What do the Patriots need to do to defeat the Cowboys? Here’s their three keys.
The New England Patriots (9-1) host the Dallas Cowboys (6-4) on Sunday in what could be the most-watched regular season game of the season, considering these two fan bases. Here are three keys for a Patriots victory in this nationally-televised game.
1. Take away Ezekiel Elliott
Cowboys star running back Ezekiel Elliott has struggled somewhat in 2019 as the offense has begun to lean more on quarterback Dak Prescott.
But that doesn’t mean the Cowboys aren’t in line to pivot against the Patriots.
The good news for New England is despite a superb offensive line and phenomenal talent in Elliott, Dallas is more of a traditional running game, as opposed to Baltimore’s transcendent attack.
The Patriots should be able to limit Elliott with their run-stuffing defensive tackles (Lawrence Guy, Danny Shelton) and self-proclaimed ‘boogeymen’ linebacking core that specializes in attacking the line of scrimmage via gaps in New England’s two and three-man defensive line fronts.
2. Win ‘boundary’ matchups on defense
Already mentioned above, the Patriots will need to key on Elliott, but they’ll have to do so without stacking the box.
Dak Prescott — 3,221 passing yards, 21 touchdowns — has been phenomenal this season. He’s a later addition to an NFL MVP race that starts with Russell Wilson and Lamar Jackson and also includes Deshaun Watson.
Prescott has been one of the league’s most effective throwing along the boundary, outside the numbers.
With targets such as Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup on the outside, the Patriots will need to corral Prescott by also shutting down his top targets.
Expect Cooper to be shadowed by Stephon Gilmore in the game’s marquee player matchup. Gallup should draw either Jason McCourty or J.C. Jackson, while Jonathan Jones will man up Randall Cobb in the slot.
New England’s secondary is perhaps the NFL’s best, but they’ll need to prove that once more this week.
3. Limit ‘inside’ pressure on Brady
With DeMarcus Lawrence and Robert Quinn as effective edge rushers, the Cowboys may use former Patriot Michael Bennett as in inside rusher in passing situations.
Patriots right guard Shaq Mason allowed Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham to blow by him on Brady’s key fumble in Super Bowl LII, and last week Mason occasionally struggled once more when Graham was lined up against him on the inside.
Putting Bennett — three sacks in three games with Dallas — on a recently-struggling Mason at various points would be a wise move. Mason will have to buckle up and win those matchups more often than not, or it will be another rough day for Brady and the Patriots offense through the air.
Stephon Gilmore vs. Amari Cooper, Patriots run defense vs. Ezekiel Elliot, Julian Edelman vs. Dallas zone defense, Isaiah Wynn vs. Robert Quinn, Bill Belichick vs. Cowboys talent
There will be a few key matchups to watch when the New England Patriots host the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday at Gillette Stadium.
1. Stephon Gilmore vs. Amari Cooper
Patriots All-Pro cornerback Stephon Gilmore will likely shadow Cowboys receiver Amari Cooper all over the field. Gilmore referred to Cooper as one of the best receivers in the NFL this week.
“He’s at the top. He’s a great receiver,” Gilmore said. “He makes big catches, tough catches even when guys are covering him. He’s fast, quick. I mean, when you’re one of the best receivers in the league you can run every route and you can make everything look the same. So, it’s a big challenge for us and I’m looking forward to it.”
Cooper has 56 receptions for 886 yards and seven touchdowns in 10 games this season. No matter who closely covered, Cooper is always on quarterback Dak Prescott’s radar, trusting him to make a play even when it looks like nothing is there.
Gilmore, however, how been equally impressive. He has three interceptions with 10 passes defensed and has not allowed a touchdown in coverage this year.
2. Julian Edelman vs. Cowboys zone defense
It will be interesting to see if the Cowboys stick with their usual zone defense in the secondary, despite the fact the Patriots could be thin at wide receiver depending on the availability of Phillip Dorsett (questionable) and Mohamed Sanu (questionable).
