With today being a game the Patriots would like to win, but not one which they need to win, my essentials will be a bit all over the place. Sure I would like to see some great football from the Patriots, but not seeing injuries is really what's most important.
TOM BRADY- Last week Brady looked pretty good. With the game being similar to a playoff game, we saw an invigorated Brady. In addition to having better overall play from the offensive line and extra blocking by linebacker Elandon "run through your fn face" Roberts, Brady also brought his A-game. When I say Brady brought his A-game, I'm not talking about his completion percentage or accuracy, I'm instead talking about his selling of plays during play-action. As I wrote earlier this season, knowing that he is the only quarterback on our roster who can take us to Miami in February, Brady has been playing in self-preservation mode all season. With this game not quite as important as last week's or the upcoming playoffs, I'm pretty much expecting him to revert back to playing it safe.
WONDERLIC STUDS- A perfect Wonderlic score is 50. There has been one NFL player who has achieved a perfect score on the 12-minute test. While Pat McInally is not playing today, two players who have scored in the top 5 are. Both Ryan Fitzpatrick and Ben Watson scored a 48 on the 50 question test.
FITZPATRICK OR FITZMAGIC?- Fitzpatrick is leading the Miami Dolphins in rushing this season with 228 ground yards and 3 touchdowns. This season his completion percentage is better during play action. He's run the ball 6 times on 2nd and 10+ and gotten the first down 4 times. Raised in Arizona, Ryan has never been much of a cold weather quarterback. Looking over his more recent statistics, he hasn't gotten better with age. In 2016 he had a sub 20 quarterback rating in games played in temperatures between 21 and 40 degrees. Because Fitzpatrick isn't super predictable, I think he's a great quarterback for the Patriots defense to go against.
PICK 6?- I've found a stat that Brady and Fitzpatrick are tied in. Both quarterbacks have 13 career pick 6s. Here's to hoping that Fitzpatrick takes the lead today and gives Gilmore another sexy stat to help him bring some hardware for the mantel. On a side-note, did you know that Drew Brees has 27 of them?
SPECIAL TEAMS- It appears Nick Folk is our kicker for what remains of this season. Hopefully he can use this game to maintain the confidence both he and the team currently have with him. Yes, rookie punter Jake Bailey has had a pretty solid season with 33 of his 77 punts starting his opponents inside their own 20. He's also had a pretty decent year with his kickoff duties. Ideally all kickoffs today will go through the endzone.
OFFENSE- Here are my keys in no particular order:
OFFENSE- Here are my keys in no particular order:
- Stay healthy.
- Know your responsibilities.
- No drops.
- No turnovers
BOOGEYMEN- Giving up a league leading 13.2 points per game and 268.3 yards per game heading into the last game, you and I both want to see those numbers go even lower. Also leading the league with most touchdowns scored by defense and special teams combined, I'd like to see the number go higher. With this being their last game of the season and not having anything to lose, I don't anticipate the Dolphins rolling over for anyone.
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