Monday, October 3, 2011

Patriots Roll Over Raiders, 31-19

Your Patriots bounced back in fine style, rolling over the Oakland Raiders 31-19. The win gives the Patriots a share of the lead in the AFC East, as the Buffalo Bills lost on a last-second field goal -- both teams are 3-1 for the year.  The same can't be said for the Jets, who lost to Baltimore to fall to 2-2, but they are still 2 games ahead of the woeful 0-4 Dolphins.

The Patriots appeared to learn their lesson from the Bills loss last weekend, using the pass to get the lead and then the run to keep it and use up some clock.  With all the passing in Buffalo, the teams combined for 25 possessions and 65 points; with the running this week it was 20 possessions and 50 points. And much more important was the running game slowed down the opposing pass rush -- and Tom Brady dropped his interception total from 4 against Buffalo to 0 against Oakland.

The Pats running attack consisted of two very different backs. Veteran BenJarvus Green-Ellis carried the load early, with 8 rushes in each half and 75 yards and 1 touchdown. He isn't often referred to as shifty or a guy with outstanding moves, but he cut well and made very good yardage between the tackles. He also blocked well in pass protection and downfield (knocked a linebacker on his ass to spring Wes Welker on a 24-yard catch and run).

Rookie Stevan Ridley played more because Danny Woodhead got dinged in the game, and he made the most of his opportunity: 10 rushes for 97 yards and 1 touchdown. Ridley showed excellent burst and cutting ability, and he never runs out of control, always able to make another cut if a lane opens up. I've been touting Ridley since the pre-season, and not only is he their most dynamic back, he still hasn't missed a pass-blocking assignment, and was even targeted three times in the passing game. And his 8.2 yards per carry is second in the NFL among running backs with at least 10 carries (big ups to you if you can name the league leader, answer below.)

The Patriots offensive line did a great job run blocking, using zone schemes and mixing in tight end whams to open creases. And the timing was impeccable, with backs hitting the hole just as it opened and sometimes getting through just before it closed. Rookie Nate Solder did a great job in the running game and a credible job in pass protection. Oft-maligned Matt Light was outstanding against the edge rush (only beaten once), and props to Logan Mankins -- a man among boys sometimes, but always effective and a hitter.  Also, the fact that we never mention bad snaps or crushing pressure up the middle means Dan Connolly is doing the job in place of longtime center Dan Koppen (out for the year, lest we forget).

The protection and running game combined to make the passing attack even more dangerous. Wes Welker was the star again: 9 catches for 158 yards and 1 touchdown. Other than that it was few catches spread around; 2 grabs for Chad Ochocinco and a single catch each for five other receivers. Rob Gronkowski is getting much tighter coverage with Aaron Hernandez out, and Deion Branch doesn't seem to have the ability to get open against press coverage. Hernandez is supposed to be back soon, which should open things up for the rest of the crew; we shall see.

Brady was not spectacular; but who cares? 16 of 30 for 226 yards, 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. He did not put the ball in harm's way and mixed in the run to keep himself clean (just 1 sack for 0 yards). And played tough yesterday -- showing great poise even when he was hit illegally by old teammate Richard Seymour and not losing his cool when another Raiders lineman whacked him in the head, with no penalty flag.  Even though he was sacked just once,  the Raiders hit him four times; but he never got mad... he just got even.

On defense, it was never about stopping the quarterback or the passing game, it was all about stopping the run. The Patriots used a 5-2-4 alignment to give themselves more bodies at the line and slow down Raiders running back Darren McFadden, who leads the league in rushing yards. And they were pretty effective, holding McFadden to one long gain (41 yards) and 13 carries for 31 yards other than that. He never got fully untracked, although it is scary to see him with room to run.

Vince Wilfork and Kyle Love stuffed the inside run, leaving it to fellow defensive linemen Andre Carter and Shaun Ellis to clean things up. Love is a big surprise, perhaps playing the best of all the D-linemen; though Carter does well getting after the passer when he's unleashed and Ellis can play pass or run. Still waiting for Albert Haynesworth to return to the rotation, something that will be even more important with Myron Pryor out for the year and Mike Wright recovering from a concussion.

The linebackers are still the biggest concern, and that's saying something given all the problems in the secondary. Jerod Mayo is easily their best LB, and he got injured yesterday (no timetable for a return). Rob Ninkovich doesn't get beaten often (though the tight ends got him twice yesterday), but he rarely makes a big play. And Brandon Spikes still plays like he thinks he's better than he really is. His screw up turned what should have been a 5-yard gain into a 41-yard scamper for McFadden, and he misses three-times as many plays as he makes. It's saying something when Dane Fletcher is your second-best linebacker, and no one even knows what number he wears!

The return of Patrick Chung helped the secondary, because now only half the safeties were problematic, and Sergio Brown held up his end as the weak link. We shouldn't expect a lot from a second-year safety who barely got on the field last year; but please just take a decent angle and break up a pass once in a while. Brown blew it on a 58-yard pass very late in the game, and thankfully it didn't hurt the outcome. But it was perfectly set up for him to break up the play or even go for an interception, and instead it looked like he wanted to avoid contact. Not exactly what you're looking for from the safety position.

Leigh Bodden was out of the game, and that didn't turn out to be a bad thing. He must have been injured early this year, because he's been terrible, and it makes sense for him to get healthy. The backups didn't do any worse than he did, so he should let his groin pull heal up before attempting to play again. Devin McCourty didn't get beaten as badly as he has lately; but it's clear he thrives in man-on-man press coverage. His lack of aggression in a zone kills him, and even though it's riskier to play man-to-man, McCourty needs that to play well.

Special Interception Section.  Patrick Chung should write a nice "thank you" note to Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell. Campbell threw one right into Chung's hands in the Patriots end zone, killing a drive and giving Chung the biggest gift pick he'll ever get. And some guy named Vince Wilfork got another one yesterday, wrapping his arms around a throw right to him at the line of scrimmage. That's two INTs in three games for Vince, and he leads the team with 47 interception return yards.

The coaching was much better against the Raiders. After getting the early lead, the Patriots mixed in more running plays to slow down the pass rush, run some clock, and keep the defense honest. The decision to utilize Ridley paid off. And even when the game was close, it was smart to stack the line against McFadden and dare Campbell to beat you. He's now 0-2 against the Patriots, and with good reason -- he has six turnovers in those two games.

So where does that leave us? 3-1 is nice and all, but the games don't get any easier. Next week the division rival New York Jets will be in town, fresh off a 34-17 loss to the Ravens and no doubt hungry to get back in the division race. The Jets will be on their third consecutive road game, and will have a shortish week to prepare (they played Sunday night). And they might be emotionally spent, given Rex Ryan's connection with the Baltimore Ravens. But don't count on any letdown by New York -- the Patriots will have to protect the ball and play better on defense if they expect to win.

Statistical Oddity of the Week: Kyle Arrington is tied for the league lead in interceptions and Vince Wilfork is tied for fifth -- you tell me which is odder!

Weekly Water-cooler Wisdom: "I must have mis-read something -- weren't the Raiders going to run it down our throats?"

Keep the faith,

PS.  3-1!
PPS.  Trivia Answer:
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New Orleans running back Darren Sproles leads NFL running backs with 8.9 yards per carry (minimum 10 carries).

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