Pats Pulpit
Plus, who should Christian Gonzalez cover in Week 12?
While the New England Patriots’ 28-22 loss to the Los Angeles Rams last Sunday may have dampened the mood around Foxboro, it did not crush it.
Despite the defeat, 63 percent of Patriots fans report feeling confident in the direction of the team. That mark is roughly equal to the 66 percent mark before the first week of the season.
It is a 12-point drop-off from last week, when confidence surged to 75 percent after the win in Chicago.
One of the storylines coming out of the loss was the decision for Christian Gonzalez to not follow either Cooper Kupp or Puca Nacua in the Rams’ motion-heavy scheme. However, that did not stop him from sticking with Tyreek Hill back in Week 5.
With the Patriots facing the Dolphins again this week, we wanted to know if you thought Gonzalez should stick with Hill, or face Miami’s other speedster, Jaylen Waddle.
77 percent of you said Hill.
We’ll find out if the coaching staff agrees when the defense takes the field on Sunday, although a hip injury suffered in practice landed Gonzalez on the injury report this week.
The Patriots have seemingly found a group of five offensive linemen they trust lately, finishing each of the last four games with Vederian Lowe, Michael Jordan, Ben Brown, Michael Onwenu, and Demontrey Jacobs from left to right.
While the group hasn’t been fantastic, it has been their most consistent line this season. However, with youngsters Layden Robinson and Sidy Sow on the bench and Cole Strange close to returning from a knee injury, we wanted your thoughts on if they should continue to stick with this line.
61 percent of you want the team to stick with those five, while 39 percent are looking for something different.
This will be a situation to monitor as Strange and tackle Caeden Wallace return from injuries.
The Patriots take on the Miami Dolphins this Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. New England enters the contest as 7-point underdogs, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
72 percent of fans expect the Dolphins to cover that spread, with just 28 percent taking New England.
