Patriots Will Find a Hard Time Facing the Falcons
Nov 22, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez (81) during the second half at Metlife Stadium. The Patriots won the game 49-19. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
The Falcons are set to play the New England Patriots September 29th in the Georgia Dome. The Patriots have been all over the news with the Aaron Hernandez debacle. In the slowest news cycle, it is very hard to find things to talk about, so they like to talk all about Tim Tebow and Aaron Hernandez. I said, “why shouldn’t I stoop to that level?”
But for the Falcons, there is actually something here. New England lost Wes Welker to Denver in free agency. Rob Gronkowski recently went through back surgery and isn’t expected to be available until at least after week 1. That means by week 4, He may either not be up to speed, or may still not be on the roster. After Aaron Hernandez got arrested, the Patriots are left without a tight end. They do not have any major outside threats and Amendola is the only receiver that has any merit. Of course Tom Brady is so good, he can make any receiver look good and there is always patriot luck that will dictate that they have a future hall of fame receiver or tight end that will step up in the players absence.
Either way, the defense is still troubled. They haven’t made any groundbreaking adjustments to their pass defense. The Pats do have an impressive running game and Tom Brady always has a great season. But will their defense be good enough to stop Matt Ryan and his lethal offense? The Falcons do have an impressive pass defense with a strategic coordinator.
I don’t believe that the patriots will have enough going for them when they come to Atlanta. It should, however, be a fun game to watch.