Pats Posits: The Second Seed, A Very Long Preseason and Brady’s Ankle

When ramming the ball down the Miami Dolphins’ throat with running back Steven Jackson didn’t work in the first half, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady began going deep in the third and fourth quarters. The players are trying to improve and fix the problems that have made them lose four of their last six games.

Why, if the team had gone into the game with an obviously conservative approach created to protect Brady (and even Dolphins coach Dan Campbell believed that’s what the Pats game plan was), did they decide to throw the ball so often after Brady got hurt? “Things just didn’t go our way, Miami was just the better team”. But his rating jumped to 114.4 when taking the snap from under center, and while he hit on only 56.6 percent of his attempts, he threw 13 touchdowns without being picked off. In addition, Tannehill produced a big 19-yard run on Miami’s game-winning drive, converting on a key third-down play. “They’re all my friends and they’ve been my friends for a long time”. Across the National Football League, the average was 65 plays and nearly 21 scores. Indianapolis is expected to fire Chuck Pagano, and the New York Giants have reportedly convinced Tom Coughlin in retire. The exception was in rushing the passer, with 28 of their 49 sacks coming at Gillette.

“I’ve said this before, I think he’s more important than Rob Gronkowski to that offense”. More recently, he dealt with an illness leading up to Week 15. It’s all connected. If Edelman steps in and is his same old self, this entire offense will look much better. In 2014, they allowed 3,837 yards and 24 touchdowns.

Whether it’s for the run game or the passing game, the Patriots really failed to excel on a consistent basis. Brady should’ve rested the rest of the game after getting banged up.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Monday morning that Brady underwent an MRI on his ankle, which revealed a sprain, but no breaks.

The Bengals have won three of their last five, and it’s still unknown who will be at quarterback, as starter Andy Dalton (broken thumb) may not be ready.

After all, the Dolphins have plenty of competition when it comes finding their next head coach, someone they hope will get this franchise off the mediocrity merry-go-round.

Tom Coughlin resigned after 12 years with the Giants on Monday. He scoffed at that suggestion and uttered the phrase, “We’re on to Cincinnati, ” repeatedly when asked to reflect on the loss.

Then again… Chip Kelly is available. The Patriots’ defense has outperformed expectations in 2015, including the development of first-time Pro Bowlers Malcolm Butler, Jamie Collins and Chandler Jones.

That silver lining notwithstanding, let’s not forget the Pats now face the possibility of going to Denver for the AFC Championship Game.