So this Sunday at 9:25pm UK time, the AFC Championship rematch, as it’s being billed, takes place in the Sunshine State. Admittedly the Patriots don’t have the greatest of weapons at the minute but does that mean we should be worried? Should we be trembling at the thought of Sacksonville in Jacksonville?

At the start of the season I would’ve said yes but now I’m not so sure. Fournette is struggling with a hamstring injury, Yeldon is more of a backfield catcher than straight up grab the ball and run kind of guy and then there’s Blake Bortles… They don’t have a true number one receiver (or at least not figured out who it is yet) as last week the receptions were spread around with Westbrook getting 5 and Cole 3 whilst other receptions were shared between the runners and Seferian-Jenkins.

Until Doug Marrone trusts his QB to take them to the house with aggressive play start to finish then Bortles and the Jaguars will continue to struggle when it matters. They’re a run first team and when everyone knows you’re a run first team it’s easier to defend. Couple that with a promising glimpse of Patriots pass-rush, then I feel a lot happier about going in to TIAA Bank Field and taking home a W.

Match-ups to look out for:

Rob Gronkowski vs Jalen Ramsey – If you need to put your best Corner up against a TE then it says it all. It’s a waste of a Corner Back and plays in to Gronk’s hands.

Corderelle Patterson vs anyone – I have a sneaky feeling that Patterson might have a reasonably big involvement in this game than last week, especially now that Jeremy Hill has been confirmed on IR for the season. You could also replace Patterson with Corey Coleman as he could be thrown in on a few plays to surprise the Jags.

Yannick Ngakoue vs Trent Brown – This match-up is so intriguing it gives me goosebumps. If Brown repeats last week’s performance then he should keep Ngakoue quiet and Brady on his feet but if there’s any chink in the armour he could be flat on his back, along with Brady and the chances of a Patriots win.

All in all I feel relatively confident about this one but wouldn’t be surprised if we do lose. I’d rather take a loss now than in January when it really matters and being 1-1 is better than the 0-2 I thought we’d be to start the season.

Prediction: Patriots 24 – Jaguars 20

So with the intention of doing a preview blog for the Texans, I would’ve put the Texans down for the W. However a sick child needed tending to and I didn’t write my preview.

The Patriots usually have a slow start to the season but Gillette is something of a fortress to the team as well. The Texans have had a good grasp on us recently and with the D fully loaded to take on our O line and down Brady. It didn’t pan out like that though.

Trent Brown kept Jadeveon Clowney quiet all game, Deshaun Watson wasn’t as dynamic as expected and Sweet Feet had a solid as usual performance. Watson will feel his way into the season after his ACL injury cut short last season, where he was on for a huge rookie year. On Sunday vs the Patriots it wasn’t to be and those 7 games of available tape might be all that’s needed by the opposition to work out how to stop the Texans offense.

Even though they gave up 20 points, the 7 point difference was flattering towards a Texans team who weren’t really at the races. Watson had a 50% completion for 176 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT in comparison to Brady who had a 67% completion for 277 yards, 3 TD and 1 INT.

The New England Patriots were on point, efficient and ruthless. It wasn’t a stellar performance that will be remembered come Christmas but it was enough to start 1-0 as they head to Florida and take on the updated version of the Legion of Boom.

One sad note from week 1 is that Jeremy Hill’s season is over as he was placed on IR Tuesday with a torn ACL picked up from a collision with James Develin. Belichick said of the injury “He’s a tough kid, I know he’ll work hard and I’m sure he’ll be back.”

Every week I’ll have some takeaways from each game. Here they are for this week:

MOTM – Rob Gronkowski / Trent Brown
One to watch – Phillip Dorsett
Must do better – Chris Hogan

On to Jacksonville next and a rematch of the AFC Championship game. Will they be 2-0 after Sunday? Look our for my preview blog going up soon with my prediction.

So…the season is almost here, which means there’s been the off-season. OTA’s, draft, signees and cuts…not all in that order.

Going in to the new season I’m very excited. I have to be. I’m a Patriot. It’s in our blood is it not? However, the receiving core is a bit frightening in a bad way. Having Dorsett and Patterson as WR1 and 2 is a bit daunting BUT there’s Chris Hogan and Edelman (from game 5). And another plus is there’s no Kenny Britt.

The preseason games are a source of controversy for many but when I see what it means to the fringe players on a series like Hard Knocks it’s hard to justify getting rid of them, or scaling them down to reduce the number played. I understand the impact they have on players who go through season ending injuries but what’s the alternative? How do you judge talent on the cusp of making the 53-man roster? Flag football would just be plain weird with full gear on! And besides, you wouldn’t see a gut-busting run from your third string quarterback otherwise!

I was surprised to see Danny Etling fall to the 7th round but pleased we picked him up. He’s looking like a dynamic player with a bright future and being able to learn from the greatest QB ever will never be a bad thing.

This is a short blog, since the season is upon us. Having a baby and family life to juggle makes me forget to blog as often but I’m determined to make that change and up the content. Most things have been said now by various sources about the comings and goings between February and now. Time flies so quick that if you don’t write about it soon after, I’m not sure there’s much point regurgitating old news.

Look out for my season preview and week 1 preview coming out before Sunday against the Texans.

Free agency started like a whirlwind for most teams and before you knew it, the draft was upon us. We’ve picked up some decent players in both and I’ve got a feeling Coach Belicheck is not done yet. Pass-rush hasn’t really been addressed yet and it’s my opinion that is where we’ll see some activity before our first game against the Texans.

Some smart acquisitions like Cordarrelle Paterson to replace Amendola as special teams returner and Danny Shelton to beef up the defensive line.

The draft is always an exciting time for all but with no 3rd and 4th round picks, smart choices had to be made early on. Isaiah Wynn was announced as a tackle and between him and Trent Brown, should fill the void left by Nate Solder’s departure to NYC. I’m not a Mock Draft person but I do see who people have at the top of their lists in each respective position and with Wynn being the number one OL on the board it was a great pick at number 23. To get the number two RB with our second 1st round pick at 31 was almost unbelievable! So far so good…

Now I’m not going through all the picks one by one but overall I’d say we’ve had a good draft and with some solid free agency dealings we could be a playoff team again. I say could because nothing is certain. Our divisional rivals haven’t done much to cover themselves in glory, maybe apart from Minkah Fitzpatrick, so topping the division can be done again but getting to an eighth championship game might be a struggle.

Tom Brady has committed to at least two more years and with him and Bill, anything is possible but apart from Gronkowski, there’s very little star talent to receive the ball. It’ll be the usual running back by committee and dragging 3 star receivers up to 5 star standards. Edelman will hopefully be back fighting fit for the new season and Hogan could be the shining star, shining brighter than everyone else. Here’s hoping anyway. There’s certainly no talk of 19-0 this year!

This is just a short, “get back on the horse”, blog for now and I know I need to up my game and produce more content for your eyes to read. Trying to balance family life with work and hobbies can be difficult for the best of them and all I can do is try.

Let me know in the comments if you’d like me to write snippets of my life as well as Patriots chat or just stick to the topic in hand 🙂