What To Watch For When Patriots Host Rams
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- You have to give the Patriots: Rarely is anything ever boring.
On paper, the meeting of a 9-2 AFC powerhouse at home against a struggling NFC West foe would not offer much appeal. But, as they tend to do over the course of a long NFL season, some circumstances have arisen.
For the Patriots, those circumstances involve the unfortunate departure of Rob Gronkowski from the playing field. The removal of such an important figure in the offense is no minor inconvenience, but the Patriots have no choice but to move on and figure out ways to evolve.
That's where this week's edition of What To Watch For will begin.
Offensive Flow
In years past, the absence of the mammoth No. 87 has been instantly noticeable. When Gronkowski missed last year's game against the Eagles, Brady posted his lowest single-game passer rating and by far his lowest yards per pass attempt. It was also the only game of the year in which he threw more than one interception.
None of that was a coincidence. Might there be similar hiccups this time, too?
Well, to put it flatly, there shouldn't be. The difference this time is that being without Gronkowski is nothing new. The offense survived without Gronkowski to start the year, and it survived over the past two weeks, when he's been on the field for just three total series.
The challenge is, however, a bit different now, as Josh McDaniels has the knowledge that he'll be without Gronkowski for much longer than a few quarters of football. He'll be tasked with tweaking the offense in a way that doesn't lead to a dip in production. And that will begin, in earnest, on Sunday afternoon against the Rams.
It won't be a cakewalk, either. Though the Rams are coming off a horrific defensive showing in New Orleans, they are tied for 12th in points allowed, ninth in yards allowed, and fifth in passing yards allowed per attempt.
Containing Aaron Donald
Some of the first comments made this week by Bill Belichick laid out the challenge of stopping Aaron Donald rather well.
"I'd say Donald is one of the most disruptive players in the league," the coach stated.
That about sums it up.
If you'd like to know more, there is this: He's got 26 sacks in 43 games played, along with four forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, and 151 tackles. He can cause some problems on a football field. He can inflict some pain.
Preventing him from hitting the quarterback is always a top priority, but it becomes an even greater focus when you have a 39-year-old quarterback who's nursing a leg injury. One shot from the 285-pound Donald on Brady could turn the worries about Gronkowski into a full-blown panic. The offensive line and the running backs are going to have to do a good job on No. 99 in order to allow Brady's recovery process to continue to progress.
The Kicker
It has not been an out-and-out terrible season for Stephen Gostkowski. But the kicker has introduced some doubt. And now that the offense figures to lose a potent threat and arguably the most dangerous red zone target in the league, some drives that might normally end in touchdowns may now be ending in field-goal attempts. And so, the importance of Gostkowski's accuracy should only increase.
Over the course of his 11-year NFL career, Gostkowski has established himself as a historically accurate kicker, successfully kicking 86.9 percent of his attempts. But this year, he's hit just 80 percent, and he's also missed three extra points. (He also sent a kickoff out of bounds, which is out of character as well.)
His missed 41-yarder last week in New York ensured that the spotlight will remain extra bright on him until he puts together a stretch of four or five games without a bad miss. And, as previously mentioned, with the offense losing some potency with Gronkwoski's injury, the Patriots' other -kowski will be called upon even more than before.
The Punter! (Seriously!)
OK, look, if you managed to listen to Bill Belichick go on and on (and on) about Rams punter Johnny Hekker without getting fired up to watch this "weapon" in action, then you may not be alive at all.
In case you missed it, Bill was effusive in his praise of Hekker, who can kick, run, pass, and probably coach the whole team if you gave him the chance. You think I'm kidding? Here it is, straight from Bill.
"Yeah, no, he's dangerous. Absolutely. He's like a quarterback. He can throw, he can run. You've got to defend him like you defend one of those guys," Belichick said. "This guy's a weapon. I mean he's not a good player; he's a weapon."
A weapon!
Kidding aside, when a man with a vast football knowledge like Belichick talks up any player to this extent, it's not without reason. So let's see what this Hekker fellow is all about, now that the hype train has officially left the station.
And even with all of that praise, Belichick admitted that he wouldn't mind seeing Hekker take the field more than a few times on Sunday afternoon.
"I hope he gets a good workout, yeah," Belichick said.
You can email Michael Hurley or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.