If the Cowboys stick with what they do and play zone, it could be a big day for receiver Julian Edelman. Quarterback Tom Brady and Edelman have frequently picked zone defenses apart as the tandem excels at finding the soft spot in the defense.
In addition to Edelman, rookie receiver N’Keal Harry, who has played in just one NFL game, could prove much more of a threat against zone defenses. While Harry could have trouble running routes against man-to-man coverage, finding a hole in the zone would likely be much easier.
3. LT Isaiah Wynn vs. DE Robert Quinn
Coach Bill Belichick referenced the aggressiveness of the Cowboys mid-week. That aggressiveness is seen even more in pass-rush situations and Dallas has a core group of edge rushers that pressure quarterbacks quarterbacks with Robert Quinn (team-high 8.5 sacks) and Demarcus Lawrence (4.5 sacks) leading the charge.
Quinn, frequently on the right side, will provide a tough challenge for left tackle Isaiah Wynn, who is expected to start for the first time since Week Two.
Wynn held up well in his lone game against the Pittsburgh Steelers (including edge rushers T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree) in the Patriots season opener this year. But it will be interesting to see if there’s any rust to knock off in his first game since September.
Right tackle Marcus Cannon limiting Lawrence will be equally crucial.
4. Patriots run defense vs. Ezekiel Elliott
Belichick talked about the problems the Dallas offense presents. If the Patriots sell out to stop quarterback Dak Prescott and the passing game, running back Ezekiel Elliott is more than capable of beating them.
Elliott, of course, was the league’s rushing champion in both 2016 and 2018. He has 194 rushes for 833 yards (4.3 per carry) with seven touchdowns in 10 games this season.
Bottling up the run will be a crucial priority for defensive lineman Lawrence Guy, Adam Butler and Danny Shelton. The unit is coming off of a decent performances against Philadelphia last week, as the Eagles recorded the fifth most rushing yards against the Patriots this season (81).
Of course, the Patriots have also had their low moments allowing 210 rushing yards to the Baltimore Ravens, 159 to the Cleveland Browns, 145 to the Washington Redskins and 135 to the Buffalo Bills.
5. Bill Belichick vs. Cowboys talent
Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garett has a roster littered with talent. The Cowboys have offensive playmakers, a good offensive line and a crew of defensive standouts. But they haven’t always been able to put it together and a large part of that is coaching, and specifically Garrett.
It will be interesting to see if the Cowboys talent can/will make up for the Patriots advantage in coaching with Belichick.
Grading the Patriots defense after a physical win over the Eagles in Philadelphia.
The New England Patriots (9-1) defeated the Philadelphia Eagles (5-5), 17-10, to keep their spot up top in the AFC playoff picture. Here are the grades for the Patriots defense.
Defensive Line
One of the underrated facets of New England’s awesome defense has been the play of the big boys up front — Lawrence Guy and Danny Shelton.
The man power behind these two behemoths was on display on Sunday, as each swallowed up any rushing lanes in the second half after Bill Belichick adjustments.
Both Shelton and Adam Butler added a sack each.
Grade: A
Linebackers
Kyle Van Noy and Dont’a Hightower each had a sack in exceptional performances, and Jamie Collins looked more like himself after a bad performance in Baltimore.
Elandon Roberts also added a sack and was a part of New England’s sound rush defense in the second half after some adjustments.
Grade: A-
Defensive Back
With not much time to work with, Carson Wentz had a rough night looking for open receivers.
With perhaps the NFL’s best one-two punch at tight end with Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert, the Patriots used a variety of different matchup assignments to stifle the Eagles.
Stephon Gilmore often guarded Zach Ertz on key third downs, which helped, and Jonathan Jones and Devin McCourty each had good games in coverage.
Jason McCourty shook off a horrendous two-play start to contribute with a formidable performance.
Grading the Patriots offense after an ugly win over the Eagles in Philadelphia.
