New England Patriots newcomers already producing
The newest members of the New England Patriots all contributed right off the bat against the Denver Broncos.
The New England Patriots are rolling. After beginning the season 2-2 with questions arising, they have reeled off five consecutive victories. They are one of the hottest teams in the league despite numerous injuries.
The Patriots continued that roll in Week 10 against the Denver Broncos. Granted, the Broncos are not the team many expected them to be this season. After getting trounced by the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 9, the Patriots destroyed them in Week 10, 41-16.
Despite the Broncos struggles, this is still an impressive victory for the Patriots. New England has notoriously struggled against Denver, as the Broncos are the only team that has a winning record against Tom Brady in his career. That didn’t stop Brady and company from tearing them apart in Week 10.
The Patriots were clicking against the Broncos as they look to be hitting their stride. New England is like a well-oiled machine. No matter who they put into the lineup, they do not seem to miss a beat.
New England Patriots
The Patriots have been hit relatively hard this season by the injury bug. Wide receivers Malcolm Mitchell and Julian Edelman were both injured before the season began. Chris Hogan and Danny Amendola have both missed time as well. Rob Gronkowski has even missed a game, while Rex Burkhead was also sidelined multiple weeks.
Defensively, Dont’a Hightower is out for the season after appearing in only five games. Stephon Gilmore missed three games. Eric Rowe has played in only three games. Shea McClellin suffered a setback and will remain on IR for the remainder of the season.
Those are some important players missing time, but the Patriots have not wavered. The next man up steps in and produces. Against the Broncos, we saw that happen.
During preparations for the Broncos, the Patriots made some roster moves. With players landing on IR things needed to be shuffled around. A familiar face in Martellus Bennett was claimed off waivers from the Green Bay Packers. Veteran defensive lineman Ricky Jean-Francois was signed. Brian Hoyer was brought on to be the backup for Tom Brady after Jimmy Garoppolo was traded to the San Francisco 49ers.
Despite limited time with the team, all three players saw action against the Broncos and produced. Hoyer and Bennett have played with the Patriots previously, so picking up on the system was easier for them.
Bennett, despite being questionable with a shoulder injury, made his presence felt right away. He played only seven snaps but caught three passes for 38 yards. His presence also seemed to help Dwayne Allen, who caught his first pass of the season and made it count as it went for a touchdown.
Hoyer came in for the relief of Brady once the game was in hand, the first offensive snaps all season Brady hasn’t participated in. Hoyer completed all three of his passes in relief work.
Jean-Francois also wasted no time in producing for the Patriots. Despite not playing in three weeks since the Packers released him, Jean-Francois played 11 snaps recording one tackle. He helped fill the hole left by Malcolm Brown, who missed his second consecutive game.
The Broncos ran for 118 yards on 28 carries, averaging 4.2 yards a rush. That is a good performance based on what the Patriots had been allowing thus far this season.
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The Patriots will look to keep things rolling this week when they face off with the Oakland Raiders in Mexico City. The new players all had very good first showings and should see more playing time in the coming weeks.