Patriots plight, NFL power rankings, Jalen Ramsey and more
The New England Patriots enter 2018 as the de facto favorites in the AFC, but age, injuries and a declining roster are threatening their dominant grasp.
Yup, another year, and another column about why this season might mark the end of the New England Patriots as we know them.
These pieces exist in theory for two reasons. One, the writer believes the prose. Two, probability continues to sway in that side of the argument’s favor as Tom Brady inches ever closer to an AARP card.
All kidding aside, the Patriots are still a very good team. New England has the almost unbeatable combination of Brady and Bill Belichick, along with a generational talent in Rob Gronkowski. That trio alone puts the Patriots in the annual title conversation and rightfully so, with New England having reached a staggering eight Super Bowls since 2001.
Still, all good (and in this case, incredibly great) things come to an end. Nothing goes on forever, although Keith Richards is testing that rule by the minute.
The Patriots may still have Belichick, Brady and Gronkowski, but the cast surrounding them is a far cry from even the group taking the field a year ago at this time.
New England was stacked, to the point any believed it could threaten for an undefeated record. The Patriots were atypically active in the winter, landing Brandin Cooks, Kony Ealy and Dwayne Allen via trade while signing Rex Burkhead, Stephon Gilmore and Mike Gillislee. All this was added to a group that included Brady, Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan, Danny Amendola, Dion Lewis, Malcolm Butler, Devin McCourty, Dont’a Hightower and others.
The result? 13-3 and another Super Bowl berth. However, things aren’t the same this August.
Belichick decided to retool by letting a legion of contributing veterans walk including Amendola, Lewis, Butler, Malcolm Mitchell and Nate Solder. He traded Cooks to recoup a first-round pick, even with Edelman coming off a torn ACL and a pending four-game suspension.
Now, New England is also without Isaiah Wynn, the rookie offensive tackle out of Georgia who tore his Achilles against the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night. Wynn, coincidentally, was taken with the pick received in the Cooks trade.
A quick glance at what’s left leaves a few evident truths. If Gronkowski or Edelman is out, the offense will struggle against a good team. Brady is magical, but even Houdini couldn’t create much with only one of the aforementioned duo alongside Hogan and Eric Decker. The running game doesn’t stand to be potent, and if one of his reliable stars is out, even an average defense can bracket the other and breathe easy.
Defensively, it’s hard to see how New England doesn’t struggle. The Patriots ranked 29th in yards allowed last season and 30th against the pass. The offseason saw the addition of Adrian Clayborn on the line, but the subtraction of Butler. Barring a shocker, that’s a net loss for a team that needed a major gain.
Additionally, New England is changing coordinators with Matt Patricia getting his shot as head coach of the Detroit Lions. While Belichick never formally named a replacement, linebackers coach Brian Flores will be making the calls, something that should help the transition.
Ultimately, New England isn’t as good on offense or defense. It also has less brain power on the sideline, although that staff has plenty to spare. The Patriots will still waltz through the disastrous AFC East and likely earn a first-round bye due to it, but it wouldn’t be surprising if New England gets picked off quickly come January.
History says the Patriots won’t get to the Super Bowl, anyway, with only two teams (1971-73 Miami Dolphins and 1990-93 Buffalo Bills) ever reaching three consecutive Super Sundays.
Every year, the demise for New England is predicted, only for those prognostications to fall flat.
This season, the column has been written in this space, because for the first time in years, the Patriots aren’t scaring anybody with their roster.
Power rankings
Top 12 hardest-hitting players in NFL history
1. Dick Butkus, Chicago Bears
2. Steve Atwater, Denver Broncos
3. Chuck Bednarik, Philadelphia Eagles
4. Jack Lambert, Pittsburgh Steelers
5. Jack Tatum, Oakland Raiders
6. Lawrence Taylor, New York Giants
7. John Lynch, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
8. Deacon Jones, Los Angeles Rams
9. Ronnie Lott, San Francisco 49ers
10. Ray Lewis, Baltimore Ravens
11. Dick “Night Train” Lane, Chicago Cardinals
12. Junior Seau, San Diego Chargers
Quotable
"“That was the thing I was impressed with Patrick the most. I mean I know he can sling the heck out of it down the field, but he had a couple of nice throws there that are probably gonna get overlooked (that) I thought he really did a nice job with. It shows his accuracy and ability to make the ones that people might consider a little tougher sideline throws. Pretty good with it.”"
– Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid on Patrick Mahomes’ performance
Mahomes garnered plenty of attention nationally on Friday night in Kansas City’s 28-14 win over the Atlanta Falcons. The second-year quarterback launched an obscene 69-yard touchdown pass — in the air — to Tyreek Hill. For many, the takeaway from the night was that Mahomes has a prodigious arm.
For Reid another onlookers more inclined to study the film, the best part of his showing was the timing related to footwork and placement of the ball. If Mahomes can master those aspects of the game, combined with his cannon, he’ll be special.
