3 Major looming issues with the New England Patriots
Coming off an embarrassing loss in Jacksonville, the New England Patriots have to look themselves in the mirror and analyze their glaring weaknesses.
This past Sunday was a day Patriots nation and the team would like to forget. Not only did the New England Patriots fall in convincing fashion to the Jacksonville Jaguars, but it also was a massive wake up call.
The game was much further than the score would indicate. Jacksonville systematically picked apart the Patriots on both sides of the ball and seemingly forced the hand of Bill Belichick and company.
For the first time I can recall, the team look out prepared and lost on how to stop the Jacksonville team.
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It was a reality check for the Patriots, and they will have to improve greatly in some facets of the game if they want to make another run at the Lombardi.
Strengthen the cornerback play
Before the season, a lot of talk around camp was around how this new vamped secondary would perform during the season. Well, they have been terrible.
The Patriots have always excelled in the Belichick era of taking out a star receiver. As of late, they have had major trouble covering everyone else though.
Dating back to the Superbowl and watching some game film, the team has major struggles with covering motions and plays in the flats.
The Patriots like to play soft yet physical coverage, yet that has been their detriment. Their “bend don’t break” brand has not fared well as of late as they have been known to give up large chunks of yards.
Stephon Gillmore does not look like a top-tier corner in this league. In his slight defense, he has been asked to do too much. Due to the lack of corner help, he has to cover the best receiver at all times, regardless if he matches well up against them physically or not.
He still, however, has played fairly well. The point is just that he is not great enough that he can lock down a side of the field. Gillmore needs someone opposite of him to take the load off of him which in turn should improve his play.
Eric Rowe has been absolutely terrible and was one of the worst players on the field across the first two weeks. He just has been plain bad, and should only be regulated to rotational duty.
Jonathan Jones has played very inconsistently. The last two games he has allowed multiple 40+ yard touchdowns. Hopefully, with reps, he can be a reliable asset in a very weak position corps.
Jason McCourty has been quite the disappointment. He is not getting consistent reps and when he has played, he has gotten exposed. Last year with the Browns, Pro Football Focus rated him as one of the best corners in football until he got injured. Now, he can’t even get on the field.
It is imperative that New England can start to stop other teams best outside threats, and no longer give up the big play. The group has a lot of work to do and really needs to step it up.