Ranking Tom Brady's 41 best receivers during his 18-year, 9-Super Bowl run with Patriots In honor of Tom Brady being a 41 year old in the Super Bowl, let's look at his 41 best pass catchers. The Patriots had the opposite problem, with the caveat that a 'problem' for the Patriots' defense still had them best in the league. Their DVOA against wide receivers in the slot was -33.8%, which fell to -22.0% when you include everyone else.
The Denver (1-3) will take on the New England Patriots (2-2) on Sunday, Oct. 18 at 11:00 a.m. MT in Week 6 of the 2020 NFL season. Here's our preview of the AFC showdown.
Broncos' keys to victory: After the NFL moved this game back a week, QB Drew Lock will have more time to recover. He missed Denver's last three games with a shoulder injury. Lock might be a little rusty and he won't want to overwork his right throwing shoulder so the Broncos will need to rely on their rushing attack against the Patriots. Denver has a great backfield duo with RBs Melvin Gordon and Phillip Lindsay, who should be able to wear down New England's front seven. When the Broncos do throw, Lock should look to TE Noah Fant, who is recovering from an ankle injury but might be able to return on Sunday after sitting out practice last week. On defense, the Broncos need OLBs Bradley Chubb and Malik Reed to generate pressure and disrupt the Patriots' passing game. Denver's pass rushers have totaled 10 sacks through four games.
Patriots' keys to victory: If QB Cam Newton is cleared to play, New England can continue to rely on its efficient rushing attack against the Broncos. In a contest that could turn out to be a defensive struggle, the Patriots will need to establish a strong running game to frustrate Denver's defense and keep the Broncos' offense off the field. Traduction time slot. On defense, New England should stack the box to shut down Gordon and Lindsay. Lock's shoulder injury might limit his throwing ability so the Patriots should sell out on stopping the run. When the Buccaneers held Denver to 42 rushing yards in Week 3, the Broncos' offense was stifled, scoring just 10 points. The Patriots will aim to execute a similar game plan.
Matchup to watch: Patriots WR Julian Edelman vs. Broncos CB Bryce Callahan. Edelman is still one of the best slot receivers in the league and Callahan will likely cover him for most of Sunday's game. Edelman has hauled in 60% of his targets this season and Callahan has allowed a 69.2% completion percentage to opposing QBs this year.
Who wins? Casino close to pigeon forge tn cabin rentals. Denver has lost two of its last three games against New England and the Broncos haven't beaten the Patriots since Peyton Manning retired. New England will look to keep that streak alive while out-rushing Denver in a run-heavy, low-scoring game. Patriots 17, Broncos 13.
Adam Gase has already made a lot of questionable decisions this season, but his wide receiver gameplan against the Patriots was one of the strangest.
With Demaryius Thomas out with a hamstring injury and Quincy Enunwa on injured reserve, Gase only played four wide receivers – Robby Anderson, Jamison Crowder, Josh Bellamy and Braxton Berrios. Of those four, only Anderson, Crowder and Berrios saw offensive snaps. To top it all off, slot receiver Jamison Crowder played 71 percent of his snaps on the outside, according to ESPN's Rich Cimini. Crowder only played 12 of 42 offensive snaps out of his more comfortable position in the slot.
Slot Receiver Vs Wide Receiver
The Jets are depleted on offense and lack any true playmakers outside of Le'Veon Bell. But by playing Crowder out of position, Gase weakened both his outside receiver spot and his slot receiver spot by putting in Berrios over Crowder. Berrios could never have played anywhere else but the slot, but Bellamy – who didn't see any offensive snaps – easily could have filled that role.
At 5-foot-9, Crowder does not have the size or the strength to fight against bigger cornerbacks. He signed with the Jets to be a slot receiver, and he was the second-most targeted wide receiver out of the slot heading into Week 3. Gase explained his decision by claiming Crowder was 'trying to do us a solid by playing outside' but the wideout struggled mightily with only two catches for 25 yards on five targets. The move backfired.
