New England Patriots Stock Watch: Rob Gronkowski, Chandler Jones Up

Here is this week’s New England Patriots stock watch:

Up

Rob Gronkowski

The Patriots’ offense was ineffective in the first half, as they only racked up 102 yards, and were truly responsible for zero of their 14 points. However Gronk got the offense going with three big second half catches, including a 27-yard touchdown that came on a picture-perfect throw from Tom Brady. Keeping Gronk healthy should be the Pats’ number one priority over these last two weeks.

Tom Brady

Do you want to know why Brady is my favorite player of all time? It is because he will do whatever it takes to win. It is because he plays with a fire that I have never seen in any other NFL football player. Tom Brady won this game with his 17-yard scramble early in the third quarter, as he showed his teammates that he was there to win this game in any fashion possible. Of course, it didn’t hurt that he was firing darts throughout the entire second half.

Second Half Defense

For the second week in a row, the Patriots were flawless in the second half on defense, as they allowed zero points, and a mere 113 yards. The secondary was tight, Jamie Collins and Dont’a Hightower were awesome once again, and the defensive line dominated Miami’s running game from start to finish. Over the last four games, the Pats have given up a total of six points in the second half.

Chandler Jones

I wasn’t expecting much from Jones in his return to game-action, but he was surprisingly explosive in his first game back. He was on the field for 55 of the 81 defensive snaps, got in on 1.5 sacks of Ryan Tannehill, and got two quarterback hits to boot. Having someone that can consistently win 1-on-1 matchups out on the edge will be huge for this defense going forward, especially when you consider they can rotate between Jones, Akeem Ayers, and Rob Ninkovich.

Down

LeGarrette Blount

Blount gained only 17 yards on eight carries in this one, and was later replaced by Jonas Gray, who gave the Patriots a much needed spark in the second half. Look for the Patriots to deploy more balance between their two bigger backs as the season winds to a close.

Malcolm Butler

Butler was absolutely torched by Mike Wallace yesterday, as he was solely responsible for 82 yards, and Miami’s only touchdown of the game. I hope Kyle Arrington’s hamstring is okay, because he is easily New England’s best slot corner available.

Michael Hoomanawui

This dude is just a waste of space at this point. Where the hell was Tim Wright?