The New England Patriots will begin their quest for a fourth straight Super Bowl appearance.
The Patriots will take on the Tennessee Titans in the Wild Card Round on Saturday. Needless to say, the general consensus is that it won't be easy.
While the Patriots are clearly the favorites, there is a growing belief that the Titans could upset New England at Gillette Field. It is something that seemed unthinkable earlier in the year.
But with New England struggling to generate offense and Tennessee rolling, anything is possible. It's no secret that the Pats' aerial attack has been ailing.
Whether it has been Brady looking every bit of 42 years old, Josh Gordon's release, Julian Edelman's nagging injuries or the fact that Rob Gronkowski is smashing Lego sculptures of Steve Harvey's head rather than catching passes from No. 12, the Patriots' passing game is not what we are accustomed to seeing.
Of course, we had similar concerns about New England heading into the postseason last year, only to see the Pats march their way to a sixth Super Bowl title. So it would not be surprising if the Patriots activated their playoff mode yet again.
But one thing is for sure: a New England receiver not named Edelman needs to step up, and rookie wide out N'Keal Harry may have to be that guy.
The Pats drafted Harry in the first round last spring with the idea that he would contribute during his rookie campaign. But instead, an ankle injury sidelined him for most of the regular season, limiting him to just seven games and 12 catches.
Harry may not have made much of an impact during the regular season, but he will need to pull something out of his hat against the Titans.
Do the Patriots need Harry to have a monster game? No, but making his presence felt would be ideal. Especially with Edelman nursing knee and shoulder injuries and Mohamed Sanu and Phillip Dorsett providing Brady with very little production.
Also, unlike previous years, New England does not have a reliable tight end, as Matt LaCosse logged 13 grabs all season.
So, in other words, Harry needs to step up.
He is also unique in the sense that he is the Pats' only real vertical threat. Edelman, Sanu and Dorsett are primarily possession receivers who move the chains.
Harry has big-play potential, and this weekend would be the perfect time for him to show it.
It might be asking too much for a rookie who has barely played on the NFL level, but Harry was a stud at Arizona State and was expected to produce right off the bat.
Plus, this is the playoffs, and the Patriots need to pull out all the stops.
The good news for Harry and New England is that Tennessee's passing defense isn't its biggest strength. The Titans ranked just 24th in the NFL this season, the third-worst mark of any of the teams in the playoffs.
There is potential for a breakout game from Harry here, and the Pats may need it to come away with a comfortable win.
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