Tag: Pats

Patriots Dolphins Week 14 Game Preview, Odds, and Storylines

By on • ( Leave a comment )

Image result for patriots dolphins

After Sunday’s sound victory over Minnesota, many might be expecting the Patriots to roll over the Dolphins in Miami this week. But, any true Pats fan knows that Miami has been Brady’s own personal hell throughout his entire career.

Not only are the Pats 1-4 in their last five trips down to Vice City, but look at just how bad Brady has been down there throughout his entire career, as pointed out by Danny Heifetz of The Ringer:

Against the other 30 teams in the league, Brady is 85-32 on the road in the regular season. In Miami, he is 7-9, giving him more losses in Miami than anywhere except New England. Hell, Brady has nine losses in 16 Miami games and 19 losses in 132 home games. Brady has thrown 15 interceptions in Miami, which is more than he’s thrown in any season of his career. No matter how destitute the Dolphins are or how unbeatable the Pats seem, a trip to Miami is the most dangerous thing for the team outside of a visit from Bernard Karmell Pollard.

So, yeah, it hasn’t always been a breeze down in Miami for the Pats. But before we hop into the preview, here’s a quick look at where, when, and how to watch the game along with the latest lines:

  • Location: Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, FL)
  • Kickoff: Sunday, Dec. 9, 1 p.m. ET
  • TV: CBS
  • Odds (via Odds Shark): Patriots: -7.5 (spread) / Patriots: -350 (moneyline) / 47 (total)

Rather than base expectations purely off of what happened in the past, though, let’s take a look at who Miami has been this season.

First and foremost, they’re just not very good – on either side of the ball. They’re ranked 29th in terms of both total offense and defense. And while they are 6-6, much of that had to do with a fool’s gold 4-2 start, which has been followed up by a 2-4 run since the middle of October.

Yes, it is true that they were without Ryan Tannehill for five games, forcing them to turn to Brock Osweiler (*BARF*) until Tannehill returned two weeks ago against the Colts. But even still, Tannehill had 52.6 QB rating over his last two games before the injury, failing to surpass 185 yards passing in either contest – with one of those games coming against Cincinnati, who has had the absolute worst defense in the league this season BY FAR. (Seriously, the Bengals defense is laughably horrendous.)

To be fair, he has bounced back with two straight 100-plus-QB-rating games over the past two weeks, with a very solid 5-to-1 TD-to-INT ratio. Miami is also 1-1 over that time, with the victory coming in a very close contest against Buffalo last week.

Image result for ryan tannehill

Honestly, who ever really knows what to expect from this guy?

But even still this is probably the worst Miami team in quite some time, and now their bottom-of-the-barrel defense will be without stud corner, Xavien Howard, on Sunday. Howard, who is in his third year, leads the league in interceptions with seven and has quickly vaulted himself into the upper echelon at the position with his play in 2018. He’s yet to officially be ruled out, but ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe, who covers the Dolphins, doesn’t sound too optimistic:

If that’s the case, expect a nice game from Josh Gordon – and the rest of the Pats receiving corps, for that matter – as the Dolphins really don’t have much else at the position. Truthfully, this should be a great game for the Pats offense as a whole; Miami is also giving up 144.7 yards per game on the ground this year, due in part to the 180-plus rushing yards they’ve given up four of their last six contests. The Pats also carved up the Dolphins for 175 rushing yards when the teams met in Week 4, so expect Sony Michel – who had 112 of those yards – to FEAST once again this weekend. (Seriously, if you’ve got Sony on your fantasy team, fire him up!)

Image result for sony michel dolphins

Expect another electric showing from the rook down in the Sunshine State.

The one noteworthy “strength” (and I use that term loosely) for the Dolphins might be their running game. It’s a two-pronged attack featuring the ageless future H.O.F. Frank Gore and a talented but inconsistent third-year man in Kenyan Drake. After an 883-yard breakout last year, most people expected Drake to completely take over this year, but the 35-year-old Gore is not going away, quietly averaging almost 12 carries a game at a 4.43 per-carry mark. Drake has had his moments this year and is unquestionably the team’s top pass-catching back, but even still neither one has been all that impressive this year, and the Pats should be able to keep them at bay.

