-by DNOMN8R314

Ah, relaxation.

With the regular season’s conclusion, it’s time to take a look at some interesting stats, fa- oh, you read this in the title. Well, you know what’s coming.

• Since entering the NFL in 2010, Rob Gronkowski has led the Patriots in receiving touchdowns in six of his nine seasons. 2018 was the first season where Gronk played in more than eight games (he played in 13) but did not lead the team in receiving scores.
  • The three players to top New England in this category when Gronk did not? Julian Edelman (2013, with six), Martellus Bennett (2016, with seven), and James White (2018, with seven).
• Four players caught a touchdown pass as a Patriot in 2017 and did not in 2018. Three of those players are on other rosters (Brandin Cooks, Danny Amendola, Dion Lewis).
  • The only current Patriot to fit that specification? Dwayne Allen.
• Two players scored exactly one touchdown for the 2018 Pats: Rex Burkhead and Devin McCourty.
  • Two players scored exactly two touchdowns: Tom Brady and Kyle Van Noy.
• James Develin scored four touchdowns, all rushes of 1 or 2 yards. In the Brady-Belichick era, no fullback has ever scored that many touchdowns in a season. Marc Edwards in 2001 and Heath Evans in 2007 each scored three.
  • However, in 2007, Patriots fullbacks scored a total of five touchdowns, as Kyle Eckel found the end zone twice.
  • Before this season, Develin had one career touchdown, against Houston in 2013. (He also scored in the 2014-15 AFC Championship Game against the Colts.)
  • Develin’s middle name is Rittenhouse. That’s awesome.
• During the 2018 season, the Patriots scored a touchdown on a fumble return, interception return, kickoff return, and blocked punt return – four of the seven ways to score a non-offensive touchdown. (They missed out on punt return, blocked field goal return, and missed field goal return.
  • Their last season with at least four of these touchdowns was 2010, when they managed five (all except blocked punt and missed field goal).
  • Until this year, the Patriots’ last score off a blocked punt had been in 1996 (Tedy Bruschi), interception return in 2013 (Tavon Wilson), and fumble return in 2015 (Jamie Collins).
  • In their franchise history, the Patriots have only once returned a missed field goal for a touchdown – in 1962. (Ron Burton.)
• The Patriots’ longest rush of the season was 34 yards (a Sony Michel touchdown versus Indianapolis)… unless you count the preseason.

Enjoy today’s games. We’ll learn the Divisional Round opponent soon.

Aha! And you thought there wouldn’t be a TUMS-O-METER prediction with the Pats enjoying a bye week, but nooooooooooooo. There still will be angst and hand wringing as Patriot fans, notably one fellow called BSJ, watch this weekend’s Wild Card games to see who the Pats will face in the Divisional Round. Will it be Houston? [Nope.] Baltimore? LA? Each poses matchup pros and cons for the Patriots. Since the regular season finale was a relatively easy 38-3 win versus the Jets, we’ll just take the leftover TUMS from last week and apply them to this weekend and start with a fresh batch for next weekend’s Divisional game.