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The New England Patriots (9-1) defeated the Philadelphia Eagles (5-5), 17-10, to keep their spot up top in the AFC playoff picture. Here are the grades for the Patriots offense.
Quarterback
Tom Brady was clearly frustrated during and after the game. His performance — 26 of 47, 216 yards — says it all.
Most of the problems stem from an inconsistent offensive line and mistrust in the revolving door of wide receivers other than Julian Edelman. But some of Brady’s throws and throwing decisions (a near end zone interception comes to mind) have clearly been shaky.
Whatever the issue, you can bet that New England will find some form of success on offense down the stretch.
Grade: C-
Running Back
Sony Michel had just 33 yards on 10 carries, furthering New England’s incompetence in the running game this season.
Rex Burkhead added 34 yards on two catches, which included a nice effort on a screen pass in which he bounced off a defender and got downfield.
But I must point out the misgauge and underage of James White, (36 total yards).
Grade: C-
Wide Receiver/Tight End
One thing that was noticeable on Sunday was that the lack of consistent pass blocking has forced the Patriots to resort to more screens and gimmick plays on offense — such as the one that worked when Edelman found Phillip Dorsett for the team’s lone touchdown.
If Brady were supplied more time, he’d notice guys Phillip Dorsett, Jakobi Meyers and even N’Keal Harry (on Sunday) getting open downfield occasionally.
Instead, he’s looked often to Edelman.
Things with Mohamded Sanu (2 catches, four yards) are still a work in progress after Sunday’s performance. But he should be fine going forward. That stat line wasn’t really his fault. It was an ugly day overall for this unit.
Grade: B-
Offensive Line
Rushing for just 74 yards, and failing to provide Brady with ample time to throw to his receivers running downfield routes, the offensive line again showed some inconsistency.
Some of it is just Brady’s mistrust in the offense as a whole, but this unit can play better, and they should starting this week with the return of Isaiah Wynn at left tackle.
Ben Watson had a hand (or two hands) in making Tom Brady’s most beautiful throw happen.
Tom Brady and Ben Watson have a long-standing connection. The quarterback and tight end first linked up on Sept. 9, 2004. They’re still at it.
During the New England Patriots’ Week 11 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, Brady and Watson connected for the quarterback’s prettiest throw of the night. And unfortunately for Brady, he didn’t have many.
On a second-and-12 from the 23-yard line in the second quarter, New England lined up in 22 personnel (2 TEs, 2 RB, 1 WR) with both tight ends Matt LaCosse and Watson on the right side of the formation. They were bunched with running back Brandon Bolden, who was basically set up as a wing back. The funky formation looked a little like the grouping of three wideouts know as “Trips-Bunch.” It applied the same concept: create a crowd at the line of scrimmage to create separation down the field.
And it worked — sort of. Watson managed to get enough separation for Brady to find a window for a completion. But it was an impressive display of ball-placement. With Watson running up the seam, just a stride ahead of Eagles cornerback Avonte Maddox, Brady fired the ball toward the middle of the field, which forced Watson to go to the ground to make the catch. That’s likely by Brady’s design. He threw the ball to the inside to avoid the defender in-tow, and underthrew the ball to make sure Watson didn’t get absolutely hammered by safety Rodney McLeod, who was coming in to defend the pass from over the top.
The result? A beautiful 19-yard pitch-and-catch that put the Patriots on the 4-yard line.
This was Tom Brady's best throw in an otherwise tough game for the QB in Week 11.
I'll have more on this play in the morning tomorrow, including some thoughts from Bill Belichick. pic.twitter.com/SkuC7bcGWX
“[Rex] Burkhead went in motion, and again,” Bill Belichick asked on the conference call on Monday. “It looked like there was a little bit of a (miscommunication) – the Eagles had to kind of slide over and adjust to that. And when the linebacker went inside to take LaCosse, then Ben was able to kind of work up the field on Maddox.
