Win a Patriots jersey, Vote for the Road to MetLife Stadium Patriots MVP - Week 5
As the Patriots begin their quest to MetLife Stadium for the Super Bowl, we've decided to chronicle that journey by highlighting the heroes from each game.
The Patriots game against the Bengals was a tough one to watch for Pats fans. It was the first loss of the season, so it will be especially hard to determine the hero of this game. No offensive players are being given consideration after the team barely moved the ball and was kept out of the endzone. It was a close game at least, so which player above all others gave the Patriots the best chance to win?
Luckily for us, the burden of that decision falls to you.
All year long, we'll be running a contest to celebrate the Road to MetLife stadium, asking you guys to weigh in on who the MVP of each game is. As a reward, the jersey of the Patriots player to earn the most votes the entire year will be given away to a random person that weighed in on our weekly polls.
Here's how it works.
Each week, you will vote in the poll below for who you think deserves to win MVP for that week's game. Each vote earns you 1 entry into this raffle. That means if you vote every single week, you'll have a total of 16 entries. You can earn additional entries by liking us on facebook, following us on twitter, and tweeting about the contest. Please see below for easy access to doing all of that!
Contest
Prize: One jersey of the player that receives the most votes for MVP throughout the year.
How to Enter:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Winner: A winner will be randomly selected on New Year's Day - January 1st, 2014. The winner will be chosen from a pool of entries collected from every poll posted throughout the season. The more weeks you vote for the MVP, the more chances you have to win.
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So, now the question remains. Who was the Patriots MVP in their loss to the Cincinnatti Bengals?
Rookie punter Ryan Allen would probably be my choice, as strange as it seems to give a punter the honors. Allen was called on many times due to the Patriots inability to do anything with the ball, he ended up pinning the Bengals inside their own 20 five times, including four times he pinned them within their own 10. That greatly helped out the Patriots defense and was largely the reason the Patriots got as many chances to win as they did late in that game. Of course, Allen can't help that Tom Brady's offense did nothing with those opportunities, but his effort was impressive nonetheless.
Of course, Allen's specialist counterpart Stephen Gostowski deserves some love too. After all, his leg was the only thing keeping the Pats on the scoreboard.
The rest of the stars are on the defensive side of the ball. Jerod Mayo and Brandon Spikes might've had their best games of the season. They both had a nose for the ball, holding former Patriots Benjarvus Green-Ellis to only 3.5 yards per carry. Each were responsible for seven solo tackles. They also got their hands on the ball, with Spikes catching a key interception near the end zone and Mayo recovering a Devin McCourty forced fumble.
Of course, on a day when the team sacked the quarterback four times, some of the linemen deserve credit too. Chris Jones filled in for Vince Wilfork and ended up with the most sacks by a Patriot on the day with 1.5. Tommy Kelly also applied constant pressure in the backfield and earned himself a solo sack for his efforts.
In the secondary, Aqib Talib did not play as well as he did on Sunday Night Football last week, but still held A.J. Green largely in check. Green was held without a catch for a long time, and Talib had a nice pass breakup on the sideline on a pass intended for the star receiver. Devin McCourty also showed up, forcing a key fumble late in the game to put the Patriots in a great spot to tie the game. Unfortunately though, that play goes forgotten because the offense wasted the opportunity.
It should be an exciting year as the league journeys towards MetLife Stadium in February. We're looking forward to some victories and more Patriots MVPs! Make sure to vote today!
MVPs so far:
Week 1: Danny Amendola
Week 2: Aqib Talib
Week 3: Kenbrell Thompkins
Week 4: Aqib Talib
“In the spirit of full-disclosure, I’ve partnered with MetLife as part of the Road to MetLife Stadium Preferred Blogger Program. Throughout the year I’ll be receiving special access to MetLife Stadium events and be conducting reader giveaways, with prizes provided by MetLife. However, no payment was given or expected for posting about the program, and as always, all opinions given here are fully my own. “
“I am currently a member of the Road to MetLife Stadium Preferred Blogger Program and this post is part of my involvement. While MetLife provides me material and necessary resources to complete various activities, all statements and sentiment in PatriotsLife are my own.”
