Pre-Game Thread- Pats @ Vikings-Thanksgiving Game

[DaBruinz]

Who are these people? Conklin, Uzuomah, I mean please. These are not world beating tight ends. Let's get real

Once again you ignore the point. We're playing a team without Zach and Ehlinger at QB, a team that is multidimensional on offense.

The flaw in YOUR argument is that you're downplaying Conklin and Uzomah because they have a crap QB throwing to them. Both are above average TEs. We've seen what "Above Average" TEs can do (see Daniels, Owen) when they have a decent QB and not a POS like Wilson.

Yes, we're playing a team that has Kirk Cousins as it's QB. He's markedly better than Wilson or Ehlinger. That being said, he's not a world beater either. As has been pointed out, he just took a beating from the Cowboys. They had pressure on him 60% of the passing plays. That includes 7 sacks and numerous QB hits. The Pats have one of the best pass rushes in the league. They should be able to do something similar to Cousins. Especially with the loss of their starting LT Darrisaw.

The Vikings SEEM to have it all with Justin Jefferson (probably the #2 or #3 best receiver in the NFL) Adam Theilen (a damn good receiver) Dalvin Cook and now Hockenson. Yes, their offense should be really dynamic. But they BARELY beat a crappy Washington team. They did beat Buffalo, but then they got trounced by Dallas. Minnesota is the only 8-2 team to ever have a Negative points differential.

Hockenson has 21 receptions for a paltry 149 yards (7 YPR) and no TDs since joining the Vikings. He had 26 receptions for 395 yards (15.2 YPR) and 3 TD with the Lions. Hockenson is no world beater either when you actually look at what he's producing.

The Pats should put Jack Jones on Jefferson with Safety Help. Put Jon Jones on Thielen. Use Mills to cover Osborn in Multi-receiver sets. . Have Dugger covering Hockenson with Phillips/Peppers watching for Cook out of the Backfield. The BIG thing is to NEVER put Bryant on the field in defensive situations. Use Mills or Marcus Jones instead.

 

[Triumph]

Cajuste is blocking inside because the guy he is blocking is running inside. Cajuste is doing nothing to drive the defender inside and he first tries to block him to the outside and loses him. In fact, watch the left arm of Cajuste. Looks like he is holding him from rushing inside which he wouldn't be doing if he is trying to push him inside to give Harris a clear path outside of him. In fact, around the 11 second mark of the second video, the Cajuste is actually behind the defender holding him from going to the inside spot where Harris was originally supposed to run to.

Cajuste is just a horrible blocker than his screw up actually helped the play. If he blocked his defender correctly, Harris might have only had a short gain. He was also lucky he didn't get a holding call on that play.

And yes, RBs run into walls of defenders all the time throughout the league.

If you look close enough at the videos, you can clearly see that the play was designed for Harris to run inside to the left and then bounced outside and made the play on his own.

I blame Patricia.

BB needs to fire him and hire his future son in law.

 

[ashley]

No shocker here, a great weapon for us!!!!!

 

[TinhWoodhead]

That's if none of them are flexed out.

the only nighter that i can watch the whole game is the next one

 

[TinhWoodhead]

Team Punts and Opponent Punts.

but they have the exact numbers

 

[TinhWoodhead]

No shocker here, a great weapon for us!!!!!

this Jones can do the job

 

[SHOWTIME15]

it seems like every Jones who has played for NE has done well except for Mac

 

[ashley]

it seems like every Jones who has played for NE has done well except for Mac

Mac was a Pro Bowler last year. This year behind this O-line, and a new o- cordinator it would be a challenge for any qb. Hopefully, he can build off of that performance against the Jets and keep the momentum going. Need to start scoring in the redone!!!

 

[RobertWeathers]

Yes. Because of the Jets game where he only got 1.75 YPC. The Same Jets that have a top 10 Run Defense.

Rham's avg was 4.0 prior to the Jets Game. You know, the game where we lost Wynn and Andrews early in the game.