Podcast
On Monday, Matt Verderame and Josh Hill record a new episode of Stacking The Box, tackling all the preseason action! Then, on 12:30 p.m. ET every Tuesday, Hill and Verderame are joined by Mark Carman and Ashley Young on the FanSided Facebook page for a 30-minute video version of STB that you won’t want to miss!
Random stat
Drew Brees is the only quarterback in NFL history to throw for 5,000 yards in more than one season. Brees has done it an incredible five times with the New Orleans Saints.
Info learned this week
1. Darnold, Mayfield manage games in Week 2
After lighting the world on fire in their preseason debuts, Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold had quieter encore performances. Mayfield went 7-of-13 for 75 yards in a 19-17 loss to the Bills, making the safe plays and little else. Darnold did much of the same in the New York Jets’ defeat at Washington, hitting on 8-of-11 attempts for 62 yards and an interception.
At this juncture, both quarterbacks look like they belong second on their respective depth charts. Tyrod Taylor is clearly the more polished player, while Teddy Bridgewater is slinging it around for the Jets. Still, Darnold will probably end up starting Week 1, while Taylor will be a week-to-weej placeholder in Cleveland before his contact expires at the end of the season.
2. McCaffrey appears to be breakout star in Carolina
Christian McCaffrey was terrific as a rookie, albeit largely under-the-radar. Entering his second season with the Carolina Panthers, the former Stanford standout appears ready to burst onto the scene.
In Carolina’s 27-20 win over the Dolphins, McCaffrey exploded for 92 yards and a touchdown on five carries, showcasing both burst and quickness. If the Panthers can utilize McCaffrey even more than they did as a rookie — he had 197 touches (108 rushing, 80 receiving) — they could well challenge for NFC South supremacy once more.
McCaffrey should become the focal point of the offense, with Greg Olsen getting older and D.J. Moore working his way into the lineup as a rookie. There may be nobody who is more of a dual threat than McCaffrey is he proves a quality runner, giving offensive coordinator Mike Shula a terrific chess piece.
3. Jalen Ramsey sounds off in GQ article
Tell us how you really feel, Jalen.
The Jacksonville Jaguars star corner spoke for a recent profile in GQ and had plenty to say about opposing quarterbacks. In the piece, Ramsey characterized Buffalo Bills first-round pick Josh Allen as “trash” while referring to Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons as “overrated.” The Pittsburgh Steelers also might be surprised to hear that Ben Roethlisberger is “decent at best,” being bailed out by Antonio Brown.
However, he did have some praise to hand out. Ramsey believes the Philadelphia Eagles and Houston Texans have future MVPs in Carson Wentz and Deshaun Watson, respectively. The Baltimore Ravens also made a nice pick with Lamar Jackson, says Ramsey, believing the Heisman Trophy winner can mature into a quality talent.
Some will say Ramsey should keep his mouth shut, and from his team’s perspective, maybe so. Still, this kind of chatter will make for great headlines as Ramsey faces many of these quarterbacks, and who can argue with that?
4. Bengals release longtime starter Iloka
The Cincinnati Bengals made a stunning move on Sunday, releasing strong safety George Iloka. Iloka, 28, is a terrific run stuffer who can also shadow a tight end, along with playing in zone. The Bengals likely didn’t want to pay his $5.3 million price tag, but he should have ample suitors banging down his door.
A few teams that could be interested should include the Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts, Buccaneers and Chiefs. All six of those teams are in desperate need of help on the back end, and Iloka would be an immediate upgrade.
5. Titans offense looks sharp under new regime
The Tennessee Titans lost over the weekend to the Buccaneers, but the first-team offense looked sharp under new coordinator Matt LaFleur. Tennessee watched Marcus Mariota complete 4-of-7 attempts for 80 yards and a touchdown, while second-year speedster Taywan Taylor caught four passes for 95 yards and two scores.
If the Titans can find a passing game — something they sorely lacked a year ago with Mike Mularkey wearing the headset — they could be very dangerous in a lackluster AFC. Tennessee should have a quality defense and running game, making Mariota and Co. the missing piece.
History lesson
The Cowboys and Washington Redskins have been one of the NFL’s best rivalries sine Dallas’ inception in 1960. However, the two teams have only met twice in the playoffs, with Washington hammering the Cowboys in both the 1972 and ’82 NFC Championship games.
Both times, the Redskins went on to play the Miami Dolphins in the Super Bowl, losing the first time but rebounding a decade later.
Parting shot
Who exactly is the favorite in the NFC North?
The Minnesota Vikings have the best roster from top to bottom, but Aaron Rodgers resides in Green Bay. Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions and Bears have the requisite talent to be difficult on any given Sunday, although if we’re honest, this appears to be a two-horse race.
Green Bay has ample question marks including secondary and running back, but arguably the league’s best quarterback helms the team. Conversely, the Vikings upgraded significantly over Case Keenum by signing Kirk Cousins, but is Cousins going to stand up to Rodgers when the teams play head-to-head?
There are other divisions that have better potential for wilder races such as the NFC South and AFC West due to the parity, but the North could be the best can-you-top-this duel.
It may very well come down to the games against each other, which comes in Weeks 2 and 12, the latter at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday Night Football.