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New England Patriots @ Seattle Seahawks |  |
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| (7-5) | (2-10) | ||
| Chatroom | Forums | |||
Patriots Overview:
Just when Patriots fans began to resume breathing as Matt Cassel threw for back to back 400 yard passing games, the Patriots laid a massive egg at home last Sunday. The defeat, which came courtesy of the Pittsburgh Steelers, was really demoralizing for Patriots nation, as it now means that New England will have to win their remaining games to have a shot at the playoffs. Luckily for the Patriots last week the New York Jets too got shellacked by the Denver Broncos, which means that there was no advancement in the standings. With winnable games at Seattle then Oakland, then home for Arizona and Buffalo, the Patriots could very well find themselves sitting at 11-5 at the end of the season. The funny thing with all of this is how the 2008 season mirrors 2001. If you don't remember, the Patriots were 7-4 as they played host to the St. Louis Rams. They stayed with them for a half before getting train wrecked. Well, that Patriots team would finish 11-5 thanks to a defense that would stiffen late in the season. Will we see a repeat of 2001? Probably not, but hey it's fun to dream.
Seahawks Overview:
Seattle is a mess, and I'm being nice when I say that. Surprisingly enough, however, is that the Seahawks are third in their division. You can thank the St. Louis Rams for that. Quarterback Matt Hasselback has only thrown for five touchdowns all season long, while "prized" free agent signing, Julius Jones has only rushed for two scores. Last week on Thanksgiving, the Seahawks offensive line let up seven sacks to the Dallas Cowboys defense. Now, with a makeshift linebacker corp, that just signed Rosevelt Colvin and Junior Seau, it will be interesting to see if the old legs still have anything in them. At this point in the season the Seahawks are playing for NFL Draft seeding more than anything else. There is one thing intriging to watch with this match-up, insert; Deion Branch. Branch has been very vocal since leaving in favor of a first round draft pick before the 2006 season, in saying how he missed New England and wishes he could come back and play here. Branch hasn't stayed healthy for more then five minutes at a time in Seattle, and do you blame him? I would be injured too.
Key Matchups:
1.) Randy Moss vs. Marcus Trufant -Last week's performance from Moss against Pittsburgh was odd to say the least. Moss would drop three passes and look utterly lost on a late screen pass when he decided to catch the ball and run into the heart of the defense, while he had a crease on the sidelines. Nevertheless it is Randy Moss and we should expect him to play at a very high level this week. Trufant on the other hand has had a somewhat disappointment season overall. Only with one interception on the year, Trufant has been beat deep a lot earlier in the year so look for the Seahawks to send help on his side when he's going up against Moss. At 5-11 197, Moss has a enormous size advantage so it will be imperative for the Patriots to look for him early and often and it's just as important for Moss to be that playmaker we know he can be. Lets just hope it doesn't rain or snow and Randy will be fine.
2.) Charles Spencer vs. Vince Wilfork - We all know that it starts upfront. The Seahawks will look to run the ball with Jones, who's averaging 4.4 yards per carry on the season. Wilfork, of late, has been taking games over with just his pure strength. He has been doing a great job in winning the initial attack and standing up the offensive lineman. Last week, he was embarrassed as Mewelde Moore of all people had a few big runs as he wasn't touched many of the times. Spencer is a solid lineman but he is no where near being able to contain Wilfork. Looking for there to be a double team most of the game, which will open up Jarvis Green and Richard Seymour on the outside. Seattle's offensive line is injured and weak, like I said earlier, they gave up seven sacks last week. It's all starts with # 75, the penetration goes as far as he does. If he gets Spencer going up field once, it'll be hard for Spencer to regain his composure.
3.) Deion Branch vs. Ellis Hobbs - Although he hasn't been overly productive, Branch is still a threat to take over a game. Hobbs has had a good season, possibly his best of his young career, but he needs to continue to be consistent and do a better job of making plays on the ball when it's in the air. Branch isn't a threat to go deep and if he did, I'm confident Hobbs could stay with him. It is, however, the shorter routes that make Branch so lethal. He is a poor mans Wes Welker underneath and Hobbs has had trouble in the man coverage for the majority of this season. With Seattle, Branch has played more of an outside receiver role but over the last couple of weeks he has been in on a lot of bunch formations, if this is the case look for the Patriots to throw Jerod Mayo on him just to give him a jam at the line of scrimmage. Branch has a hard time beating the press, so it's key for the Patriots to throw him off early.
Keys to Success for the Patriots:
- No Turnovers!
- Make Seattle one-dimensional
- Pass, Pass, Pass
Keys to Success for Seahawks:
- Establish the run early
- Pressure Matt Cassel
- Attack secondary
Player to Watch (Patriots): Brandon Meriweather: Safety - Meriweather is quickly establishing himself as a great safety in this league and it's games like these, with a vulnerable team, that Meriweather can take over. Last week the "U" product compiled nine tackles as he was in the box most of the game, look for the same this week. A lot of team underestimate his speed and he will make them pay, don't be surprised to see an interception and forced fumble from the New England ball-hawk.
Player to Watch (Seahawks): Deion Branch: Wide Receiver - Who isn't going to watch the former Patriot? It's always very fun to play against the guys who leave for more money or something around those lines. Ironically enough, both players to watch in this match-up are closer then you think. That first round draft choice (24) we got from Seattle in the 2007 NFL Draft, was put to good use, as the Patriots drafted Miami safety Brandon Meriweather. Seattle fell in the 'Opps' category of teams trading some type of draft picks to the Patriots, but there not alone. The 49ers only gave us Jerod Mayo and Randy Moss for Joe Staley.
Overall Prediction: Patriots - 34 | Seahawks -17
This is it. If the Patriots don't win this game they will not make the playoffs, it is just too hard making it at 10-6 or 9-7 in the AFC. This is definitely a game the Patriots should win at ease. Seattle just isn't a good team. Their defense is terrible and aside from a decent quarterback and running back they have nothing offensively.
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Friday, 05 December 2008
New England Patriots @ Seattle Seahawks (7-5) (2-10) Chatroom | Forums Patriots Overview: Just when...
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