Broncos' keys to victory: After the NFL moved this game back a week, QB Drew Lock will have more time to recover. He missed Denver's last three games with a shoulder injury. Lock might be a little rusty and he won't want to overwork his right throwing shoulder so the Broncos will need to rely on their rushing attack against the Patriots. Denver has a great backfield duo with RBs Melvin Gordon and Phillip Lindsay, who should be able to wear down New England's front seven. When the Broncos do throw, Lock should look to TE Noah Fant, who is recovering from an ankle injury but might be able to return on Sunday after sitting out practice last week. On defense, the Broncos need OLBs Bradley Chubb and Malik Reed to generate pressure and disrupt the Patriots' passing game. Denver's pass rushers have totaled 10 sacks through four games.
Patriots' keys to victory: If QB Cam Newton is cleared to play, New England can continue to rely on its efficient rushing attack against the Broncos. In a contest that could turn out to be a defensive struggle, the Patriots will need to establish a strong running game to frustrate Denver's defense and keep the Broncos' offense off the field. Traduction time slot. On defense, New England should stack the box to shut down Gordon and Lindsay. Lock's shoulder injury might limit his throwing ability so the Patriots should sell out on stopping the run. When the Buccaneers held Denver to 42 rushing yards in Week 3, the Broncos' offense was stifled, scoring just 10 points. The Patriots will aim to execute a similar game plan.
Matchup to watch: Patriots WR Julian Edelman vs. Broncos CB Bryce Callahan. Edelman is still one of the best slot receivers in the league and Callahan will likely cover him for most of Sunday's game. Edelman has hauled in 60% of his targets this season and Callahan has allowed a 69.2% completion percentage to opposing QBs this year.
Who wins? Casino close to pigeon forge tn cabin rentals. Denver has lost two of its last three games against New England and the Broncos haven't beaten the Patriots since Peyton Manning retired. New England will look to keep that streak alive while out-rushing Denver in a run-heavy, low-scoring game. Patriots 17, Broncos 13.
Adam Gase has already made a lot of questionable decisions this season, but his wide receiver gameplan against the Patriots was one of the strangest.
With Demaryius Thomas out with a hamstring injury and Quincy Enunwa on injured reserve, Gase only played four wide receivers – Robby Anderson, Jamison Crowder, Josh Bellamy and Braxton Berrios. Of those four, only Anderson, Crowder and Berrios saw offensive snaps. To top it all off, slot receiver Jamison Crowder played 71 percent of his snaps on the outside, according to ESPN's Rich Cimini. Crowder only played 12 of 42 offensive snaps out of his more comfortable position in the slot.
Slot Receiver Vs Wide Receiver
The Jets are depleted on offense and lack any true playmakers outside of Le'Veon Bell. But by playing Crowder out of position, Gase weakened both his outside receiver spot and his slot receiver spot by putting in Berrios over Crowder. Berrios could never have played anywhere else but the slot, but Bellamy – who didn't see any offensive snaps – easily could have filled that role.
At 5-foot-9, Crowder does not have the size or the strength to fight against bigger cornerbacks. He signed with the Jets to be a slot receiver, and he was the second-most targeted wide receiver out of the slot heading into Week 3. Gase explained his decision by claiming Crowder was 'trying to do us a solid by playing outside' but the wideout struggled mightily with only two catches for 25 yards on five targets. The move backfired.
No one played well for the Jets on offense in Week 3, but it's even harder for the team to succeed when players are out of position. This could explain why the Jets signed the 6-foot-2 Vyncint Smith this week while Thomas continues to heal. Crowder is one of the only reliable offensive weapons the Jets have this season, and by putting him on the outside it turns a strength into a weakness.
Gase tried to get a little creative with his wide receivers and it came back to bite him. For an offense predicated on the use of the slot, taking your best player and pulling him away from his natural position made the Jets' chances even worse against a great Patriots team.
Former Patriots Slot Receiver
The Jets will have to make do with what they have on offense this season, and that means keeping players that are good at something where they belong, like Crowder. Luckily, the bye week will give players like Thomas time to heal and Smith to get adjusted. Even better, tight end Chris Herndon will return from suspension and there's a chance Sam Darnold will be ready to come back as well.
