Image courtesy of Fox Sports By Alan Segel NEFJ Contributor FOXBOROUGH — When the Los Angeles Chargers (I still have problems saying or seeing that in print) came into Gillette Stadium 54 weeks ago to face the Patriots, circumstances were certainly different than what they are now. The Patriots were just a three-win team at the time and going through the motions of a second straight extremely disappointing season. The…

FOXBOROUGH – Mack Hollins has still been around plenty, but it’s hard to deny his missing presence on the field is clear. After all, he’s 6’4,” 220 lbs. and entertaining as hell. New England has continued winning without him, but now as the stakes get higher, the receiver room needs to step up in order to replace some of the leadership and physicality that Hollins brought between the white lines….

If you think back to the home game against Buffalo, penalties on special teams handed the Bills some incredibly fortunate field position. Field position that Josh Allen and the offense ended up taking advantage of when the defense couldn’t stop them. Now, as the Pats prepare to play their first playoff game at home in six years on Sunday night against the Chargers, any and every mistake will be magnified….

Image courtesy of Kathryn Riley/NFL By Alan Segel NEFJ Contributor FOXBOROUGH – There are always surprises, in life and in sports. Some surprises are better than others and some of the surprises sometimes bring thoughts of ‘why is this happening?’ In 2023 and 2024, Patriots players and the fan base were surprised with 4-13 records in both years. Nobody expected that a Bill Belichick-led team would crater so badly in…

Image courtesy of the New England Patriots  FOXBOROUGH – It’s a question every successful team has to try and answer this time of year. ‘When did you know this could be a special season?’ For some guys, it’s in training camp. For others, it starts in OTAs. Veterans often need to wait until the team faces some adversity later in the year to believe that particular squad has what it…