RADIO
The Patriots are undoubtedly the most mercurial team in the NFL. Despite the fact that the result at the end of the game is almost always a win, the way they get those wins vary from week to week.
One week, the Patriots abandon the run, the next week, they employ a run-heavy strategy, and the next week, they have a balanced attack. This is what makes the Pats almost impossible to beat. This week, the Pats utilized running back LeGarrette Blount to pound the Washington Redskins into submission on the way to a 27-10 victory.
Blount saw a season-high 47 snaps in Sunday's victory over the Redskins, carrying the ball 29 times for a total of 129 yards and one touchdown. Blount was already taking on a majority of the rushing load prior fellow running back Dion Lewis's knee injury in the third quarter, and continued to take on the work after Lewis's injury.
CSNEE.com is reporting that Lewis's ACL is reportedly "loose" after initial testing, which may put the rest of his season in question. If Lewis is unable to go against the Giants next week, Blount is a solid RB2 option. We can't promote him as anything more than that, because of the unpredictable nature of the Patriots gameplan.
Brandon Lafell had his best game of the season thus far, hauling in five receptions for 102 yards. Lafell has had a pretty rough time in his two games since returning from a foot injury, but he broke out in a major way on Sunday, leading the team in targets with nine.
Julian Edelman also added five receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown, while Rob Gronkowski had four receptions for 47 yards. As far as the Pats passing game is concerned, the only two constants are Edelman, who is putting up WR1 numbers this year, and Gronk, who is the best tight end in the game. Despite Lafell's performance on Sunday, we can't promote him as anything other than a FLEX play in the unpredictable Patriots offense.
