Win a Patriots jersey, Vote for the Road to MetLife Stadium Patriots MVP - Week 7
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 Jets was a fun one to watch until the end. The Patriots crumbled in the second half and a controversial penalty in overtime eventually gave the Jets the win. Of course, the Pats were playing left handed on defense without Vince Wilfork, Tommy Kelly, Jerod Mayo OR Aqib Talib. Even though the team didn't win, it was a close game with plenty of heros who might've earned the MVP nod in a victory. In losses, the MVP should be decided by which player gave the Patriots the chance to win the game in the end.
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 did give the Patriots the best chance to win in the loss to the Jets?
The choice for me has to be between Chandler Jones and Rob Gronkowski.
Chandler Jones harassed the Jets offensive line, earning two sacks on the day and applying constant pressure on rookie quarterback Geno Smith. While the defense had probably their worst day of the year as they played short-handed, Jones did his part to make up the difference, proving that the Pats aren't quite without elite talent on the defensive side yet. The pressure on Geno did provide some key stops in the game that gave the Patriots their chance to at least force overtime. The offense did put the defense in some bad situations in that second half, as the Jets were constantly starting with great field position.
Defensive lineman Chris Jones also makes the list, his controversial penalty at the end cost the team the game, but it wasn't necessarily his fault. He was being told to do that by the coaching staff. He ended the day with 2 sacks as well.
Brandon Spikes and Dont'a Hightower also had decent days tackling.
The Pats also saw the return of Rob Gronkowski, and it did have an impact. Gronk was immediately Tom Brady's safety blanket, which he hasn't had all year long. While Gronk definitely looked like some more time on the field will do him good, it didn't keep him from going over 100 yards and picking up most of the team's first down conversions. A near outstanding one handed grab on the team's final drive of regulation could've sealed a win for the Patriots.
Stephen Gostowski's kick was the one that forced overtime though. Unfortunately, Gostowski has been appearing on these lists an awful lot as the team struggles to score touchdowns.
Aqib Talib also makes the list of candidates. He has by far been the MVP of the team, and without him on the field we saw clear evidence of that. The Patriots suddenly began giving up big plays to a mediocre quarterback again, including giving up plenty of third and longs. The team really needs him back ASAP.
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
“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.”
