1.) Devin McCourty and Rasi Dowling have a tough matchup against the 6'5 Vincent Jackson and Antonio Gates. McCourty has been picked on a lot as of late, last week in Miami and all preseason. Both corners have the size to match up with Jackson, the key will be being in proper position to out play Jackson for the ball when it's in the air.
2.) Getting Phillip Rivers off rhythm. Rivers is a very accurate quaterback. If the Patriots allow him to sit comfortably in the pocket he will pick the secondary apart. If the Pats let Henne throw for 400 plus yards its scary to think what Rivers could do.
3.) Special teams was a huge issue for a lot of teams last week. San Diego had a rough day covering punts and Kickoffs, which included a kickoff returned for a touchdown. Look for the Patriots to exploit this potential weakness and get a couple of big returns for Edelman or Slater.
4.) Seeing how the Chargers cover Gronk and Hernadez will be interesting. I can't imagine they treat them the same way Miami did. Look for more press coverage against these 2 guys using conerbacks daring the Pats to beat them with the run. However, they may be just too dam good to contain.
5.) Is today the day Ochocino and Brady look in sync? Sure it looks like the Pats don't need Ochco after last weeks performance but down the stretch he will be needed. #85 is not going to be Randy Moss, but the pats don't need him to be. They just need him to come in and be like David Givens. A guy who is a great route runner that helps move the chains and gets open in the end zone on play action.
Also, lets not forget this is the first regular season home game without Myra Kraft. I believe a major reason this Patriots franchise is so easy to root for is because of the family atmosphere throughout the organization. That all starts at the top with Robert and Myra Kraft. They truly are the first family of New England Football. It will be strange not to see her sitting next to her husband whenever the camera pans to the owners box. The Patriots have dedicated the season to her and will also honor her before the game.
