Today In Depressing Pats News: Julian Edelman Had Knee Surgery & Is Out For Sunday vs. Buffalo

 

    The weather the last few days in New England has been pretty miserable (cold and rainy) which feels fitting for the dark cloud that has been surrounding the Patriots (2-4) over the past few weeks during their three-game losing streak. This afternoon brought the revelation that the team's best wide receiver-Julian Edelman-is out for this Sunday's (1, CBS) must-win at Buffalo (5-2) and probably a few more weeks after he underwent a "precautionary knee procedure" this morning. With the NFL trade deadline coming up on Election Day (next Tuesday at 4 pm) this ensures that at least Edelman isn't going anywhere for the rest of the season. 

    Watching him in 2020, you knew that something was up with Edelman's health since after his career-high 179 yards in the Week 2 loss at Seattle, he has been a ghost. During this slide, he has a combined six catches for 56 yards which makes sense when you realize that New England has scored just 28 points in those three setbacks. Given his age (34), smallish size and with his BF Tom Brady thriving in Tampa Bay, you figured that this would be a rough campaign for Edelman. Whenever he retires, this is a guy that will be remembered as an all-time great Patriot who came out of nowhere (7th round pick and quarterback at Kent State) so it is particularly sad to see his NFL career circle the drain like this.

    Early reports said that this shouldn't be a season-ending injury but if the Patriots keep losing, why would he rush back to join these bums? 

    Looking ahead to the first meeting of the season with the AFC East leading Bills, the Pats depth chart at wide receiver is straight up nightmare fuel. I don't expect N'Keal Harry to play either after he suffered a concussion in Sunday's loss to the Niners and so far this week, he hasn't practiced which is never a good sign for his availability. New England will have to elevate someone from the practice squad but as it stands, Cam Newton will be left with Damiere Byrd, Jakobi Meyers and Gunner Olszewski to throw to (no need to mention the Pats awful tight ends) not including the running backs. Given how badly the Patriots have played the last few weeks and the fact that the Bills are already a few games ahead of them, it feels like a changing of the guard is happening in the AFC East where the Pats have won the last 11 division crowns. 

    Patriots head coach/GM Bill Belichick is usually active around the NFL Trade Deadline (which frankly isn't the same event that it is in the NFL, NHL or MLB) so if they lose this weekend, it will undoubtedly be time for the team to move on from whatever veteran players have any real short-term value. It would have been a bummer to see Edelman in another uniform therefore in a weird way, this saves us from that gross possibility. Still, we need any reason to be happy about the Pats right now (especially with Brady looking fantastic in Tampa Bay) and this is yet another reason to weep while we watch some of our old Patriots Super Bowl DVDs trying to savor the good times.

UPDATE 10/30/2020: The Patriots confirmed what we all basically knew: Edelman (knee) & Harry (head) are both out on Sunday vs. Buffalo. Gulp. 

UPDATE 10/31/2020: Oh hey, more bad news for the Pats going into tomorrow's game vs. the Bills. Cornerback Stephon Gilmore (knee) didn't make the trip so he will also be out along with Edelman (who went on IR today so he'll be out for at least the next 3 games) and Harry. Good grief! 

The Pats (2-4) Are Nearly Hopeless & I Don't Know How It Is Going To Get Much Better This Season

 

    In the middle of a pandemic, without Tom Brady for the first time in 19 years not to mention a bunch of other key players that chose to opt out, our expectations for the Patriots (2-4) were not all that high to begin with. Through the first three games (2-1), New England looked like they would at least be a playoff team albeit not much of a Super Bowl threat. That all has taken a drastic turn for the worst in the last month as they have dropped three straight games (for the 1st time since 2002) capped off by tonight's truly disgraceful 33-6 loss at Gillette Stadium to Jimmy Garoppolo (20-of-25 for 277 yards, 2 INTs) and San Francisco (4-3). Of course the Pats have suffered their share of heartbreaking losses over the years-these things happen when you are in the playoffs so often-but I have to say that this one hit differently as they say. Coming off last week's awful 18-12 loss to Denver (2-4), you figured that they would at least show some sort of pride and be competitive. NOPE.  

