Patriots-Cowboys prediction roundup: Patriots team MVP…Stephen Gostkowski?
New England Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski (3) kicks a field goal.
COMMENTARY
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is off to a potentially record-setting start to the 2015 season, with nine touchdowns tossed over three games, 1,112 yards passing, and a whopping 119.6 quarterback rating, quarter-pole numbers that are certain to get him noticed in the early NFL MVP discussion.
Of course, teammate, Rob Gronkowski, with four touchdowns receptions might have something to say about that, as the tight end is arguably the most irreplaceable offensive weapon on any team in the league.
Then again, the Patriots’ true team MVP could be kicker Stephen Gostkowski.
It’s a whole, new world for placekickers in the NFL, facing an adversity they’ve hardly ever had to deal with during their professional careers. Kickers have long been a punchline in football, but they can make or break your title aspirations, as Patriots fans know all too well. This importance makes it all the more remarkable that kicker has been a position of unmatched consistency over the past two decades in New England thanks to Adam Vinatieri and Gostkowski.
His colleagues are dealing with the new 33-yard extra point rule, they’re missing at a rate of six percent through the first four weeks of the season. In Week Four, while the Patriots were on a bye, NFL kickers were a mere 57-of-71 on field goal attempts.
Gostkowski, of course, set an NFL record for most consecutive extra points in a career with 425 in Week 3 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, a mark that was overshadowed somewhat by Brady’s 400th career touchdown pass. He’s as dependable a field goal kicker as Vinatieri ever was with the Pats, which might just be his greatest accomplishment.
“Steve has been tremendous,’’ New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said, “and Adam before him was equally as accurate and made a ton of clutch kicks and we’ve always felt good that if we had to put it in their hands, if we have to do that to win the game, we know what we need to do offensively to give him an opportunity and we certainly trust him to go out there and make it.’’
How many other coaches can say the same with their rotating door of candidates?
“Obviously kicking is very mental and if you do struggle it is a little harder to go out there with confidence, but the good ones, if they miss they can bounce right back and make the next one,’’ Gostkowski told ESPN.com. “There are a lot of reasons why guys can miss — it isn’t always just black and white — but you just have to learn to move on from it. That’s just the approach I take. I’ve missed plenty of kicks before.’’
Not as many as his colleagues seem to be missing in 2015.
Who they’re picking
Our roundup of picks for Sunday’s Patriots-Cowboys game:
ESPN.com: All Pats.
Greg Cote, Miami Herald: Patriots 28, Cowboys 24. “This probably would have been our Game of the Week if the ’Boys had Tony Romo and Dez Bryant for a fighting chance. But they don’t, and Bill Belichick’s Pats are 11-4 after byes, and Brandon Weeden won’t outscore Tom Brady. Drew Brees torched Dallas’ secondary last week. You think Brady won’t? But Cows get Greg Hardy back from suspension to try to bother Brady and should keep it respectably close.’’
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: Patriots 37, Cowboys 17. “The Cowboys have major injury issues. Without Tony Romo, they won’t be able to keep up with Tom Brady and the New England offense. The Patriots are off a bye, and they will play like it. New England wins big.’’
CBS Sports staff: Seven out eight pick the Pats against the spread, unanimous straight-up for New England.
Peter Schrager, Foxsports.com: Patriots 35, Cowboys 17. “This one lost a bit of its luster with Tony Romo, Dez Bryant, and Lance Dunbar all out, but there’s some added interest with the return of Greg Hardy. Randy Gregory might go, too, and Sean Lee could be out there. The Patriots have had simply too much success, and too much time to prepare coming off a bye week, for me to have any real concerns about them, though.’’
SB Nation staff: All Pats.
Elliot Harrison, NFL.com: Patriots 38, Cowboys 21. “Oh man, is this going to fun … Randy Gregory crashing the pocket, trying to get to Tom Brady. Rob Gronkowski vs. Dez Bryant: Who will have more touchdowns! OK, I see Tony Romo leading the Cowboys down the field on an epic two-minute drill, handing Bill Belichick and company their first loss! Oh, wait — none of that’s happening. Gregory, Bryant and Romo are all on the shelf. At one point, CBS had itself a game. (P.S. This matchup should’ve been the Kickoff Game, but that ship has sailed.) Brady will torch the Cowboys linebackers and safeties going to Gronk. The underneath stuff will be there all day. Dallas’ best bet is to run Joseph Randle and Run DMC 40 times. Keep the football away from Brady. (Stop … You know what I meant.)’’
NFL.com staff: New England across the board.
USA Today staff: Everyone picks the Patriots.
Mike Florio, ProFootballTalk: Patriots 44, Cowboys 20. “It was supposed to be Tony Romo vs. Jimmy Garappolo. Instead, it’s Brandon Weeden vs. Tom Brady. They’re gonna need a bigger scoreboard.’’
Michael David Smith, ProFootballTalk: Patriots 38, Cowboys 14. “Brandon Weeden isn’t playing badly at all in relief of Tony Romo, but the Cowboys haven’t been able to win with him at quarterback. And they won’t win Sunday, with the best team in the NFL coming to town. This one could get ugly for Big D.’’
Neil Greenburg, The Washington Post: Winner: New England Patriots 64.7 percent; pick: Dallas Cowboys +8.5. “The Patriots are fresh off their bye week and have scored on 61.8 percent of their drives. The Cowboys are in the bottom 10 for points allowed per drive (2.14). However, the Cowboys will have Greg Hardy in the lineup, who returns after serving a four-game suspension. With 27 sacks in his last 32 regular season games, Hardy can help keep Tom Brady uncomfortable in the pocket.’’
It says here: Patriots 35, Cowboys 27. The Cowboys may indeed get healthy and still prove a legitimate threat in the NFC, but this isn’t that week.
Boston’s MVPs through the years
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