Win a Patriots jersey, Vote for the Road to MetLife Stadium Patriots MVP - Week 8
The Patriots game against the Dolphins was the old cliche tale of two halfs. Neither team played 60 minutes, but the Patriots 30 was better than the Dolphins' 30. The Pats mustered a comeback after a 17-3 deficit at the half. They exploded for 24 unanswered points out of the lockeroom and left rival Miami hearbroken. There were so many heroes to choose from in this game, it will be touch to pick just one.
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 hero of the game for the Patriots in their win over the Miami Dolphins?
The choice for me would probably be rookie Logan Ryan.
With the Patriots again missing Aqib Talib, they needed someone at the corner spot to step up. Logan Ryan did just that. After being benched early in the game for reasons unknown, Ryan made his impact felt in the Dolphins backfield almost immediately in the second half. Following a Patriots touchdown, Ryan blitzed Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill, sacking and stripping him of the football to give the Pats great field position. The offense capitalized on the turnover and turned it into points and tied the game. It was probably the most pivotal play in the game that really swung momentum in the Patriots favor.
In addition to that, Ryan sacked Tannehill an additional time and also almost had a pick six for the second straight week.
Ryan wasn't the only one worth consideration on a shorthanded defense though. Rookie Chris Jones showed up again with a sack, his fourth and a half in the last five games. Chandler Jones was largely held in check, but did have a pretty critical blocked field goal towards the end of the game. Devin McCourty also might've had the highlight of the game, tipping a pass to Marquice Cole for an interception. Dont'a Hightower also got himself a lot of activity in the backfield, with a sack and two tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
On the offensive side of the ball, Stevan Ridley also made the most of his limited work. For some reason, Ridley only saw the ball 11 times, but he averaged over 5 yards a carry and added a touchdown. He continues to look like the team's best runner. Rookie Aaron Dobson also had a nice game with 60 yards of offense and the team's first touchdown on a beautiful catch and throw.
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
Week 5: Brandon Spikes
Week 6: Tom Brady
Week 7: Rob Gronkowski
“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.”
