Whenever Rob Gronkowski suits up to play in an NFL game, there is a good chance that he will be a difference maker. Now add to the mix the fact that he is both healthy and playing against a defense which has had trouble defending tight ends, and you can pretty much guarantee it. With that being said, why doesn't my title give props to Gronk you ask.
Without a doubt I can guarantee you that Gronk is going to be the difference maker for the Patriots Sunday night. Although it's been a while since Gronk has gone against the Colts, I'm sure they remember the exhibition he put on against them last time. Almost two years to the day Gronkowski caught all 7 of the passes that Brady threw his direction. While 7 receptions is a pretty run of the mill day for Gronk, 137 yards and 2 touchdowns is still pretty impressive.
Besides guaranteeing that Gronk will be the difference maker Sunday night, I also guarantee that the Colts will be doing everything they can to try and shut him down. This my friends is where some other players will see their opportunities to rack up some yards. When the Colts try and shut down Gronk by giving him some extra attention, other players on the Patriots roster are sure to be open. Unlike September Tom Brady, October/November Tom Brady is getting the ball to the open receiver.
As usual Julian Edelman and Shane Vereen will factor into the Patriots' offense. In the aforementioned game Edelman had 1 carry for 47 yards and 5 receptions for 58 yards and a touchdown. That was his second touchdown of the game as he had previously returned a punt 68 yards to tie the score at 14 all. Vereen had one reception for 11 yards to go along with his 40 yards rushing on 11 carries. By the way, he also had a touchdown in that game.
More recently the Patriots played the Colts last January in the playoffs. That game was much different as Gronk was sidelined and Brady only completed 13 passes. Of course the Patriots came up one point shy of doubling up the Colts with their 43-22 victory, so no need to be concerned about TB12. Of his 13 completions, 6 went to Edelman (84 yards) and 2 went to Vereen (16 yards). The 6 touchdowns the Patriots scored all went to typical running backs with Blount running in 4 and Ridley running in 2 of his own and a 2 point conversion.
Besides guaranteeing that Gronk will be the difference maker Sunday night, I also guarantee that the Colts will be doing everything they can to try and shut him down. This my friends is where some other players will see their opportunities to rack up some yards. When the Colts try and shut down Gronk by giving him some extra attention, other players on the Patriots roster are sure to be open. Unlike September Tom Brady, October/November Tom Brady is getting the ball to the open receiver.
As usual Julian Edelman and Shane Vereen will factor into the Patriots' offense. In the aforementioned game Edelman had 1 carry for 47 yards and 5 receptions for 58 yards and a touchdown. That was his second touchdown of the game as he had previously returned a punt 68 yards to tie the score at 14 all. Vereen had one reception for 11 yards to go along with his 40 yards rushing on 11 carries. By the way, he also had a touchdown in that game.
More recently the Patriots played the Colts last January in the playoffs. That game was much different as Gronk was sidelined and Brady only completed 13 passes. Of course the Patriots came up one point shy of doubling up the Colts with their 43-22 victory, so no need to be concerned about TB12. Of his 13 completions, 6 went to Edelman (84 yards) and 2 went to Vereen (16 yards). The 6 touchdowns the Patriots scored all went to typical running backs with Blount running in 4 and Ridley running in 2 of his own and a 2 point conversion.
So far we've looked at two ways Gronk may dominate the game, one as a play-maker and one as the ultimate decoy. Now we will look at two more players who also happen to play the tight end position for the Patriots. First up is Michael Hoomanawanui. The Hooman has not had a lot to do with the Patriots' offense yet this season as he has only caught 2 passes. With the Colts struggling against tight ends, I wouldn't be surprised to see a play or two with 3 tight ends lined up. This season the Patriots have scored 3 touchdowns when lining up three tight ends, so expect to see this set up in the red zone.
Fellow tight end, Tim Wright has been much more involved in the Patriots offense this season. The latest Rutgers alum will likely be a big part of the offense on Sunday. According to ESPN statistics, Wright has had 17 receptions on 18 targets this season with three touchdowns. If Wright ends up going unnoticed on the stats sheet, you might rewatch the game and see how his play on the field is helping out Brady and Gronk.
Fellow tight end, Tim Wright has been much more involved in the Patriots offense this season. The latest Rutgers alum will likely be a big part of the offense on Sunday. According to ESPN statistics, Wright has had 17 receptions on 18 targets this season with three touchdowns. If Wright ends up going unnoticed on the stats sheet, you might rewatch the game and see how his play on the field is helping out Brady and Gronk.
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