"Pressure Sam Darnold. Darnold was outstanding in the NFC championship game when forced to throw under duress. But that hasn't been the case all season. The Seahawks rank sixth in EPA/dropback when there is no pressure, but drop to 22nd when there is pressure. Collapsing the pocket is New England's best shot at success. Their interior pass-rushers, Christian Barmore and Milton Williams, will need to overwhelm Darnold."
"OC Keep Jaxon Smith-Njigba in check. New England's defense has been exceptional this postseason, and they will have their hands full with Seattle running back Kenneth Walker, who is red hot. But Smith-Njigba is a different animal. He can take over a game with chunk passes, deep passes, all passes. If the Patriots allow him to get into a rhythm, it could be a blowout."
"MJ Get to Darnold early and often. The Seahawks signal caller has regressed when the walls close in, throwing the bulk of his 14 regular-season picks while under duress. A few well-timed blitz calls from the Patriots could make this new, improved version of Darnold look more like the quarterback we saw when he was with the Jets. AL The Pats need to unleash the ghosts on Darnold and transform the Seahawks QB into the Sam of Jets past."
New England must pressure Sam Darnold, collapsing the pocket with interior rushers Christian Barmore and Milton Williams to exploit his regression under duress. Seattle ranks sixth in EPA per dropback without pressure but 22nd when pressured, making interior rush a primary pathway to success. Containing receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is critical because he can take over games with chunk and deep plays. The Patriots should also use well-timed blitzes and disguised coverages to confuse Darnold and force mistakes. Stopping Kenneth Walker and the run will force Seattle to rely on Darnold's arm. New England's recent run defense has been outstanding.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]