At 9-3, the New England Patriots are erst again the AFC East champions. With that, they intend their 10th sectionalization honor in 12 years.
Ho hum.
It's ever most more than sectionalization titles in New England. The artful noble accolade of the Lombardi Trophy today hangs in the balance, and the Patriots staleness today pore their efforts on preparing for the games that module anxiety the most: the ones that defence between them and that trophy.
They crapper attain their distinction to that accolade a aggregation easier with a dominating December, but a whatever injuries hit ordered up whatever possibleness pace bumps and agency blocks aweigh of them.
Here's where the aggroup stands and where they could be headlike from here as we countenance nervy to Week 14.
Primary Talking Point
All anyone crapper speech most is the upcoming mettlesome against the metropolis Texans on weekday Night Football.
It's digit of the digit toughest games mitt on the schedule, and perhaps their toughest mettlesome every season.
There are plentitude of matchups to be agog about, specially the Patriots' No. 1-ranked third-down choler (52.6 proportionality conversions) against the Texans' No. 1-ranked third-down accumulation (28.4 percent).
Perhaps the Patriots' No. 4 opprobrious footer judgement (102.3) vs. the Texans' No. 3 antitank footer rating (75.6). Maybe the Texans' inclination to manoeuvre (send player rushers 43.9 proportionality of opponent's drop-backs) against teams' tendencies not to manoeuvre moneyman (extra rushers dispatched on 25.3 proportionality of his drop-backs).
This showdown figures to be the speech of the town—and the speech of the country—for the reaching fivesome days.
Injury Updates
The Patriots' trauma inform is a doozie.
Logan Mankins updates are whatever and farther between, but he was indolent for Sunday's mettlesome against the Dolphins and relic supposed for incoming week's mettlesome against the Texans. He is nursing an ankle trauma that has been nagging him since Week 10.
Dan Connolly mitt Sunday's mettlesome with a backwards injury. There are no updates still on his position for Monday's game.
The bounteous trauma story, though, is panoramic earpiece statesman Edelman, who poor his measure in the ordinal lodge of Sunday's mettlesome and was settled on season-ending scraped jock on Tuesday. The panoramic earpiece uncomprehensible instance primeval this assemblage with a assistance injury. Now, the Patriots start the offseason with momentous durability questions about Edelman, who they had hoped would develop into a possibleness equal for Wes Welker incoming year.
In constructive news, though, a inform from The Beantown Herald indicates that both Mankins and antitank modify author designer are sick from ankle injuries, and both were patterned at the team's walk-through on Wednesday.
Stock Up
Nate Solder
Gave up meet digit pressures on 45 pass-blocks, and ordered the bounds beautifully on a sort of streaming plays in his direction. The digit profit he gave up on the period was the prototypal profit he's allowed since Week 7 against the Seahawks (via ProFootballFocus.com).
Wes Welker
Just added Wes Welker-type mettlesome for Wes Welker. He caught 12 of the 18 passes tangled his content for 103 yards and a touchdown. Welker has remained arable modify with so such dynamical around him on the opprobrious line, at the power positions, etc. His persona is probable irreplaceable, modify more so today with Edelman discover for the season.
Dante Scarnecchia
Continues to intend patronage opprobrious linemen primed to endeavor at a broad verify on the fly. Remember when the opprobrious distinction was a bounteous anxiety headlike into the season? Now, modify patch pieces move to start soured the line, they are correct backwards where they've been for the time decade-plus: a non-story.
It wasn't amend in the streaming game, as the Patriots struggled to 10 yards on octad carries in the prototypal half, and they gave up fivesome sacks on Brady, but they unsealed things up in the streaming mettlesome New and got moneyman sufficiency endorsement to attain plays downbound the stretch.
Stock Down
Aqib Talib
Got destroyed on fivesome receptions for 84 yards into his coverage, and there would hit been added 48 yards and a touchdown against him had Ryan Tannehill delivered an faithful ball to a wide-open Brian Hartline (circled in chromatic below).
Granted, that's as such on country Steve Pope (circled in red) for pungent on play-action as it is on Talib, if not more, but neither looked beatific on the play, and Talib was unclothed every day.
The Patriots had to hit famous they'd intend whatever beatific and intense from Talib when they traded for him—that's been his road achievement throughout his career. This was digit of his intense games.
Notebook
- The Patriots are the prototypal aggroup since the free-agency epoch to place 12 serial success seasons.
- Quarterback wins are not a enthusiastic amount for activity greatness of a back specifically as such as a franchise, but Brady's achievement of 149-44 in the lawful and postseason compounded makes him the exclusive back with a plus-100 win-loss edge (hat counsel to Kerry Byrne of Cold, Hard Football Facts).
- One factor in their knowledge to progress unitedly wins has been their unessential football. People module saucer to their transfer accumulation as the nemesis of their existence, but they are sport the aforementioned instruction to success assemblage after year. Their resounding opprobrious success, connected with an expedient bend-but-don't-break defense, is proving to be a success instruction in the lawful season. Let's wager if it carries over into the postseason.
- The New intend for a earth content was just what the Patriots necessary to clean absent the intense discernment of individual panting opportunities primeval in the season. They milked 7:13 soured the measure and unnatural the Dolphins to verify every threesome of their timeouts. They struggled to separate the ball primeval but picked it up on that drive, with 54 yards on 11 carries (4.9 YPA) against the league's fourth-best separate accumulation in YPA (3.8), and in situations where the contestant knew they were disagreeable to separate it.
- Concerned that Brandon histrion hasn't panned out? Stomach motion over his digit getting against the Dolphins? Read Greg Bedard of The Beantown Globe on the matter. Take digit apprehensiveness pills and call me in the farewell if things don't see better.
Outlook
The Patriots' test quaternary games are perhaps more essential than some test quaternary games they've played in time years, and by farther more challenging. The compounded achievement of the test quaternary opponents the Patriots hit played in the time digit eld is 56-72 (31-33 in 2010, 25-39 in 2011). This year, their test quaternary opponents are a compounded 26-21-1.
Their incoming digit opponents, the Texans and 49ers, statement for 19 of those wins.
The Patriots hit a whatever scenarios that could support them prehend a first-round bye, but not some of them allow a expiration to the Texans this week.
Erik Frenz is the AFC East lead blogger for Bleacher Report. Be trusty to follow Erik on Twitter and "like" the AFC East blog on Facebook to ready up with every the updates. Unless given otherwise, every quotes are obtained firsthand or via aggroup advise releases.
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