New England Patriots Week 14 Stock Report
Another bad week for the New England Patriots.
On the heels of a second straight loss, there's blame pie being handed out left and right. No one is safe after the Patriots laid an egg in a 35-28 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles; not Tom Brady, not the Patriots coaches, not anyone.
That being said, there are still some positives to be gleaned from the game. Aside from the fact that the Patriots still control their destiny to the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye, there were some Patriots players who delivered standout performances Sunday against the Eagles.
Here's a look at some players on both ends of the spectrum.
Stock Down: Tom Brady
1 of 5
We said a few weeks ago that we would not be putting Tom Brady in the stock report any further, but that was when he was lighting up opposing defenses week after week. That was back when regurgitating his stat line became an exercise in redundancy.
But Brady has come back to earth recently. On Sunday against the Eagles, Brady completed 29 of 56 pass attempts (51.8 percent) for 312 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions and a 71.4 passer rating. His completion percentage was Brady's second-lowest of the season, and his passer rating was his lowest of the season. Sunday was also the first time this season that Brady has thrown more than one interception in a game.
Of course, Brady's sudden slump could easily be attributed to the injuries on offense; losing tight end Rob Gronkowski and wide receiver Julian Edelman is more than just a minor setback. However, it's not like the Patriots are completely bereft of weapons on offense. They still have Danny Amendola and Brandon LaFell in the passing game. James White is emerging as a threat, and Scott Chandler has some potential as well. LeGarrette Blount is an effective running back when he gets enough opportunities.
Brady and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels need to find ways to get the remaining playmakers involved in a way that will help the Patriots offense remain the efficient, machine-like juggernaut they've been for as long as anyone can remember.
Stock Up: James White
2 of 5
Danny Woodhead. Shane Vereen. Dion Lewis. James White. They're all different names for the same thing. That "thing" is a Kevin Faulk clone.
On Sunday against the Eagles, White pulled in 10 receptions for 115 yards and a touchdown. He was the team's leading receiver in both receptions and yards. He also added two carries for four yards.
White hasn't made much of a contribution in the running game, though, with just 15 carries for 39 yards and a touchdown this season. In the passing game, though, he's now up to 22 receptions for 210 yards and two touchdowns. With so many injuries on offense, the Patriots are going to need more contributions like White's if they want to get back on track.
Stock Down: Offensive Line
3 of 5
Relatively speaking, the Patriots are healthy on the offensive line. Yes, they are still without left tackle Nate Solder, but they've been without him for almost two whole months. This offensive line is as healthy as it's going to be for the rest of the season.
Their pass-protection problems were excusable when guys like Tre' Jackson, Marcus Cannon, Bryan Stork and Sebastian Vollmer were all dealing with injuries, but those guys have all been back in the lineup for a considerable amount of time. It's troubling when the Patriots continue to struggle in pass protection and continue to fail in opening up holes for the running game.
Against the Eagles, Brady was pressured on 31 of his 62 dropbacks, according to Pro Football Focus. While under pressure, he completed just 40 percent of his throws, and he threw two touchdowns and two interceptions for a passer rating of 53.3. The running game finally, barely, made it over 100 rushing yards in a game for just the second time in the past seven games. But the Patriots averaged just a hair above four yards per carry.
If the offense is going to get back on track, it has to start with the guys up front.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Stock Up: Danny Amendola
4 of 5
More and more every week, Danny Amendola proves that he is capable of at least replacing the production left behind by Julian Edelman.
Last week, Amendola finished with seven receptions for 62 yards, marking the third straight week in which he's had seven or more receptions. He also had a beauty of a throw to Tom Brady, harking back to the trick play against the Baltimore Ravens in last year's playoffs when Edelman threw deep to Amendola after a screen by Brady.
That being said, throwing the ball is not Amendola's full-time job; catching the ball is. In that respect, Amendola is on pace to set new career highs in both receiving yards and receiving touchdowns in a season. With Amendola being the only consistently reliable threat in the Patriots passing game, expect him to continue to build on those numbers.
Stock Down: Special Teams
5 of 5
The Patriots defense allowed just 14 points on Sunday against the Eagles; the offense scored 28 points. If they didn't have to play special teams, the Patriots might have won the game.
Were it not for a blocked punt by the Eagles which was returned for a touchdown, in addition to an 87-yard punt return touchdown by Eagles running back Darren Sproles, the Patriots might be sitting pretty atop the AFC at 11-1. A few missed tackles on Sproles' punt return and a couple of missed assignments on the blocked punt where the difference in the game.
In that sense, the feeling of alarm should be a lot lower than it is in New England right now; these are correctable issues, and not issues we usually see from the Patriots. That being said, these are issues which still must be corrected with haste, because the margin for error is now as small as a flea on a freckle.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
