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New England Patriots Stock Watch: Julian Edelman Up, 3rd Down Defense Down

By Cyrus Geller

Jan 16, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman (11) reacts after a first down during the fourth quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional round playoff game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 16, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman (11) reacts after a first down during the fourth quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional round playoff game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports /
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Here is this week’s New England Patriots stock watch:

Up

Julian Edelman

If you had any doubt about the impact Jules would have on this offense, I think his performance yesterday can put that to rest. Edelman certainly had to knock off a bit of rust (he had a few drops), but his quickness and ability to get open on 3rd downs really helped Tom Brady and company move the ball with ease yesterday. 10 receptions, 100 yards. Not bad at all.

Rob Gronkowski

Questionable my a$$. Gronk looked pretty damn good yesterday, catching 7 balls for 83 yards and two big touchdowns. With Edelman back in the lineup, it is impossible to cover both Jules and Gronkowski, and that is a big reason why this offense will be impossible to stop throughout the postseason.

Patrick Chung

Chung was tasked with covering Travis Kelce for the majority of this contest, and he was more than up to the challenge. Kelce finished the game with 6 catches for a measly 23 yards, and he was held out of the end zone. Kelce talks a big game, but he did not back it up.

Offensive Line

I know Tom Brady was getting rid of the ball much quicker with Edelman back, but the offensive line still played awesome. Brady dropped back 43 times, and he was only hit once, and the Chiefs didn’t record a single sack. If the Pats have to go to Denver next week, hopefully the offensive line can play like this once again.

Down

Logan Ryan

Ryan was picked on all game long, as Jason Avant, Jeremy Maclin, and Albert Wilson all had their way with him, particularly on the third down. The young up-and-coming corner needs to be better going forward.

3rd Down Defense

12-20? Not acceptable at all. That is the only reason KC stayed in this game for as long as they did. The Pats played a lot more zone coverage than usual, and they didn’t really tee off on Alex Smith, mostly because they didn’t want him to beat them with his legs (Smith still ran for 44 yards). That, combined with some poor coverage on the back end was why the Chiefs were so efficient on the 3rd down.

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