was a bit of an old school win. Of course, I started re-watching the game as soon as I got home, eager to see how many of the impressive plays I’d heard actually looked, and it was every bit as delightful as it sounded.

Yes, I’m excited the defense was so disruptive, but let’s also remember that this was a far cry from that fearless gameplan offense we saw from the Eagles the last time these two teams met in Minnesota. The good news is that we can still feel good, and you can bet your five Super Bowl rings that Eagles fans definitely feel pretty miserable about being 0-2 in the preseason.

It feels like it will be hard for even the most negative Patriots fans to piss and moan about this one, which could possibly mean that the local narrative will become one that is excited about this Patriots team, instead of gleefully awaiting an internal soap opera to destroy the entire franchise from within.

But I’m sure they’ll do their best to keep fans angry and calling in about their trash takes.

Here are my rapid-fire notes on a preseason game that felt like it announced the 2018 Patriots’ presence.

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