New England ground down Buffalo 23-3 on Sunday, and in the process might have given us a preview of how the last quarter of this oddly-scheduled regular season will go. With three of the next four games vs. AFC East opponents, we can expect to see tough, hard-hitting tilts against geared-up foes taking their best … Continue reading Patriots Thursday Observations, Bills Review
If something called a "nerve-wracking blowout" exists, New England's 35-17 handling of Miami would qualify. With 5:33 remaining in the first quarter, tight end Rob Gronkowski outmuscled Reshad Jones and broke to the outside for a catch at the goal line. The score made it New England 14, Miami 0. Tom Brady had completed seven … Continue reading Patriots Thursday Observations, Dolphins Review
We're approaching the third anniversary of the farce known as deflategate. If this was really a plot by the NFL owners to get back at the Patriots and level the playing field, how has that worked out? What's happened to some of the key players who went after the Patriots in that drama since then? Mike … Continue reading Deflategate – Where Are They Now?
New England fans have myriad reasons to give thanks this holiday season, the latest a satisfying 33-8 win over Oakland at Mexico City. The Patriots spent 10 days at altitude, training at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs after the previous week's handling of the Broncos. The travel plans seemed to pay off, as … Continue reading Patriots Thursday Observations, Raiders Review
While it may too soon for Patriots fans to be thinking about Super Bowl tickets, with today’s onsale of the first-ever “The Night Before” concert, there’s a lot more to do around Super Bowl weekend, whether or not your planning to attend the game. The show, which is co-produced by On Location Experiences and CBS … Continue reading With or without Patriots, there’s a lot to do at the Super Bowl
We'll get to New England's 41-16 dismantling of Denver in a minute, but first, a quick story. When the Red Sox were making their way to the 2013 World Series, I watched a reporter asked a fan in his early 20s what he was thinking when the Sox were behind. The young man never had … Continue reading Patriots Thursday Observations, Broncos Review
Say what you will about the aesthetics, this New England team has resilience. In a slugfest that looked about as pretty as a post-fight portrait from Raging Bull, the Patriots once again got notable contributions from offense, defense, and special teams to hold on for a 21-13 win on Sunday. New England heads into their bye … Continue reading Patriots Thursday Observations, Chargers Review
Well, I called that one. (Note: I did not.) I knew for weeks that the Patriots would beat the Falcons 23-7, while holding the visitors scoreless until just over four minutes remained in the contest (untrue). I also predicted that, for the first time in 2017, they would hold an opposing quarterback to under 300 … Continue reading Patriots Thursday Observations, Falcons Review
In last week's column, I said that this game against the Jets would help clarify what kind of Patriots team we had, here. However, after New England played juuust well enough to outlast New York, I'm still not so sure. While many will point to the overturned touchdown by tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins as the major … Continue reading Patriots Thursday Observations, Jets Review
The 2017 Patriots have sent their fans' emotions into more ups and downs than a bad soap opera actor. After a last-second loss to Carolina two weeks ago that had the locals keening, last Thursday's 19-14 win at Tampa Bay got everyone cheering again. Now at 3-2, New England sits atop the AFC East Division … Continue reading Patriots Thursday Observations, Buccaneers Review
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