    Where do we begin on this disaster that was the second-worst loss ever under head coach Bill Belichick and the worst at home since he took over in 2000? This also marked the first time that the Pats have dropped back-to-back home games since 2002. The fact that this came on the same day that the Bucs (5-2) destroyed the Raiders (3-3) in Vegas 45-20 and Tom Brady (33-of-45 for 369 yards and 4 TDs; 1 rushing TD) had a monster performance made everything that much more depressing. It's too easy to dump all the blame on Cam Newton (9-of-15 for 98 yards, 3 INTs; 19 yards rushing) since honestly, what does he have around him? A washed up Julian Edelman (1 catch for 13 yards on 3 targets), N'Keal Harry (1 catch for 6 yards on 2 targets) who left in the first half with a possible concussion and no legitimate tight ends? However, Cam's dreadful numbers the last few weeks don't lie as he's thrown five interceptions combined against the Broncos and Niners. Things got so bad today that backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham (6-of-10 for 64 yards, INT) came in for him at the start of the fourth quarter but that did nothing to change things as Stidham hasn't shown any real potential in his two outings this season besides that sweet TD pass to Harry in Kansas City. 

    This was never even close: the Niners were up 7-0 after the first quarter, 23-3 at halftime and 30-6 after the third quarter. San Francisco battled through a Super Bowl hangover earlier this season and a crazy amount of injuries to quality players (Richard Sherman, Raheem Mostert, Nick Bosa, etc) but they are rounding into form now thanks to contributions from tons of random guys like third-string running back Jeff Wilson Jr. (17 catches, 112 yards, 3 TDs) who dominated until shredding his ankle on his last touchdown run in the third quarter. Rookie wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (game-high 6 catches, game-high 115 yards) looks like a good one, Deebo Samuel (5 catches, 65 yards) is a playmaker and George Kittle (5 catches, 55 yards) is the best all-around tight end in the NFL and it's not really up for debate. 

    A pair of field goals by Nick Folk were the only thing separating the Patriots from the indignity of getting shut out on their home turf. Other than Damien Harris (10 carries, 58 yards; 12-yard catch) and Jakobi Meyers (4 catches, 60 yards), I couldn't tell you any other Patriots that had decent games offensively. Devin McCourty and J.C. Jackson notched the interceptions of Garoppolo-San Francisco's only real mistakes all day. The whole entire game was basically an extended kick to the nuts with Robbie Gould hitting two field goals and Harvard alum Kyle Juszczyk (the best fullback in the league) running for a four-yard touchdown to fill out the Niners' box score.

    We all believed that this was basically a must-win for New England but I can now say with certainty that next Sunday (1, CBS) in Buffalo (5-2) is no doubt a must-win for the Pats. The usual AFC East title already looks well out of their grasp and while the Bills have struggled lately-gutting out a gross 18-10 win today vs. the winless Jets-they are the unquestionably the team to beat in the division. Hell, the Dolphins (3-3) were off this week but they are trending up since the Patriots beat them in Week 1 which feels like a lifetime ago. Belichick already dubbed Newton his starter for the first meeting with the Bills in 2020 and I don't blame him for that. However, the timing of the matchup is quite relevant because the NFL trade deadline is two days later-November 3rd (aka Election Day). If Buffalo beats New England, Belichick will have no choice but to look ahead to next season and unload anyone on the roster (Joe Thuney and Stephon Gilmore!) that could bring back some talent or decent draft picks in return. Winter is just around the corner and it promises to be extra miserable if the Patriots officially become just another anonymous doormat in the AFC.

UPDATE 10/26/20: This isn't headline news but Patriots linebacker/special teamer Brandon Copeland tore a pectoral muscle in yesterday's game and now he's out for the season.

The Unthinkable Happens: The Patriots Get Outplayed All Game & Lose 18-12 To The Broncos

 

    I'll admit that in the last few weeks leading up to this matchup that was delayed twice before finally taking place today that I never took the Broncos (2-3) seriously. Shame on me since Denver came to Gillette Stadium this afternoon and led from start to finish in an incredibly ugly 18-12 (which is typically a final score from a gross Massachusetts high school football game!) victory. This debacle will be remembered as one of the worst performances of the Bill Belichick era and it was extra painful because it came on the same day that Tom Brady and the Bucs (4-2) destroyed the Packers (4-1) 38-10 and Jimmy Garropolo and the Niners (3-3) held off the Rams (4-2) 24-16. I refuse to cite New England's lack of practices lately as an excuse since not only was Denver playing under the same crappy circumstances but they also had to fly across the country during a pandemic and without two of their best offensive players (tight end Noah Fant and running back Melvin Gordon). 

