The Patriots always seem to save something fresh for the playoffs, just ask John Harbaugh. From flea-flickers to bizarre alignments, New England consistently strikes gold with trick plays in meaningful playoff games. In addition to trick plays, the Patriots always add small wrinkles to existing plays and formations to take advantage of personnel mismatches that the defense isn’t prepared for.
Below are two underutilized or new concepts the Patriots could use to surprise defenses in the playoffs.
Brandin Cooks had a strange regular season in New England. On one hand, Cooks was very good. He finished 11th in receiving yards and 7th in yards per reception.