#patriots

#patriots

The Patriots' defensive performance in their Wild Card matchup with the Chargers was an unexpected highlight of their win. Although they have some star power on that side of the ball, they have been a mostly inconsistent group this season, primarily due to the number of injuries they suffered, so they needed to play at a high level in this game now that they were at their healthiest.

Among the best performers was, unsurprisingly, cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who shut down every receiver he was covering all night. Considering one of those players was Ladd McConkey, it was another impressive showing from the Pro Bowler. But after a great pass breakup late in the game, Gonzalez appeared shaken up after the play and headed to the blue medical tent, and eventually, was ruled questionable to return.

The Chargers play in an open-air stadium, so it's not technically a dome, but it does have a canopy roof that mainly shields them from the elements. Even better, they play in Los Angeles, and that is not an area that gets New England cold or any extreme weather like sleet or snow. That won't be something they're spared on Sunday, as the weather report for Foxborough already looks like it will benefit the home team.

This year's coaching carousel could reach epic levels, with John Harbaugh now officially out with the Baltimore Ravens and presumably on the market. It only took 48 hours for the NFL's two known head coach openings, the Giants and Titans, to climb to seven, and the movement of up-and-coming assistants and coordinators across the league will be seismic over the coming weeks.

The calendars have been flipped for a few days now, but before we dive headlong into the 2026 sports media scene, your semiloyal scribe (that's me) wanted to jot down a few national and local people, places, and things that I enjoyed or appreciated from the past year on this beat. Twenty-six of them, in fact ... · NBC Sports Boston's "Quick Slants," especially Tom E. Curran's good-natured "Irrelevant Questions" segments with Patriots players. · Phil Perry's knack for good-naturedly shutting down Felger-generated Patriots hot takes with facts and insight. · Lou Merloni's #walkthedog social media clips that never fail to offer clear-eyed assessments of the state of the Red Sox.

Based on the slate of games for the weekend, the assumption has been that the Chargers are their likeliest opponents. Other than having the tall task of needing to beat the Broncos at Mile High Stadium, Jim Harbaugh has already stated that QB Justin Herbert won't be suiting up on Sunday, and it might be fair to assume other starters will sit out, too.

If the Patriots need a get-right game after how the last two weeks went, Sunday presents a perfect opportunity to do that. The Patriots take on the 3-12 Jets in East Rutherford on Sunday. Not only are the 12-3 Patriots 13.5-point favorites to win this game, but they also easily dispatched the Jets earlier in the season. They took down New York, 27-14, in a pretty decisive Thursday night victory.

If the Patriots' Week 16 game had gone far differently than what it inevitably became, which was a win, the conversation on Monday would be all about a head-scratching decision that immediately doomed their chances of leaving Baltimore the victors. Fortunately, that didn't come back to haunt them, and a fourth-quarter comeback led by Drake Maye allowed them to tie the Broncos for the best record in the league and maintain their one-game edge over the Bills for the AFC East.

The New England Patriots lost one of their best and most important defensive players to foot and ankle injuries that kept him from playing a snap against the Buffalo Bills last week. Robert Spillane has been the team's leading tackler, racking up 97 in total to this point. PFF grades him to be the league's 13th-best linebacker and among the most effective against the run, with an 87.3 overall grade.

Throughout the dynasty years under Bill Belichick, the New England Patriots were known for being a dominant force in all phases of the game, beyond what Tom Brady could do with any offensive roster he was given. That was particularly true of special teams, which Belichick emphasized during his tenure, prompting the rest of the league to follow suit. Near the end of his time in Foxboro, however,

The 2025 season feels like the supreme example of NFL parity. We're somehow sitting here in Week 13 with two teams hitting double digits in the win column: the 10-2 Broncos, who held on for dear life to beat the Commanders on Sunday night, and the 10-2 Patriots, who play on "Monday Night Football" against the Giants. There are bad teams because there are always bad teams, of course,

So we can agree that those mostly dull and frequently grim years while the Patriots crossed the rickety bridge to get from Tom Brady to Drake Maye were all worth it and then some, right? That probably goes without saying around here, but in an attempt at some humility, Patriots fans must remind themselves that there are at a minimum 25, and probably as many as 31, fan bases in the NFL that don't believe the Patriots suffered nearly enough after two decades of dominance.

In the weeks leading to Tuesday's trade deadline, the Patriots have been reported as more likely buyers than sellers, with a few key names put on the table as potential targets. Because they are short on running backs, need help with the pass rush, and are always open to adding more wide receivers, a handful of players have been circled as good fits this season.

For us, whenever I'm clapping, that means I want the ball.

Christian Gonzalez put the league on notice through his first two seasons in the NFL and has continued that momentum into 2025 as one of the league's premier cornerbacks. As incredible as he's been, the cornerback performances haven't been limited to his play. Big-ticket free agent addition Carlton Davis inked a three-year deal this past offseason, and slot cornerback Marcus Jones has been incredible, being rewarded with a three-year extension of his own on Tuesday.

"It was clear White fell out of favor in New England," Walder wrote in his recap of the reported deal. "He was buried on a strong depth chart, with Harold Landry III and K'Lavon Chaisson having nice seasons on the edge and Milton Williams and Christian Barmore playing well inside. "But considering that the 6-2 Patriots should be harboring deep playoff expectations," he added, "the compensation they received does not make up for the loss in depth. Should injuries strike, they might wish they had White back."