As postseason dawns, 11 questions about the 2017 Patriots

On the cusp of the postseason — and as they take their next step in a quest for a sixth title — there are still some questions about the 2017 Patriots. Fortunately, I’ve got some answers.



1. Any concerns about Tom Brady and his health?
Not particularly. The quarterback suffered a few health issues during the regular season, and while they may have played a role in his late-season inaccuracies, I don’t think they’re the sort of things that will be a serious hindrance over the next month. When it comes to potential playoff opponents, there are some teams that could give him more problems than others. And he could certainly use a boost from the likes of Chris Hogan and Malcolm Mitchell before the postseason starts. But when it comes to the 2017 season, the bottom line is that you need him for three more games, maximum. Unless he gets knocked sideways in the divisional round, there’s no reason to think he won’t be effective the rest of the way.

2. Does New England have a championship defense?
No. But given the Patriots’ ability to play good complementary football, the offense (and special teams) have more than enough to make sure the defense isn’t put in bad situations. The injuries they’ve taken so far leave them with no margin for error when it comes to health. But if New England can get Alan Branch (knee) and Kyle Van Noy (calf) back to full strength before the divisional round, the defense should be in good shape. Ultimately, the Patriots may not have a classic championship defense, but the rest of the roster more than makes up for that.

3. Can Brady accomplish something that’s never been accomplished before?
Yes. No quarterback age 40 or older has won more than one playoff game in a season. Brett Favre came closest, winning a divisional round contest in 2009 with the Vikings over Dallas before he collapsed in an overtime loss to the Saints that postseason. Brady has already one-upped a couple of Favre’s records for 40-year-old QBs, including regular-season wins and most passing yards. Count on him to surpass Favre in this department as well. (For what it’s worth, Brady will add to his most unbreakable mark next weekend when he starts the 35th playoff game of his career. It’s the most career postseason starts in NFL history. While there are a few kickers and punters within shouting distance — including the ageless Adam Vinatieri, who is at 30 — with NFL careers growing shorter by the year, that mark remains his greatest record.)

4. Can the Patriots survive with a rotation of Cam Fleming and LaAdrian Waddle at right tackle?
Probably. Marcus Cannon went down for good this year during the Week Eight win over the Chargers, and despite some dicey situations down the stretch, the Fleming/Waddle combo has done a passable job at the right tackle spot when it comes to pass protection. It’s not all them — some of it can be traced back to an occasionally quick trigger from Brady. A sizable part of it is the assistance they’ve gotten from tight end Dwayne Allen, who remains underrated as a blocker (Points here for Rob Gronkowski, who has also done well in this department ). And there have been plenty of times where protection has caved in. But they’ve done as well as could be expected, given the situation. If the Patriots can continue to mix and match and offer assistance as needed on the right side, it’ll be a big step forward for the offense during the postseason.

5. What’s a reasonable level of expectation for James Harrison in the postseason?
Not to put too fine a point on it, but pretty much what we saw from him in the regular season finale — 27 snaps, working part-time as an edge-setter and occasional pass rusher who will drop into coverage once or twice a game. After taking a day to look at the film from the Jets’ game, he was an active presence who was able to make a few plays on instinct, and others because of his smarts. He’ll continue to grow and evolve in the system, but right now, it appears he can be counted on to be part of the rotation in New England’s front seven, joining a group of edge guys that includes Eric Lee.

6. Is the Patriots backfield capable of shouldering a sizable portion of the load in the passing game?
Yes, for a few reasons, not the least of which is the fact that the New England backfield did something over the course of the regular season that has never been seen before in Patriots’ franchise history, and only twice in NFL history: have three backs finish with at least 30 catches and 30 carries in a season. Not to completely dismiss Mike Gillislee, but this is as unique a group as Belichick has ever had. Provided Rex Burkhead (knee) and James White (ankle) are fully healthy before the divisional round, they will join the electric Dion Lewis to create the most varied and multi-dimensional backfield of the postseason. Lewis has handled the bulk of the between-the-tackles work this year, but has also shown a knack to catch passes out of the backfield as needed. Meanwhile, Burkhead has stepped into more of a short-yardage role as the season continued, but can also work as a capable receiver. And White has proved his bonafides as part of Brady’s circle of trust late last year and into 2017. Laurence Maroney used to compare the New England backfield of a decade or so ago to the cartoon Voltron. These guys? They’re more like the Super Friends.

