Can New England Patriots come up with a little déjà vu in 2019?
It was roughly a year ago that the New England Patriots were having issues in December and all turned out well. So will this team repeat repeating?
Just like the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC, the New England Patriots have split their last six games after opening the season 8-0. Of course, unlike the 49ers, the team that resides in Foxborough owns the moniker of defending Super Bowl champions.
Over the course of their last half-dozen outings, the Pats have lost to the AFC North champion Baltimore Ravens, AFC South-leading Houston Texans and the AFC West champion Kansas City Chiefs.
It has been an uneven year for veteran quarterback Tom Brady and the offense, which entered Week 16 ranked 18th in the league in total yards and 19th in rushing. A year ago, only five teams in the NFL averaged more yards and more rushing yards per game.
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Yes, Bill Belichick’s team has scored an impressive 372 points. But seven of their 44 total touchdowns have come courtesy of the defense or special teams. The former unit, led by cornerback Stephon Gilmore and company, has been superb. But in recent weeks it has shown some cracks as well.
Doom in New England? Hardly. You have to go all the way back to last season to find question marks being raised about the club. The 2018 Patriots were 11-5 and all of their setbacks came to teams that didn’t make the playoffs. The team lost back-to-back games at Miami and at Pittsburgh in Weeks 14-15 and couldn’t stop the run in either contest.
But the Pats adapted, made the offensive line the focus of their attack late in the year and rolled up at least 150 yards on the ground in each of their postseason wins over the Chargers, Chiefs and Rams.
So could Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels lean on running back Sony Michel and the ground attack once again? At the moment, it doesn’t look realistic. But this moment is not January and last week’s win at Cincinnati ensured that the Patriots will be in the playoffs for an 11th consecutive year.
On Saturday, New England hosts the 10-4 Buffalo Bills, who are also playoff-bound. And Sean McDermott’s team looks hungry these days. Given their style of play, they should be more than a handful for the reigning AFC East champions. By the way, the division title is still up for grabs.
Win or lose on Saturday, these New England Patriots are champions until dethroned. In Super Bowl LI, many counted them out when they trailed 28-3 in the third quarter vs. the Falcons. Late last year, there were doubters again, especially when the team had to travel to Kansas City for the AFC Championship Game.
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These days, they are one game behind the 12-2 Ravens for the best record in the conference. Sounds like trouble in Foxborough, huh? Once again, champions until dethroned.