Storylines

(Can Brady Defeat His Demons?): As evidenced above, Brady is not a fan of playing in Miami. However, as also previously mentioned, this may be the worst Dolphins team we’ve seen in years, and I just don’t see how Brady can once again lay an egg down there. With Gordon now in the fold, Brady & Co. should be able to exploit Miami’s weak secondary; if not, then it’s really just all in Brady’s head and there’s just nothing else to say.

Image result for tom brady 2018

Come on, Tommy. It’s time to change the narrative.

(Oh, Danny, Where Art Thou?): As I pointed out the other week, offseason acquisition Danny Shelton has been extremely disappointing this year. In fact, he’s been so ineffective that he wasn’t even active for last week’s game against Minnesota. Bill’s not afraid to quickly cut bait on bad investments, and hopefully it’s not the last we’ve seen of Shelton, who really does possess some solid talent. If he rides the pine again for the second straight week, however, it could signal the end of the 25-year-old’s career in New England.

(Will We See the Duke’s Arrival?): Even though he’s now been active for three weeks after being taken off I.R., rookie corner Duke Dawson has still yet to make his debut. It’s likely because of the fact the team’s current group of corners has been playing exceptionally well this year, and Dawson did miss a lot of valuable practice time while he was on the shelf. But still, the team needs to eventually see what they have in the young guy, on whom they spent a second-round pick in May.

Image result for duke dawson patriots

Can’t wait to see what this kid’s got when he finally gets his chance.

Prediction

I honestly expect the Pats to roll in this one, regardless of what past history tells us. The team’s offense should be able to destroy Miami with ease, and while Tannehill could have a surprisingly good game, he just doesn’t have enough around him to overtake what the Pats are bringing to the table. This one’s over quickly, and the Pats take it 38-17.

Patriots Vikings Postgame Thoughts and Quick Hits

By on • ( 2 Comments )

Image result for patriots vikings

That was a win you can feel good about, Pats Nation.

While, sure, the now 6-5-1 Minnesota Vikings are “underperforming” a bit this year, they should still be considered one of the top teams in the league. Let’s not forget they were in the NFC Championship just last year and are still absolutely loaded on both sides of the ball. And don’t forget the fact that the Pats D was able to keep the league’s seventh-rated passing offense to 10 points and less than 300 yards of total offense.

Well done, fellas. Truly.

The dominant duo of Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen was held to a combined total of 10 receptions, with each receiver failing to crack even 50 yards (or, in Thielen’s case, 30). They also picked off two passes from Kirk Cousins, who barely surpassed the 200-yard mark through the air overall.

Image result for adam thielen

It was a rough day on the gridiron for No. 19 yesterday.

Dalvin Cook had a great (and extremely efficient) game on the ground, though, picking up 84 rushing yards on just nine carries. Were it not for the game script, which forced Cousins to throw 44 times, Cook could’ve done more damage. Granted, he did gain most of his yards off of a 32-yard and subsequent 18-yard run at the beginning of the game, but he still averaged 4.8 yards per tote over his other seven opportunities. That’s the best and healthiest he’s looked all year outside of a solid performance against Detroit in Week 9.

In a game where the Pats were expected to – and did indeed – struggle to run the ball, Tom Brady was solid but unremarkable. It was another 300-yard performance for the G.O.A.T., but he had just one score and also threw a pick. However, he was able to get the Pats down the field by spreading the ball around to almost everyone, ultimately allowing big James Develin to rumble in for two separate scores on the goal line. The Pats offense converted 50 percent of its third-down opportunities as well, allowing the team to move the ball even with the overall subpar rushing performance.

Image result for james develin

Oft forgotten and underappreciated – as most fullbacks are – Devs got some much-deserved shine yesterday at Gillette.

The Pats D, though, was the real story. Again, they were able to keep the three-headed monster of Cousins, Diggs, and Thielen at bay and barely allowed the Vikings to reach double-digits on the scoreboard. Trey Flowers also grabbed another sack, and so didn’t Adam Butler – whom I pointed out last week as a guy who’s been quietly skyrocketing up the depth chart and really establishing himself in the team’s hierarchy up front.

Again, it’s OK to allow yourself to be pretty happy about this one, especially considering – as I’ve mentioned numerous times over the past couple weeks – the schedule is a breeze the rest of the way outside of a huge showdown with Pittsburgh in two weeks.

