3 Keys to a Patriots Victory in Week 5 vs. Redskins
The New England Patriots are 4-0 but they do have some tiny flaws that could flare up down the road. Fortunately for them, they play the 0-4 and seemingly-always-in-disarray Washington Redskins. Let’s break down the three keys and three things to look for in Sunday’s game down in Washington.
1) The Defensive Dominance needs to continue
I feel I’ve been writing every week about how great the defense is, but it’s been the main story of the season. The Patriots defense has only given up one touchdown on the season. That came last Sunday vs. the Buffalo Bills and that TD took Josh Allen barely getting the nose of the football across the goal line on 4th-and-goal.
I know the Patriots haven’t played Peyton Manning 2003 or anything like that, but they are doing what a dominant defense should do against low caliber and middle of the road quarterbacks. They are shutting them down, getting sacks, intercepting passes, and just generally causing havoc on every defensive snap.
The Redskins will either trot of journeymen quarterbacks Case Keenum and Colt McCoy or rookie Dwayne Haskins. Even Redskins head coach Jay Gruden didn’t know who he was going to start.
Look for the Patriots defensive dominance to continue. It’s been fun to watch so far.
2) Offense needs to find their identity
September offensive struggles are nothing major for the Patriots. They treat the first month of the season as almost an extended preseason. Sometimes the identity takes longer than usual. It took until late December of last season until they committed to a power running team and a play action passing team.
One of main issues with the offense is that when Sony Michel is one the field, you know it’s a run, and when James White is on the field you know it’s a pass. Rex Burkhead seems to be the only dual threat. That sort of tell is pretty big and the Pats were able to get away with last year but that can only last so long. After having so much depth at wide receiver at the start of the season, that group is looking rather thin due to a variety of issues.
New England's offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is one of the more innovative offensive coordinators in the NFL and I’m confident they can find the identity pretty soon. I wouldn’t be surprised if we start seeing James White and Sony Michel on the field at the same time pretty soon to start giving defenses other looks.
3) Get the most out of their new kicker
Stephen Gostkowski was placed on injured reserve and has to have season ending hip surgery. The injury could be partially to blame for Gostkowski’s early season struggles with him missing four extra points this season. The Patriots recently signed veteran kicker Mike Nugent.
Gostkowski has been an easy target for Patriots fans for a few seasons now but be careful what you wish for. I have always maintained that you are not going to find a better kicker than Stephen Gostkowski just sitting on the street. Gostkowski has been with the team since 2006 and has kicked in a ton of big games. Big games in the playoffs. Big games in cold weather and big games in bad weather. There is a big difference between kicking in practice and kicking in a playoff game with everything on the line. Say what you want about Gostkowski, but he has been through all the battles with the team for a long time.
Do the Pats start going for 2-point conversions after touchdowns? Will they be going for it on 4down instead of kicking long field goals? Something to think about now. I’m not saying that they need a great effort from the kicker to beat the Redskins, but it is something to keep an eye down the road.
The Pats look to remain unbeaten and look to avoid any type of let down vs the winless Washington Redskins. Look for Tom Brady to bounce back. Usually after he has rough game, he lights it vs whoever he is playing against. Look for a big game from TB12.
