For the first time this season, there’s a legitimate chance the New England Patriots could lose.
The Patriots face their biggest challenge of the year Sunday night when they travel to take on the 8-2 Denver Broncos, who have a dominant defense that is supposed to give the Patriots fits and decide the matchup. But I don’t quite see it that way.
The game truly rests on the high shoulders of 6-foot-8 Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler, who’s filling in for Peyton Manning. If he’s serviceable, the Broncos have a shot at winning. But if Bill Belichick and the Patriots’ defense confuses and forces mistakes out of the young signal-caller, the Broncos don’t stand a chance.
Let’s get into this week’s mailbag:
@DougKyed Is it time to panic?
— @PlanetWalter
Short answer: no. The Patriots still are the best team in the NFL, and even a loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday night won’t necessarily change my mind.
That being said, there are reasons to be concerned. The Patriots’ offensive line somehow looked better with Cameron Fleming manning left tackle and Bryan Stork at right tackle than they did Monday night with Marcus Cannon and Sebastian Vollmer back in the mix.
The Patriots’ third-down back position is severely weakened with Dion Lewis out for the season, and their wide receiver depth is almost comically cursed with Aaron Dobson, Brandon Gibson and Brian Tyms on injured reserve, Julian Edelman likely out until the playoffs and Danny Amendola and Keshawn Martin nursing injuries. That leaves just Brandon LaFell and Chris Harper as the team’s healthy wide receivers.
Fortunately for the Patriots, their defense remains strong — even with Jamie Collins out with an illness — the offensive line should jell, and eventually Edelman, Amendola and Martin should be back. James White isn’t Lewis as a pass-catching back, but he should be serviceable in the third-down role.
So, no, it isn’t time to panic, and come playoff time, this team still should be stronger than any other in the NFL. Until then, there could be some bumps in the road, and the chances of an undefeated season are decreasing.
@DougKyed Seeing Belichick is obsessed with safety’s, and his good performance last week, do you see Tavon Wilson’s playing time increasing?
— @JediLogic
Bill Belichick never ceases to surprise, does he? I expected Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung to play near the line of scrimmage in nickel packages with Duron Harmon back at free safety if the Patriots didn’t trust No. 3 cornerback Rashaan Melvin. Instead, Belichick played Chung and Tavon Wilson, who’s been active for just five of 10 games, in man coverage in nickel with McCourty deep. The Patriots played McCourty near the line in dime with Harmon coming on to play free safety.
My best guess for why the Patriots did this was because quarterback Tyrod Taylor is a dangerous scrambler, and Wilson is more of a sure-tackler than Harmon. I’m not sure if Wilson will continue to see slot cornerback snaps, but he’s now in the mix for a bigger role moving forward.
The Patriots are very shallow at cornerback, but it’s nice to see them getting creative, especially since the defense continues to thrive.
@DougKyed chances Slater plays WR?
— @TheBigScoop
The Patriots played an entire quarter Monday night with just two healthy receivers, and Slater didn’t see the field. I think the Patriots might need to be down to one wideout to get Slater involved on offense. He’s too important on special teams to give him too many reps at receiver.
@DougKyed Will the Patriots really,actually,try to establish the run as a means to protect TB12 even if it means less chance of winning?
— @MrQuindazzi
I think it’s important for the Patriots to establish the run not only to protect quarterback Tom Brady but also prepare for the playoffs with more of a balanced attack. LeGarrette Blount has rattled off consecutive games with just 3.5 yards per carry, and that’s probably not going to get it done.
The biggest issue right now is the offensive line. Against the Buffalo Bills, they weren’t opening up holes, and they weren’t protecting Brady. They have to do at least one of those to get the offense back on track.
@DougKyed What do you think is more important at this time for patriots ? Edelman and Amendola healthy or bye and home field for playoffs? looking at schedule I think Patriots can lose two games and still have home field. Rest player get healthy . Your thoughts,
— @Dougd56979686
This is a really difficult question as it pertains to Amendola. He reportedly has a sprained knee, and it seems dangerous to play him with the injury because of the chance it turns into something more severe.
