New England Patriots Week 3 Stock Report
The last time someone accused the New England Patriots of foul play, they won 18 straight games and went to the Super Bowl.
In the aftermath of Deflategate, the Patriots are hoping to make it 19 straight.
At 2-0, the Patriots once again look like the class of the AFC and quite possibly the NFL. They still have a long way to go, but if they keep this up, they'll be tough to stop.
That being said, the team is not without its flaws, as we saw in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 40-32 win over the Buffalo Bills. Here's a look at a handful of players who are either on an upward or downward trajectory coming out of last week's game.
Stock Up: Tom Brady
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The revenge tour continues.
Tom Brady is on a record pace, and he doesn't appear ready to slow down anytime soon. The Patriots quarterback completed 38 of his 59 (!) pass attempts on Sunday for 466 yards and threw three touchdown passes against the Buffalo Bills. He is now leading the NFL in completions, attempts, yards and touchdown passes.
He has been cerebral in tearing apart defenses, but with tight end Rob Gronkowski and slot receiver Julian Edelman at his disposal, it's been borderline unfair to those defenses.
Brady's job won't get any more difficult in Week 3, when the Patriots play host to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Yes, Jacksonville in the top 10 in both scoring and yards, but Brady is on a mission, and a home game against the Jaguars shouldn't be more than a bump in the road.
At this rate, he's already threatening the numbers he posted in 2007.
Stock Down: Bradley Fletcher
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When the Patriots added cornerback Bradley Fletcher to their roster in the spring, the decision was met with some eyebrow-furrowing and head-scratching. Did the Patriots really expect Fletcher to be a starting-caliber cornerback after the way he played with the Philadelphia Eagles?
Through two games, he's yet to prove worthy of a starting spot in the Patriots' secondary. He has yielded completions on eight of the nine throws into his coverage for 129 yards according to Pro Football Focus and was on the wrong end of a long touchdown pass to wide receiver Sammy Watkins in the fourth quarter.
The Patriots went with Fletcher over Logan Ryan in Week 1 but switched to Ryan as the top cornerback in Week 2. It may be dictated by matchups, but it's more likely that it's performance-based. That being said, neither Ryan nor Fletcher have covered themselves in glory this year. Ryan yielded receptions on four of the five throws into his coverage against the Bills.
If Fletcher continues to play the way he's played for two weeks, the Patriots may make a permanent switch to life without him on the roster.
Stock Up: Rob Gronkowski
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If there was ever a case to be made for two players on the same team to share the league MVP award, Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski might be making that case right now.
Gronkowski has posted 12 receptions for 207 receiving yards and a league-high four touchdowns through two games. Much like Brady, Gronkowski doesn't show any sign of slowing down.
Opposing defenses have not found a way to stop the 6'6", 265-pound tight end, and short of King Kong, there may not be an answer. Gronkowski is coming off the first fully healthy offseason he's had since 2011 and could absolutely threaten the NFL record of touchdown receptions in a season (23) set by Randy Moss in 2007.
The Patriots offense is currently ranked second in scoring and in yards, and it's all thanks to Brady and Gronkowski.
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Stock Down: Run Defense
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This "stock down" doesn't go to just one player, because it's not up to just one player to stop the run.
It's up to 11 guys on defense to fill gaps, take good angles, wrap up the ball-carrier and make the tackle.
Thus far, through two games, the Patriots defense has struggled to do some of those things en route to yielding 294 rushing yards (28th out of 32 NFL teams) and 5.7 yards per carry (32nd). This could be a function of the Patriots game plan, to an extent, if the team feels that forfeiting yards on the ground is preferable to allowing big plays through the air.
But I would venture to say that never in the history of the NFL has a defense set out to be the worst in the league against the run. This is a point of pride for defenders; physical play against the run is one of the few times NFL defenders are encouraged to be as physical as they can be.
The Patriots defense has to step up in that regard this week against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who will surely look to the running game to keep their offense on schedule.
Stock Up: Aaron Dobson
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With Brandon LaFell out of action, the Patriots seemed to be lacking a big-bodied wide receiver to put on the outside at the exit receiver spot. Key phrase: seemed to be.
But in posting seven receptions for 87 yards against the Buffalo Bills, third-year wide receiver Aaron Dobson showed that he could be the answer to the Patriots' need.
The 6'3", 210-pound receiver was a non-factor in 2014, as he bounced on and off the active roster while rehabbing a foot injury that set him back in training camp, only before he suffered a hamstring injury that ended his season. Week 2 was a promising step in the right direction.
It's only one game, and different receivers might have different types of roles for the Patriots this season, with different receivers being highlighted in different matchups. However, Dobson hasn't shown many signs of life since midway through his rookie season. In Week 2, Tom Brady put the defibrillator to Dobson's chest, and now, we have a pulse.
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