Patriots: Julian Edelman could’ve capped career night if he didn’t drop game-winning TD
Patriots WR Julian Edelman had a career performance, but he dropped the game-winning TD.
When Julian Edelman reached a career-high mark of 161 receiving yards against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night, we thought that was it for the New England Patriots wide receiver. But they got the ball back for one final drive and came one yard shy of capturing the victory.
Despite the loss, this Patriots offense showed how lethal it could be with Cam Newton getting time in the pocket and continuing to keep defenses on their toes with his legs. Newton eluded sack after sack and, though he did spread the ball around, targeted Edelman the most.
The 34-year-old hauled in eight catches for a career-high 179 yards. Who would’ve thought this connection would show these kinds of results after Week 2?
Question: What made you keep going back to Julian Edelman (8 catches, 179 yards)?
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) September 21, 2020
Cam Newton: "He's Jules. That's why."
And we get the awesome postgame quote. The benefits of having Newton as your starting quarterback, folks.
Not to dampen the mood, but just imagine how much more of an incredible night/performance it would have been for Edelman if he was able to haul in the game-winning touchdown pass. The play isn’t exactly making its rounds, and in case you blinked (since the Patriots offense was moving at lightning speed) or missed the wild final drive, here’s Edelman letting the ball slip through his hands for what would’ve been the clincher:
Tomorow on every sports show it will be about cam newton not getting the job done Lmao doubt this Edelman play gets shown pic.twitter.com/dQ25ovfvZy
— John (@iam_johnw) September 21, 2020
It could’ve been a better throw, but it was there. Edelman got two hands on it, but he found himself twisting his body around after Newton zipped it in there. Again, nobody at fault. There were seconds remaining and the offense was hurrying on its final two drives like you wouldn’t believe.
But if Edelman hauled that in, he would’ve been closer to the 200-yard receiving mark and the Patriots would’ve captured a dramatic victory.
The good news? We have a whole season of Newton-to-Edelman ahead of us, so there will be plenty of opportunities for redemption. After what we saw on Sunday night, there’s reason to be excited about what this offense can do.
