Ministry of Pain
Footballguy
Could be an exciting game but after all that turkey and stuffing, turkey and mashed potatoes, turkey and cranberries, booze, mac n cheese, desserts, I won't make it to kickoff
Go!
Go!
Anyone benching Jefferson, how can this not be a repeat of last week?
- WHERE: U.S. Bank Stadium (Minneapolis)
- WHEN: 8:20 p.m. ET | NBC, Telemundo, NFL+
- The Patriots still can’t score many points, but can they win? It’s becoming pretty clear that New England’s formula for winning games involves ball control on offense and letting its vastly improved defense do the heavy lifting. In the Patriots’ six wins, they have five offensive turnovers; in their five losses, they have turned it over 12 times. Mac Jones still looks like a guy who is grinding away out there, having withstood the whole Bailey Zappe saga, but little has come easy for the Patriots offensively this season, at least when Rhamondre Stevenson is not involved. The good news is that the Vikings’ defense has allowed more than 416 yards to opponents in half their games this season, including each of the past two, and Minnesota remains banged up on defense. The Patriots likely must shuffle their offensive line again with David Andrews hurt and the unit underachieving as a whole. But this is an opponent they should be able to move the ball against if the turnovers don’t become an issue.
- Kevin O’Connell finds his Vikings at crossroads vs. the coach who drafted him. At 8-2, the Vikings remain in tremendous shape for a playoff bid and a division crown. But they’re suddenly being questioned as a true contender following a string of close wins and two pretty revealing losses to the cream of the NFC in the Eagles and Cowboys. O’Connell has mostly pulled all the right strings in his first season as coach, but now he’s in need of another statement victory after his team was embarrassed at home just four days earlier. Bill Belichick might be 0-2 against first-year head coaches this season, but he’s made a career out of feasting off of them in the past. Belichick drafted O’Connell as a quarterback out of San Diego State in 2009 before cutting him the next year, and while that limited exposure likely won’t help from a game-planning standpoint, you can be sure that Belichick doesn’t want to be upstaged by his former player. After hearing Belichick loftily praise Justin Jefferson this week, you can be sure the Patriots will sell out to take him out of the game as much as possible. So who steps up? The best bet might be Dalvin Cook It’s easier to run against the Patriots than throw against them and Cook averaged 9.3 yards per carry against them in a 2018 game.
No way you can bench him. The good thing is if he doesn’t get the points, you can change your Sunday to go more upside.Anyone benching Jefferson, how can this not be a repeat of last week?
Uh, no?Anyone benching Jefferson, how can this not be a repeat of last week?
I wish I had upside on the bench at this point in the seasonNo way you can bench him. The good thing is if he doesn’t get the points, you can change your Sunday to go more upside.Anyone benching Jefferson, how can this not be a repeat of last week?
No left tackle, Kirk in Prime Time and the Pats record vs WRs this year has me concerned.Anyone benching Jefferson, how can this not be a repeat of last week?
I posted this earlier this week.It appears I am the only one that posts in this thread anymore, so why not one more?
Here's why I like the Pats on the road on a short week against Minnesota.
- No offense to Vikings fans, but MIN may be the weakest 8-2 team in league history. They are -2 on the season in point differential and -504 yards in yardage differential.
- Based on their performance and analytics, the Vikings projected record should be 4.9 - 5.1. Based on on-field numbers, NE would be expected to be 6.3-3.7. Even with an invisible offense, NE is +150 net yards on the season.
- Prior to getting whomped by DAL, the Vikings had won 7 straight one possession games (that tends to even out over time).
- The Pats defense has allowed an average of 30 yards per quarter over the past 8 quarters, only allowing 6 points in two games with 13 sacks. (Yes, Cousins/Cooks/Jefferson are in a whole different universe than Ehlinger/Jackson/Cambell or Wilson/Robinson/Mims).
- What just happened over the weekend? DAL beat MIN based on getting after Cousins (7 sacks), riding their two RB (226 YFS/4 TD), and going with a short passing game. Those are three things NE have the personnel for and do reasonably well. I'm guessing MIN won't be able to make many adjustments in a short week.
- MIN has allowed 154 rushing yds/gm in November. Even with Cook, MIN has been outrushed in that time by 32 yds/gm.
- In two previous games against NE, Cousins has averaged 209 passing yards and had 2 TD with 3 INT and a 69 passer rating.
- In the only game with Cousins playing for MIN vs. NE, Cousins had 201-1-2, Cook had 106 YFS, Diggs had 5-49-0, and Thielen had 5-28-1. NE won that game in 2018 by a 24-10 score.
- I posted yesterday that the magic number for NE is 17 points allowed. Since 2019 (Brady's last year in NE), in games when the defense has allowed 17 or fewer points, the Patriots have gone 31-1. In games when they have allowed 18 or more points, they are 4-25.
- I can see the NE defense getting a couple of turnovers and/or them getting in a field position battle that gets the Pats 3 or 4 FGs and a TD. The Pats still struggle to get points on the board, but playing in doors should help Folk get back on track. And I can see the defense limiting MIN to a TD and a couple of FG. Call me crazy, but I think the Pats can win this one if they don't turn the ball over, something like 19-13 or 16-13.
Aged questionably so far.No left tackle, Kirk in Prime Time and the Pats record vs WRs this year has me concerned.Anyone benching Jefferson, how can this not be a repeat of last week?
Hope I’m wrong
lol - it’s a 1 score game. I trust that BB won’t abandon the run just yet.Patriots run game already down 7,
Oof, just a horrible day for many RBs
Hell of a catch.Jakobi Meyers looks concussed on first offensive play. Damnit.
In the tent.
Jakobi Meyers looks concussed on first offensive play.
I’m sure we’ll see plenty of both.Damien Harris gets the start and first carry.
Whoa.
When they showed him getting up, he stared off into space and looked dazed.Jakobi Meyers looks concussed on first offensive play.
I could be dead wrong, but he had a knee injury earlier in the year and I thought I saw him go for his leg.
You probably saw it better, but figured I'd post that regardless.
He almost always does. He did last week too.Damien Harris gets the start and first carry.
Whoa.
When they showed him getting up, he stared off into space and looked dazed.
I'll be interested to hear what @Anarchy99 wants to chime in with but...Damien Harris gets the start and first carry.
Whoa.
Harris has “started” the games when he’s been healthy. But he has played a fraction of the snaps as RS. Stevenson should still see plenty of action.I'll be interested to hear what @Anarchy99 wants to chime in with but...Damien Harris gets the start and first carry.
Whoa.
It sure seems like there might be a changing of the guard and that surely is disturbing when you had other options but you could feel it coming
1 ****ing week where Stevenson isn't nuclear and they go right back to Harris, this blows for RS investors, he's killed it for a lot of weeks and we're right back where we started.
That's what you get when you make a deal with the devil, Bill Belichick trying to figure out who to start week to week.
He almost always does. He did last week too.
With Meyers out, RS becomes the likely beneficiary as a receiving target.He almost always does. He did last week too.
Well, you go tell Coach Belichick that I'm up against him one league. Tell him to get Stevenson in there.
I texted Bill. He said he would try getting him the ball the next three plays.He almost always does. He did last week too.
Well, you go tell Coach Belichick that I'm up against him one league. Tell him to get Stevenson in there.
Told ya it was comingHey, there is Primetime Kirk Cousins!
Could be an exciting game but after all that turkey and stuffing, turkey and mashed potatoes, turkey and cranberries, booze, mac n cheese, desserts, I won't make it to kickoff
Go!