Ranking New England Patriots' Best Players so Far This Season
It's been a trying year for the New England Patriots so far in 2017.
There was chatter about the Super Bowl champions going undefeated before the season began, but that dream died a quick death. The Patriots lost by 15 points in the season opener and then sat at 2-2 in a month.
Newcomers such as Stephon Gilmore and Dwayne Allen haven't lived up to expectations, and the Patriots find themselves in a tight AFC East race with midseason approaching.
The good news, though, is that New England has won three games in a row and seems to be getting back on track. Sunday's 23-7 victory over the Atlanta Falcons was a statement victory.
The Patriots are still one of the best teams in the entire NFL.
Of course, New England wouldn't be in a position to chase another postseason appearance if there weren't some incredible players on the team.
Yes, the Patriots often thrive on scheme, system and coaching—which is why the franchise has sustained success through years of roster turnover. However, it takes players executing at a high level for any system to yield positive results.
Which players have been performing at the highest levels in 2017? We're going to take a look here. We'll be counting down the 10 best Patriots players based on this year's performances only.
10. Dont'a Hightower
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Linebacker Dont'a Hightower is one of the stars of New England's defense.
He does a bit of everything He can chase down ball-carriers, is solid in coverage and can rush the passer on a situational basis. More importantly, he serves as the quarterback of the defense, communicating with teammates and making adjustments pre-snap.
The Patriots being able to re-sign him as a free agent in the offseason was a big win for the franchise.
Injuries have limited Hightower to five games this season, but he's been as important as ever when on the field. Through those five games, he has amassed 14 tackles and 2.0 sacks. As always, he's served as the mental centerpiece of the front seven.
Unfortunately, Hightower suffered a shoulder injury in Week 7. Hopefully, this one won't come with another two-week absence.
9. Kyle Van Noy
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Linebacker Kyle Van Noy might not be seen as a star in the mold of Hightower, but he's been extremely important to the defense this season.
While not elite, he's more than serviceable in both pass coverage and against the run. He's also helped New England's pass rush as a blitzer; Van Noy is tied for the team lead with 3.5 sacks.
Van Noy is an instinctual player with the veteran savvy needed to sniff out plays early. An example of this can be found on the game film against the Atlanta Falcons, when the 26-year-old stuffed Taylor Gabriel on a 4th-and-goal sweep.
"Kyle made a great play, made a very instinctive play," head coach Bill Belichick said, per Zack Cox of NESN.com. "He recognized the motion and then saw that the defender was a little bit behind the receiver, so he moved into position to have better leverage on the play."
There have been plenty of breakdowns on defense this season, but Van Noy has typically done his job.
8. Devin McCourty
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Breakdowns, specifically communication breakdowns, were common early in the season—especially in the secondary. New England's zone-based coverage seemed seemed to cause newcomer Gilmore some difficulty, and other pass-defenders had communication issues as a result.
Things have started to turn around in the secondary in recent weeks, but safety Devin McCourty is one of the guys who helped hold things together through it all. He has also helped exemplify the Patriots' do-your-job mentality.
"Our coaches have been on us about just make a team make a play to beat us," the 30-year-old said, per Nicole Yang of Boston.com.
McCourty, who usually plays at the back end of the defense, leads the team with 53 tackles and also has an interception.
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8=7. Malcolm Butler
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When the Patriots signed Gilmore to a massive five-year, $65 million contract this offseason, it seemed like the new addition would be destined to become the team's new No. 1 corner.
However, he has struggled to adapt to New England's coverage schemes and missed the last two games with a concussion.
Meanwhile, Malcolm Butler has maintained his position as No. 1 cornerback. He leads the team with two interceptions, and he has helped the secondary rebound from some early-season struggles. How has he done this?
"Communication," Butler said, per Mike Giardi of NBC Sports Boston (h/t Yahoo Sports). "Just playing smarter and better. That's all."
The 27-year-old is coming off his best two-game stretch of the season, and he's been a huge part of New England's recent defensive turnaround.
If it wasn't for the early struggles Butler and the rest of the secondary initially experienced, he would be higher on this list.
7. Chris Hogan
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The Patriots offense hasn't been the same with wideout Julian Edelman out for the season; we cannot sit here and pretend otherwise. However, the offense has still been effective because of guys such as receiver Chris Hogan.