    At age 23 Broncos quarterback Drew Lock (10-of-24 for 189 yards) became the youngest QB ever to beat Belichick which is a bit misleading since he did everything in his power (including throwing two awful interceptions in the 4th quarter) to let the Pats back in it but they fittingly couldn't complete the improbable comeback as Cam Newton (17-of-25 for 157 yards, 2 INTs; 76 yards rushing, TD) was pressured and misfired to N'Keal Harry (0 catches on 2 targets) on 4th-and-10 from the Denver 24-yard-line with 59 seconds left in regulation. New England's offensive line is a mess between injuries and positive Covid-19 tests so it's no wonder that the Broncos sacked Newton four times as they constantly pressured him all game long. 

    It's tough to win a football game at any level without scoring a single touchdown yet that's just what the Broncos did. Their kicker Brandon McManus received a huge contract extension right before this season started and I'd say that was money well spent since he went a perfect 6-for-6 today including a 52-yard field goal and a 54-yard field goal. The Patriots' lack of weapons really hurt them as once again, when Cam gets bottled up, they don't have any other options to count on. It was a strange day all around as Julian Edelman went 2-of-2 for 38 yards passing the ball in the fourth quarter which was much better than his invisible outing as a wideout (2 catches on 8 targets for 8 yards). Newton was the only Patriot that could run the ball and truth be told, exactly half of his yardage came on a single 38-yard carry. Likewise, James White (8 catches, 65 yards) was their only guy that could get anything done in the passing game.

    Both teams were under 300 total yards but at least the Broncos had a pair of players-running back Phillip Lindsay (23 carries, 101 yards) and wide receiver Tim Patrick (4 catches, 101 yards)-who each went over 100 yards. Denver's red zone offense was atrocious and its lack of execution was the main reason that the Patriots were able make it somewhat interesting at the end. McManus had a pair of field goals in the first quarter then two more in the second quarter sandwiched around New England's first points (a 41-yard kick by Nick Folk) for a 12-3 halftime lead for the visitors. Things didn't get better in the third quarter for the Pats as Izzo summed up the miserable day when he fumbled after a 16-yard catch and run. Needless to say that with the NFL trade deadline coming up on November 3rd, New England could use a bunch of things: tight end, wide receiver, offensive lineman, linebacker, defensive lineman, etc.

    Newton had the only touchdown of the game, a 1-yard sneak midway through the fourth quarter that cut it to 18-9 before he was stopped trying to run it in for a two-point conversion. The Pats defense gave their team a chance as J.C. Jackson and Jonathan Jones picked off Lock on back-to-back possessions. Folk's 38-yard field goal provided the final points of the game. A sign of these bizarre times: the last time that New England was under .500 this far into a season was way back in 2002. The Bills (4-1) host the Chiefs (4-1) tomorrow night (5, ESPN) and the Dolphins (3-3) blanked the Jets (0-6) aka the worst team in the the league 24-0 this afternoon so the Patriots are currently in third-place in the AFC East. 

    It won't get any easier as the NFC champion 49ers (3-3) come to Gillette next Sunday afternoon (4:25, CBS). San Francisco had been a bit of a mess but they picked up an impressive 24-16 win vs. the Rams (4-2) tonight in Sunday Night Football and Garropolo (23-of-33 for 268 yards, 3 TDs) looked great after he was pulled in last week's loss. Niners tight end George Kittle (7 catches, 109 yards, TD today) is a matchup nightmare and the best in the league at his position so good luck stopping that monster. This is not a very talented roster so Belichick along with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and defensive coordinator Jerod Mayo have their work cut out for them to turn this group of spare parts into a playoff team. Still, they should never be this bad no matter who opted out of this season, how many injuries or Covid-19 cases they get nor if their practice schedule gets completely out of whack.

B's Avoid Arbitration With Matt Grzelcyk & Re-Sign Him To 4-Year Contract Worth $14.75 Million

 

    Let's just get this out of the way first: Matt Grzelcyk is not Torey Krug and frankly, he never will be. Sure, if you are a lazy sportswriter or fan, you'll look at the two of them and think well they have so much in common (lack of height, left-shot defensemen that are American and in their 20s) which is true but that's where the most obvious similarities end. Krug quickly developed into one of the best offensive defensemen in the NHL as proven by his recently signed megadeal with the Blues. Don't misconstrue this: Grzelcyk has plenty of value to the Bruins who inked him to a four-year deal today worth $14.75 million dollars-with an annual NHL cap hit of $3.687500 per year. 