Here’s a few more quick hits for ya after Sunday’s triumph in Foxborough:

  • Rookie corner J.C. Jackson continued to impress and is obviously no longer in a time share. He served as the team’s clear-cut No. 3 corner yesterday. Jonathan Jones, who did have one of the team’s two picks on the afternoon, played just three percent of the snaps, compared to 89 percent (!) for Jackson, who came up big on two almost successive plays at the end of the third quarter; with the team up 17-7, Jackson broke up two potential touchdown passes in or near the endzone, forcing the Vikings to kick. That would be the final time they scored in the game. I’ve been saying since the preseason to keep an eye on this kid!
Image result for jc jackson patriots

Get to know this face, guys. He’s quickly becoming one of the team’s key pieces on D.

  • On the team’s very next offensive series after Jackson’s heroics, Brady tied Brett Favre for third place on the all-time passing touchdown list, AND he also tied Peyton Manning for most TD passes all-time when combing regular and postseason play. OH, AAAND just for kicks, he also surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing mark in his career on a 5-yard scramble in the first. Every week it seems like he’s setting another record lately. Again: G…O…A…T!!!
  • Rex Burkhead touched the ball nine times in his return to action. In all, he was able to muster up 41 total yards, and he had two plays of over 10 yards, showing burst on both a 10-yard run and another 15-yard catch. Sony Michel (18 touches) and James White (13 touches) were still the lead backs, and should be moving forward, but Burkhead is obviously going to be a part of the plan again from here on out.
  • Josh Gordon hauled in just three passes but demonstrated how vital his big-play ability is for this offense. His 24-yard TD catch at the end of the third put the game away for good.
  • Yesterday’s victory guaranteed the Patriots their 19th straight winning season.

Up next for the Pats is a game with the Fins in Miami this Sunday. Be sure to check in with The 300s later on this week for the game preview!

Patriots Packers Postgame Reaction and Quick Hits

By on • ( Leave a comment )

Image result for packers patriots

In what was supposed to be an epic battle between two of the best signal-callers to ever grace the field, both Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers were about as average as it comes in the Pats’ 31-17 win over the Packers on Sunday night.

Much of this had to do with stellar defensive play on both sides, as both quarterbacks failed to crack 300 passing yards. In fact, were it not for two big catches on consecutive plays at the end of the third quarter by Packers rookie Marquez Valdes-Scantling, totaling 50 yards, Rodgers would have barely topped 200 yards. The Packers also held Brady to just over 220 yards and no scores heading into the fourth quarter.

Basically, if you took the over and were expecting offensive firepower all night, you were severely disappointed.

I will also humbly eat a gigantic piece of crow pie this week, as I was a bit too quick to write off Cordarrelle Patterson as a runner in last week’s game notes. While I do stand by the fact he looked terrible outside of one play in Buffalo, the 27-year-old athletic specimen looked fantastic toting the rock last night, rumbling his way to 61 yards on 11 carries – which included muscling his way into the endzone on a five-yard goal-line score in the second quarter.

(To be fair, two games is still a pretty small sample size from which to draw any conclusions. But all I’m saying is that Patterson looked great last night. Good for you, bud.)

Here are a few other takeaways from last night’s solid win:

  • Trey Flowers, man. He finished third on the team in tackles and had a half-sack to boot. But, again, it’s what he does outside the stat sheet that truly counts, as his motor doesn’t stop all game long. The play that stood out to me was a 2nd-and-5 attempt for the Packers with about 1:50 to go in the first quarter, where Flowers absolutely plows through his first blocker and quickly sheds the next two guys on a DOUBLE-block to get in Rodgers’s face, forcing an incomplete pass and a third down. The guy continues to be an absolute force, especially these past couple of weeks. There’s just not much else to say.
  • Kyle Van Noy had another nice night as well, particularly as a run-stopper, finishing with nine solid tackles.
Image result for kyle van noy

The guy still can’t cover worth a lick, but he does do everything else pretty well and has been one of the D’s top performers this year.

  • Even with Shaq Mason being out this week, Brady was only sacked twice and hit just one other time. Much of this, however, might have to do with the fact that Brady has been blitzed at the lowest rate in the league this season, as pointed out during the broadcast last night by Cris Collinsworth. Not to take anything away from the offensive line, but apparently teams haven’t really been gunning too hard to get after him – which does, in fact, make a lot of sense considering the Pats’ dink-and-dunk approach which doesn’t call for Brady to hold on to the ball for much more than a second or two. Either way, it’s a good thing. I just thought it was interesting.
  • As if he needed yet another feather in his cap, Brady also became the first player ever to surpass 80,000 total yards in his career (including the postseason). The previous record-holder was Peyton Manning, with 79,978, but Brady took the top spot on the team’s go-ahead drive in the fourth quarter last night.

