The end of the regular season is upon us and the New England Patriots need to finish strong in Week 17.
The end of the regular season has officially arrived. This can be a bittersweet moment for New England Patriots fans. It means that we are closer to life without football but also that we get to see New England in the playoffs once again.
For a while now Week 17 has been a throwaway game for the Patriots. Usually, New England has the No.1 seed in the AFC locked up. This year things are different.
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The Patriots are going to have to scratch and claw their way to the top spot in the AFC. They need a win in Week 17 to secure the No.2 seed but will need some help if they want the No.1 seed.
In Week 17 the Pats welcome the New York Jets into town. They would love to spoil New England’s shot at home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
This is basically the beginning of the playoffs for New England. Even though the Patriots are the better team, I think we could witness a close game.
Now if the Patriots want to be succesful they will need to improve. They need certain players to improve and be the stars that Patriots fans expect him to be.
So here are 5 things you should watch for in the Patriots Week 17 battle against the New York Jets.
1. Will the real Tom Brady please stand up
Tom Brady has had a rather mediocre season for such a great quarterback. New England Patriots fans have high expectations, but still something seems off about Brady.
The clear tell that Brady is struggling is that he is making poor decisions. When you think of Tom Brady you think of an efficient and smart player. This season he has had some mental mistakes.
We have seen Brady awfully misthrow his receivers and throw some terrible interceptions. I guess it should be expected since Brady is 41 years old, but it seemed like he would never slow down.
Brady’s performance in Week 17 will show if he is ready for a long run in the playoffs. I would love to see Brady throw for 300 yards and have 3 or 4 touchdowns.
If Tom Brady has a strong game in Week 17 he will cause problems in the playoffs and hopefully lead New England to another Super Bowl.
2. New England’s defense
The Patriots defense has looked great at some times and terrible at others. New England is known for their offense, but defense is what wins championships.
We all saw this last season. Tom Brady had a performance for the ages throwing for over 500 yards, but the defense let him down.
In Week 17 I hope to see the Patriots dominate. New England has gotten some great play from Trey Flowers and Stephon Gilmore. These guys have been the anchors of the defense.
I want to see the linebackers get involved. It is a promising sign that Dont’a Hightower has managed to stay healthy, but I want to see him in the backfield dominating. This season Hightower only has a single sack. New England needs a better effort.
So in Week 17, I hope to see the Patriots defense look dominant and begin to build momentum heading into the playoffs.
3. Rob Gronkowski
Rob Gronkowski is looking like he is in his final days. I swear it is like Gronk was in Space Jam and his talent was sucked out of him.
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This season Gronkowski only has 45 catches for 658 yards and 3 touchdowns. We are used to Gronk being a constant presence in the end zone. This season he has struggled to get there.
If Gronkowski is going to be a factor he needs to show out in Week 17. We have seen Gronk rack up 10 catches and have 100 yards before. I would love to see him do this in the season finale.
The most important thing for the tight end is getting in the end zone. I think if Gronkowski is able to score he will feel like himself again. Scoring is always a great morale boost.
New England needs Rob Gronkowski to be his dominant self if they want to win the Super Bowl.
4. Smart decision making
This season has also been an interesting one for New England’s coaching staff. There have been some decisions made that really cause you to scratch your head.
The decision that is the freshest in our minds occurred in Miami where on that crazy final play Rob Gronkowski was on the field. There was no reason to have the tight end on defense. It wasn’t a jump ball scenario.
New England is known for outsmarting teams, but this season they have beaten themselves at times.
The Patriots need to do what they do best. They need to trust their fast receivers to get open and do most of the work. The only guy Tom Brady should be throwing deep to is Rob Gronkowski.
Also, can we stop with the James White dives on 3rd and 1? Give the ball to Sony Michel or even James Develin.
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The Patriots just need to play smart football and not play themselves out of games due to mistakes.
5. A complete 60-minute effort
The New England Patriots have been able to play some great football this season, but haven’t been able to maintain that level of success throughout the entire year
In the playoffs, you can’t take a play off. If the Patriots want to win they will need to play well for an entire game.
In Week 17 I hope to see the Patriots get off to a great start and keep that level of play for the rest of the day. They can’t take their foot off the gas pedal.
New England needs to completely dominate the New York Jets on Sunday. They need to show the rest of the NFL that they aren’t going down without a fight.
The New England Patriots need a win and I am pretty sure they will get it, but how they perform will show us if they are ready for another Super Bowl run.