New England Patriots Gameday: Chase Winovich a ‘dream’ defensive stud

The New England Patriots have a rising star in second-year Michigan product Chase Winovich.

It seems like whenever the New England Patriots defense come up with a key turnover or defensive stop, second-year linebacker Chase Winovich is right in the middle of it.

In the team’s 36-20 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 3, Winovich had a strip sack and was involved in another play that led to a defensive touchdown.  Always in the right position at the right time is exactly why the Michigan product is emerging as one of the NFL’s best pass rushers.

He is also a unique player who allows his vision to guide his play on the field.  Prior to that game against the Raiders, Winovich literally had a dream he was going to strip sack Derek Carr.

"“Literally last night I had a dream that I had a strip sack,” Winovich said after the game, via NBC Sports.  “So before I went out on the field for that series, I told one of the team doctors, I told him I had a vision last night.  I had a dream I was going to get a strip sack – and two plays in I did.  So in terms of crazy things that happened, that was definitely one of them.”"

Is it crazy? Or is it just entertaining?

Whatever it is, Chase Winovich, selected in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft, is becoming a dream defensive stud for the New England Patriots and that is not perception, its reality.

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In four games this season, he has 2.5 sacks, including that strip sack on Carr and a sack of Patrick Mahomes in the team’s loss against the Kansas City Chiefs.  The sack on Mahomes should’ve also turned into a turnover as the play was prematurely whistled dead.

It just more proof of the man with the golden locks being right in the middle of everything on defense.  If it is not a chocolate bar motivating him on the football field, it’s the vision like the one he had prior to the Raiders game.  In all, the timing of his emergence couldn’t have come at a better time for Bill Belichick.

A New England Patriots star in the making

After losing Kyle Van Noy and Jamie Collins in free agency, the Patriots needed a pass rusher to emerge and Chase Winovich is certainly doing that.  In the same mode of Mike Vrabel and Rob Ninkovich, he is simply doing everything Belichick asks and needs him to do and at the pace he is making plays, he is on the verge of being even better than those players.

With his high motor and the work he puts in to getting better and better each week, the New England Patriots clearly have another Michigan alum on the path of being one of the faces of the organization.  As luck has it, there are two other Michigan products in linebacker Josh Uche and offensive lineman Michael Onwenu who could be on similar paths.

In summary, Chase Winovich is becoming a sure bet every week to come up with big plays on defense.  He has become a dream player for Bill Belichick and a front seven that was desperately in need of an impact player.