Tonight the Patriots take on the Colts. Will it be one of those sloppy Thursday night games where neither offense can get anything going? Will it be a game where defenses can't get off the field? Or will it be something else?
I'm going to go with it being an old school Patriots domination, you know one of those games when people complain that the Patriots are running up the score. Yup, that's what I'm picturing is going to go down at Gillette Stadium tonight. In order for my prediction to come true there is one big thing the Patriots need to do.
PROTECT BRADY- Although the Colts are 1-3, there is one thing they are really good at. That one thing is putting a quarterback on his butt. The Colts are currently 2nd in the NFL with 4.2 sacks per game. They have a stud rookie linebacker Darius Leonard who is leading the league with 54 tackles and 38 solo tackles. Leonard is tied with teammate Margus Hunt with 4 sacks. Unlike some other NFL teams, the Colts defense has not been plagued with roughing the passer calls this season. Through 4 games they have only been flagged for that once. I
PROTECT BRADY- Although the Colts are 1-3, there is one thing they are really good at. That one thing is putting a quarterback on his butt. The Colts are currently 2nd in the NFL with 4.2 sacks per game. They have a stud rookie linebacker Darius Leonard who is leading the league with 54 tackles and 38 solo tackles. Leonard is tied with teammate Margus Hunt with 4 sacks. Unlike some other NFL teams, the Colts defense has not been plagued with roughing the passer calls this season. Through 4 games they have only been flagged for that once. I
HAVE STOPS ON THIRD DOWN- Sunday the Patriots defense looked good against the previously undefeated Miami Dolphins. Other than the 13 play touchdown they gave up during garbage time, the longest drive the Patriots gave up lasted only 5 plays. In total the Patriots caused 4 three and outs. If New England is going to be victorious in the way I am predicting, they will need to bring it on third down as the Colts have converted on 51.6% of them this season. With the Colts not having T.Y. Hilton available this evening, getting off the field quickly should be much easier.
DON'T GET BEAT IN THE AIR- The Colts do not have any semblance of a run game. Andrew Luck is 3rd on his team with 53 yards. The top two backs on Indy have combined for only 190 yards. The Colts are not going to beat the Patriots with their run game, so focusing on stopping the vertical game is key.
AVOID UNFORCED ERRORS- Cyrus Jones did a nice job fielding punts last week. That trend needs to continue into this week. Similar to Brady's first pick last week on 3rd and 9 which flipped the field, if he's going to throw an interception that is the perfect way for it to happen.
MAINTAIN POSSESSION FOR AT LEAST 2 MINUTES- If the Patriots move the chains and stay on the field for at least 2 minutes it does more than just allow the defense to get a rest and make adjustments. It also gives them points and a potential lead to play with. The Patriotshave scored points on 76% of their possessions which lasted at least 2 minutes.
If the Patriots can do these 5 things it doesn't really matter who gets the most touches as we plenty of offensive weapons. Would it be nice if Brady spreads the ball around again so everyone gets their share of touches, absolutely. However, the two biggest things to get accomplished on offense tonight are keeping everyone healthy and putting points on the board.
DON'T GET BEAT IN THE AIR- The Colts do not have any semblance of a run game. Andrew Luck is 3rd on his team with 53 yards. The top two backs on Indy have combined for only 190 yards. The Colts are not going to beat the Patriots with their run game, so focusing on stopping the vertical game is key.
AVOID UNFORCED ERRORS- Cyrus Jones did a nice job fielding punts last week. That trend needs to continue into this week. Similar to Brady's first pick last week on 3rd and 9 which flipped the field, if he's going to throw an interception that is the perfect way for it to happen.
MAINTAIN POSSESSION FOR AT LEAST 2 MINUTES- If the Patriots move the chains and stay on the field for at least 2 minutes it does more than just allow the defense to get a rest and make adjustments. It also gives them points and a potential lead to play with. The Patriotshave scored points on 76% of their possessions which lasted at least 2 minutes.
If the Patriots can do these 5 things it doesn't really matter who gets the most touches as we plenty of offensive weapons. Would it be nice if Brady spreads the ball around again so everyone gets their share of touches, absolutely. However, the two biggest things to get accomplished on offense tonight are keeping everyone healthy and putting points on the board.
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