“Tom made a good throw. It was too far outside for the safety to get it and too far up the field for Maddox to get it, so it was really a good throw, a good catch. … That was kind of the tight coverage play. The other one was the third-down conversion.”
When Belichick is willing to admit Brady made a good throw, you know it was noteworthy.
The return of left tackle Isaiah Wynn could be just the boost the Patriots needed to awaken their offense.
While the NFL world remains on Rob Gronkowski watch, the New England Patriots continue to struggle with the reality that their offense isn’t good enough, and returning left tackle Isaiah Wynn is the only one left to save it.
Wynn-ing is the only way out of this dystopian hellhole, where an offense led by quarterback Tom Brady is the glaring weakness on the football field.
The Patriots’ left tackle is slated to make his long-awaited return for Sunday’s match-up against the Dallas Cowboys. Brady will be ecstatic to see him after he was clotheslined and body-slammed in the pocket by the Philadelphia Eagles’ ferocious defensive front.
At this point, fill-in left tackle Marshall Newhouse is probably happy to see Wynn back on the field as well after serving as the proverbial punching bag for criticism during the Patriots’ struggles. There is enough film of Newhouse getting blown up on the line to piece together a feature length movie.
Cue the Superman theme as Wynn swoops in to attempt to save the day.
Before going down with an injury, Wynn flashed serious talent in protecting Brady’s blindside. The 42-year-old quarterback threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns in the season-opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, which was the last full game Wynn played in.
He was only in for 12 snaps against the Miami Dolphins before going down with a toe injury.
It’s no mere coincidence the Patriots’ struggles started the moment the offensive line took hits. For all of the jokes about the Patriots defense making New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold see ghosts, Brady is experiencing his own poltergeist issues in the pocket as well. It’s a natural occurrence when protection breaks down and the quarterback is left on an island at the mercy of 250-plus pound pass rushers.
Wynn’s return should serve as a domino effect across the entire offensive front. Not only will his mere presence increase Brady’s confidence in his blindside being protected, but it will also be a significant boost to the run game. The ability to consistently run the football is the reason why the Patriots won the Super Bowl last season.
An argument could be made their current receiving corps looks better on paper than the group they had back in 2018. The only difference this time around is the team’s inability to get the ground game going. They are too one-dimensional as a unit, and Brady lacks the requisite speed weapons on the outside to run a Patrick Mahomes-style offense. This is why he was so adamant about All-Pro wideout Antonio Brown being on the team.
He won’t say it publicly, but Brady knows the Patriots can’t win a seventh Super Bowl with the offense in its current state.
The second-year lineman is the reason the team was willing to move on from Trent Brown, who signed a record-breaking deal in the offseason with the Oakland Raiders. He’s the reason Coach Bill Belichick was willing to shell out a first-round draft pick for the left tackle position in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Of course, it would be naïve to assume he can fix all of the problems for the Patriots. He’s simply a missing piece of the puzzle that should help get the run game going, which would enable the offense to strike the same balance it had last season.
The trade deadline is over, and any current free agent is probably unsigned for a reason.
Gronkowski seems to be enjoying his time as a FOX Sports NFL analyst. Even if he did return, there are no guarantees he’d be a significant help to the team. He missed all of training camp and half of the season. There is also no hiding the fact that he’s dropped a considerable amount of weight in his transition to life after football.
It’s time to accept the fact that Gronkowski’s football playing days are over.
Wynn is the cavalry the Patriots have been waiting for this season—not Gronkowski, Antonio Brown, A.J. Green or Stefon Diggs. He’s the last hope to rouse a sleeping giant that would suddenly be paired with a historically great defense. Leave everything you think you know about the offense at the door on Sunday. The real season for the Patriots starts now.
Here are five takeaways from the Patriots’ hard-fought win over the Eagles.
The New England Patriots are 9-1 this season, but they still have a ton of room for improvement as the postseason creeps up.