7. Just how important is Dion Lewis?
He’s not as important as, say, Gronkowski or Brady. But without Julian Edelman, at this point in the season, Lewis is third on the list. The Patriots haven’t had a back like him, at least in the Brady-Belichick Era. Traditionally, the undersized guys like Kevin Faulk and Danny Woodhead have been more third-down options instead of between-the-tackles types. But here we are, with the 2017 regular season now in the rearview, and the 5-foot-8, 195-pound Lewis ended the year with career-highs in carries (180), rushing yards (896) and rushing touchdowns (6). The Pitt product is shifty enough to be classified as one of the most elusive backs in the league, while also showing the strength needed to be able to carry the load when needed. Overall, Lewis finished the year with the third highest Pro Football Focus elusive rating among running backs (73.2) behind only Alvin Kamara and Kenyan Drake. Furthermore, Lewis was tied with Marshawn Lynch for the fifth most broken tackles on carries (42) and ranked sixth in the NFL with 3.17 yards after contact. Impressive numbers for a guy who will be asked to take his game to another level when the playoffs start.

8. Is there a relatively under-the-radar guy who has a chance of capturing the spotlight before the end of the postseason?
I was initially stunned earlier in the year when Malcolm Butler told me fellow corner/special teamer Jonathan Jones reminds him “of a young me.” But as the New England secondary suffered through injury and had to lean on its depth throughout the year, Jones stepped up and became a valuable part of the defensive backfield. Like Butler, he remains a pain to play against, as his occasionally grabby approach can frustrate the hell out of a receiver. And while he’s not the most polished defensive back when it comes to technique, he has the closing speed to make up for his mistakes. For many Patriots fans, he’s probably not all that anonymous anymore, but when it comes to a national stage, if he continues trending in the right direction, he could surprise some casual football fans who aren’t familiar with his career arc to this point. I’ll also add Lawrence Guy to the mix here as well, someone who has really picked up an already impressive game over the last month or so.

9. Will it be the Good Stephon Gilmore or the Bad Stephon Gilmore in the postseason?
If you’re a New England fan, you’re hoping for the guy who was really impressive through the middle third or so of the season, not the one who appeared to struggle at the start and for portions of the end of the year. But at this point, there’s no real way of knowing. There’s an argument to be made that there are certain guys who he just doesn’t match up well with, like Kelvin Benjamin, and that the coaching staff should go out of their way to make sure he doesn’t end up matched against them. Bottom line? There’s reason to be optimistic, at least given what he's shown to this point on the calendar.

10. Can Malcolm Mitchell come back?
They wouldn’t have had him start practicing on Dec. 27 if they didn’t think he at least had a chance, so there’s some optimism there. They have until Jan. 17 to make a decision on the wide receiver. That means this week is a big one for Mitchell, and not just because his alma mater is in the National Championship game. He started slow last week, and is expected to put more stress on the knee over the course of this coming week. If it continues to respond positively, there’s every reason to think he could be at least an ancillary part of the passing game by the AFC title game.

11. Which AFC team matches up best with the Patriots?
Defensively, it’s Jacksonville, in that it has an ability to get after the quarterback with a minimum number of rushers while also having some good cover guys in the secondary. That’s not to suggest the defense doesn’t have flaw (if we get a Jags-Patriots AFC title game, you can bet that Brady will be on the phone the week before with Jimmy Garoppolo to get a sense of how Garoppolo carved up the Jacksonville defense). It’s just that the Jags appear to match up well with New England, at least on the surface (other than Leonard Fournette, I’m not sure I’m sold on the offense, though). Offensively, it’s probably split between the Steelers and Chiefs, but that’s only if Antonio Brown is at 100 percent. We still have questions about Alex Smith and his playoff fitness, but as Greg wrote here, it’s still an impressive array of offensive options. We already know what Pittsburgh is capable of offensively, but the fact that Brown is still a question mark at this stage of the calendar makes us wonder about the Steelers’ ability to be able to match the Patriots score-for-score in a potential shootout in Foxborough.