Colin Cowherd has a take on the Patriots, and it’s not completely insane
By Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
When you hear that Colin Cowherd has one of his patented hot sports takes on the Patriots, you may assume he’s making an outrageous leap into an entertaining-but-preposterous conspiracy theory. Think Tom Brady leaving the Patriots for the Cowboys, or Bill Belichick "Five key offensive players have all been allowed to walk out the door... I'm supposed to believe it's a coincidence?" @ColinCowherd explains the message Bill Belichick is sending this offseason pic.twitter.com/RQK1LnGYZy
His latest one, however, at least sounds like it came from Earth.
Cowherd has given his latest top-10 rankings for the NFL, and understandably, he has the Saints at No. 1. He puts the Patriots at No. 2, which sounds generous for a guy who’s come up with all kinds of wild theories about the team on his show. But he makes a good point: who’s going to beat them at Gillette Stadium in January?
“I only have the Patriots ahead of [the Chiefs at No. 2] because I think they could ultimately, with an easier schedule, get home field in Foxboro,” explains Cowherd.
The Pats might also need slip-ups from the Texans and Chargers to end up with the No. 1 seed in the AFC. But if they do, it would be hard to envision any team coming to Foxboro and beating them to get to the Super Bowl.
As with any Cowherd take, the longer it goes the more convoluted it tends to get. He goes on to comment on the Patriots offense, which has taken a bit of a step back from 2017. Despite still having Tom Brady, he sees them as a team that will control time of possession with the running game rather than rely on the passing game.
“They are becoming more of a ball control offense,” he said. “That’s how you beat Big Ben. That’s how you beat Philip Rivers. And that’s how you beat Patrick Mahomes.”
Not sure the Patriots are going to want to depend that much on the run to get back to the Super Bowl, even if the passing attack isn’t as explosive as it has been. But at least Cowherd’s onto something with the idea of the road to the Big Game going through Foxboro.
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff or email him at matthew.dolloff@bbgi.com.