    Boston had a scheduled arbitration hearing with Grzelcyk set for next week so they were smart to get this settled without the help of needless lawyers. You couldn't create a much better local story than Griz growing up in Charlestown (while his dad worked at TD Garden for the bull gang), getting drafted by the Bruins in 2012 (3rd round, 85th overall), playing three seasons at BU then making the B's and over the last three seasons becoming one of their more dependable performers. By almost any measure, the 26-year-old Grzelcyk is coming off of his best season as a pro: he had a career-high in goals (4), assists (17), points (21), power play points (7) and games played (68). In 197 career NHL games, he's put up 10 goals, 44 assists, two power play goals, 15 power play points and a plus/minus of plus-45. In 43 career NHL playoff games, Matt has four goals, six assists, two power play goals and six power play points with a somewhat sketchy plus/minus of minus-10. 

    So much of this contract for Bruins GM is projecting what Grzelcyk can become if he reaches his ceiling. We all hope that his offensive game can round out a little bit more and clearly there will be plenty of time available with Krug gone if he can earn it on Boston's top power play unit. Remember he shows flashes especially in the postseason of some nice skills with some notable tallies using his underrated shot. He's not on track to be a Hall of Famer, probably not an All-Star or maybe even a top pair defenseman but I don't want to diminish Grzelcyk's solid role on a good team like the B's. For one thing, he's a little better defensively than Krug or at least it comes a bit more naturally to him. With his lack of size (listed at 174 pounds), he will also struggle from time to time against bigger forwards around the league (think the 2019 Stanley Cup Final vs. St. Louis). For what it's worth, Krug is 186 pounds so if there's a way that Grzelcyk can bulk up and add a few pounds, I don't think that would hurt his game at all. 

    Finally, Grzelcyk is three years younger than Krug and besides his much more affordable price, that's what makes him such an appealing option for the Bruins as they chase another Stanley Cup whenever next season begins. On any good hockey team, you need stars but you also have to possess plenty of solid middle tier players like Grzelcyk who accept their place on the roster but do everything they can to get the most out of their abilities. This is a nice move by Bruins GM Don Sweeney that won't garner too many headlines nationally but if you are a Black and Gold fan, you can see what Grzelcyk brings to the table every time that he is in the lineup and why Boston did not want to see him leave anytime soon in free agency.

We Remain On Taylor Hall Watch & B's Signed RW Craig Smith To A 3-Yr Deal For $9.3 Million Dollars

 

    If the first two days of NHL free agency are any indication, it's going to be a very quiet off-season for the Bruins unless they make some legitimate trades. At least they did something notable today rather than just watching one of their best players (defenseman Torey Krug who got an extra large bag full of money in St. Louis) leave for way more money on a team that's just as good if not better than them. Unless you are a Predators fan, you are the rare person that plays fantasy hockey (you should, it's a blast!) or maybe you like college hockey, you are excused if you've never heard of Craig Smith before now. Boston fans will get familiar with him soon enough as the veteran right wing signed a three-year contract worth $9.3 million dollars.

    He was never a star in Nashville but when you look at his career stats-all nine seasons were with the Predators-you can start to understand why B's GM Don Sweeney targeted him once he hit the market. We all saw in the bubble how overly-reliant Boston had become on the power play leaving their 5-on-5 play to be described as rough at best. The 31-year-old Smith has scored 162 career goals in the NHL and 120 of them came when it was even strength and 42 of them were on the power play. Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy doesn't have to decide his lineup anytime soon but you figure that Smith would fit well on the third line at right wing with Charlie Coyle at center and who knows at left wing (Anders Bjork?). 

    Smith has scored 20+ five times with a career-high of 25 in 2017-18. He's not just a goal-scorer either since he has also registered 168 career assists. He has notched 20+ assists four times including a career-high 28 in his rookie year (2011-12). His career plus/minus is plus-67 which is very solid with seven consecutive positive plus/minus seasons in a row including his best ever (plus-20) in 2017-18. Born in Madison, Wisconsin, he lived the life of a hometown hero as he played at the University of Wisconsin before getting drafted in the fourth round (98th overall) by Nashville in 2009. Under Sweeney, the Bruins have a great track record of finding the right college hockey alums who tend to be mature and dependable beyond their years (Krug, Charlie McAvoy, Coyle, Sean Kuraly, Matt Grzelcyk, etc.). 