New England defeated the Philadelphia Eagles on the road in a hard-fought 17-10 game. Tom Brady and the offense struggled mightily in the red zone and the defense had a tremendous bounce-back game. The only Patriots touchdown came from a double-pass trick play that was thrown by Julian Edelman. The rest of the points came from Nick Folk field goals — which was definitely a positive from this game.
Brady understands that this offense needs to crank it up a notch before the postseason begins and that the Patriots are currently playing through the most difficult stretch of the schedule. The next three games include the Dallas Cowboy, Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs. It’ll be a test for this defense and it’ll give the offense a playoff atmosphere to prepare for the postseason.
Here are five takeaways from the game.
Tom Brady has been trending in a negative direction
Either Brady’s age or the lack of protection has led to a steady decline in production for the 42 year old quarterback. With the combination of his 21 incompletions and inability to score in the red zone, Brady has relied heavily on the defense to bail him out.
Tom Brady threw 21 incomplete passes vs. Eagles. Before Sunday, Brady threw 21 or more incompletions in a regular-season game only 15 times in his career. Patriots were 4-11 in those games.
Brady started off the first five games with ten touchdowns and one interception — he’s had four touchdowns and three interceptions in his last five games. The level of competition likely played a factor, and he’s also without key offensive linemen and his critical blocker with James Develin.
He was visibly frustrated in his press conference after the game and Brady is conscious of the fact that the offense isn’t clicking right now. It doesn’t help that the rushing attack has been non-existent so far this season and that the receiving corps continues to change. N’Keal Harry had a positive debut game for the Patriots and his presence along with Mohamed Sanu should play a huge role heading into the postseason.
Whether it’s Brady’s age or the lack of protection, Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels have limited time to find a solution.
Here are the winners and the losers from the New England Patriots’ 17-10 win over the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Stadium on Sunday.
Winner: The Patriots secondary
Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz almost doubled his passing yards in the final five minutes of the game, but while those drives finished with significant yardage, the Patriots allowed no fourth-quarter points. That was thanks in large part to New England’s secondary.
Wentz finished the game 20-of-40 for 214 yards and a touchdown. The Patriots secondary, particularly Stephon Gilmore and J.C. Jackson, were impressive in keeping the Eagles’ pass-catchers at bay. (It helped that their receiving corps looked depleted without Alshon Jeffery.)
Safety Terrence Brooks also played in Patrick Chung’s role while he was out with an injury. Brooks finished tied with a team-high seven tackles, but also added two pass breakups and a pair of quarterback hits; he has been a pleasant surprise since joining the team with the apparently-unfair label as solely a special teams standout.
Even on the Eagles’ second-longest play of the game, a 25-yarder from Wentz to Zach Ertz in the fourth quarter, the quarterback had to zip the ball into an incredibly tight and dangerous window. It was remarkable (and perhaps lucky) to complete the pass. Wentz tried something similar on the following play and McCoury got a hand on it, which nearly resulted in an interception.
Loser: Jason McCourty, CB
There was one exception to the strong play among New England’s defensive backs: Jason McCourty. He made a costly mistake in the first play from scrimmage by committing a pass interference that cost the Patriots 49 yards. Wentz later targeted receiver Mack Hollins down the right sideline on a double move, which fooled McCourty. J.C. Jackson took over for McCourty as the team’s second cornerback. That said, in the fourth quarter, McCourty got redemption with two crucial fourth-quarter breakups.
Tom Brady gets his shot at vengeance on Sunday when the New England Patriots go head-to-head with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The quarterback match-up that never was can finally come to fruition when Tom Brady and the New England Patriots travel to Lincoln Financial Field to take on Carson Wentz and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Brady has already admitted he never got over the 41-33 loss to the Eagles nearly two years ago at Super Bowl LII. Coming off a bye week after getting ramrodded by the Baltimore Ravens, there’s a good chance we finally see the emergence of “Psycho Tom” on Sunday.
A simple stroll by Nick Foles’ erected “Philly Special” statue at Headhouse Plaza should be more than enough to flip the on-switch for the 42-year-old quarterback’s destructive alter-ego.
