Welcome to first and 10, a roundup of all the (mostly) Patriots-related news you need to start your Monday. Grab your coffee and let’s get to it.
Weird game Sunday in Foxborough. Part of it was because it was cold and wet and rainy, and the fog rolled in as the afternoon went on, which added to the odd vibe. The Pats seemed to be in control most of the way, but it wasn't really locked down until Trey Flowers' sack and follow-up score at the start of the fourth quarter. In the end, it was enough for New England to piece it together to improve to 9-3 on the season.
The week isn't done yet (we'll have a complete look Tuesday morning after the Monday night game), but here's a quick peek at the current state of the AFC playoff picture as the final quarter of the regular season looms:
1. Chiefs (10-2)
Remaining schedule: vs. Ravens (7-5), vs. Chargers (9-3), at Seahawks (7-5), vs. Raiders (2-10)
Opponents record: 25-23 (.521)
2. Patriots (9-3)
Remaining schedule: at Dolphins (6-6), at Steelers (7-4-1), vs. Bills (4-8), vs. Jets (3-9)
Opponents record: 20-27-1 (.417)
3. Texans (9-3)
Remaining schedule: vs. Colts (6-6), at Jets (3-9), at Eagles (5-6), vs. Jags (4-8)
Opponents record: 18-30 (.375)
4. Steelers (7-4-1)
Remaining schedule: at Raiders (2-10), vs. Patriots (9-3), at Saints (10-2), vs. Bengals (5-7)
Opponents record: 26-22 (.542)
--When it comes to New England, the players have Monday and Tuesday off -- there'll be conference calls with coaches on Monday and Tuesday -- so we won't be back at Gillette until Wednesday.
--This week's Overreaction Monday Q&A starts at 1 p.m. Make sure you get your questions in now, because it's going to be epic.
Monday’s Schedule
2:30 p.m.: Conference call with Bill Belichick
Now, on with the links...
1. Greg's column breaks down Sunday's defensive performance -- based on the last two contests, it appears Brian Flores' group is heading in an aggressive new direction.
2. The BSJ Game Report takes a look at pretty much every angle you need to know when it comes to the victory over the Vikings.
3. My primary postgame focus was on the work of James Develin, who had the first two-touchdown game of his life Sunday against Minnesota. “I’ve never (dreamed) about a game like this,” Develin said with a sheepish smile afterward while dealing with the surprise media crush at his locker. “This is the first time I’ve ever thought about it.”
4. The #StayCovered Defensive Play of the Game went to Flowers for his fourth-quarter sack of Kirk Cousins. It was a big week for the defensive lineman -- on Friday, his family welcomed its second child, a daughter. And on Sunday, he delivered one of the game-changing defensive plays of the afternoon. “It’s always special bringing a child into this world. That’s actually my second one,” Flowers said after the game. “Just being able to go see my child born then come back and play the game I love and contribute is a blessing.”
5. Bill Belichick and Adam Thielen aren't going to be exchanging holiday cards this year. The two got into it in the second half of Sunday's game. Both seemed to indicate afterward that everything was cool, but it was still interesting to watch.
6. I had Live Coverage humming all afternoon long. Check out the full transcript from the afternoon here.
7. Our photog Adam Richins put together a sweet slideshow of his best work from Sunday's game. Follow him on Instagram here.
8. We had postgame video of Thielen, Develin and Cordarrelle Patterson.
9. After things wrapped up Sunday, Greg spent some quality time with the fellas on the Patriots' Postgame Show.
10. One last shout-out for my NFL Notebook, which tackled a bunch of different stuff, including some of the reasons behind the Patriots' recent spike in play-action, the possibility of Flores getting some attention as a head coaching candidate....and much more.
Extra Point:
In his 19th season, Tom Brady has finally reached 1,000 career rushing yards!
So we feel like it's time to finally bestow this title:
Tom Brady, Master of the QB Sneak. pic.twitter.com/iWCJSG46BY
— NFL Throwback (@nflthrowback) December 2, 2018