Image result for tom brady greatest

  • I couldn’t believe my eyes, but Dwayne Allen actually had a catch last night! He was able to muster up a whole 21 yards on ONE whole target across 66 snaps, all while collecting even more of his totally reasonable $4 MILLION SALARY this year. (Catching the sarcasm at all there?)
  • Julian Edelman and Josh Gordon are the best pair of receivers Brady’s had in YEARS. They both dominated last night.

So, while the offense was definitely slowed a bit by a well-performing Green Bay defense, Brady & Co. were able to do just enough to grab a respectable win. Just over halfway through the season, the team is now five games over .500, and besides two respective matchups with the Vikings and Steelers, the Pats only have the Titans, Jets, Bills, and Dolphins left to worry about. (No really, though! That’s it!)

Be sure to check back in with The 300s this Thursday for our preview of Sunday’s matchup with the Titans down in Nashville.

Quick Pats Bills Game Notes/Pats Packers Week 9 Preview

By on • ( Leave a comment )

Image result for brady rodgers

Remember when the Dolphins were tied with us for first in the AFC East? LOL.

Balance has now been restored in the universe, as the Pats are once again completely in the driver’s seat in the AFC East for the 4,568th year in a row. After Monday night’s 25-6 victory over the Bills, the Pats now lead in the division by two games and soon more.

Ya boy Mattes was in NYC for the past couple of days – and I cannot even TELL you just how good it felt to be rockin’ a Sox hat around that city this week – so I was unable to get up my review of the game on Tuesday. Therefore, before getting into Sunday night’s tilt with the Packers, here are a few quick things of note from the other night in Orchard Park:

  • Even though Derek Anderson is a statue in the pocket, the pass-rush looked excellent. Trey Flowers is an absolute monster, and I will personally pay whatever I have to in order to keep him around (he’s a free agent after this season). He may not have had any sacks, but there was one first quarter sequence where Flowers completely blew up one of the Bills’ cute, little Wildcat plays (what is this? 2008?), and then on the very next play he did his best Vince Carter impression, jumping sky-high in the air to block an Anderson pass attempt. He was just everywhere on Monday night and is the unquestioned heart and soul of the defense. Adrian Clayborn, Malcolm Brown, and Kyle Van Noy, who had two sacks on the night, were also noticeably active up front as well.
Image result for trey flowers

Bill, please pay this man!

  • Although Van Noy was great on Monday night, he is a complete one-trick pony: excellent pass-rusher but absolutely USELESS in coverage. Seriously, he couldn’t cover a guy using a walker. Once again the Pats were able to stop the run but were completely carved up by the receiving game out of the backfield (LeSean McCoy had six catches for 82 yards while totaling just 13 yards on 12 carries). There were rumors this week that the Pats were looking at bringing back old friend Jamie Collins, which shows that even the team knows how soft we are in terms of pass-coverage over the middle. Seriously, it’s bad.
  • We desperately need Sony Michel back. Were it not for Devin McCourty’s key pick-six in the fourth quarter, the game would’ve been a helluva lot closer than it was. Much of that had to do with the fact that the running game was absolutely non-existent. And no, Cordarrelle Patterson absolutely did not look good out there; outside of one big 22-yard run, Patterson had 16 yards on nine carries. Sure, he is a physical specimen, but truthfully for most of the night he looked like a big buck trying to find its way out of a small barn. Nice try, Bill, but please don’t ever try that little experiment ever again.
  • Jason McCourty was solid once more, and he and Patrick Chung really helped to overcompensate for the guys in front of them all game.
Image result for jason mccourty patriots

After a rough summer, J-Mac is certainly proving his worth this season.

  • Just like I said, now that Julian Edelman is back and Josh Gordon is in the fold, things have opened up once again for Chris Hogan. He simply cannot be a No. 1 or 2 option, but he is still an above-average third or fourth option for Brady, and some may be surprised to hear that he actually has 190 total receiving yards over the past three games.

