New England Patriots: Grading the 5 bold player predictions of Week 1

Chase Winovich is the real deal

With increased snaps and an increased role, I predicted New England Patriots second-year edge rusher Chase Winovich would record a couple of sacks in the Week 1 matchup against the Miami Dolphins.

He didn’t get the sacks, but he definitely provided the energy in the front seven the team is looking for.  With a total of six combined tackles, Winovich seemed to always be around the ball and made some nice stops against the run.

With Dont’a Hightower not suiting up this season, his effort against the run as well as his ability to get after the quarterback is what will keep him on the field on all downs.

In the 21-11 victory, it was good to see a player like Chase Winovich making plays and stepping up in place of the guys the team loss in that front seven.

Here is what New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick had to say about the second-year defensive stud and his performance on Sunday, per Patriots.com:

"“I think Chase has been a good player for us and that he played well last year. We had some other experienced players last year, Kyle [Van Noy] and Jamie [Collins], and so there was just some other players playing ahead of him and now he’s the most experienced player along with John Simon, so that shifted quickly in a year, but Chase has done a good job for us on all downs. When he played last year he was productive on a per-play basis and I thought he showed that today.”"

In all, Chase Winovich didn’t get the sacks or quarterback pressures predicted, but his high motor and maturity on the field was very encouraging for the New England Patriots defense.

Grade: A-