Stopping Dennis Pitta could be key
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| Photo from CSNNE |
According to CSNNE, defensive coordinator Matt Patricia understands full well the threat Pitta brings.
"Obviously this is an extremely good football player, someone that is key in their offensive system," Patricia said. "He’s a big guy, big target, got a good catch radius, and just does an excellent job of understanding coverage and finding open spaces, understanding leverage. I think he’s moving around real well."
Pitta will probably create a number of headaches for a Patriots defense that is worn down by injuries. And that worries me because the Patriots have been struggling to stop opposing receivers. So, can the Patriots stop Pitta? Maybe, but the Ravens have other targets that could step up. But Flacco will probably look to Pitta a lot in his return, so if the Patriots can slow him down, then they should have a chance to win this game. Of course, the defense needs to start forcing turnovers again as well, and that could be tricky with Flacco in the pocket, as he's been playing well as of late.
Here's what Patricia had to say:
"Turnovers are – they happen as part of the game, and we obviously are going to take a look at them and see if there’s any opportunity for us to take advantage in those situations," Patricia said cautiously. "But I think [Flacco's] done a great job, and really going off the last time we played him, and I just through his ability to take care of the ball, be smart with the placement of the ball, and really, as you look at it also, to be able to move and get away from pressure and trouble.
"I think, if you take a look at it, he’s really doing a good job of trying to take care of the ball here and not have those turnovers. I think that’s something that they’ve focused a lot of attention on here recently."
Hopefully, Patrica is right and the defense can get back to forcing turnovers, but that's easier said than done.
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