On to the Pats/Packers preview, which will be a bit more brief than past primers. As always, here’s a quick look at where, when, and how to watch the game along with the latest lines:

  • Location: Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, MA)
  • Kickoff: Sunday, Nov. 4, 8:30 p.m. ET
  • TV: NBC
  • Odds (via Odds Shark): Patriots: -5.5 (spread)/Patriots: -235 (moneyline)/56.5 (total)

This is a game that has the NFL licking its chops: Tom Brady vs. Aaron Rodgers in a Sunday night primetime matchup. Is that a pylon in your pants Mr. Goodell, or are you just happy to see me?

Image result for roger goodell smile

But all joking aside, this is truly a treat. It is absolutely criminal that the two greatest quarterbacks, possibly ever but definitely in the game right now, will be squaring off for just the SECOND time ever – the last one being a 26-21 Packers victory all the way back in 2014! That is just shameful.

The debate over who is truly better will rage on in NFL circles forever. Rodgers may not have all the stats and accolades Brady’s compiled throughout his career, but he’s also seven years younger. He’s also touting a pristine 13-to-1 TD-to-INT ratio this season compared to Brady’s 16-to-7 mark, and there’s a great argument to be made that he may have had less talent around him – especially on defense – throughout his entire career. But for now, even Rodgers himself ended the debate on Tuesday, per ESPN:

“I let you guys worry about those types of conversations,” Rodgers said of any debate about which player is better. “I think that’s end-of-career conversations. … I’m just worried about winning right now. He’s got five championships, so that ends most discussions, I think.”

But enough about those two. I think even the most casual fan understands that they’re both pretty good at football.

As far as Rodgers’s receiving options go, other than No. 1 receiver Davante Adams it’s a complete crapshoot each week regarding who the other top pass-catchers will be, much to the chagrin of fantasy owners everywhere. Adams is one of the game’s very best receivers – currently fifth in the league in receiving yards per game (98.5) – and will likely match up with Stephon Gilmore. But after that it’s between the oft-injured but resilient Randall Cobb or younger guys like Geronimo Allison and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. And don’t forget about Jimmy Graham, no longer one of the game’s elite tight ends but still a decent player nonetheless.

Aaron Jones and his 6.2 yards per carry will most likely lead the way in the backfield, especially after this week’s trade of Ty Montgomery, with Jamaal Williams serving as a more-than-capable No. 2 guy. This used to be a three-headed approach, but Jones’s 86-yard and one-score performance on just 14 touches Sunday presumably solidified his spot as the top dog.

Image result for aaron jones

Go get this guy on your fantasy squad immediately.

As pointed out by Joey Ballgame earlier today, the Packers feature a top-10 defense and are fifth-best against the pass (even though they did trade away star safety HaHa Clinton-Dix to Washington this week, which is certainly not insignificant). They are beatable on the ground, though, coming in at No. 22, so hopefully Sony’s back this week in what should be a great matchup for him.

Prediction

This one’s tough to gauge, as it could really be anybody’s game. Both teams feature solid, multi-pronged offensive attacks, with the Packers gaining a significant edge on defense. I feel like it’ll be a beautiful boxing match between two heavyweights that goes the full 12 rounds. In the end, though, youth wins out and the Pats fall at home 28-24.

Patriots/Texans Week 1 Preview, Odds, & Things to Watch For

By on • ( Leave a comment )

Image result for patriots texans

As I sit here and write this, the 2018 NFL season has already officially begun, with the Eagles beating the Falcons in last night’s season opener, 18-12. We are now just about 48 hours away from REAL and MEANINGFUL Patriots action.

The team is set to square off against the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium on Sunday. Before we get into a game preview, here’s a couple quick hits on when and where to watch the game along with a few of the latest lines:

  • Kickoff: Sunday, Sept. 9, 1 p.m. ET
  • TV: CBS (Check local listings)
  • Odds (via Odds Shark): Patriots: -6.5 (spread)/Patriots: -230 (moneyline)/50.5 (over/under)

This will be a matchup between what should be two of the AFC’s premier squads in 2018. Although the Texans missed out on the playoffs last year, that’s most likely due to the fact they lost then-super-rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson to an ACL tear just before Week 9, when the team was 3-4. Sure, they technically had a losing record with him under center before the injury, but of those seven games four were against playoff teams, and another was a mere three-point loss against a solid Seahawks team in which Watson threw for over 400 yards and four touchdowns to go along with another 67 yards on the ground. Watson also had 21 total touchdowns on the season at the time he went down.

