Patriots win, but lose star receiver Edelman

Once again the New England Patriots and NY Giants staged a thriller for football fans in week 10. What resulted instead was another agonizing defeat.

En route to their flawless 9-0 start, New England has been involved in three “close games” – games in which the outcome was in doubt in the fourth quarter.

-Quarterback Tom Brady knows that losing Edelman to a broken foot – the 100-catch machine reportedly underwent surgery November 16 for a Jones fracture suffered in the win over the Giants and will miss at least 6-8 weeks – isn’t something the Patriots will simply gloss over in the next-man-up-philosophy. On the other hand, the Patriots have one of the best defenses in the National Football League, and it goes without saying that their offense is not half bad either.

The team needs to get through the next couple of games and be injury free. He kept after it and knocked the ball free. “They weren’t going to let us run the ball right there”.

Frustration. Anger. Disappointment. Maybe all of the above following a fumble that handed the ball to the Giants at New England’s 31-yard line holding a 23-17 lead. Safety Landon Collins appeared to make the game-winning interception, but could not hold onto the ball as he hit the ground. But Brady got his fourth Super Bowl ring this February when New England outlasted Seattle.

But they also were plagued by critical pass interference penalties, and lost top receiver Julian Edelman (foot) in the first half.

Gostkowski certainly gets a game ball, as does his counterpart, Giants kicker Josh Brown, who with four made field goals extended his career high and Giants record streak to 27 consecutive made attempts. That means the Giants will have to dig deeper into their linebacker depth, with Jasper Brinkley and Mark Herzlich looking at increased responsibility defensively along with their work they already do on special teams. “Hopefully at a few point we can get a few guys back”. In 2013 and 2014, Edelman averaged 98.5 catches, 1,014 yards and five touchdowns per season. How much did Eli Manning have to do with it? The Giants fell to 5-5 on the season, though they still sit in first place in the NFC East. As he was coming down, Malcolm Butler, the super bowl hero, punches it out of his hands to force an incomplete pass. This play eventually led to a Giants field goal, putting them up 26-24 with under two minutes to go.

“Yes I dropped it. We didn’t get the touchdown, we could have had the touchdown and made the Patriots have to go down and score”, said Beckham Jr. after the game. “Guys practiced hard, they worked hard, they wanted it badly, they prepared well, and they battled out on the field”. NY coach Tom Coughlin knew how to expose the Pats defense, and he didn’t waste any time.

The Patriots next game in Monday night vs. the Bills at Gillette Stadium.

The Broncos saw their nine-game AFC West winning streak come to an end with their first loss to the Chiefs since 2011. That recovery timeline gives Edelman the chance to come back by the end of the season or the playoffs and that is a positive development for the Patriots moving forward. That could very well open the door to a game plan that features aggressive blitzing this time around. “We can’t draw up 20 new plays because something happens”.