{"id":55128,"date":"2018-12-20T06:47:16","date_gmt":"2018-12-20T11:47:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=55128"},"modified":"2018-12-20T06:47:16","modified_gmt":"2018-12-20T11:47:16","slug":"new-england-patriots-gameplan-how-to-stop-robert-foster-josh-allen-duo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2018\/12\/20\/new-england-patriots-gameplan-how-to-stop-robert-foster-josh-allen-duo\/","title":{"rendered":"New England Patriots Gameplan: How to Stop Robert Foster, Josh Allen Duo"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New England Patriots<\/a> enter Week 16 looking to break an ugly two-game losing streak. At 9-5, the Patriots currently sit in the three seed and need some help<\/a> if they\u2019re to get another playoff bye. Fortunately, the Patriots host a team they normally dominate in the AFC East rival Buffalo Bills<\/a>. While the Bills offense has struggled throughout the season, they\u2019ve come alive in recent weeks thanks to the rookie duo of quarterback Josh Allen<\/a><\/strong> and wide receiver Robert Foster<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

While nobody would confuse this duo with Joe Montana<\/a> <\/strong>and Jerry Rice<\/a><\/strong>, these rookies have managed to hook up for some big plays over the past few weeks. If New England wants to ensure victory, they\u2019ll need to put all their defensive focus on taking these two players out of the game. Foster is only a threat in the passing game, but Allen is just as much a threat with his legs as his feet.<\/p>\n

New England Patriots Gameplan: Stopping Robert Foster, Josh Allen Top Defensive Priorities<\/h1>\n

It\u2019s no secret that the Buffalo Bills aren\u2019t exactly stacked at the wide receiver position. Commonly perceived as one of the worst receiving groups throughout the majority of the regular season, Robert Foster has started to turn that narrative around over the past month or so.<\/p>\n

In Buffalo\u2019s last five games (four with Josh Allen at quarterback), Foster has hauled in 438 yards and two touchdowns on 17 receptions. This corresponds to 25.76 yards per catch, which shows that Foster is capable of making a big play every time he touches the ball.<\/p>\n

In a way, Robert Foster and Josh Allen were made to play football together. Allen has an absolute cannon of an arm, capable of throwing the football to the moon and back. Accuracy is a major issue, but there\u2019s really no part of the football field Allen cannot reach at any given moment. Foster is something of a one-trick pony, but he does that one trick incredibly well. He can get open deep, and Josh Allen tends to find him for the big play.<\/p>\n

To say Foster is the engine that powers the passing game would be an understatement. Since Josh Allen returned in Week 12, the rookie has thrown for 801 yards and four touchdowns. Of those 801 yards, 333 went to Foster, along with two of the touchdowns. If the Patriots can take away Foster, then they can basically stop Buffalo\u2019s entire passing attack.<\/p>\n

Allen On The Ground<\/h2>\n

Josh Allen has a case for being the most athletic quarterback in the league not named Cam Newton<\/a><\/strong>. The 6\u2019-5\u201d, 237-pound quarterback isn\u2019t afraid to take off with the ball and do damage with his legs. Combining an elite combination of speed and size (relative to the quarterback position), Allen has run for 351 yards and three touchdowns over the past four weeks. From Weeks 12-14, Allen\u2019s 335 rushing yards were second in the league to Saquon Barkley<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s 396. While his standing has dropped after his 16-yard Week 15 performance, there\u2019s no denying that Allen is a game-changing talent on the ground.<\/p>\n

Historically speaking, the Patriots struggle with mobile quarterbacks like this. However, New England\u2019s defense has been surprisingly good against scramblers during the 2018 season. So far this year, the Patriots have faced mobile threats in Deshaun Watson<\/a>, Blake Bortles<\/a><\/strong>, Andrew Luck<\/a>, Mitchell Trubisky<\/a>, <\/strong>and Marcus Mariota<\/a><\/strong>. Of those five quarterbacks, only Mitchell Trubisky found success on the ground (six carries, 81 yards,\u00a0and a touchdown).<\/p>\n

Whatever the Patriots are doing to contain mobile quarterbacks appears to be working. However, they\u2019ve never faced someone like Allen. Of the quarterbacks mentioned, Allen is probably the most willing to scramble and is definitely the most dangerous guy on the run. New England will need to put even more focus on ensuring Allen stays in the pocket on Sunday.<\/p>\n

How to Stop Foster<\/h2>\n

Fortunately, the Patriots are made to stop a guy like Robert Foster. This Patriots defense has some major flaws<\/a>, but stopping top wide receivers isn\u2019t one of them. New England has perhaps the best cornerback in the league in Stephon Gilmore<\/a><\/strong>. The recently-nominated Pro Bowler<\/a> is coming off a week where he limited Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a> wide receiver Antonio Brown<\/a><\/strong> to 25 yards<\/a> while also forcing an interception. If he can do that to Brown, he\u2019s more than capable of stopping Foster.<\/p>\n

The Patriots could also decide to throw undrafted rookie J.C. Jackson<\/a><\/strong> at Foster. Despite his undrafted status, Jackson has actually been one of the better cornerbacks in the league in recent weeks. Taking over for a struggling Jason McCourty<\/a><\/strong>, Jackson allowed just 48 passing yards against Pittsburgh, while mostly covering superstar Juju Smith-Schuster<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Gilmore could easily work on an island against Foster, but Smith-Schuster could probably use some help. Fortunately, the Patriots have two good deep safeties in Duron Harmon<\/a><\/strong> and Devin McCourty<\/a><\/strong>. Foster does almost all of his damage in the deep portions of the field, so New England could use either player to shadow Foster over the top.<\/p>\n

How to Stop Allen<\/h2>\n

Stopping Allen on the ground is going to be the harder task. The first the Patriots need to do is ensure they set the edge and trap Allen in the pocket. At this point in his career, Allen is far more dangerous with his legs than his arm. Setting the edge comes at the expense of registering sacks, but the Patriots need to make sure Allen can\u2019t escape from the pocket and pick up an easy 15 yards. The Patriots struggle with setting the edge, so this will be a big game for Trey Flowers<\/a><\/strong> and the rest of the edge defenders.<\/p>\n

Adequately setting the edge won\u2019t be enough to completely stop Allen. If and when Allen escapes the pocket, there needs to be somebody waiting to take him down. Normally, this spy role falls to a linebacker like Kyle Van Noy<\/a><\/strong> or Dont\u2019a Hightower<\/strong>. However, due to Allen\u2019s high athleticism, New England should consider using strong safety Patrick Chung<\/a><\/strong> in this role.<\/p>\n

Allen is probably too fast for any of the Patriots linebackers to consistently catch in open space. While Chung isn\u2019t the fastest player in the world, he\u2019s still capable of tracking down Allen should he take off. While he\u2019s normally charged with covering tight ends, Buffalo doesn\u2019t really have a tight end worth worrying about (apologies to Charles Clay<\/a><\/strong>). Chung\u2019s tackling is second to none, and he has the speed to stick with Allen in the open field. Allen will probably have or two first-down runs regardless, but keeping Chung as a spy is the best way to limit Allen\u2019s scrambling ability.<\/p>\n

Main photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>