Usually, I write about the things the Patriots need to take care of so they win their game. With tonight's opponent being the down and out Buffalo Bills, if they want to win they just need to not turn over the ball multiple times. Other than that, the focus of what they need to do this week has more of a "big picture" aspect to it.
Okay, so assuming the Patriots don't turn over the ball multiple times they should win. What else do they need to do tonight to feel good about the team and be ready for the second half of the season?
STAY HEALTHY- Yes, this is big. While you can't really play a game trying to avoid injury, you can make small choices throughout the game to try and avoid risky situations. While Tom Brady has been pretty masterful at taking a sack before he gets hit and unloading the ball before a linebacker is within an arm's reach, he needs to continue that this week. He also needs to continue helping his receivers by not setting them up to take an unnecessary hit. With the ball in hand, all offensive and special teams' players need to remember that the sideline in their friend.
PUNT RETURNS- The punt return team should get a lot of practice tonight as the Bills have 2.4 punts per score. The team could definitely use the practice as their punt returning hasn't been very good this year. While he did recover it, Julian Edelman did muff a return last Sunday against the Bears. This awful misplay pretty much went unnoticed because it wasn't a turnover. Had Patterson not fumbled on his kickoff return earlier, it might have been given some more attention.
KICK COVERAGE- It appears the new kickoff rule has stopped the Patriots from dominating kickoffs. Prior to the new rule the Patriots were one of the best teams at sucking their opponent into fielding a kick and then getting dropped well before the 25 yard line. This year the results have been all over the place and most fans will be happy for Gostkowski to send it into the stands. This weekend should be a good time for the Patriots to improve their coverage on kickoffs since they should pretty much be scoring at will. Of course with kickoffs there is always the increased opportunity for players to get hurt.
STAY HEALTHY- Yes, this is big. While you can't really play a game trying to avoid injury, you can make small choices throughout the game to try and avoid risky situations. While Tom Brady has been pretty masterful at taking a sack before he gets hit and unloading the ball before a linebacker is within an arm's reach, he needs to continue that this week. He also needs to continue helping his receivers by not setting them up to take an unnecessary hit. With the ball in hand, all offensive and special teams' players need to remember that the sideline in their friend.
PUNT RETURNS- The punt return team should get a lot of practice tonight as the Bills have 2.4 punts per score. The team could definitely use the practice as their punt returning hasn't been very good this year. While he did recover it, Julian Edelman did muff a return last Sunday against the Bears. This awful misplay pretty much went unnoticed because it wasn't a turnover. Had Patterson not fumbled on his kickoff return earlier, it might have been given some more attention.
KICK COVERAGE- It appears the new kickoff rule has stopped the Patriots from dominating kickoffs. Prior to the new rule the Patriots were one of the best teams at sucking their opponent into fielding a kick and then getting dropped well before the 25 yard line. This year the results have been all over the place and most fans will be happy for Gostkowski to send it into the stands. This weekend should be a good time for the Patriots to improve their coverage on kickoffs since they should pretty much be scoring at will. Of course with kickoffs there is always the increased opportunity for players to get hurt.
DON'T EXTEND OPPONENT'S DRIVES WITH PENALTIES OR POOR TACKLING- We saw a lot of that last week against the Bears. On one drive in the second quarter​ the Bears had 7 plays in a row from inside the 13. They got two free first downs from a holding penalty on Harmon and an illegal use of the hands penalty on Jackson.
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