Then again, it’s important to beat the Broncos as the Patriots look toward the playoffs. A head to head matchup is key when it comes to playoff seeding, so if the Patriots hope to get the No. 1 or 2 seed, they might need to beat Denver on Sunday night.
The Patriots can beat the Broncos with Amendola. It will become much more difficult without him. I think he’s at least active if they believe he can play. His playing time likely will be determined by the score.
@DougKyed With Mayo’s improved play of late, what are the chances he sees more time with Hightower and Collins?
— @TheBigV90
I think he’s definitely carved out a role as a first-down specialist. He’s not moving as well as he used to, so he might not be trusted in coverage, but he was great against the run in Week 11.
@DougKyed how come there’s no Wikipedia page created about THEE Doug Kyed
— @Cybulski_8
This is a fantastic question, and I think it should be amended immediately.
I also don’t know why I’m not verified on Twitter.
@DougKyed More 2 TE and 2 back sets with all the injuries at WR?
— @ArjunaRamgopal
I think that makes a lot of sense, because it also would increase the Patriots’ unpredictability.
More two-tight end sets with Rob Gronkowski and Scott Chandler seems obvious, but it would be fun to see the Patriots add more sets involving either White and Blount or White and Brandon Bolden, especially flanking Brady in shotgun snaps.
@DougKyed Snow’s in the forecast for Sunday night. You excited for what could be the first snow game for the Pats in 5 years?
— @mattstdream
Yes. I’ve never covered a snow game.
I’m less excited about temperatures in the teens, though.
@DougKyed why no Randy Moss? Why not even a workout to take a look?
— @MikeyD_31
Because he’s 38 years old and hasn’t played an NFL game since the 2012 season.
@DougKyed so @ochocinco just shot out a tweet about T.O. and the Patriots. Your thoughts?
— @hbodoz
He’s 41 years old and hasn’t played an NFL game since 2010.
@DougKyed can Kewshawn Martin and Chris Harper and Scott Chandler rise into dark horse roles?
— @EricJsaint
Ooh! I like questions about receivers in their early-to-mid 20s.
Martin and Harper could carve out roles. Martin was solid while filling in for Brandon LaFell early in the season, and he can play multiple receiver positions in the offense, including inside and outside. He has good athleticism, and Brady seems to have taken a liking to him.
Harper isn’t quite as athletic, but he’s younger and showed a solid track record in the preseason, catching 15 passes for 150 yards with a touchdown. His biggest strength is his ability to make spectacular catches. He showed that off Monday night, but his big play was called because of a penalty on Cannon.
@DougKyed Who’d you prefer going heel: Dean Ambrose or Roman Reigns?
— @AirLarsen
Roman Reigns. I don’t really know how Dean Ambrose would even turn heel. The crowd would just keep cheering him and booing Reigns.
Reigns could get some serious heat in a corporate role, though.
@DougKyed more wrestling, more fun. Who’s your favorite member of The New Day?
— @JeffWIIM
I really want to answer this question, but I have no idea. I like all three of them exactly equally.
Kofi Kingston is the most entertaining in the ring, Xavier Woods is best on the mic, and Big E has the best combination of those skills. I hope they never break up.
@DougKyed is sheamus the worst wwe world heavyweight champion?
— @evan_vanosspats
I’m going with yes — in the history of the company. And just for the record, I’m only looking at the WWE World Heavyweight belt — the one that used to be the winged eagle in the 90s and now has the big WWE logo on it. I’m not including the “big gold belt.”
The other candidates for worst ever are Vince McMahon, who held the belt for six days in 1999, and The Miz, who had a 160-day run in 2010. I don’t remember McMahon winning, and I wasn’t watching when The Miz held the belt, but I can’t imagine either being worse than Sheamus, who is boring and looks stupid.
I’d put JBL and Alberto Del Rio on the worst list, as well. I’m sure many would include Yokozuna and Diesel, but there’s far too much nostalgia in that era for me to acknowledge either as being on the same level as Sheamus.
I’d take the awkwardness of Roman Reigns getting booed every week over Sheamus.
I didn’t watch Raw this week. I barely even looked at the results I’m so uninterested.
Thumbnail photo via Jeremy Brevard/USA TODAY Sports Images