    The Smith news dropped before noon today giving the B's plenty more time to make a bigger move, except they didn't. At Sweeney's press conference, he was asked about the two best free agents who still remain unsigned: defenseman Alex Pietrangelo and left wing Taylor Hall. Sweeney basically said that he hasn't talked to the former Blues' camp so he is not coming to the black and gold. However, Sweeney's Harvard businessman side came out in full force when he vaguely referred to Hall without saying his name but implying that they're working on it. Okay! I'm not saying that it's going to happen and honestly, Smith is a fine player but man these last few days have been mostly a wet fart for the Bruins. Oh and did I mention that Cap Friendly-the best NHL salary cap website-projects Boston to have $12.295 million dollars worth of cap space even after Smith's deal? Here's an idea Don, USE IT!

On The First Day Of Free Agency, Torey Krug Cashes In With Huge 7-Year Deal From St. Louis

 

    Whenever the 2021 NHL regular season begins (tentatively scheduled to be sometime around January 1), it will be so strange to see Torey Krug in a Blues jersey. NHL free agency opened this afternoon and the former Bruin scored by far the most lucrative deal of the day: seven years and a whopping $45.5 million dollars from St. Louis-the team that memorably had beaten Boston in the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals in seven games culminating in that brutal Game 7 at TD Garden. Double ouch. As much as it sucks to see Krug leave the Bruins, I doubt there will be many fans that will blame him for getting out of town especially since it felt like a foregone conclusion. He goes from one of the best teams in the league to another top contender and got paid handsomely in the process, what's so wrong with that? 

    Torey grew up in Michigan and went to Michigan State but he became an honorary Bostonian the last few years as he morphed from an undrafted free agent into one of the top offensive defenseman in the league. Apparently, B's GM Don Sweeney did not make a final offer after Krug rejected their joke one last year so what else could Torey do for himself, his wife and his young daughter? I'm just happy that he didn't return home to play for the dreadful Red Wings who are years away from being relevant again. Krug is listed at 5-foot-9 but he's probably an inch or two shorter than that. Along with becoming a much more dependable defenseman in his own zone, Krug worked diligently over the years to sculpt his body into getting as strong as it could be. He's been short his entire life but he hasn't let that define him; rather, his hard work and effort helped transform his game into a skilled skater, passer and shooter. He's ultra-competitive too and winning obviously is very important to him as well.

    His career arc has been especially unique since he only had played in three NHL regular season games (two in 2012 and one the following year) before he quickly became a household name as the Bruins reached the 2013 Stanley Cup Final vs. Chicago. In 75 career playoff games with Boston, he piled up 11 goals and 41 assists which included six power-play goals and 31 power-play assists. In many ways, he was a new wave type of defenseman: the power play/offensive specialist. Through seven full seasons with the Black and Gold, he never had less than 39 points and if it wasn't for the pandemic, he would have reached 50+ points for the fourth straight season. His career-high in goals was 14 which he reached twice (2013-14 and 2017-18), his career-high in assists was 47 (in 2018-2019) and his most points was 59 (in 2017-18). He was also remarkably durable for someone his size since he played at least 64 games in every regular season (other than 61 in the pandemic-shortened campaign).

    Personally, it's a shame that Krug never won a Cup with the Bruins because he had two chances but Boston lost to a fantastic Blackhawks club then choked epically vs. the Blues as we all unfortunately remember. He became a force by 2019 with 18 points (2 goals, 16 assists) in 24 playoff games. His vicious hit against new teammate Robert Thomas (not the lousy Matchbox 20 singer) was a signature moment from that Blues series that would be an all-time play if the B's had won the series. He didn't fight much but when he did, he also had some instant classics in that area that you wouldn't necessarily expect. 

    Boston was eerily quiet today in free agency, their only move thus far has been re-signing injury-plagued defenseman Kevan Miller to a one-year contract worth $1.25 million dollars. Sweeney's annual free agency press conference that was scheduled for this afternoon was pushed back to tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. With perhaps the two other top free agents still available-defenseman Alex Pietrangelo (former Blue) and winger Taylor Hall (rumored to be targeted by the Bruins)-we can only hope that the B's simply needed a little more time to try to get either of those great players to sign on the dotted line. Krug is 29 so I understand why Sweeney did not want to commit for seven more years at such a high price. Still, it would be a real shame if they basically stand pat and don't at least try to improve a roster that is solid but as the champion Lightning showed in the bubble, not nearly good enough to win a Cup at the moment.

