Patriot Talk: Week 7 Review and Week 8 Predictions

NE@CHI: 38-31 Win (5-2 record)

Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports
Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports

Well, it wasn’t as low-scoring as anticipated. But, a win is a win, and my fantasy team got the win thanks in part to Mitch Trubisky and Tarik Cohen. There were ups and downs, bad defensive drives, great turnovers, bad giveaways and big yardage plays (thanks Cleveland). Let’s break it down.

Something I haven’t done in my articles is mention the return team, with Cordarrelle Patterson returning kicks. He fumbled on one return, in which the Bears scored five plays later. Then not too many returns later, he takes a kickoff 95 yards to the house. Not only did the return team put up a touchdown on the kick-offs, but the Punt Return unit blocked a punt (Dont’a Hightower) which Kyle Van Noy scooped up and scored. Considering the fact that the Patriots won by one touchdown in the end, those Special Team scores wound up huge.

On offense, Sony Michel, who had two 100 yard games over the last three games, went down with a knee injury (ruled week to week) after four carries (22 yards), which put James White in as our primary carrier. Kenjon Barner was slotted into a number 2 spot. White had 11 carries for 40 yards, which isn’t very good, but also had 8 catches for 57 yards and two scores. He continues to be a major threat in the passing game, and Kenjon Barner is underrated, to me. Barner had 10 carries for 36 yards, and in his very limited role, he has proven to be difficult to tackle and always fights for extra yards. Josh Gordon had his first big game as a Patriot, and all signs pointed towards this. He was slowly getting comfortable with the Patriots system, and was showing improvements in chemistry with QB Tom Brady. He finished with 4 catches on 7 targets, for 100 yards, including a 55 yard catch and run, with multiple broken tackles. He was big. Chris Hogan also shined, with 6 catches for 63 yards. Overall, Brady went 25 of 36 (69.4%) passing, for 277 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. Brady has thrown an average of 1 interception a game, and if that trend continues, he will finish with 16 interceptions, the most in a single season in his career. Anyhow, let’s move onto the defensive side of things.

Undrafted rookie cornerback JC Jackson was penalized 3 times, 2 accepted, and wound up getting replaced by Eric Rowe. However, Rowe later went down with an injury, and JC Jackson took advantage of the opportunity. He made an impressive interception, basically ripping the football out of the receivers hands. He finished giving up 2 catches on 4 targets for 28 yards and that one pick. Jonathan Jones also had a very impressive interception, going up and snagging the football with one hand. Since we are on the topic of pass coverage, number one corner Stephon Gilmore showed just how good he really is. Gilmore didn’t allow a single catch on four targets. Devin McCourty, who had struggled the two weeks prior to this game, was in need of a bounceback game. He had four tackles, and in coverage was only targeted once and that was incomplete. One thing that didn’t look good however, was containing Bears QB Mitch Trubisky. Trubisky ran 6 times for 81 yards. Despite finally getting a sack this week, the Patriots defensive line couldn’t stop Trubisky from finding lanes, with Adrian Clayborn missing two sacks (Clayborn had the lone sack). Containing Tight End Trey Burton also appeared to be difficult, as he went on to have 9 catches for 126 yards and a touchdown. 5 of those 9 catches came when the Patriots were playing zone coverage and Burton exploited holes in the coverage. Jonathan Jones also fell down while covering Burton, which allowed him to get his touchdown. Elandon Roberts, the Patriots young linebacker, continues to look good stopping the run, and has steadily improved in coverage as well.

Next week, the Patriots take on divisional rival, the Buffalo Bills in Buffalo. Sony Michel, although not ruled out, isn’t expected to play, which means it will fall onto Kenjon Barner’s shoulders. Not saying he will be our number one guy in the backfield, but he will have more carries as he is just a stronger back than White is, and White has been remarkable in the pass game, and that trend will continue. Josh Gordon found his groove against the Bears and I expect him to continue to get better, and I expect at least one touchdown next week. Gronk should also be back, and that will open up the field for Chris Hogan to continue his success as the 3rd receiver on the depth chart. Per usual, White will have a big receiving game, and I anticipate a touchdown from him as well. On the defensive side of things, the Bills are without running back Lesean McCoy, which thrusts Chris Ivory into the starting role. That just improves the Pats chances of winning this game. Not to mention, Bills rookie QB Josh Allen is also out, and Derek Anderson is the starter. Taking all this in, it’s hard to see the Patriots lose this game, but it’s a divisional game, and anything can happen.

Prediction- Patriots 45-10 Win