Category: Sony Michel

Patriots vs. Chiefs: Time, TV schedule and how to stream online

How to watch Patriots vs. Chiefs

The New England Patriots (10-2) will host the Kansas City Chiefs (8-4) in Week 14.

After a discouraging loss to the Houston Texans, the Patriots are looking to bounce back in all three phases of the game. The offense couldn’t find any rhythm until later in the game and Houston exposed matchups against New England’s defense — resulting in four passing touchdowns. Tom Brady’s lack of chemistry with his receivers has been a glaring issue, but the Patriots feel like they can resolve this before the playoffs.

Kansas City is heading into the game with an underwhelming record, but they’ve dealt with multiple injuries this season. Patrick Mahomes missed a couple games with what seemed to be a season-ending injury and Tyreek Hill has been in and out of the lineup. Both teams are hungry for a huge conference win because of the playoff implications that will stem from this game.

Here’s how to watch:

Game information:

New England Patriots vs Kansas City Chiefs

Sunday, Dec. 8, 4:25 p.m. ET

Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA

Streaming:

Live stream: fuboTV (try it free).

Television channels:

CBS

WBZ-TV Channel 4

Broadcasters:

Jim Nantz  (play-by-play)

Tony Romo (play-by-play)

Tracy Wolfson (sideline)

Radio:

ESPN Radio

98.5 The Sports Hub

Weather:

38 degrees

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Twitter reacts to Patriots’ troubling loss to Texans

Twitter exploded after the Patriots lost 28-22 to the Texans on Sunday night.

The New England Patriots lost 28-22 in a huge conference matchup against the Houston Texans on Sunday night.

Aside from the final six minutes of the game, the Patriots offense looked like a shell of themselves. Tom Brady couldn’t connect with anyone that wasn’t named James White or Julian Edelman — and, he could barely connect with them in the first three quarters. The defense allowed four passing touchdowns and Houston clearly had the momentum the entire game.

The Baltimore Ravens now hold the top seed in the AFC, because both teams are 10-2 and Baltimore has the tiebreaker. This game left the Patriots looking vulnerable, and they have the Kansas City Chiefs next week.

Twitter exploded after New England lost.

 

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Julian Edelman includes nine Patriots in his photoshopped Thanksgiving photo

Julian Edelman had a table full of Patriots in this Thanksgiving photo.

Two of the most active social media accounts for New England Patriots players are ran by Tom Brady and Julian Edelman.

Between the two, you can almost expect entertaining content after a Patriots win, or even on a holiday. Edelman came through on Thanksgiving with a photoshopped Twitter picture that included Brady, Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick, Sony Michel, Chase Winovich, Stephon Gilmore, Jason McCourty and Devin McCourty.

The 10-1 Patriots are preparing for a Week 13 matchup against the Houston Texans on Sunday night.

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Patriots find they can count on Sony Michel in Week 12 win over Cowboys

Sony Michel has had a rough season, but the RB played a crucial role in the game.

The New England Patriots have relied heavily upon cornerback Stephon Gilmore, linebacker Jamie Collins and receiver Julian Edelman through 12 weeks of the NFL season. And those players were once again stellar in a 13-9 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. But the Patriots enjoyed a pleasant surprise: running back Sony Michel began to power through an inefficient funk in 2019.

Michel entered the game at 3.3 yards per attempt, but managed 20 carries for 85 yards (4.3 ypc). Those figures, while humble compared to what he did during the playoffs after the 2019 season, were crucial while the Patriots passing offense struggled early in the game. Tom Brady finished completing 17 of 37 for 190 yards and a touchdown, but he took six quarterback hits and resorted to throwaways often. The veteran quarterback had to rely upon his rookie receivers, Jakobi Meyers and N’Keal Harry, after Mohamed Sanu (ankle) and Phillip Dorsett (concussion) were ruled out before the game.

The Cowboys knew the Patriots wanted to run the ball. Dallas could clearly see that New England had issues running the ball throughout the season. And yet Michel put together a solid performance.

“Sony’s played well all year. I think he’s played well all year,” Bill Belichick said during a postgame press conference. “They’re a tough defense, they’re hard to run against. We chipped away and hammered out a few runs, but they got us a few times, too. So, a couple big runs at the end. That was obviously key in the final outcome of the game.”