    Thanks for all the wonderful memories Torey, you represented yourself very well for your entire Bruins career. You were always an extremely easy guy to root for and you will be missed around here for all that you did both on and off the ice with the B's. Good luck with the Blues (puke). 

The 2020 NFL Season Is Doomed As Another Pats Star-Stephon Gilmore-Tests Positive For Covid-19

 

    I am not a doctor but it did not take a medical expert to think that the Patriots (2-2) and Chiefs (4-0) playing on Monday night was extremely reckless just a few days after quarterback Cam Newton was the first player for New England to test positive for Coronavirus. Yesterday, a practice squad defensive lineman for the Pats named Bill Murray (haha yep, that's his actual name) who nobody had ever heard of was put on their Reserve/Covid-19 list (a grim new necessity for 2020). Of course every life matters as much as any other but again, we were treated to more nightmare fuel this morning as we woke up to the news that cornerback Stephon Gilmore-last season's NFL Defensive Player of the Year-had also tested positive for Covid-19.

    In a tweet posted later this morning, Cam wrote "WEAR YOUR MASK. KEEP YOUR DISTANCE" along with a picture of him wearing a mask. Reports have noted that he is asymptomatic while Gilmore's tweet said the same thing coupled with the details that "I've followed every protocol, yet it happened to me. Please be sure to take this seriously." This is not the proper time to debate whether Gilmore is being truthful or not. It's up to each individual person to choose to follow the correct procedures during this living nightmare or like our disgrace of a President, be prepared to suffer the possibly fatal consequences if you don't. There have been pictures on social media lately of Newton shopping in Boston last week without a mask on his face so there is that. These are grown, well-compensated men who should be smart enough to take this seriously however this all comes back to the NFL's unwillingness to do anything drastic in terms of safety measures (since they absolutely have to play this season, right now!) like employ a bubble. 

         It was only a matter of time before an outbreak happened in the league and we can thank the Titans' utter stupidity for that distinction. They already had their Week 4 game vs. Pittsburgh moved because of so many positive tests and despite not being in their facilities last week, more guys on Tennessee are still catching Coronavirus. One of the craziest things to come out of Cam's initial diagnosis was everyone rushing to say well no other Patriots tested positive so they were fit to fly to Kansas City early Monday morning (on two planes, one for the guys that had closest contact to Newton) then back home that same night. Any quarterback of an NFL team is going to interact face-to-face with numerous people every day let alone every week during his professional playing career especially during the regular season. 

    For now, New England's Week 5 meeting with the Broncos (1-3) on Sunday afternoon (4:25, CBS) at Gillette Stadium is still on, because why wouldn't it be? The Patriots' facilities are closed today and tomorrow so they'll be working remotely like so many others around this country. What a joke, clearly the NFL could care less about the health of its players, coaches and others who are employed by all of their teams not to mention the families, friends and co-workers of said people. It's doubtful that either Newton or Gilmore will be available to play by Sunday against Denver but that hardly seems important at a time of national crisis like this.

UPDATE 10/8/20: There will be no in-person practice tomorrow for the third straight day for the Pats. As a result, for the second week in a row the Patriots have seen their Sunday afternoon game moved to Monday. Now they'll tentatively host the Broncos in the first game (5, ESPN) of a doubleheader.  

UPDATE 10/11/20: You're not going to believe this but after another positive Covid-19 test for a Patriots player-defensive tackle Byron Cowart-was revealed this morning (after testing last night), their game tomorrow vs Denver has been postponed. Both teams will now have a bye this week (Week 5) and they'll try to play next Sunday afternoon at 1 pm. What a disaster, I guess we'll have to wait and see if the game ever happens at this point since it's already been delayed twice.

UPDATE 10/12/20: Reports from yesterday that Cowart had tested positive for Covid-19 turned out to be true as today the Pats made him the fourth player to be placed on their Reserve/Covid-19 list. The Patriots didn't practice today and they won't tomorrow either, hopefully they can get things back and running on Wednesday but we shall see. 

UPDATE 10/13/20: Now there is no practice scheduled tomorrow for the Pats, just a workout. 

