The Patriots offense dominated from the beginning, scoring on six consecutive possessions to start the game, and not punting until 4:10 left in the third quarter. And with the offense clicking, the defense spent the first three quarters fending off any challenges to make it a laugher before they went into the prevent and Chicago scored in garbage-time.
Sometimes you don't learn as much from a blowout as from a close game. But there was plenty to learn in this one. Here are the bright lights from the game, in bullet form so they don't take 5,000 words:
- Quarterback Tom Brady completed 30 of 35 passes (four of the misses were drops) for 354 yards, 5 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, and a QB rating of 148.4. He also moved well in the pocket, with one TD coming off a scramble to his right.
- Tight end Rob Gronkowski caught 9 passes on 9 targets for 149 yards and 3 touchdowns. On a 46-yard TD, he threw off a safety and outran the rest of the Chicago defense to the end zone. And believe it or not, he still isn't all the way back, showing some weakness in run blocking and pass protection.
- Tight end Tim Wright had 7 receptions on 7 targets for 61 yards and a touchdown.
- Receiver Brandon LaFell had 11 grabs on 11 targets for 124 yards and 1 touchdown. Seems like a loooong time ago I was calling him LaFail -- though you could use that moniker for a Bears defense that repeatedly gave LaFell a free release and zone coverage to slice up.
- Running back Jonas Gray gained 86 yards on 17 carries (5.1 ypc), and the team racked up 122 for the day. Not bad for a guy in his second NFL game.
- Linebackers Dont'a Hightower (10 tackles, 0.5 sacks) and Jamie Collins (11 tackles) held up well, though Collins had the superior day, making his tackles closer to the line of scrimmage on running plays.
- Defensive back Brandon Browner laid the lumber on a few receivers, had a tackle for a loss, and knocked away one pass. His first start for the Pats, and by far his best game for the team.
- Rob Ninkovich had an up-and-down game, but he recovered a fumble and ran it back for a touchdown late in the first half, pretty much putting away the game. Note: Ninkovich leads the NFL with 12 fumble recoveries since 2009 (the year he joined the Patriots).
- A great game-plan on offense -- kudos to offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels
Here is what didn't go so well, again in bullet form:
- The run defense is still struggling some. In the first half -- before the game got out of hand -- Bears running back Matt Forte averaged 5.9 yards a carry. And even though it didn't come back to bite the Patriots yesterday, it could be a problem against better teams.
- Safety Devin McCourty doesn't look right, ever since he got dinged against the Bengals. His tackle numbers are down, and he gave up two receptions yesterday that he wouldn't normally give up.
- Note to safety Tavon Wilson: that dropped INT is the reason you are a reserve.
- Two dropped passes by receiver Julian Edelman. Usually Mister Reliable, Edelman has been deemphasized in the passing game of late, and has at least four drops in the past two games (two of those drops would have given the Pats big first downs).
- 9 penalties for 64 yards. The Pats have now committed the second-most penalties in the NFL (70) and have given up the most yards via penalties (628). Not a good place to be, and it's a trend that hasn't improved all season. (Trivia Question: Only one year under Bill Belichick have the Patriots been among the five worst in one of those penalty categories , name the year... answer below).
What I learned in this game, in bullet form to keep things consistent:
- Danny Amendola is a good punt returner, but Julian Edelman is a great one. Amendola had 2 returns for just 11 yards, and it appeared his technique left yards on the field. Edelman had 1 return for 42 yards, and he left no extra yards on the field.
- Linebacker Akeem Ayers has a nice burst at the snap; he got pressure on the Bears QB several times and sacked him once. But until he knows the defense better, he'll be a liability doing anything except rushing the passer.
- Running back Brandon Bolden had two big tackles on special teams, and might have outplayed special teams captain Matthew Slater.
- Rookie DB Malcolm Butler (#21 in your program) got burned on a touchdown, but battled back to knock down two passes in the game. Not great, not terrible, but nice to see him fighting back.
So where does that leave us? A 6-2 record projects out to 12-4, though the iron of the schedule is coming up. The Broncos (6-1) come to town next week, and then after a bye week, the Patriots play the Colts (5-3), Lions (6-2), Packers (5-3), and Chargers (5-3). How they fare over the next five games will determine if they compete for a playoff bye or slug it out with Buffalo and Miami for the division crown.
Statistical Oddity of the Week: Since the Bears beat the Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX, the Patriots are 7-1 against Chicago and have outscored them 228-110.
Statistical Oddity #2: Not only did the Patriots tie their own NFL record by scoring three touchdowns in 57-seconds -- they scored another quick one in the second half, meaning they scored 28 points in 4:01 of playing time.
Weekly Water-cooler Wisdom: "If you bought Bears stock when Trestman took over, would you sell now or hope for a turn-around?"
Keep the faith,
- Scott
PS. 6-2!
PPS.
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The 2006 Patriots ranked fourth-worst in penalty yards assessed, with 940 yards marked off against them. Other than that, the Patriots haven't finished any worse than tenth in either penalty category under Bill Belichick.
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