A number of Patriots shined bright in New England’s season-opening demolition of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Tom Brady nearly threw for 350 yards, Phillip Dorsett reeled in a pair of touchdown catches and Devin McCourty collected six tackles as well as an interception. But the Patriots’ rout was started by Josh Gordon, who exhibited a high level of speed and strength as he turned a dump-off from Brady into a 20-yard score.
Former NFL wideout Nate Burleson was impressed by what he saw from Gordon, who wasn’t able to join the Patriots until mid-August. Gordon’s Week 1 showing was nice, but the “Good Morning Football” co-host is expecting a true breakout performance from the Patriots star this Sunday.
“I’m going with a guy who had a pretty good game, but I feel like he’s just getting started. I’m going with Josh Gordon,” Burleson said Wednesday on NFL Network. “I feel like Josh is just scratching the surface. He’s been out of football, he’s been training on his own and that last touchdown he had in this previous weekend was fantastic. He got hit, kept his balance and then got in the end zone. I think he’s gonna become the No. 1 target. He’s going to be to Tom Brady what Randy Moss was when he had that prolific season. So I’m going with Josh Gordon.”
It’s tough to argue with Burleson, as Gordon is primed to feast in Week 2. The Miami Dolphins looked absolutely dreadful in their season opener, which saw second-year signal-caller Lamar Jackson throw five touchdown passes. The Patriots were able to put up 33 points on the Steelers with relative ease, so one only can imagine what they’re capable of doing to the lowly Fins, so long as they evade their South Beach struggles.
So yeah, it’s hard not to be very high on New England this weekend. In fact, one fantasy football expert believes Brady will double his TD pass mark from Week 1.