UPDATE 10/16/20: The Patriots simply cannot have nice things anymore: after their first practice of the week happened yesterday with Cam Newton and Stephon Gilmore back on the field, today's practice was cancelled after another positive Covid-19 test. Offensive lineman James Farentz is reportedly the latest Patriot to catch the Coronavirus. Will this ever end? Probably not since they are also waiting for confirmation on another positive Covid-19 test. 

UPDATE 10/17/20: ESPN's Field Yates just reported that the Patriots put three more guys (!!!) on the Reserve/Covid-19 list: running back Sony Michel (currently on IR anyway), guard Shaq Mason and defensive end Derek Rivers. Oh but don't worry folks, the Pats-Broncos game is still on for tomorrow. In other non-Coronavirus news, two of Denver's best players (running back Melvin Gordon and tight end Noah Fant) didn't even make the trip to Massachusetts as they remained in Colorado with injuries.  

The Patriots Actually Hung Around With The Chiefs Way Longer Than Expected But Still Lost 26-10

 

    Once word came over on Saturday morning that Cam Newton had Covid-19 and he would miss the much-anticipated early season showdown against the Chiefs (4-0), a tall task turned into an impossible one. Let's be clear here: nobody in the world expected the Patriots (2-2) to compete with the defending Super Bowl champions so I suppose they should be proud of their effort under really tough circumstances: no Newton, the game moved to Monday night and they flew to KC this morning. Still, the NFL is not a participation trophy type of league and football isn't that kind of sport for that matter so the bottom line is that the Chiefs won 26-10 this evening at Arrowhead Stadium. 

    Brian Hoyer (15-of-24 for 130 yards, 1 INT, 59.4 QB rating) got the fluke start for the Pats but he didn't finish the outing as Jarrett Stidham (5-of-13 for 60 yards, 1st NFL TD pass, 2 INTs, 39.4 QB rating) took over in the third quarter and went the rest of the way. If Cam didn't have the Coronavirus, Hoyer honestly could be cut tomorrow and I don't think anyone would bat an eye. He came in with 10 straight losses in games that he'd started so it makes you wonder, how is he still in the NFL?  This should have been Stidham's first career NFL start but after a rough training camp complete with a mysterious hip injury, he was relegated to third-string quarterback duties-inactive the first three weeks. Thanks to the game getting pushed back a day, it will be a short week for the Patriots as they host the Broncos (1-3) on Sunday afternoon (4:25, CBS) and if Newton remains out, I'm calling it now: Stidham should/will start in his place. 

    The Patriots defense deserved better since they held one of the most explosive offenses in the league to just 19 points (KC's other touchdown was a pick-6 by Tyrann Mathieu) on their home turf with some fans (22%) in the stands. The best quarterback in the universe Patrick Mahomes (19-for-29, 236 yards, 2 TDs, 113.6 QB rating) looked mortal since both of his "touchdown passes" were 6-yard fancy handoffs to Tyreek Hill (4 catches, 64 yards) and Mecole Hardman. Kansas City's star tight end Travis Kelce (3 catches, 70 yards) still has never recorded 100+ receiving yards vs. the Patriots which is amazing and New England held explosive rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire to under 100 total yards (64 rushing, 27 receiving). The Pats lost from self-inflicted wounds that resulted in three more turnovers (4-1).

    There were three plays in particular that will give Pats head coach Bill Belichick nightmares for weeks: a possible Mahomes fumble in the second quarter was incorrectly whistled dead for a sack, Hoyer got sacked on the last play of the first half which blew a chance at a tying field goal for New England and Stidham's pick-6 clanged off of Julian Edelman's (3 catches on 6 targets for 35 yards) usually money hands. It was such a bizarre set of circumstances leading up to this postponed contest so I feel like once the Chiefs saw that Cam was out, they figured this was a lock and who could blame them? That's why I wouldn't take too much out of this result which was closer than the final score would indicate. 

    There were some positives for the Patriots, thankfully the trip was not a complete waste of their collective time (haha easy for me to say sitting in the comfort of my own living room while I write this). Their red zone defense was great in the first half as they held Kansas City to a pair of Harrison Butker field goals (from 23 yards and 39 yards) and they forced a fumble by Sammy Watkins that was recovered by J.C. Jackson (who later should have had an interception). You knew that to have any chance to be competitive, they needed to run the ball well and they piled up nearly 200 rushing yards: with Sony Michel placed on IR (quad) earlier in the day, Damien Harris (17 carries, 100 yards) had his first career 100-yard performance in the NFL and James White (38 yards receiving and 21 yards rushing) returned to action after missing the last two games following his father's tragic death in a car accident. Wide receiver Damiere Byrd (5 catches, 80 yards) had his second solid game as a Patriot and Chase Winovich (2 solo tackles, 2 assists) notched a sack for the third straight game. 

