With Josh Gordon stepping away from the New England Patriots, the team will need a lot of players to pick up the slack.
The news about Josh Gordon is sad to say the least. It seemed like Gordon had finally found a stable home with the New England Patriots. Now the team is in a tough spot.
Gordon was great ever since he came to New England. Prior to his suspension, Gordon was the Patriots leading receiver. In 11 games he had 40 catches for 720 yards and 3 touchdowns.
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He seemed to fit in perfectly with Tom Brady. It is hard not to. Gordon has never really had a great quarterback so going to the greatest of all time was a major upgrade.
Gordon is so athletic that he can make some spectacular catches. Also, he is a great deep threat. That is something that the New England Patriots haven’t had in a long time.
So now the Patriots are in a pickle. They are going to be without their best receiver at the most important part of the season. With the team struggling already this definitely doesn’t help.
A ton of players will have to step up. The entire offense will be overhauled, but here are 5 players that need to step up since Josh Gordon is stepping away from the team.
If they continue to struggle it will be a quick exit for the Patriots in the postseason.
1. Tom Brady
Tom Brady is going to have to be on top of his game. Without Josh Gordon, he now is without another major target.
This hasn’t been a great season for Brady. He hasn’t looked like himself. His decision making has been iffy to say the least and the quarterback is racking up the interceptions. Brady is known for being precise and accurate. This season we have seen the complete opposite.
Brady has thrown 9 interceptions this season. This may seem rather good, but Brady hasn’t thrown this many interceptions since 2014.
Now Brady will have fewer guys to throw to. Without Gordon, teams will be able to key in on James White and Julian Edelman. Brady will have to get the ball out even quicker than he had to at the beginning of the season.
Tom Brady will have to work his magic again. Hopefully, he is able to defy all the odds once again in his legendary career.
2. Julian Edelman
The New England Patriots missed Julian Edelman a lot early on in the season. He was suspended for 4 games and New England’s offense struggled.
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Edelman has looked good overall this season, but in his last few games, Edelman hasn’t looked that great. We have seen Edelman drop a decent amount of balls. The crazy thing is that these weren’t crazy passes
One of the things Edelman is known for is his sure hands. To see him dropping balls is a cause for concern.
Edelman is still putting up decent numbers, but he doesn’t seem like himself. He was so good before he got injured. Edelman would rack up catches at an insane rate and would rarely drop a ball.
Now Edelman will need to return to the player that we are used to seeing. He can’t be dropping balls. He will be looked upon to be the Patriots top pass catcher.
If Edelman struggles it will be hard for the Patriots to put up points.
3. Chris Hogan
Chris Hogan has been missing for most of the season. It has seemed like Tom Brady has been ignoring him at some points. Now Hogan will have to be one of Tom Brady’s top option.
There would be times that Hogan would be wide open and Brady wouldn’t throw him the ball. Part of this is on Tom Brady, but Hogan isn’t without blame. He has struggled a lot this season.
Hogan only has 29 catches for 468 yards and 3 touchdowns this season.
Now the good thing for Hogan is that he is coming off his best game of the season. In Week 15 against the Steelers, Hogan had 2 catches for 68 yards and a touchdown.
The issue with Hogan is that he seems to just disappear. He will make a great catch and have a big play and then be a nonfactor for the rest of the season.
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Chris Hogan needs to be a constant presence if New England wants to succeed.
4. Sony Michel
Sony Michel really burst onto the scene early on in the season. It took Michel awhile to get acclimated to the NFL, but Michel was great. Now Michel is struggling again.
Overall Michel is having a good season though, especially for a rookie. In 11 games Michel has 177 carries for 765 yards and 7 touchdowns.
When watching Michel you can see he is going to be a quality running back. He runs the ball with amazing power. Michel can drive players through the ground.
The Patriots will have to rely on Michel a lot more. I expect the rookie to see a steady increase in carries. New England will have to have a much more balanced offense.
Maybe this will be a good thing for Michel. This may be an opportunity to prove that he is going to be a great back.
It is tough being a first-round pick, but when you look at Sony Michel as simply a rookie he is doing a pretty good job.
5. Rob Gronkowski
Rob Gronkowski has looked like a shell of himself this season. He is struggling to get into the end season and isn’t making a lot of great plays. Now Gronkowski will need to be a beast once again.
Gronkowski only has 3 touchdowns this season. Overall this year has been a big disappointment for the tight end.
The only thing Gronkowski has been good for is drawing a double team. This takes some pressure away from other guys, but he needs to make some plays.
Now Gronkowski will need to return to being an amazing pass catcher. Tom Brady will be looking for Gronk a lot for the rest of the season.
The New England Patriots are in a tough spot. They need to build momentum heading into the playoffs.
It is going to be a difficult road to the Super Bowl, but if I know the New England Patriots, the will somehow find a way into the big game.