What To Watch For: Brady 400 And The Unknown Jaguars
BOSTON (CBS) -- Admit it, it's hard to get excited for a Week 3 showdown with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
But it's football, so come Sunday afternoon, we'll all be fired up regardless of the opponent. And don't think the Patriots aren't up for this game. Any other year a game like this could be termed a "trap game" for the Pats, especially since it precedes New England's bye week. But given how the offseason went, they're a team on a mission to embarrass the league and any team standing in their way. Unfortunately for Jacksonville, they're on New England's schedule this season.
The Jags are a team the Patriots don't know very well, having last faced them in 2012. But Bill Belichick had his team working hard in the video room over the last week learning as much as they could about the young Jags, who come into Gillette 1-1 on the season following an upset win over the Miami Dolphins last Sunday. Don't let one win over the Dolphins fool you though; the Jaguars are still the Jaguars, and far from competing with the Patriots. They may make a game of Sunday, but have a long way to go before being considered a threat to knock off a team like the Pats, who will be ready for whatever head coach Gus Bradley sends their way.
Here's what we're watching for when the Patriots and Jaguars kick off on Sunday afternoon:
Brady's 400th
Tom Brady is just one touchdown pass away from joining the 400 club, and I'm going to go out on a big limb and say he gets it this weekend. A real stretch, I know, after Brady has thrown seven scores over the first two weeks against much better competition in the Steelers and Bills.
Brady and the Patriots can say how little they care about such a milestone, but it's a pretty special accomplishment. Brady would become just the fourth member of the illustrious club, joining Peyton Manning (533), Bret Favre (508) and Dan Marino (420). It'll further cement him as one of -- if not the -- greatest quarterbacks of all-time, just in case those four Super Bowl rings weren't enough.
Trivia Time: Who caught Tom Brady's first career touchdown pass? The answer in a bit.
Another Strong Showing From Dobson?
Aaron Dobson had one of the best games of his three-year NFL career last week in Buffalo, hauling in seven receptions for 87 yards. The seven catches matched his career-high, which he did back in Week 3 of his rookie season in 2013.
Dobson was even praised by Belichick on Friday, but it wasn't for those seven catches. It was for his blocking, which Belichick said helped spring Dion Lewis and Danny Amendola for big gains against the Bills.
"It wasn't just the catches, which is kind of what everybody always measures receivers by, but it's being able to do the other things that help the team and help make other plays good plays," Belichick said of Dobson. "I thought he did a nice job last week."
One of the biggest knocks on Dobson has been his consistency, or lack thereof. It always seems like he disappears after having a good game, so this is an important week for the receiver. With Brandon LaFell out for a few more months, having Dobson contribute in the receiving attack will make life a whole lot easier for Brady and the rest of his targets. This is a great opportunity for him to show why he was a second-round pick in 2013.
Containing Allen Robinson
The Jaguars have a pretty decent offense if their line protects quarterback Blake Bortles, and that was clear last week in Miami. The Dolphins didn't sack Bortles (who was sacked five times by the Panthers in Week 1), and he threw for 273 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He threw for 52 of those yards on Jacksonville's game-winning field goal drive before handing off to T.J. Yeldon and Bernard Pierce to kill some clock, capping off one of his best games as a pro with a victory.
Bortles' favorite target was second-year wideout Allen Robinson, who at 6-foot-3 is open even when he's covered. He put a one-catch Week 1 behind him to haul in six receptions on 12 targets for 155 yards and both of Jacksonville's touchdowns -- including a 46-yard score in the second quarter -- against a solid Miami secondary. He averaged 25.8 yards per catch on the day, and is averaging 26 yards per reception on the season.
Keeping Robinson in check will be another tough test for Malcolm Butler (we know they're not getting any help from Bradley Fletcher on this front). The Patriots secondary has allowed the opposition's No. 1 target (Pittsburgh's Antonio Brown and Buffalo's Percy Harvin) to bring in 13 catches for 180 yards over the first two games, so keeping Robinson from making lengthy receptions and out of the end zone will be key.
Sergio Brown Getting Thrown Outta Tha Club Again?
Remember when Rob Gronkowski and Sergio Brown crossed paths in Week 11 last year in Indianapolis? Here's a quick reminder:
Brown is now on the Jaguars, and will be trying to defend Gronkowski again on Sunday. He said he's never seen that highlight, but it's a play that lives on in his mind on a daily basis.
Gronk spoke about tossing Brown "out of the club" earlier this week, and said it was just part of the physical nature of football. He said his postgame comments were carryover from the game, and didn't have much to say about a potential sequel on Sunday.
"Emotions were flying high that day. I've got nothing but respect for Sergio," he said. "He's a great player. We've just got to go out there and worry about the Jaguars as a whole."
That doesn't mean there won't be any yapping on the field, from either side. That too is all part of the game.
"The emotions always come flying high with the game when it comes down on Sunday. All the hitting, all the competing out there on the field, but sometimes I do like the yapping. Sometimes I give it, sometimes I get it, so it's just all part of the game," said Gronkowski.
These two former teammates have a bit of a history, which started before Gronk gave Brown some assistance to the sidelines last season in Indy. You may remember, Brown was the one who broke Gronk's arm on an extra point back in 2012, though there was nothing malicious about the play and it was simply an unfortunate injury. It should also be noted that Gronk gave Brown his trip to the sidelines last season a few plays after Brown was whistled for pass-interference on Gronkowski.
Brown might want to keep quiet throughout this one. Unless he needs help finding the Gillette exit.
Trivia Answer: Terry Glenn caught Tom Brady's first career touchdown pass, a 21-yard strike in a 29-26 win over the Chargers at Foxboro Stadium on October 14, 2001, in Brady's third career start and fifth game. It was the only touchdown Brady threw to Glenn.
Tune in to Sunday's Patriots-Jaguars game on 98.5 The Sports Hub and WBZ-TV — the flagship stations of the New England Patriots. Pregame coverage on 98.5FM begins at 10am, with a full postgame show following the game. WBZ-TV's coverage begins with Patriots GameDay at 11:30am, and after the switch to myTV38 for Patriots 5th Quarter!
