FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- In his recent piece on The Ringer that detailed thoughts on how best to beat the New England Patriots, Michael Lombardi put "an organizational commitment to special teams" near the top of his list. Lombardi, who served as an assistant to the Patriots coaching staff in 2014 and 2015, noted that because the Patriots put such a sharp focus on the kicking game, opponents had to as well.
The Patriots have shown that again over the last five days, with the most recent example coming Saturday with the club acquiring special teams standout Johnson Bademosi from the Detroit Lions in exchange for a 2019 sixth-round draft pick.