New England Patriots Review: Grading 5 players to watch in Week 17

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - DECEMBER 29: A view of a New England Patriots helmet on the bench during the game between the New England Patriots and the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium on December 29, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

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New England Patriots Chase Winovich (Photo by Billie Weiss/Getty Images) /

Chase Winovich did not run wild

Well, the strength of the New England Patriots as a team is the component that ended up letting the team down in this Week 17 matchup.

The defense just wasn’t good enough against a team that really came to play. Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was sacked just one time and was able to do his thing passing the ball.

Where does Patriots rookie Chase Winovich come in?

Entering the game, he was a player to watch because of the mobility of Fitzpatrick. Due to his high motor, Winovich was predicted to record at least two sacks in this game.

What actually happened?

Chase Winovich only combined for a tackle in the game and didn’t seem to be on the field enough to create some of that pressure on Ryan Fitzpatrick.

In all, Winovich was just a part of the total disappointment of the day. The entire defense just seemed a second late, inches short or missed tackles from tacking over control of the game.

Hopefully, it’s just a bad game and not where this defense is trending as an overall unit.

Grade: C

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