The last time I gave a rats ass about a matchup against the Panthers was Super Bowl XXXVIII, but sitting here at 1-2 and not 3-0 ( which this team should be ) has me actually giving more of a damn than I would if they were 3-0 or even 2-1. Yes folks it is a must win week, it’s time to stop the bleeding before a transfusion is needed, this is another winnable game. Another home game. With two dropped already the Pats are running out of friendly faces to play in front of . Their last home game for a month. Yes we will all be waiting until October 26th to see the Pats play in Foxboro again. So let’s do this shall we , here are my Monster Keys to Patriots victory.
Kick him Inside
No not Will Campbell , that’s another key ring for another day. Stephon Diggs needs the ball in his hands more often and in a position to do more with it. YAC I want that YAC and no one has been able to give me what I crave all year. Last Season Diggs was killing it in Houston and why ? The Texacans were smart enough to move him to the slot.
Run the Damn Ball ,
Get Stevenson going, maybe some new gloves, maybe have him eat a caramel apple with no stick between drives, Bust this Carolina team up the middle, Sure we all want to see Henderson get more touches , I need to see end arounds. I need quick tosses , split the kid out wide and get creative Josh. The Panthers are giving up as close to 5 yards per carry as you can . Run the Rock
Win The Turnover Battle – Carolina forced three turnovers last week and guess what ? they won 30-0 ….. Do we need to get into how the Pats fared in this category ? 4 lost fumles and an INT … Carmel apple anyone ?
Limit The Laundry – 54 free yards doesn’t sound that bad , but thye need to eliminate the pressnap flags.
Own The Red Zone – Coughing it up twice in four trips inside your opponents FIVE yard line is not a recipe for success
Own Third Down – The Pats were just six of thirteen vs the Steelers last week , The four for five fourth down conversions look pretty but why did they need them ?
The Real Estate
Location – Location – Location : the passing game is leaving too much on the field, a lot of that has been due to with poor spacing and hitting multiple levels of the field , Josh needs to use all levels of the field and the spacing needs to be there, the O-Line needs to give Drake reason to trust them and read through his progressions, P.S More wheel routes
Paging Dr. Gonzalez
We all know why Gonzo sat last week . Mike Vrabel Hates me , welp he’s back and i have a treat for the best cornerback in the NFL Tet McMillan, yes son this is your one and only job Sunday, while the rest of your teammates are clogging the middle forcing Bryce Young ( I have never met anyone named Bryce, EVER ) to throw the ball to the outside you get to shut down Tet. Come to think of it, I’ve never met anyone named Tetaiora either , As Karen Guergian points out in her Mass Live column Christian Can’t cure everything but he does help here.
That’s it, my rabid readers. As I opened with , home dates are drifting away here. Three straight on the road after this one. It’s not getting, it is embarrassing how a once feared road trip to Foxboro has become just a trip to get out of the way for every Patriots opponent. Lets take care of business Sunday shall we. Turn the keys
As always you can follow / give me grief on Xwitter @Tmurph207
