Week 6 Preview - Patriots Edition
By: William Ferran
GAINESVILLE, VA - And then there were two… undefeated teams that is. With the completion of the NFL’s week 5, only the NFC’s San Francisco 49ers, (4-0), and the AFC’s New England Patriots, (5-0), remain undefeated. In their latest outing, the Patriots visited the now 0-5 Washington Redskins, whose head coach, Jay Gruden, was fired this past Monday morning. And while lots of great things occurred for the Patriots during this game, one concern is getting considerably noticeable; protection around Tom Brady has not been good.
The absences of veterans David Andrews, center, and Isaiah Wynn, offensive tackle, are impacting the Patriots offensive strategies. Players like Joe Thuney, left guard, and Marcus Cannon, offensive tackle, are doing their part in helping with quarterback protection, but in last Sunday’s game against Washington, Brady was sacked four times. To make up for the lack of protection in many of the plays, Brady tried compensating by releasing his throws faster than usual, which average about 2.5 seconds. With David Andrews out for the season due to lung blood clots, and Isaiah Wynn not expected to return until week 11 due to turf toe, look for offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to monitor and address o-line protection.
Nonetheless, head coach Bill Belichick, a master of game plan adjustments, called for the necessary changes after a tough first half that led to great offensive plays in the second. Wide receiver Julian Edelman racked up 110 receiving yards and a touchdown; second year running back, Sony Michel, had one of his best games of the season so far, rushing for 91 yards and a touchdown, adding 32 extra yards through the air; and tight end duo Ryan Izzo and Matt LaCosse combined for 61 receiving yards and a touchdown.
As for Brady, he finished the day with three touchdowns, one interception, and 348 passing yards; moving into third place and surpassing Brett Favre on the all-time passing yards list for a career total of 71,923 passing yards. Look for Brady to move into second place after week 6, who is currently held by Peyton Manning with just 18 yards more than Brady’s current record.
On defense, it was business as usual. The Patriots recorded six sacks on Washington’s quarterback Colt McCoy, 10.5 tackles, and another interception from a McCourty, this time cornerbackJason McCourty, allowing only seven points from a Washington rushing touchdown. Twin brother and longtime Patriots defender safety Devin McCourty had recorded an interception in each of the previous games. With Jamie Collins, Kyle Van Noy, and Dont’a Hightower having phenomenal success in the linebacking game that has not allowed more than 10 points in a game thus far, its no wonder why Hightower, a defensive captain, has nicknamed the linebacking corps “the boogeymen”.
In other roster news, with the increase in productivity from the two current tight ends, and salary cap considerations, the Patriots released veteran tight end Ben Watson. His roster exemption expired at 4 p.m. ET on Monday, making him a free agent and creating about $2 million in space that could be used for future roster needs.
Up next, the Patriots look for their sixth straight win in a short week in which they host two-time Super Bowl rivals, the 2-3 New York Giants in a Thursday Night Football matchup. The Giants are currently sporting rookie quarterback Daniel Jones, in favor of two-time Super Bowl winner Eli Manning. With the Giants coming off a disappointing loss against the Minnesota Vikings in week 5, and the Patriots embracing their “boogeymen” linebacker persona, look for New England to come out on top. The game is schedule for this ThursdayOctober 10th, 8:20PM EDT.