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Predictably so, Julian Edelman isn’t the player everyone’s used to this season.
Whether it’s his 34 years of age, the compiled injuries over his career or the departure of Tom Brady — Edelman doesn’t have that same spring to him. When the Super Bowl MVP has made big plays this season, he’s oftentimes walked away appearing injured or disgruntled.
So, is his lack of involvement from the aforementioned factors or a lack of chemistry with Cam Newton?
It’s hard to say the addition of Newton has limited Edelman’s production, especially after their connection against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2. Edelman had eight catches and a career-high 179 yards, along with a career-high six catches for 15 or more yards in a single game.
His next-best game this season was in Week 1, when he recorded five catches for 57 yards. Edelman hasn’t yet seen the end zone this season and his last three games have led to less than 40 receiving yards. In an 18-12 loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 6, Edelman recorded two catches for eight yards on six targets.
Edelman has a league-high 11 dropped passes this season and that’s affected Newton’s connection with him. Newton’s had an emphasis on getting the ball to running backs or throwing to Damiere Byrd and N’Keal Harry. Edelman is still leading the team in catches and yards, but that’s mostly from the explosive Week 2 performance.
He’s been constantly on the injury report with a knee injury and it’s very likely the pain from playing such a physical sport is catching up to him. There’s no concrete answer as of now for his lack of dominance, but age and unfamiliarity with Newton are likely the leading culprits.
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