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.
Good morning! A few thoughts to kick off the last day of 2018...
--A relatively efficient way for the Patriots to close out the regular season Sunday, as New England had zero problems smothering the Jets on the way to the 38-3 win. You have to take everything with an industrial strength grain of salt because of the opponent, to be sure, but all in all, it was a good way for the Patriots to head into the playoffs.
--Thought Tom Brady looked better than he has over the last few weeks -- really, since the first half of the Miami game. Really sharp in the early going, and he showed a good ability to spread the ball around to a variety of pass catchers. It'll change a bit when crunch time hits in the postseason and he narrows his focus. But it was good to see guys like Chris Hogan and Phillip Dorsett get more involved, if only to give opposing DC's in the playoffs more to think about.
--You know what's strange? The Patriots' five losses this year all came against teams that missed the playoffs: Jacksonville, Detroit, Miami, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.
--It'll be quiet around Foxborough for the next couple of days. I'm going to have a special New Year's Eve edition of Overreaction Monday, which will kick off at 2 p.m. Get your questions in now, because -- as always -- it's going to be epic.
Monday’s Schedule
1:45 p.m.: Conference call with Bill Belichick
Now, on with the links...
1. Greg leads things off with a look at what we know about this Patriots team now the regular season is complete, and what could be coming for them sooner rather than later.
2. Greg also delivers the goods with the game report from Sunday's 38-3 win over the Jets.
3. After Sunday's game -- and an impressive performance from Phillip Dorsett -- I talked with a bunch of his teammates about the up-and-down season the even-keeled wide receiver went through. By the sound of things, he was maybe the one guy who had the mindset to deal with the sort of yo-yo year he's been asked to endure.
4. The #StayCovered Defensive Play of the Game honors were shared by a handful of guys, including Adam Butler, Trey Flowers and Kyle Van Noy -- the play itself culminated with Van Noy's 46-yard touchdown scamper, his second scoop and score of the season.
5. Joe Thuney did it -- he went wire-to-wire over the course of the 2018 regular season. The left guard played every possible snap in all 16 games, and reflected on the accomplishment with me afterward. Also in the notebook, Julian Edelman talked incentives and fines, and we learned the full list of opponents for the Patriots for 2019.
6. I kept Live Coverage humming all afternoon long. Go back and relive the afternoon here.
7. We've got postgame video from Dorsett, Brady and Belichick.
8. Our photographer Adam Richins delivered some great shots from Sunday's win -- check them out here.
9. Greg spent some quality time after the victory chatting with the fellas from the 98.5 Patriots Postgame Show.
10. With the regular season now done, we have a complete look at the AFC playoff picture.
Extra Point:
.@Patriots #TomBrady finished the regular season by frying the @nyjets for 4 TD’s and finishing the regular season as the only team to go undefeated at home. Did they just win the AFC EAST for the 11 year in a row? #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/llSCGo145o
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) December 31, 2018