This game looked to be in doubt for the first 15 minutes. The Bucs put together drives of 55 and 51 yards, but missed one field goal so they held only a 3-0 lead. Meanwhile the Patriots punted after "drives" of 4, 5, and 3 plays each, and their offense looked completely out of sync. Fortunately Tampa Bay didn't cash in enough of those early opportunities, and when the Pats stopped them on fourth down, Brady drove the team 66 yards for their first touchdown, and then followed it with 62-yard drive for another 7.
At that point, it was game over. The Bucs had decent plans on offense and defense to start the game. But once the Patriots made their adjustments, the Buccaneers had nothing to fall back on, and their offensive ineptitude led to more short drives for points by the Patriots.
A great example was the Patriots interception. Tampa needed to get to the locker room and regroup (they were getting the ball to start the second half). But QB Josh Freeman made a bad decision and threw the ball right to Aqib Talib with 11 seconds to go int he first half, and the Patriots used two plays to get into field goal range and make it a two-touchdown lead at the half.
The Patriots defense played very well, especially after the first quarter. Solid pressure by Rob Ninkovich and Chandler Jones (1 sack, 2 QB hits), with occasional help from Tommy Kelly (0.5 sacks, 2 QB hits). Vince Wilfork sees almost constant double-teaming, which should free Kelly and the rest to make plays -- and they are making them for sure.
Linebacker Jerod Mayo had a sack and led the team with nine tackles. And running mate Brandon Spikes continues his excellent run from last year, guessing run/pass correctly about 80% of the time. He doesn't always make the tackle (though he had seven yesterday), but his instincts (and obvious film study) help him blow up plays before they even get started. Dont'a Hightower didn't have huge stats, but he holds the edge well against the run, and his pass coverage is probably the best of any Patriots linebacker.
In the secondary, Alfonzo Dennard, Kyle Arrington, and Aqib Talib never let up the pressure on opposing receivers. They were beaten regularly early in the game, with Arrington actually moving outside for a few series (not sure if Dennard was injured). But they just kept hitting, pushing, rerouting, and all-around annoying the receivers, until some of them left the game with injuries and others dropped passes because they heard footsteps. Oh, and all three made nice defensive plays with the ball in the air (again, excepting the first quarter).
And please consider it a compliment to the safeties that there isn't much to say about them. The Patriots are not giving up long passes, the safeties have only been beaten deep twice all season (both times in the Bills game). And the run support has been good enough, although that leads to this point...
The run defense remains suspect, giving up at least 4 yards a carry for the third consecutive game, 4.4 this time. (Trivia question: Who was the Patriots head coach the last time the Pats gave up at least 4 YPC in each of their first three games in a season -- answer below.) Yesterday it was more yards between the tackles, something that's plagued them to this point. And frankly, these performances came against teams with subpar quarterbacks, so the Patriots knew all three teams would run the ball a lot. Yet the run defense got repeatedly gashed on quick traps and inside runs in all three contests. Not a problem so far, but something to watch as the year goes on.
On offense, the young receivers who took so much heat the last few games got their acts together in this one. Aaron Dobson: 10 targets, 7 catches, 52 yards, and 5 first downs (including a penalty he drew and a fourth-down conversion). Kenbrell Thompkins: 7 targets, 3 catches, 41 yards, 2 touchdowns, and a late-game first-down (he also had two drops). But most important of all, they ran the correct routes and were on the same page as Tom Brady, which is critical to the success of this offense.
Julian Edelman contributed his usual 7 catches for 44 yards, and even Michael Hoomanawaui had 2 for 31 yards. And after a first quarter where Brady held the ball longer than usual, the offense got in sync and it was the quick-pass attack recognizable to anyone who watches the team on a regular basis. Brady ended up 25-of-36, 225 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception, and a 92.9 QB rating. Not stellar, but the offense is still a work in progress.
The running game was actually quite good, making use of all three running backs and their diverse skill sets. Stevan Ridley (11 rushes for 35 yards) ran most often early in the game, spelled from time to time by the faster Brandon Bolden (3 for 51). Later in the game, LeGarrette Blount came in for what looked like mop-up duty, but he got 14 carries for 65 yards (and a long of 23). A nicely balanced attack, with large holes on some plays and very few runs for a loss.
The offensive line did a passable job. The early pressure really was more on Brady for holding the ball. But there were a few miscues up front, with Dan Connolly blowing it one play (and giving up a sack), and some apparent mis-communication on the right side between Connolly and Marcus Cannon (in for Sebastian Vollmer for a few series). Overall very nice work, but the Bucs proved once again that the Patriots O-line is vulnerable to physical, attacking defensive lines.
Kicker Stephen Gostkowski had a great game. His kickoffs were never returned (and all but one went through the end zone), and he was a perfect 3-3 on field goals, including a career-long-tying 53-yarder to end the first half. And though punter Ryan Allen's first punt was a shank job, he recovered nicely to have one downed inside the 20 and a 42.7 yard average.
The coaches showed their skills with adjustments in the first half. The score was only 3-0, but Tampa Bay was dominating play and time of possession. However, when the Patriots made their adjustments, they scored on five of the next six possessions, and that was ball game. With Rob Gronkowski likely back next week, it will take some of the pressure off the young receivers (and Edelman). No telling what they'll do next with the offense.
So where does that leave us? 3-0 and tied for first place in the division, that's where. The Pats head to Atlanta for a big game next Sunday night. This will be a much better indicator of where they are at this point. If Gronkowski returns, look for him and Brady to play very well -- they both do so when the bright lights are on them.
Statistical Oddity of the Week: In the last 12 months, Tampa Bay traded Aqib Talib and LeGarrette Blount to the Patriots. Yesterday Talib got the Patriots lone turnover, and Blount was the Patriots leading rusher. That has to be an oddity -- when has that ever happened in the NFL?
Weekly Water-cooler Wisdom: "Gronk's return couldn't come at a better time. Now that the warm-up acts are done, let's bring on the real season."
Keep the faith,
- Scott
PS. 3-0!
PPS. Trivia answer:
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20 years ago, in Bill Parcells' first year with the Patriots, the Pats gave up the following numbers in their first three games of the 1993 season:
Buffalo = 42 rushes for 177 yards (4.2)
Detroit = 44 for 186 (4.2)
Seattle = 43 for 209 (4.9)
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