Michel managed a role as a closer in the fourth quarter. On a second-and-5 with 1:33 left in the fourth quarter, the Patriots needed just one more first-down to drain the clock. That’s when Michel burst off a 12-yard run, which effectively ended the game. Michel managed that run behind left tackle Isaiah Wynn, who returned from injured reserve in Week 12. Wynn and Michel played together at Georgia, and joined the NFL together as Patriots’ first-round picks in 2018.

“He’s another piece to the puzzle,” Michel said of Wynn after the game. “He helps this team. He helps this offense try to accomplish the goal that we want to accomplish.”

That goal — presumably a Super Bowl win — will be easier if the offense continues to improve. That will surely start with Michel and the running game, which needs to make Brady’s life easier.

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Patriots vs. Cowboys: Time, TV schedule and how to stream online

How to watch Patriots vs. Cowboys

The New England Patriots (9-1) will head back home to face the Dallas Cowboys (6-4) in Week 12.

New England has relied heavily on its defense this season and is heading into this game with more injuries on the offensive side of the ball. Phillip Dorsett and Mohamed Sanu are shaken up and Tom Brady has been dealing with a lingering elbow injury. The Patriots will return left tackle Isaiah Wynn against Dallas, and that’ll turn out to be a huge positive.

Dallas has had an up-and-down season, but they have an elite offensive trio with Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliot and Amari Cooper. This game will be a huge test for the Patriots — who will have to continue their defensive excellence. The Cowboys will come into Gillette Stadium with a must-win mentality and they’ll be a handful for the injury-riddled Patriots.

Here’s how to watch:

Game information:

New England Patriots vs Dallas Cowboys

Sunday, Nov. 24, 4:25 p.m. ET

Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA

Streaming:

Live stream: fuboTV (try it free).

Television channels:

FOX

WFXT Channel 25

Broadcasters:

Joe Buck  (play-by-play)

Troy Aikman (play-by-play)

Erin Andrews (sideline)

Radio:

Sirius XM: 83 (NE)

98.5 The Sports Hub

Weather:

52 degrees, 100 percent chance of rain

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Stephon Gilmore preparing for ‘one of the best receivers in the league’ in Amari Cooper

“He’s definitely at the top — one of the best receivers in the league.”

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Stephon Gilmore’s matchup draws intrigue every week. The New England Patriots cornerback is one of the best players at his position, if not the best. It would be hard to miss his assignments against stars like JuJu Smith-Schuster, Odell Beckham Jr. and Zach Ertz — except that Gilmore typically shuts down his opponent, which means the tandem creates little action during the game.

But perhaps Gilmore will get tested on Sunday in Week 12 against the Dallas Cowboys at Gillette Stadium. Quarterback Dak Prescott and receiver Amari Cooper are putting together excellent seasons, and Cooper seems likely to draw coverage from Gilmore.

“He’s a great receiver,” Gilmore said. “He can run every route. He’s strong after the catch. He makes big catches. He’s definitely at the top — one of the best receivers in the league.”

In particular, Prescott and Cooper are excelling at attacking the outside of the field. Prescott has a 116.1 passer rating when attacking the boundary (just a few yards from the sideline), the best sum in the league. That has led to Cooper being the best boundary receiver in the league. Meanwhile, the Patriots allow a league-best 41.8 completion % on passes to the boundary. It’s a lot of superlatives. But you get it: the matchup should be a superb challenge for both teams.

“He makes big catches, tough catches, even when a guy’s covering him,” Gilmore said of Cooper. “He’s fast, quick. When you’re one of the best receivers in the league, you can run every route and make everything (look) the same. … He makes everything look like a go ball, then chops his route off. He makes everything look the same, and he has a good quarterback (Dak Prescott) who’s throwing him the ball that makes him better. I’m looking forward to it.”

Bill Belichick seems to have circled the matchup between Cooper and the cornerback in coverage (presumably Gilmore). The Patriots coach clearly respects how dangerous Cooper can be to an opposing defense, especially considering the boost Cooper brought to the Cowboys offense since joining Dallas in a trade midseason last year.