    The Patriots got on the board with a 43-yard field goal by Nick Folk in the second quarter. It should have been at least tied 6-6 at halftime but Hoyer gonna Hoyer. With that in mind, he blew another rare red zone opportunity for the Pats by fumbling away the ball in the third quarter which led to Belichick finally benching him. Kansas City took advantage by turning that mistake into seven points on Hill's touchdown late in the third quarter which gave the home team a 13-3 lead. We saw a brief glimpse of what got all the beat writers in a lather about Stidham this summer when he tossed a perfect 4-yard fade in the corner of the end zone to N'Keal Harry. The Chiefs answered that score with a touchdown of their own-Hardman's-but Butker missed the PAT so it was 19-10. It was game over one play later though as Mathieu took Edelman's baffling drop 25 yards for the clinching touchdown. 

    It is useless predicting anything in 2020 but I can guarantee that this week leading up to what should be a layup against the terrible Broncos will be full of intrigue over A) Cam's availability or B) who will start if he remains sidelined. Denver just got their first win of the season on Thursday night 37-28 at the hapless Jets (0-4). They've had plenty of quarterback issues of their own as starter Drew Lock is out with a shoulder injury, backup Jeff Driskel already got the hook and third-string undrafted rookie Brett Rypien of course was the one to start and beat the Jets. Linebacker Von Miller and wide receiver Courtland Sutton-their two best players-are out for the season with injuries and their head coach is the immortal Vic Fangio. Week 6 is New England's bye week so given the weak opponent and with time to regroup on the horizon, this is a game they have to win no matter which quarterback gets the nod. Plus not for nothing but Buffalo (4-0) is two games up on second-place New England as the Patriots bid for their 12th straight AFC East title looks to be a legitimate battle for once.  

      

       

       

    

    

    

Cam Newton Tests Positive For Covid-19, Pats-Chiefs Gets Postponed To Monday Night At 7:05

 

    At this point in 2020, I hesitate to say that we should always expect the worst but at least while the global pandemic seems to be coming back in a major way (the dreaded seconded wave that was correctly predicted for the fall), you can never get too comfortable. In a true white guy activity on a beautiful October morning in Massachusetts, I was at an apple orchard today when my phone started to blow up with news notifications and texts from some of my buddies with the news that Patriots quarterback Cam Newton had tested positive for the Coronavirus. Of course he did, this came two days after President Orange Man I mean Trump also came down with the dreaded Covid-19. What a world. 

    That's the first and hopefully last time I ever bring up politics on this blog so the relevant point when it comes to the Pats (2-1) is that their scheduled game tomorrow afternoon (4:25, CBS) in Kansas City (3-0) was postponed to Monday night (7:05, CBS) assuming that more Patriots or Chiefs don't also test positive on Monday morning. Meanwhile if the tests go well, New England still has to fly to Kansas City the day of a game which is basically unheard of but I digress. The good news for the team is that unlike the Titans (3-0) who have suffered a major outbreak with eight players and eight coaches/support staff testing positive for the Coronavirus, no other Patriots have reportedly come down with it after Cam did. It seems silly to even talk about football in a time like this but if and when the Pats-Chiefs game happens anytime soon, backup quarterback Brian Hoyer will get the spot start for New England. PS whatever happened to Pats legend Jarrett Stidham?

    In many ways, we all should have known that something like this was inevitable given the NFL's reluctance to play in a bubble which has been a flawless idea for the NHL, NBA and WNBA playoffs. There are so many players on every NFL team not to mention all the coaches, trainers and other personnel that to assume that each of those people is doing the right thing in terms of wearing a mask, social distancing, washing their hands for 20 seconds, etc. is insane. Oh and they still go home every night to numerous other family, friends, hookers, etc. and who knows what they have been up to. 

    Bottom line, as has been the case during this entire nightmare, there is only one simple solution for getting past all of this: observe all the CDC guidelines, don't gather in large groups and please take this seriously every day. I can't comprehend how some people still aren't doing what they can to slow this all down. Good grief, how much more tangible evidence do you need? Get well soon Cam and stay safe everybody!