Even though there is a lot of doubt about this year’s New England Patriots team, they still can make it to the Super Bowl by doing these 3 things.
There has been a lot of hate for the New England Patriots this season. They have gotten off to a rough start and lost some tough games, but I think New England can still make it back to the Super Bowl.
The Patriots are currently 7-3 which isn’t bad at all. If they somehow manage to go undefeated the rest of the season, they would be 13-3. Not bad at all.
They could even go .500 and still have a 10-6 record which would most likely have them playing in a wild-card game.
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There is no doubt that the path to the Super Bowl will be much harder for New England.
The Kansas City Chiefs are playing phenomenal football. New England was able to win at home, but I don’t know if they will be able to compete at Arrowhead Stadium.
That’s why the team should be shooting for home-field advantage. New England doesn’t fare well when playing postseason games on the road.
So after a difficult loss entering the bye, the team needs to figure things out. Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are the best at what they do so I think they will be able to make the necessary tweaks to lead the Patriots in the right direction.
So here are my 3 things that the New England Patriots need to do to make it back to the Super Bowl.
1. Establish the run game
If the New England Patriots want to make it to the Super Bowl they need to have a run game.
Tom Brady doesn’t exactly have the best pass catching weapons. Julian Edelman is coming off of a major knee injury, Rob Gronkowski is banged up, and Josh Gordon is still learning the playbook.
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With a solid run game, the Patriots will have something to rely on if Brady is struggling.
New England has had some good games running the ball as well as some bad. Some games Sony Michel is running for over 100 yards, and some New England is unable to get 50 yards rushing.
Michel returned from a knee injury in Week 10 and had a less than stellar performance. He had 11 carries for 31 yards.
I think Michel will play a large role in the Patriots success. If he is able to run the ball with ease as he did early on in the season I think the Patriots will do just fine.
Also, New England shouldn’t forget about Cordarrelle Patterson. If one of your running backs is struggling, throw him in there. Patterson has proven he is a capable option in the backfield.
2. Protect the legend
The New England Patriots offensive line has some work to do. They have struggled at times to protect Tom Brady which is a key to the team’s success.
I don’t know if you know this, but Tom Brady is 41 years old. I know it’s shocking. Even though Brady is still performing at a high level it is crucial that he has good pass protection.
Patriots wide receivers have struggled to get open at times. When you couple this with poor pass protection it is a recipe for disaster.
Tom Brady isn’t the only guy New England needs to protect. The offensive line has to be better in the run game as well. A solid run game will cause defenses to pinch up into the box. Brady can take advantage of teams trying to stop the run and make a big play.
So if New England wants to have any sort of success the offensive line has to do a much better job.
3. Secondary needs to step up
One of the troubling areas of New England’s defense is the secondary. These guys have struggled to keep up with guys.
The only player who has had a solid season is Stephon Gilmore. He has been one of the defense’s top players. Gilmore has locked opposing receivers down and completely shut them out of games.
Week 10 was Gilmore’s worst game of the season. He got lit up like a Christmas tree by Marcus Mariota.
New England needs guys like Jason McCourty, Jonathan Jones, and Duron Harmon to perform much better in coverage. If opposing team’s receivers are struggling to get open that will make it easier for the Patriots front seven to get sacks.
I still believe in this year’s New England Patriots team. They have the capability to get to the Super Bowl. They just need to fix their mistakes coming off the bye and get locked in for the 2nd half of the season.
When you have Tom Brady and Bill Belichick you aren’t out of things until the final whistle.