Summary: The New England Patriots
The New England Patriots lost superstar tight end Rob Gronkowski to a season ending back injury in their Week 12 matchup with the New York Jets. Without question, Gronkowski’s presence on the field makes New England’s offense a nightmare for opposing defensive coordinators. But if any NFL team can adjust to being without their No. 1 target, it’s the Patriots.
New England can adjust to Gronk’s absence with plenty of bunch formations, which can setup miss matches with linebackers. However, the pivotal piece for the Patriots going forward is tight end Martellus Bennett, who New England traded for in March. Even if Bennett doesn’t put up comparable stats to Gronkowski, he gives the Patriots an advantage on nearly every possession.
Although he’s
not quite the physical specimen Gronkowski is, Bennet is awfully close. Bennett requires red zone attention, which allows players like Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan and Danny Amendola (although possibly injured until the playoffs) to be the beneficiaries of additional mismatches against linebackers and safeties.
This past Sunday against the Los Angles Rams, the Patriots called an array of screen passes out of three-receiver groupings and running plays out of two-back sets. Both were tactics that negated Los Angeles’s considerable advantage along its defensive line. The screen plays offset the pass rush, while the run plays featured angled blocks that neutralized the explosiveness of Aaron Donald and Co.
Gronkowski was too big for cornerbacks and too fast for a linebackers. With Gronk out of the lineup, opposing defenses may look to play more man coverage against the Patriots, something the Pro Bowl tight end thrived against. Hence, the return of Dion Lewis to New England’s backfield couldn’t have come at a better time.
Lewis returned to the Patriots’ lineup three weeks ago after tearing his left ACL last season. He’s a nightmare out of the backfield when fully healthy, and is one of the few backs in the league who provides the legitimate threat of a wide receiver. Lewis’ receiving ability will force some teams to bring a safety into the box, which is all Tom Brady needs to suck the air out of a defense.
So, how did the Patriots fare in their first week after Gronk’s latest injury? They convincingly defeated the Rams 26-10 and with the win, Brady became the NFL’s all-time winningest quarterback with 201 victories. The Pats controlled the entire game, running 75 total offensive plays as opposed to the Rams’ 49 plays run.
Brady threw for 269 yards and a touchdown against L.A., which may not make fantasy owners happy; but the Patriots did exactly what most expected: dominate a considerably inferior opponent. New England also established a dominating ground game against Los Angeles, rushing for 133 yards as a team.
Brady and the Patriots will be pushed to their limits as they take on the Baltimore Ravens Monday night, which is almost always an arduous affair. The contest will be a huge litmus test for the Patriots to see whether they can win a championship without their superstar tight end when the playoffs arrive.
New England can adjust to Gronk’s absence with plenty of bunch formations, which can setup miss matches with linebackers. However, the pivotal piece for the Patriots going forward is tight end Martellus Bennett, who New England traded for in March. Even if Bennett doesn’t put up comparable stats to Gronkowski, he gives the Patriots an advantage on nearly every possession.
Although he’s
not quite the physical specimen Gronkowski is, Bennet is awfully close. Bennett requires red zone attention, which allows players like Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan and Danny Amendola (although possibly injured until the playoffs) to be the beneficiaries of additional mismatches against linebackers and safeties.
This past Sunday against the Los Angles Rams, the Patriots called an array of screen passes out of three-receiver groupings and running plays out of two-back sets. Both were tactics that negated Los Angeles’s considerable advantage along its defensive line. The screen plays offset the pass rush, while the run plays featured angled blocks that neutralized the explosiveness of Aaron Donald and Co.
Gronkowski was too big for cornerbacks and too fast for a linebackers. With Gronk out of the lineup, opposing defenses may look to play more man coverage against the Patriots, something the Pro Bowl tight end thrived against. Hence, the return of Dion Lewis to New England’s backfield couldn’t have come at a better time.
Lewis returned to the Patriots’ lineup three weeks ago after tearing his left ACL last season. He’s a nightmare out of the backfield when fully healthy, and is one of the few backs in the league who provides the legitimate threat of a wide receiver. Lewis’ receiving ability will force some teams to bring a safety into the box, which is all Tom Brady needs to suck the air out of a defense.
So, how did the Patriots fare in their first week after Gronk’s latest injury? They convincingly defeated the Rams 26-10 and with the win, Brady became the NFL’s all-time winningest quarterback with 201 victories. The Pats controlled the entire game, running 75 total offensive plays as opposed to the Rams’ 49 plays run.
Brady threw for 269 yards and a touchdown against L.A., which may not make fantasy owners happy; but the Patriots did exactly what most expected: dominate a considerably inferior opponent. New England also established a dominating ground game against Los Angeles, rushing for 133 yards as a team.
Brady and the Patriots will be pushed to their limits as they take on the Baltimore Ravens Monday night, which is almost always an arduous affair. The contest will be a huge litmus test for the Patriots to see whether they can win a championship without their superstar tight end when the playoffs arrive.