Of course, that’s assuming there’s also an on-switch for the Patriots’ patchwork offensive line.
The Eagles are coming off consecutive wins over the Buffalo Bills and Chicago Bears. Don’t expect them to bend the knee to the might of Brady and Bill Belichick. Eagles coach Doug Pederson out-coached Belichick at Super Bowl LII, and he’s hell-bent on doing it again in a regular season game with significant playoff ramifications. A loss to the Patriots would put his team further behind the Dallas Cowboys in a tight NFC East divisional race.
Brady threw for 503 yards and three touchdowns against the Eagles defense at Super Bowl LII, and the only play everyone remembers is him dropping a wide-open pass on a brilliant trick play called by offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
Months of relentless trolling after a play like that does something to a man.
For an ultimate competitor like Brady, it lies dormant until he finally gets an opportunity to deliver his explosive on-field response. Aside from the revenge factor, there’s also the reality factor that the Patriots are simply the better football team right now.
The Eagles are an injury-riddled team missing several key offensive weapons. Star receiver Alshon Jeffery has already been ruled out of the game with an ankle injury, and running back Jordan Howard’s availability is in such doubt the team picked Jay Ajayi up off the streets after placing Darren Sproles on injured reserve. All of that movement comes over a week after the Eagles’ only deep threat receiver, DeSean Jackson, was also placed on injured reserve.
It’s a weakened offense ripe to be feasted on by a Patriots defense that has spent the last two weeks listening to talking heads call them overrated.
Even after getting run into the ground by the Ravens offense, the Patriots are still holding opponents to 10.9 points per game and 249.3 average total yards, which tops the league in both categories.
Why you should pick the Eagles
One thing you can count on is Pederson coaching to win.
The Eagles aren’t afraid of going for it on fourth down, and they are gutsy enough to call up every trick play at their disposal in hopes of catching the Patriots off-guard. It’s a resilient football team that typically responds well in high-leverage moments.
For as much motivation as Brady should have coming into this game, Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz should be equally motivated. If not for a season-ending knee injury that ruined what would have been an MVP year, the historic, franchise-altering moment that featured Foles as the centerpiece would have been Wentz’s moment.
This is his shot at stepping into the primetime spotlight in a head-to-head meeting with Brady. It’s the Super Bowl moment he never received.
On the defensive side of the ball, the secondary is getting healthier with the return of corners Ronald Darby and Jalen Mills. There is also that fearsome defensive front that bedeviled Brady in the Super Bowl with Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham and Derek Barnett.
Things are even worse now on the offensive front for the Patriots than they were in the previous meeting. The run game has subsequently turned into a quicksand pit with limited production.
Pederson should also find solace in retired tight end Rob Gronkowski spending his Sunday afternoon as an NFL analyst instead of the biggest offensive mismatch on the field.
Eagles are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games after giving up less than 250 total yards in their previous game.
Patriots are 36-16 ATS in their last 52 games after giving up more than 350 total yards in their previous game.
Patriots are 46-21-1 ATS in their last 68 games after a straight up loss.
Prediction
The smart pick is the Patriots and the over on Sunday.
Belichick with extra time to prepare for a game is usually bad news for the opposing team. The Eagles obviously defeated him in the Super Bowl, but he also wasn’t wielding the Mike Tyson of NFL defenses during that run.
This will be the week when the Patriots offense levels the playing field with their defense.
Patriots fans were hoodwinked into believing first-round draft pick rookie receiver N’Keal Harry would be making his long-awaited debut against the Ravens. He traveled with the team after being brought up from injured reserve to the main roster. There’s a good chance he gets on the field on Sunday and finally brings the explosive element the offense has been missing.
I’m not saying he’s going to suddenly morph into the next Randy Moss, but if he could make a couple plays, it will give the defense another threat to take into account. Along with Harry getting up to speed, recently acquired receiver Mohamed Sanu had extra time to delve deeper into the playbook and continue to build chemistry with Brady. He was one of the few bright spots in the loss to the Ravens after racking up 10 receptions for 81 yards and one touchdown.
