Patriots Gridiron News: 3 storylines to watch in Week 4 matchup vs. Miami
Coming off two embarrassing losses on the road, the New England Patriots have a must-win AFC East showdown with the undefeated Miami Dolphins.
This wasn’t how the script was supposed to go. Then again, early season adversity is usually what fuels the New England Patriots.
Coming off back-to-back losses to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions, Bill Belichick and company have one of those “Onto Cincinnati” games this Sunday against the undefeated Miami Dolphins.
Given how anemic the offense has looked in those two games and how uninspired the defense looks, this team needs a spark which leads to the main storyline entering Week 4: how will this team respond?
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Recent history shows they will bounce back strong. Belichick and his coaching staff typically do a good job motivating players in situations like this, but unlike previous years, the future Hall-of-Fame coach seems to have lost some of his command.
That starts with his two star players, Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski. Has the offseason, off-the-field drama dented how the team fuels and responds to Belichick?
In this upcoming game, we will definitely find out. The offense has to step up and it starts with these two. A fired-up Tom Brady fuel the energy of almost any offensive player on the field and if Gronkowski is having one of those Gronkowski games he typically has against the Miami Dolphins then things should open up for other playmakers on the field.
Most importantly, staying on the field will give the offense more confidence. The Patriots do have some injuries in important places, but they need to show a sense of urgency in all three phrases of the game. If they don’t, we will be left to wonder if Bill Belichick has finally lost his locker room.