Nice spin, though.

If you think the o-line has done a good job of run blocking these last 5 games then we disagree.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Stevenson was 4.0 in that one

That one got out of hand so the run game was ditched


Stevenson was 4.4 in that one


Stevenson was 4.0 in that one


Harris was 8.1 in that one


1 game skews it, take that one out and the 8 games before it his avg is 4.2

If you think the o-line has been run-blocking well these last 5 games then we disagree.

 

[Zuma]

The Pats should put Jack Jones on Jefferson with Safety Help. Put Jon Jones on Thielen. Use Mills to cover Osborn in Multi-receiver sets. . Have Dugger covering Hockenson with Phillips/Peppers watching for Cook out of the Backfield. The BIG thing is to NEVER put Bryant on the field in defensive situations. Use Mills or Marcus Jones instead.

 

[goheels22002]

The game was in Minnesota. But still, the Vikings were putrid for literally 60 minutes against Dallas. As good as Josh Allen can be, he lost that game to Minnesota almost entirely by himself.

Thank you - fixed the site of the game in my post. (Hey, if you've seen one Dome with a jumbotron, you've seen 'em all. ) On the Bills - Vikings game, I watched that one. It was impressive how aggressive the Viking's defense was against the Bills and how they anticipated what Josh Allen was going to do with his legs and with the underneath passing game. That defense did not show up against Dallas.

If the Patriots can clean up the penalties on offense and capitalize in the Red Zone, this could be a good week. This will be a big test for Mac Jones and Matt Patricia. A big game indoors against a slightly favored (+2.5) Vikings team with a veteran QB puts Mac in critical situation. He showed leadership at Alabama under the spotlight and did a nice job last year in a couple of key games. Patricia has to call a game that takes advantage of what his team is doing well and quit calling plays that merely challenge the strengths of the opposing defense (See: Red Zone, November 20, 2022 vs NYJ.)

 

[RobertWeathers]

I blame Patricia.

BB needs to fire him and hire his future son in law.

Who? Amanda is already married to a dude who has nothing to do with football.

 

[crawhammer]

If the Patriots can clean up the penalties on offense and capitalize in the Red Zone, this could be a good week. This will be a big test for Mac Jones and Matt Patricia. A big game indoors against a slightly favored (+2.5) Vikings team with a veteran QB puts Mac in critical situation. He showed leadership at Alabama under the spotlight and did a nice job last year in a couple of key games. Patricia has to call a game that takes advantage of what his team is doing well and quit calling plays that merely challenge the strengths of the opposing defense (See: Red Zone, November 20, 2022 vs NYJ.)

I don't anticipate the Patriots offense improving much over the remaining course of the season. The Vikings defense is pretty bad, especially against the pass, so this could be one of their more productive games. Mac's got a solid completion percentage but he really hasn't looked comfortable in this offense. I still think Zappe gives the offense more upside but it looks like Mac's team now unless he gets injured again. The running game and defense will be the reason they win games this season.

Marcus Jones looks like a real weapon on ST but the league's on notice now for sure. There will be a lot punts angling toward the sidelines from here on out. The wind must have gotten ahold of that Jets punt, there's just no way they intended that to go straight down the field. In that spot, with under 30 seconds left in the game, that punt has to land out of bounds.

 

[crawhammer]

Who? Amanda is already married to a dude who has nothing to do with football.

Sounds like Bill's kind of guy.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Sounds like Bill's kind of guy.

Might as well as the football lifers on the offensive side of the call certainly aren't helping the cause.

 

[StrawHatPatriot]

This Patriots team is weird.

I don't know. We could probably win tomorrow. But our offense stinks.

 

[captain stone]

it seems like every Jones who has played for NE this season has done well except for Mac

Added the bolded, because Cyrus the Virus asked me to do it.

 

[ashley]

Potential good news on Andrews, updated injury report as well:

 

[Patjew]

Andrews is a beast.