Image result for deshaun watson

I do think that Watson will regress a bit this year, as his touchdown rate was just silly last season, but he’s still probably the most talented quarterback the Texans have ever had in their 15-year history. Let’s not forget Watson also totaled 342 yards and two touchdowns against the Pats when the teams squared off last season, in what was just his third-ever NFL game. He, DeAndre Hopkins, and Lamar Miller form a pretty solid trio on the offensive side of things.

But enough about Watson. The Texans will also have two of their top defenders back this season, J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus, both of whom played just five games each for the team last year. Not only have the two combined for ONE HUNDRED AND FREAKIN’ EIGHT sacks since Mercilus’s rookie year in 2012, but Houston’s defense – which was a top-three unit in both 2015 and 2016 – fell all the way to 20th without them last year. I expect Houston’s D to be solid once again in 2018 if both guys can stay on the field. This offseason, the team also added safety Tyrann Mathieu – aka the Honey Badger and one of my absolute favorite players in the league – and he is expected to inject some much-needed skill and energy into the team’s defensive backfield.

Image result for jj watt

He’s baaaaaaaaack.

OK. OK. But what about the Pats?

Well, this game is going to be all about timing routes and quick passes. (Hello, James White!) Brady is going to need to get the ball out quickly, and as long as he doesn’t get knocked around by Houston’s nasty pass-rush he could carve it up between the 20s. Aaron Colvin and a 34-year-old Johnathan Joseph are also a pretty lackluster pair of corners, so TB12 shouldn’t have too much trouble moving the ball as long as he stays standing.

The Texans actually were a top-15 team against the run last season, so I wouldn’t expect a huge game on the ground for the Pats offense. White and Rex Burkhead will likely be sent out of the backfield quite often, especially with the team being expected to take it slow with the latter. Jeremy Hill could actually get a little bit more burn than expected as well, as the team will still need someone to move the chains between the tackles and on the goal line.

As far as the defense goes, the Pats (hopefully) improved pass-rush should be able to do some serious work against the Texans HORRENDOUS offensive line, which was ranked dead-last by Pro Football Focus this offseason. It may be tough to corral Watson, though, which will probably force him out of the pocket and on the run quite a bit. Therefore, Dont’a Hightower and the rest of the linebacking corps will need to be on high alert throughout this one.

Storylines to Keep an Eye On

(Welcome to New England, Trent Brown): Brady’s new blindside protector certainly has his work cut out for him. As mentioned above, the Texans feature one of the league’s most ferocious pass-rushing units, and this will be Brown’s first chance to prove himself in a Pats uniform. He’s received very positive reviews throughout most of the offseason, but let’s just hope Watt & Co. don’t give him fits in his home debut.

Image result for trent brown patriots

Hopefully he’s still smiling around 4 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.

(James White is the X-Factor): With the team’s thin receiving corps and the need for Brady to get the ball out quickly in this one, I expect White to be HUGE for the Pats on Sunday. Not only can Brady check down to him in a hurry, but White’s underrated ability to carry the rock can also help keep the Texans D guessing, especially when the team runs out the Pony offense, which I also expect to see a lot of.

(Who Will Step Up Behind Hogan?): Barring another freak injury or Johnathan Joseph traveling back in time to his Pro Bowl days, Chris Hogan will be the team’s leading receiver in Week 1. But after that, who is going to step up? Will it be Phillip Dorsett, who looked solid in the team’s dress rehearsal? Will it be Cordarrelle Patterson, who has the skills to be a unique offensive weapon? Will it be Riley McCarron, a dark horse who was just promoted from the practice squad on Thursday? It’s anyone’s guess at this point.

Prediction

Save for some minor worry regarding Brady’s protection in this one, I still think the Pats are far and away the better overall team. Belichick won’t let Watson light him up two years in a row. Plus, Trey Flowers, Deatrich Wise, Adrian Clayborn, and the rest of the boys up front on defense should be able to consistently get in his face and throw him off his game. There are also still enough weapons on the Pats offense for them to move the ball and score some points against Houston’s D, as long as their fearsome crew up front is kept at bay. The Pats take this one 24-14.