Unconventional Preview: Is the Patriots’ defense up to the Cam Newton challenge?
Welcome to Season 6, Episode 4 of the Unconventional Preview, a serious-but-lighthearted, often nostalgia-tinted look at the Patriots’ weekly matchup that runs right here every weekend.
Question: Is it possible that Deshaun Watson will end up having a better season than Cam Newton? I know it’s not likely – Watson is a rookie quarterback for the Texans with two NFL starts to his credit, while Newton, the Panthers’ quarterback, was the league’s Most Valuable Player two seasons ago. But … it’s possible, right?
I bring this up because there seems to be a collective perception this week that the Patriots’ defense could be in trouble this week against Newton. Not only because he’s so accomplished and dangerous in his own right, but because Watson tormented them for a good part of the Patriots’ 36-33 win over the Texans Sunday. The theory being, then, that Newton is something of a prototype for Watson, a larger, more experienced, and presumably savvier version, and if the Texans’ young quarterback could throw for 301 yards and run for another 41 against the Patriots’ thus-far sluggish defense, just imagine how Newton, who threw for 35 TDs and ran for another 10 two years ago, might punish them.
I don’t think that’s how it’s going to work out, though. In fact, I’d bet Newton’s stat line Sunday is significantly less impressive than Watson’s last week. He’s off to a slow start, with just 566 passing yards, two touchdowns, and four interceptions through four games. Part of it is due to a leaky offensive line. Part of it is due to the absence of favorite target Greg Olsen. Part of it may be that 2015 will ultimately be the brilliant outlier in his career. Watson isn’t a better player. But he may have better numbers overall in 2017 – and better statistical success against the Patriots as well.
Kick it off, Gostkowski, and let’s get this one started …
Three players i’ll be watching not named Tom Brady
Luke Kuechly: Probably should have put together a Twitter poll on this, but I’d bet that if we asked Patriots fans which player in the league they’d swipe from another team and add to the roster if they could take anyone, the former Boston College star would probably finish first. He’s pretty much what this Patriots defense needs at the moment, though Kuechly is pretty much what any defense needs, even those currently ranked better than 32nd in the league overall. He has a relatively modest 12 tackles and a sack through three games this year, but he looks healthy after missing 13 games over the previous two seasons due to concussions and other injuries. He’s basically the defensive version of Gronk – a likable, exceptional player who unfortunately has had a tough time avoiding the brutality of the sport. It will fun to watch them go toe-to-toe, and Gronk owes Kuechly one – as the linebacker all but admitted – after getting away with a pass interference in the end zone in the Panthers’ win four years ago.
Dion Lewis: I haven’t turned on my radio yet today, but I hope no one is taking or portraying his comments to CSN’s Mike Giardi Wednesday as some sort of controversial thing. “It’s tough,’’ Lewis said when asked about his limited playing time so far, which includes just 32 snaps over three games, “but I just come every day, and try to work hard like I always do. My time will come. I know what kind of player I am. My teammates know what type of player I am. I’ll get my chance and show people what I can do, but I don’t really have control over that.’’
Sounds to me like he’s frustrated (as he should be) and plans to seize his chance when it comes (and it will). That’s not a problematic player. It’s a motivated one. I am bewildered why one of the more dynamic players – and perhaps the best pure ball carrier – in the Patriots offensive huddle has barely played. Perhaps the Patriots are just trying to keep him fresh given his injury history. Nothing else makes much sense, especially if the opportunity still does not arise with Rex Burkhead injured.
Danny Amendola: Amendola is rarely one of the first names that arises when we’re considering Patriots offensive options likely to draw the most attention from the opposing defense. He doesn’t put up huge numbers – he’s never had more than 648 receiving yards or four touchdowns in a regular-season with the Patriots. But what he has is an incredible knack for making a tough catch at a crucial time, as the Texans found out on Sunday. Amendola’s 27-yard grab on third-and-18 with 54 seconds remaining was more than a pivotal play; the Patriots probably would have fallen to 1-2 without it. He’s made a habit of making the kind of plays Troy Brown used to make. You know how high that praise is. You also know how true it is.
Grievance of the week
I suppose I could complain about those edamame-brained so-called Patriots fans in Swansea burning jerseys as their form of protest about the 16 or so players who kneeled during the anthem last week. But after watching some footage of their quaint little fire-pit party, I’m convinced their hearts weren’t really in it. I don’t think I saw an actual jersey on the fire, for one thing, just a couple of knockoff shirseys and maybe a tattered Squish The Fish t-shirt. If they really wanted to prove they were serious about making a statement, you’d think at least one of them would have burned the $150 John Lynch gamer purchased on a giddy whim during training camp in 2008. My grievance, then, is not that their protest was stupid, though it was. It’s that they were so inept at it.
Prediction, can you believe it’s been 14 seasons since these franchises met in the Super Bowl?
It’ll be interesting to get a look at touted rookie Christian McCaffrey, whom I suspect many of those shirsey-burners really hoped would end up with the Patriots. And he’s probably very interested in getting a look at this Patriots defense, which is allowing a league-worst 31.7 points per game and has looked slow. McCaffrey had more than 100 receiving yards Sunday against the Saints, and he’s the top-targeted Panthers pass-catcher this season. But he’s struggled running the ball, averaging just 2.9 yards per carry so far. If he breaks out and Newton matches Watson’s performance last week, this one could get tense. But I’m not counting on both – and Tom Brady and the Patriots’ offense can be counted on, virtually always, no matter the circumstances.
Patriots 38, Panthers 27.
