7 Keys to Victory in New England Patriots' Week 6 Matchup
The New England Patriots are used to being in control of the AFC East. They've won the division 13 of the last 14 seasons. The one time they didn't win in that span was the year quarterback Tom Brady suffered a torn ACL in the season opener.
This season, though, things are different. The Patriots sit at 3-2, in the midst of a three-way tie atop the division. The Buffalo Bills and New York Jets are also 3-2, while the Miami Dolphins sit just below at 2-2.
This makes New England's Week 6 game with the Jets incredibly important. Should the Patriots lose, they could fall to last place. Making the situation even more precarious is the fact Brady is dealing with an AC joint sprain in his non-throwing shoulder.
This might have looked like an easy win when the season started, but it's going to be anything but. What steps do the Patriots need to take in order to ensure victory? Let's take a look.
New England Patriots at New York Jets
Where: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
When: Sunday, October 15 at 1 p.m. ET
National TV: CBS
Protect Brady Better
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We've listed protecting Brady as a goal pretty much every week this season, and at some point, the Patriots have to actually do it.
Last week, the quarterback was sacked another three times and was hit several more. He's now been sacked more this season than he was in all 12 games of 2016. This is some of the worst pass protection Brady's had during his career, and at age 40, that's worrisome.
"We have to do a better job protecting him," running back James White said, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. "We're all accountable for that."
This week, protecting Brady will be extra important. According to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, he has played through the same injury before and will try playing through it in New York.
One thing the Patriots cannot do is allow the AC joint sprain to get worse due to another on-field beating.
Yes, the injury is to Brady's non-throwing shoulder, but that doesn't mean it isn't going to affect the way he plays. If the Patriots hope to make any kind of serious run this season, they're going to need the 40-year-old healthy down the stretch.
Run the Ball at Least 30 Times
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One way to help protect Brady is running the ball more. New England did a decent job of that last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, amassing 113 yards on the ground, but they need to commit to the run even more against the Jets.
Brady attempted 40 passes in Week 5. The Patriots ran the ball just 23 times. That isn't the kind of balance that's going to significantly lessen the chance of hits on the quarterback.
Running the ball more would also help control the tempo and limit the time New England's defense is on the field. That defense is still finding its way, so this should be an additional goal.
Now, a lot of fans may look at the talent the Jets have on their defensive line and assume New England's best course of action is attacking through the air. Well, you might not realize that the Jets are allowing the third-most rushing yards in the NFL right now, an average of 143.0 yards per game.
The Patriots need to commit to running the ball 30-40 times in Week 6, potentially allowing Brady to drop back 30 times or fewer.
Give Lewis More Offensive Work
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Mike Gillislee is the Patriots' lead back in the ground game right now. Yet, he's averaging just under 14 carries per game. Giving him more carries would certainly help New England get to 30 or more carries. However, the Patriots should also give a bigger workload to Dion Lewis.
Lewis had just seven carried against the Buccaneers, but he actually outgained Gillislee 53 yards to 52. He leads all Patriots running backs with an average of 5.2 yards per carry on the season. No other running back is averaging more than four yards per rush.
Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels believes that getting the ball to Lewis needs to be part of the game plan.
"So, there's a lot of things that go into that, but certainly we're all for getting the ball to our guys that can do things with it and make a lot of yards," McDaniels said, per Anthony Gulizia of the Boston Globe. "Dion's certainly one of those guys, and we need to continue to give him an opportunity."
A bigger role for Lewis would help the Patriots move the ball on the ground and in the short-passing game, hopefully making things easier on Brady and New England's pass protection in the process.
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Get Hollister, Allen Involved in the Offense
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The Patriots traded for tight end Dwayne Allen and signed undrafted tight end Jacob Hollister in the offseason, but they've barely used either in the passing game.
According to Allen, that hasn't been his requested role.
"It's kind of hard. The role that I'm in right now, I don't get as many passing opportunities, but that's part of the game. You own up to your role, you embrace it, and you continue to get better. It's all about the team winning at the end of the day," he said, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com.
New England really needs to try incorporating the two pass-catching tight ends into the offense more against the Jets.
There are a couple reasons for this. One is that New York isn't likely to expect either guy being a major part of the game plan. They have just two receptions between them. The other reason is it would save wear and tear on tight end Rob Gronkowski, who missed last week's game with a tight injury.
Despite not having Gronkowski on the field with them, neither Allen nor Hollister logged a reception. That needs to change this week.
Don't Allow the Jets Any Early Momentum
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The Jets were expected to be one of the worst teams in the NFL this season. Heck, some even believed they were going to tank in order to clinch a high draft position. That hasn't been the case, however.
New York has won three games in a row, and the team and fans are beginning to believe. This game will be at home, and the crowd would love nothing more than to see a win over the Jets' most-hated rival.
The last thing the Patriots want to do is feed the crowd with some early Jets momentum. It's not like this isn't an experienced New England team that can deal with a hostile crowd, but it doesn't need to make things harder on itself.
The main reason for this is the protection of Brady. He doesn't need his offensive teammates struggling to hear play adjustments or protections call. Keeping pressure off the QB has been enough of a challenge at home.
If the New York crowd gets and stays into the game, life for Brady could be even more difficult.
Force McCown to Win the Game
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The Patriots defense has been a disappointment so far this season. However, simplifying coverages in the secondary did seem to help limit long pass plays in last week's win over Buccaneers. As the secondary continues to come together, we should start seeing better pass defense.
A bigger concern right now is how often the Patriots are being gashed in the run game. New England's defense is allowing an average of 124.2 yards per game on the ground, 24th in the NFL.
Last week, the defense let Doug Martin rack up 74 yards and a touchdown on just 13 carries in his 2017 debut.
This is precisely why the Patriots need to focus on shutting down the run. It won't be easy, but forcing quarterback Josh McCown to beat them will make things easier on the New England defense.
The Cleveland Browns did this last week, allowing just 34 yards rushing and 1.9 yards per carry. While the Jets did win the game, they shouldn't have. The Browns had three red-zone turnovers and two missed field goals—and still only lost by three points.
Allowing the running game to get going early would allow New York to control the game. This is what the Jets did against the Jacksonville Jaguars two weeks ago, when they racked up 256 yards rushing and won by three.
Limit Seferian-Jenkins
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If the Patriots can successfully make it so that McCown is the one who must beat them, their next task should be to take away his safety valve. In Week 5, that outlet was tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins.
Seferian-Jenkins caught six of McCown's 23 completions for 29 yards and a touchdown. His touchdown gave the Jets a second-half lead and changed the course of the game in Cleveland.
As a 6'5", 258-pound tight end, Seferian-Jenkins provides McCown with a big target who can present himself downfield and who can go after contested catches in the end zone. He's also athletic enough to make plays down the field. New England should have an idea of what kind of asset that can be since they have Gronkowski on their roster.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has a tendency to take away opposing teams' biggest playmakers, and his target should be Seferian-Jenkins in this game. McCown will have a much harder time converting tough third-downs and scoring in the red zone if his tight end isn't a factor.
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