Hogan isn't as reliable as Edelman, and he and Tom Brady don't have the same rapport. However, the 27-year-old has been a major force in the passing attack, especially in the red zone. He has 28 receptions for 378 yards and a team-leading five touchdown receptions.
Hogan is a quality downfield threat, but he's also dangerous on intermediate routes because of his speed in and out of breaks. He makes finding space in the secondary look easy, and he's giving the Patriots an excellent third threat alongside Brandin Cooks and Rob Gronkowski.
5. Malcom Brown
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In the past, the Patriots have relied on Alan Branch to man the nose tackle position in the team's 4-3 base defense. However, due to poor play, the team has switched to third-year pro Malcom Brown at the position. The results have been encouraging.
Brown is a force in the middle of New England's defensive front. He not only helps smother inside runs, he can also bring pressure from the interior.
Bleacher Report's Chris Simms specifically praised the 23-year-old after New England's Week 6 win over the New York Jets.
"Brown made a mess of things all game," he wrote. "He consistently threw away blockers and jumped into running lanes before the New York backs could get there. Because of this, New England was able to force the Jets to go pass-heavy, which led to some critical mistakes."
Brown currently has 24 tackles and a sack for the season. Unfortunately, he was injured alongside Hightower in Week 7.
4. Dion Lewis
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Running back Dion Lewis has stepped into the spotlight in recent weeks, becoming the team's top running option.
While best known as a speedy change-of-pace back, the 27-year-old has proven ability to run hard between the tackles.
"Whatever it takes to make plays," Lewis said, per Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com. "I try not to be a one-trick pony. I'm small but I'm not little.”
While he has only recently emerged as a top rushing option, he's been valuable all season. He is a quality pass-catcher and kick returner, too.
Through Week 7, Lewis is averaging 18.9 yards per kick return. He has hauled in eight passes for 48 yards and carried the ball 43 times for 227 more. He leads all Patriots running backs with an impressive 5.3 yards-per-carry average.
3. Rob Gronkowski
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Whenever he's healthy, tight end Gronkowski is always a major piece of the Patriots' offensive game plan. That has been no different this season.
Despite getting off to a slow start and missing one game due to injury, the 28-year-old has been his usual play-making self more often than not.
What's impressive about Gronkowski is the fact he's not only one of the most dangerous receiving tight ends we've seen, he's also one of the best blocking tight ends in the game. Blessed with uncanny strength and athleticism, he is a tremendous downfield blocker.
This ability was on full display against the Falcons, as Gronkowski escorted Cooks into the end zone on a creative touch-pass play.
Through six games, Gronkowski has amassed 29 catches, 452 yards and four touchdowns.
2. Brandin Cooks
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The Patriots traded away a first-round pick in order to acquire Cooks from the New Orleans Saints in the offseason. Naturally, he was expected to immediately become the Patriots' new No. 1 receiver.
Thankfully, the 24-year-old has been as advertised. While he hasn't dominated every single game, he is putting up No. 1 receiver numbers.
Perhaps more importantly, he has altered what the Patriots are able to do on offense. He is a supreme deep threat and quick to adjust on underneath routes. His ability to stretch the field both vertically and from sideline to sideline helps dictate defensive coverage and open things up for other pass-catchers.
Cooks is ranked third in the NFL with 537 receiving yards. He's done his damage on just 28 receptions and also has three touchdowns.
1. Tom Brady
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Who else could possibly be the Patriots' No. 1 player in 2017? Even at 40 years old, Brady is fantastic.
He's playing some of the best football of his career and has remained a bright spot, even when other parts of the team have been struggling.
Brady leads the NFL with 2,208 yards passing. He has 15 touchdown passes, just two interceptions and a rating of 108.4.
What's been truly impressive about his 2017 performance is the fact things have been unusually difficult around him. The defense hasn't helped take pressure off of his shoulders, he's without favorite receiver Edelman and the running game hasn't always been consistent. On top of that, Brady has been sacked, hit and battered at an alarming rate.
Brady has already been sacked 18 times, three more than in all of 2016.
Still, Brady is playing like the best quarterback in all of football. That isn't a huge surprise for most, but that doesn't take away from what the accomplishment really means.
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