“Statistically, what they’ve done in the passing game since they’ve gotten him — I’m not saying that’s the only thing, but he’s certainly a big part of it. You can start with him,” Belichick said. “He’s got great speed, he’s a big-time vertical threat, run-after-the-catch is very good. He’s a sharp route-runner, he can get in and out of cuts. He’s a tough guy to cover, got a great quarterback, good offensive system. He can kill you on short catch-and-run plays. He can run all the intermediate routes, which are hard to cover, and he can certainly kill you down the field in single coverage on the outside or on inside routes if you don’t have a middle-of-the-field defender. And he’s got a quarterback who can get him the ball in all of those situations very accurately.”

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5 takeaways from Patriots’ 17-10 win over Eagles

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.

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.

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Patriots vs.Eagles: Time, TV schedule and how to stream online

How to watch Patriots vs Eagles

The New England Patriots (8-1) will come off their bye week to face the Philadelphia Eagles (5-4) in Week 11.

This is the first time that the Patriots will see the Eagles since losing to them in Super Bowl LII. New England is coming off of their first loss of the season to the Baltimore Ravens and they’re looking to redeem themselves. The defense has been incredible this season and the offense now has the additions of Mohamed Sanu and N’Keal Harry to work with.

The Eagles have had a disappointing season thus far, but they won their last two games while facing the Buffalo Bills and Chicago Bears. The Patriots’ defense has struggled against the run in the past two games and the Eagles are No. 11 in rushing yards per game. They will likely try to attack New England on the ground and also go to their lethal tight end set with Zack Ertz and Dallas Goedert.

Here’s how to watch:

Game information:

New England Patriots vs Philadelphia Eagles

Sunday, Nov. 17, 4:25 p.m. ET

Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA

Streaming:

Live stream: fuboTV (try it free).

Television channels:

CBS

WBZ-TV Channel 4

Broadcasters:

Jim Nantz  (play-by-play)

Tony Romo (play-by-play)

Tracy Wolfson (sideline)

Radio:

ESPN Radio

98.5 The Sports Hub

Weather:

38 degrees

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In 2nd year, Sony Michel is trying to thrive in discomfort

Sony Michel: “It’s either you’re getting better or you’re getting worse.”

The second year of a player’s NFL career is when he’s supposed to get comfortable. It’s not just about learning the playbook. It’s about the paychecks, the bills, the nightlife, the fame and the relationships. If a player has established himself, he forms a routine, and life is a little less complicated. And in the NFL, life can get very complicated.

But Sony Michel doesn’t seem to want to get comfortable in his second season with the New England Patriots.

“You never want to stay the same. … It’s either you’re getting better or you’re getting worse,” Michel told Patriots Wire on Wednesday. “I won’t say (I’m) comfortable, but I know a little bit what to expect. In this league, there’s always new challenges, new things thrown at you, so you never get a chance to be comfortable.”

With the Patriots, that’s especially true. Bill Belichick is known for being a particularly challenging coach, with a demanding staff of assistants. At least publicly, Belichick has been supportive of Michel’s development. Statistically, he has taken a step backward at 3.3 yards per carry compared to his 4.5-yard average a year ago. Advanced stats have shown he’s struggling to break tackles. Game film shows he’s dealing with a porous offensive line. Still, Belichick has praised the way his vision is developing, which seems to be Belichick saying that the offensive line is the problem, not necessarily Michel.

New England got a chance to recalibrate with a Week 10 bye. Michel said he spent that time “focusing on fundamentals: running with the ball, just going back to the basics.” He’s coming off a Week 9 performance, which seemed — at least through the first 20 minutes — like it could be a productive day. He had four carries for 18 yards and a reception for 12 yards. But as the Patriots fell behind, they favored their running backs who have more experience in the passing game: James White and Rex Burkhead. Michel didn’t touch the ball past those first 20 minutes. Why?

“Game plan,” Michel said. “It’s coach’s decision when my number is called.”

The passing game seemed like the place where Michel needed to take the biggest step forward. And perhaps it’s not a big deal that he can’t get past White and Burkhead in that role, because they’re excellent route runners, pass catchers and pass protectors. The former first-round pick, in the meantime, will likely continue to be responsible for between-the-tackles work.

That’s the routine, and apparently, he’s sticking to it — unless, of course, Belichick tells him otherwise. And he’s going to try thrive in discomfort.

“By your second year, you should understand your routine on a day-to-day basis, but at the end of the day, things still change, especially being around here,” Michel said. “So you just have to be ready.”

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