David’s Guide to Goliath

“New England is positioned atop the AFC heading into the playoffs yet again, but this Patriots team is not without its flaws. Here’s a breakdown of exactly how your team can expose the Pats.”

The Patriots took the AFC by storm and are looking scary good heading into the playoffs. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. After almost two decades of dominance at the hands of Belichick and Brady, you would think more teams would have it figured out by now. Sure there are outliers like Baltimore, Denver at Mile High, and those pesky New York teams that always play tough, but where’s the continued success? I’m growing more and more confident that we won’t see it until TB12 “hangs them up”. Even so, that doesn’t mean this team is unbeatable. Here are the weak areas of this seemingly bulletproof team.

Overall Depth: Belichick is nothing if not economical with his roster, and he treats it like someone who trims the fat off their steak. If there’s excess, it doesn’t stick around. This is most noticeable with pass catchers and defensive backs (more on them later). Even after the opportunistic signing of Michael Floyd, the Pats still have only five true wideouts on the active roster. Tight end is even thinner, with Matt Lengel as the only backup to Martellus Bennet. Cornerback might be the worst. There are only three corners who ever see the field out of a possible five, with two usually inactive or relegated to special teams. These are only a few areas, but should anyone go down, the lack of depth could spell disaster.

Pass Rush: Both for and against, this is a big problem area for the Patriots. On defense, they are quite content to rush only three or four men because they don’t have a premier pass rusher. This usually means quite a lot of time in the pocket for opposing quarterbacks, but after his brilliant scheme against the Ravens in a Monday Night matchup, I think Matt Patricia will have this one sorted out for the playoffs. However, schemes can only get a defense so far. On offense, this one is simple: rush the QB. Brady can’t throw when he’s flat on his back, and teams have the most success when they knock him around, like Denver did in the AFC Championship game last year. Make no mistake, this O-line is not built around Brady. They look better than they are because of Tom’s average pass time of under two seconds. Having a QB with the fastest release means the line doesn’t have to block for nearly as long. Despite what contracts may say, both tackles can be easily overpowered (Marcus Cannon) or out finessed (Nate Solder). David Andrews has struggled in his sophomore season as the worst on the line (statistically speaking), and guards Thuney and Mason are better run blockers than they are pass blockers. The key to beating the Patriots? Dial up the pressure, and be willing to live with the results.

Cornerback: Just chuck it. It sounds hilariously simple, but listen to any sports radio station around here, and they’ll say the same thing: you beat the patriots by exposing the secondary. Go routes, fly routs, post routes, anything that takes the top off the defense. Outside of Malcolm Butler, the Patriots are downright awful at corner. Logan Ryan has been picked on all season, even after moving from the outside to the slot, and it is a safe bet the Pats will let him walk in free agency. Cyrus Jones is too inexperienced to play outside, having only been in the slot with Saban’s Alabama team. He has also shown a tendency to make rookie mistakes, leading to a reduction in playing time. Eric Rowe seems to be the preferred candidate outside of Butler, but he’s basically a human pass interference penalty. He’s good within the first ten yards, but send a man deep, and Rowe simply can’t keep up. Justin Coleman is the last corner who has seen consistent playing time, but that disappeared after his terrible performance against Seattle earlier in the season. The Seahawks were one of the only teams that came in with the plan to attack the weakest corner with the deep ball. They went right after Coleman Russell Wilson threw for 348 yards and 3 TDs, handing the Patriots only their second loss of the season.

Special Teams: Historically, this has been a strength for the Pats, but not this year. Through week 14, Stephen Gostkowski has missed four field goals and three extra points, and Cyrus Jones has accounted for four lost fumbles on kick returns. Returner Matthew Slater has also been dealing with a foot injury for a large part of the season. Until the Pats stop giving up points on special teams (see Baltimore’s comeback in week 14), all you have to do is make kickoffs returnable, and force field goal attempts for an easier path to success.

There you have it, a comprehensive guide to stopping the Patriots. Of course, you still have perhaps the greatest coach and quarterback planning your demise on the other sideline, so good luck.