New England Patriots links 12/26/16 - Patriots never stop evolving

TEAM TALK

• Erik Scalavino breaks down the Pats-Jets film, quarter by quarter: "Hard to find anything other than good things to evaluate..."

LOCAL LINKS

• Rich Garven points out how the Patriots were in the same situation last year, but this time they will look to finish strong in Miami.
• Bob George (PatsFans) Once again, Patriots season decided in Miami.
• Steve Buckley thinks Sunday's Pats-Dolphins game won't just be about home-field advantage , it will be about attitude, preparedness and swagger.
• Karen Guregian takes a look at the teams currently with the best shot of spoiling the Pats' path to the Super Bowl.
• Christopher Price sorts through how Sunday's games impact the Patriots and the AFC postseason.
• Kevin Duffy sees the top two threats to a Patriots Super Bowl appearance as unquestionably the Kansas City Chiefs and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
• Ben Volin studies the film from Pats-Jets, and picks out the flaws: 1. The red-zone offense could still be better. /HO...Ho...hooo...
• Doug Kyed examines how the Patriots fared individually in pass coverage, pass rush, pass protection and pass accuracy against the Jets.
• Kevin Duffy lauds the gets-no-respect Patriots defense, on pace to allow the fewest points by any NFL team since 2013.
• Kevin Duffy talks about how the defense just capped off the best two-week stretch in Bill Belichick's tenure.
• Nick O'Malley says Matt Lengel is just the latest "next man up" for a Patriots team that never stops evolving.
• Kevin Duffy notes that Michael Floyd was familiar with "about 60 percent" of the Patriots offense from Charlie Weis.
• Mike Reiss looks at the snap counts from Saturday and notes how Julian Edelman had his offensive workload lightened.
• Eric Wilbur is appreciative of how the Jets brought the gift of their incompetence to Foxborough for Christmas. Top two receivers for NY: Brandon Marshall (2) and Malcolm Butler (2).
• CBS Boston mentions how Matt Lengel's brother Mike went crazy after Matt hauled in an 18-yard TD pass, and his post went viral.
• Mike Reiss posts some quick-hit weekend thoughts: Explaining Malcom Brown's demotion.
• Jeff Howe Patriots Notebook: Michael Floyd lays groundwork with first catch with Patriots.
• Rich Garven Patriots Journal: As usual, Belichick deflects praise for achieving his 200th regular-season victory with the Patriots; O-line held it's own; More.
• Steve Balestrieri (PatsFans) Patriots Week 16 Report Card.
• Mike Reiss tells us the Patriots' home and away opponents for 2017. /Pats travel to Denver for 3rd year in a row.
• Adam London wasn't surprised to hear of Martellus Bennett spending Christmas day walking his dog around Boston - in a purple dinosaur costume.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Tyler Sullivan (247 Sports) LeGarrette Blount makes history against Jets.
• Jarrett Bell (USA Today) Steelers show why they're Patriots' biggest threat in AFC.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Who’s the biggest threat to New England in AFC playoffs? /Poll.
• Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News) NFL playoff picture: Steelers win North; Chiefs, Dolphins round out AFC field.
• Rodger Sherman (The Ringer) The Winners and Losers from NFL Week 16. "Loser: The trash-ass New York Jets."
• Peter King (The MMQB) MMQB: the highs and the lows of theNFL's holiday weekend.
• Around the NFL (NFL.com) Forty-two things we learned from Week 16.
• Dieter Kurtenbach (Fox Sports) What we learned in Week 16 of the NFL season.
• Michael David Smith (ProFootballTalk) Both of last year’s Super Bowl teams are out of the playoffs.
• Gordon McGuinness (Pro Football Focus) NYJ at NE Grades: Brady, Patriots barely challenged by Jets.
• Lee Schechter (Bleacher Report) Patriots vs. Jets: Full Report Card grades for New England.
• Ryan Wilson, Sean Wagner-McGough, Jared Dubin (CBS Sports) NFL Week 16 grades: Patriots: A, Jets F.
• Michael Gehlken (San Diego Union Tribune) Charger recalls Christmas call from Belichick.
• Will Leitch (Sports on Earth) These are the 10 biggest sports stories of 2016.

VIEW FROM NEW YORK

• Kimberly A. Martin (Newsday) Jets embarrassed by Patriots, 41-3.
• Bob Glauber (Newsday) Patriots’ Matt Lengel makes first NFL catch a touchdown.
• Darryl Slater (NJ.com) Jets' Todd Bowles coached at Patriots with kidney, gall stones.
• Ben Shpigel (NY Times) Patriots feast as Jets join those who fail to test New England's defense.
• Connor Hughes (NJ.coom) 3 most responsible for Jets' loss to the Patriots, including GM Mike Maccagnan. (2.12 min. video) /I was thinking Belichick, Brady & Butler, but these work too.
  
• Bob Glauber (Newsday) Jets have fallen far and fast in just a year’s time.
• Rich Cimini (ESPN) Latest brutal loss by Jets sets up Hot Seat Bowl: Todd Bowles vs. Rex Ryan.