In a couple of months, the Patriots ought to begin stripping their franchise all the way down to the studs.
The cabinets, in fact, are already naked. The junk drawer is jammed with busted draft picks and turnstile offensive linemen. It’s potential, possibly even doubtless, the Pats will maintain a yard sale earlier than the NFL’s commerce deadline and haggle with passing GMs over their trinkets and save for a greater future.
But why wait?
Start the teardown Sunday by operating into the kitchen, ripping out the sink and hurling it on the Bills.
What does a 1-5 crew must lose?
The Bills have owned the Patriots, owned them within the post-Brady period. Since 2019, the Pats are 1-6 towards the one-time divisional doormats. In that span, they’ve been outscored by 97 factors.
Their solely victory stays that windstorm win at Buffalo in 2021, a recreation greatest remembered for Mac Jones trying three passes all evening. Jones could be fortunate to get three clear throws off on Sunday.
Jones and Bill Belichick individually admitted Wednesday that Buffalo’s move rush is the very best within the league. The Pats inarguably personal the NFL’s least proficient offensive line. Jones’ is on a collision course with the coach’s room.
Patriots QB Mac Jones sticking with routine regardless of early-season struggles
The Bills are 8.5-point highway favorites, the widest pro-Buffalo unfold level in New England since 1993. And this comes after Jones and Co. confirmed enchancment towards the Raiders, sufficient to bump them from rating final in move offense and rush offense by Expected Points Added (EPA) to thirty first in every class.
So, throw disgrace to the wind, and a double-pass, too. If Malik Cunningham should cut up his time between quarterback and receiver, as he did final weekend in Las Vegas, no less than let him chuck one from exterior the numbers.
Again, what’s there to lose?
Cut Cunningham free as a runner, too. Not solely did the Patriots put together a bundle for him final weekend, Belichick broke out a triple-option recreation plan on a brief regular-season week in 2016 with rookie Jacoby Brissett beneath middle. Imagine what Belichick may discover if he is keen to dump his total bag of tips onto the desk and beat a division rival.
More triple-option? A reverse? Double-reverses? Wildcat?
Belichick appears no less than open to extra snaps for Cunningham.
Bill Belichick isn’t telling Bills how Patriots plan to make use of Malik Cunningham
“Look, he’s a young player, so he’s improving,” Belichick mentioned Wednesday of handing Cunningham a full complement of reps. “We’ll see how it goes.”
Any play design that vaults Rhamondre Stevenson, Kendrick Bourne or rookie receiver Demario Douglas — supplied Douglas is out of concussion protocol and witness safety — must be foundational to the offense’s plan. Stevenson and Bourne account for 10 of the crew’s 15 damaged tackles the final 4 weeks. The solely different Patriots to make a defender miss in that stretch are Ezekiel Elliott and Pharaoh Brown, cast-offs they added in August.
Meanwhile, the Bills cannot sort out. Buffalo’s protection ranks because the fourth-worst tackling unit within the league, per Pro Football Focus. The Bills whiff nearly eight instances per recreation.
So how about drawing up a brand new display screen? Flea flicker? Haflback move? Hook and lateral? Statue of Liberty play?
Though the Pats should not restrict their trickery to the offensive aspect. Try particular groups.
The Patriots’ particular groups rank lifeless final by the opponent-and-situation-adjusted metric DVOA. What a couple of reverse on the return? Or a pretend discipline objective?
Rookie kicker Chad Ryland is 5-of-9 on the season. The Patriots should not be settling for 3 towards Josh Allen anyway. Or possibly even punting, contemplating the Bills have averaged greater than 30 factors per recreation towards them the final three years.
The hell with all of it. So what if these measures reek of desperation? These are exactly the instances that decision for them.
Telling the entire world you have been “starting over” did not work final week. Focusing more durable on fundamentals yielded these outcomes: 10 penalties, two turnovers and a loss to a Brian Hoyer-led crew rated worse than you might be by sure superior metrics.
By any measure, the Bills are miles higher. They are, as Belichick mentioned Wednesday, “strong in every area.” Any impartial observer is rightfully anticipating a blowout Sunday.
But an sudden recreation plan simply may, may, result in an sudden consequence.
And if not, no less than you realize this: you may nonetheless dash upstairs and throw the lavatory sink at Miami subsequent week.
Source: www.bostonherald.com