The Eagles have been stout against the run all season, but they’ve shown considerable weaknesses on the backend of their defense. They also haven’t had as much success in generating pressure and getting after the quarterback. If they can’t turn the pocket into an oven, a calm and cool Brady will cut through them like butter.
There are also too many key injuries on the offensive side of the ball for the Eagles to overcome.
Tight end Zach Ertz will get put on an island by the Patriots defense, and Wentz will struggle to find open receivers. The combination of Howard and Ajayi would have sounded promising two years ago. But not in 2019. Not against this defense.
I’d take the Patriots at -3.5 and the over.
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Three keys for the New England Patriots to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 11 of the 2019 season.
The New England Patriots (8-1) will look to rebound after their pre-bye loss, in a Super Bowl LII rematch in Philadelphia versus the Eagles (5-4) on Sunday. Here are three keys for New England, in hopes for a victory.
1. Shore up run defense
After appearing to have no weaknesses during the first half of their season, the Patriots defense has allowed 184.5 rushing yards per game over their last two contests.
The Eagles have one of the NFL’s better offensive lines, and their two-back attack of Jordan Howard and rookie Miles Sanders poses problems for a defense that sometimes struggles against offenses that efficiently run the inside zone out of the shotgun and spread-shotgun formations.
Stopping the run is a top priority here, even if that means New England has to go back to tinkering to four-man defensive lines consistently for the first time this season. Can this year’s personnel play well in that?
2. Limit passing game out of two-tight end personnel
With DeSean Jackson out, the Eagles have relied heavily on 12 personnel (1 RB, 2 TE, 2 WR) with both tight ends Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert on the field at the same time.
In this formation, the Eagles not only have a beefier lineup the can block for the running game, they also have the personnel to run RPOs and find mismatches with their athletic pass catching tight ends.
“The RPOs – there’s a couple different versions of them – they use both and they have,” Bill Belichick said recently. They incorporated it into their offense several years ago and continue to use them.”
In Ertz, the Eagles have what is basically a very effective big inside receiver. It’s worth wondering if New England will either double cover him on third down, or place Stephon Gilmore on him, with the injuries and play of the Philadelphia’s depleted wide receiving core.
“Yeah he’s pretty good. He’s really good at everything,” Belichick says of Ertz.
“In the passing game, man routes, he can get open against a variety of defenders. He’s a tough guy to match up against. Until they come out of the huddle, it’s hard to really know where he’s going to be. He lines up in the tight end traditional location, but not a high, high percentage of the time. He’s in different spots.”
Ertz — seven catches, 67 yards, game-winning touchdown — was a handful in Super Bowl LII, and Goedert, their second-round pick following their Super Bowl win, poses a whole new set of problems.
“I think they play two tight ends more than any other team in the league,” Belichick says.
“Those two guys combined play a lot. “It’s usually Ertz in 11-personnel but not always. Goedert plays in there a decent amount too, and obviously they’re both on the field when they go to 12. They’re, I would say, interchangeable. They’re able to move guys around to different spots. I’d say he plays probably a little more tight end than Ertz does, but they both play it and they can both extend outside and in slot, play off each other as well as.”
3. Switch up approach on offense (if needed)
The Patriots had gotten buy with less-than-stellar play from their offense as of late, but with their schedule heating up, that’s not longer viable.
The team showed some success versus the Ravens with a hurry-up approach, and that may be something the Patriots need to revisit on Sunday, if necessary.
Then again, Philadelphia has been so poor in stopping the pass, that this may be the turning of the tide for Tom Brady, who is due for a 45-plus pass attempt game in which he meticulously picks apart a defense with supreme pre-snap reads.
With rookie first-round pick N’Keal Harry probably making his debut, he could also be a factor.
Regardless, the Patriots may need to veer a bit from what they’ve done so far this season on offense.
