The New England Patriots need to get a win in Week 4. If these 3 players have great games the Patriots should walk out with the victory.
Who would’ve thought that a Week 4 game would be so important? The New England Patriots enter their matchup against the Miami Dolphins with a 1-2 record. If the Patriots lose they will be 3 games behind the Dolphins for 1st place and will have a large hill to climb.
After such a terrible outing in Week 3, Patriots fans aren’t that happy. I don’t know if we have ever seen a team play so poorly. The Patriots were dominated in all aspects of the game, including coaching.
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Now it may just be the optimist in me, but I think the Patriots will have a much better effort in Week 4. They are just due for a great effort.
Also, the opponent plays a major factor in why I think the Patriots will be victorious. The Dolphins aren’t known for winning (well recently at least). If the Patriots defense plays just a little bit better I think they will be able to stop Ryan Tannehill.
Week 4 will be about redemption for a lot of players. A ton of players had awful games in Week 3 and haven’t had the best starts to the season either.
When you are watching the New England Patriots play on Sunday afternoon, these are the 3 players you are going to want to keep an eye on.
1. Josh Gordon
There is no doubt about it, Josh Gordon is one of the most hyped players on the Patriots roster right now. Ever since the Patriots traded for the wideout fans have been wondering what Gordon can do.
Gordon is such a talented wide receiver. The only reason he hasn’t become a star is due to his off the field issues. If Gordon had never gotten in trouble or suspended, I guarantee he would be a top-five receiver.
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With the acquisition of Gordon, the Patriots now can add a new aspect to their offense. The Patriots have no deep threats. Rob Gronkowski has been double teamed all season and rendered useless. If you add Gordon to the mix, defense’s will now have to keep an eye on Gordon. This could take some of the focus away from Gronkowski.
It seems that Gordon is adjusting to New England rather easily. There has only been good news about Gordon. Coaches have been praising Gordon for his work ethic and focus on learning the Patriots playbook.
With all this good news I think we should be seeing Gordon on Sunday. By simply stepping on the field Gordon will make things easier for the other wideouts and Gronkowski. Gordon will face team’s better corners while Phillip Dorsett and other receivers will get lesser talent. That makes for an opportunity for the other receivers to make some plays.
Fans are clamoring to see what Josh Gordon can do and I don’t think he will disappoint.
No.2 Dont’a Hightower
Dont’a Hightower is coming off the worst game of his career. The so-called pillar of the New England Patriots defense crumbled in Week 3.
In Week 3, Hightower was slow and couldn’t keep up with opposing players. With Ja’Whaun Bentley now on the IR, Hightower needs to step up. Bentley was the Patriots best linebacker in the first 3 weeks of the season. He was the one being a leader on the field, not Hightower.
The Patriots can not afford another poor effort. They need Hightower to return to his 2014 form when he had 6 sacks and 61 tackles.
If Hightower wants to calm the nerves of Patriots fans he needs to have a big game on Sunday night. If Hightower is able to get a few sacks and not look like an 80-year-old man on the field, I think fans will calm down a bit.
If Dont’a Hightower continues to struggle, The New England Patriots are going to be in a lot of trouble.
3. Rob Gronkowski
For two straight weeks, Rob Gronkowski has basically been shut down. Tom Brady hasn’t been able to find the big man and this has affected the offense a lot.
In the last two weeks, Gronkowski had 6 catches for 66 yards and no touchdowns. Gronk has also been targeted a minimal 9 targets.
I don’t know if the blame can be put on Gronkowkski though. With Julian Edelman out, defense’s are just double-teaming Gronkowski and making sure he struggles to get any momentum off the line.
Also, the offensive line has been playing so poorly. Tom Brady has barely any time to throw the ball. If Brady had more time in the pocket he may be able to get Gronkowski going.
The regular season has basically been the Patriots in auto-pilot for the last few seasons. We all saw the talent that the team possessed.
This year things are different. There isn’t the same confidence in the Pats. This game actually means a lot. The Patriots will be in a deep hole if they lose again in Week 4.