The New England Patriots are playing well enough to end the season with a haul of silverware.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell included a few Patriots among his NFL quarter-season awards picks he published Wednesday. Several Patriots have stood out during the team’s undefeated start, none brighter than head coach Bill Belichick, whom Barnwell tabbed as the Coach of the Year so far.
“… It took 14-2 seasons in 2003 and 2010 and that famous 16-0 campaign from 2007 to earn Belichick this nod,” Barnwell writes. “… Guess who’s back? Even after a narrow victory over the Bills, the Patriots finished the first quarter of the season with the third-best point differential of any team since the 1970 merger at plus-95. It’s coincidentally the best mark any team has posted since 2007, and you can probably guess who pulled off that feat. The Pats also face the league’s easiest schedule over the remainder of the season. FPI projects the Patriots to win 13.1 games; if they top that total, I think it’s about time for Belichick to win this award again.”
Barnwell selects Devin McCourty as his No. 2 pick for the Defensive Player of the Year award. The veteran Patriots strong safety has stood out among his dominant defensive colleagues by intercepting opponents’ deep passes on a weekly basis.
“… The longtime Patriots stalwart has an interception in each of his first four games, making him the first player to pick off a pass in four straight games since the 2016 season,” Barnwell writes. “(He’s) playing lights-out football even beyond the interceptions. It’s impressive when you have more interceptions than catches allowed through one month of the season, and the Next Gen Stats peg McCourty as allowing three catches on eight targets for 40 yards through one month.
“… The long-underrated McCourty has made just one Pro Bowl since that impressive rookie campaign. He should be in line for another nod.”
“Acquisition of the Year” isn’t one of the official NFL honors, but Barnwell believes Patriots linebacker Jamie Collins currently sits third in the running for the proverbial award.
“The Patriots signed Collins to a one-year, $2 million deal in May and found a motivated, talented player. He has been all over the place for the Patriots, but he has been most noticeable as a blitzer. The Pats have sent 39 blitzes this season, and Collins has been on the field for 30 of them. Belichick’s defense hasn’t pressured the opposing quarterback once across those other nine blitzes. He gives the Patriots an athletic linebacker at a fraction of his previous contract with the Browns.”
Barnwell doesn’t credit the Patriots for doing everything right so far this season. Their role in “Everything related to Antonio Brown” earned them a spot in the “Miscalculation of the Year” race.
Nevertheless, it’s shaping up to be a good year for the Patriots.
