Patriots 2017 Regular Season Awards

Yep; it's that time of year, folks. Time to reflect on the best the Patriots had to offer in the 2017 season... before we move forward to the up-coming playoff run!

Here are my regular-season awards for the 2017 season. (Note: lighter on the text and research this year; just don't have the time I used to have.)

Most Valuable Offensive Player: Rob Gronkowski
Honorable Mention: Tom Brady and Dion Lewis

Brady has won this award 10 times in 12 years, but this season, Gronkowski was even more valuable than Brady. Sure, you can make the argument that the QB is always the most valuable player. For the counter to that argument, go back and watch the second Miami game, when Gronk sat. The offense completely stagnated.

Gronkowski was also the third-best run blocker on the entire team (after an offensive lineman and a blocking back who does nothing else). And when he's blocking well, it opens gaping holes for the backs. Haven't seen Brady do that in a while ;)

With Julian Edelman out for the year and Chris Hogan, Malcolm Mitchell, and Danny Amendola missing significant time, the team simply wouldn't be anywhere near a playoff bye without Gronkowski.

Gronk barely edged out Brady, who had a down year and will only win the MVP this season :D

Lewis gets honorable mention for much the same reason as Gronk; the other injuries made it essential that he step up -- and he did, big time!

Most Improved Offensive Player: Dion Lewis
Honorable Mention: Shaq Mason and James Develin

Lewis tripled his carries and running yards, double his catches and receiving yards, and score six touchdowns versus zero last year. Without Edelman the team depended more on running backs in the passing game. And Lewis not only came through in that area, but his ability to make the first tackler miss kept the chains moving and drives alive all year.

Mason was a beast in run blocking and was the most dependable O-lineman this year. This award could have gone to center David Andrews, but he missed a few games, thus limiting the most important ability of all: dependability.

Develin was one of the best blockers on the team this year, and even caught a few passes to boot!

Offensive Newcomer of the Year: Rex Burkhead and Brandin Cooks
Honorable Mention: None

This is a tough choice. Cooks was more consistently productive (65 catches, 1082 yards, and 7 touchdowns), while Burkhead had a big impact in the few games he played (8 touchdowns in 10 games).

Cooks would have this award to himself if he would fight more for the ball, not quit on routes, and been willing to sacrifice comfort for some important catches. He wasn't a bad player, but his impact was felt in about as many games as Burkhead's was. So it's a tie.

Most Valuable Defensive Player: Trey Flowers
Honorable Mention: Kyle Van Noy

Flowers led the defensive linemen in tackles, led the team with 6.5 sacks, and added 2 forced fumbles. He also played some linebacker when the team was thin there, and was easily the Pats most consistent defender this season.

To understand Van Noy's value, just watch the linebacker play in games he missed. And also consider that he was third on the team in tackles, even though he essentially missed four entire games.

Most Improved Defensive Player: Van Noy
Honorable Mention: None

Van Noy started twice as many games and had over twice as many tackles, and added in 5.5 sacks (after notching just 1.0 last year).

Defensive Newcomer of the Year: Deatrich Wise, Jr.
Honorable Mention: Stephon Gilmore

Wise, Jr. gets the nod almost by default. Five sacks in your rookie year isn't half bad; and he will make an able replacement for Alan Branch when they cut his ass in February.

Gilmore came in with high hopes, but had just two interceptions and took over half the season to learn the defense. But he was okay enough to get an honorable mention.

Most Valuable Special Teams Player: Stephen Gostkowski
Honorable Mention: Ryan Allen

Gostkowski had by far the most kickoffs returned (58 versus 46 for the second-most), and that was by design. He kicked high and short so other teams would have to return the kick instead of taking the ball at the 25 yard line on a touchback. And it worked like a charm. The Pats were third in the league, with opponents starting at the 18.6 yards line on average.

Note #1 for the playoffs: all of Gostkowski's missed field goals were between 40-49 yards this year. So maybe go for it on fourth down if that's the situation... just sayin'. Note #2: please have him practice onside kicks; it's the one real flaw in his game.

I have no stats to back up my choice of Allen. But stats don't tell the whole story when the offense always has you punting from near midfield. I just remember the game where three punts in a row were inside the other team's five yard-line, and I think he deserves honorable mention just for that game.

Most Improved Special Teams Player: None
Honorable Mention: Gostkowski and Allen

If there was a seriously improved player, I must have missed it. Gostkowski and Allen get the honorable mention because both slightly improved over last year.

Special Teams Newcomer of the Year: Johnson Bademosi
Honorable Mention: None

Bademosi had 24 tackles on the year, and it felt like half of them were on special teams. (Wait, not sure that's a good thing.)

That is all for now. Enjoy the prep time for the Titans game, and keep an eye out for my pre-game breakdown!

Keep the faith,

- Scott

PS. 13-3 & 0-0!

Patriots Cruise to 26-6 Win Over Jets

The Patriots made it look easy, waltzing to a 26-6 win and clinching home-field throughout the AFC playoffs. The game gives them not only a week off before their playoff run begins, but means that if they win one more game, the AFC Championship Game will be in Foxboro on January 21! Next week... there will be lots of football watching as the Pats next opponent will be revealed.

So not a ton to learn from this game. The Jets dropped enough passes for an entire month of games, committed a series of stupid defensive penalties, and toward the end just plain gave up on tackling anyone. Looks like they had early tee-times scheduled for tomorrow and wanted to get out of frigid Foxboro.

The running game took center stage, which is odd because they had more backs inactive (3) than active (2). Dion Lewis led the attack with 26 carries for 93 yards, while special teams stalwart Brandon Bolden had 9 carries for 46 yards. Bolden's carries mostly came late, and he plowed and barreled through the whipped Jets defense.

It was Lewis who wore them down, making the first tackler miss multiple times, delaying his runs while blockers got in position, and bursting through seemingly non-existent holes. He had an outstanding year, leading the team in rushing yards and averaging 5.0 ypc. He also had 32 catches for another 200+ yards. Not bad for the smallest guy on the team.

The receivers didn't impress much. Brandin Cooks led the team with 79 yards (5 catches), but he cost the team at least two long completions (one when he didn't fight for the ball and one where he slowed the route prematurely). He also obviously didn't want to hit the ground on a sideline pass, and that cost him the chance to get two feet in bounds for another catch. Aside from that; Phillip Dorsett made a nice grab and the rest of the receivers were invisible.

TB12 only got sacked twice, and both times were coverage sacks. He did a decent job, with a lower-than-average completion percentage. But he had two touchdowns and no INTs on a cold and windy day, which is probably all you can ask.

The O-line obviously did a decent job, keeping Brady mostly clean and doing a nice job of run blocking. Shaq Mason continued his great year, and tight end Rob Gronkowski contributed more blocking than in the pass game (0 catches on 0 targets).

The defense really just waited for the Jets to implode. There were so many dropped passes and seven three-and-outs. The Pats only made 47 tackles for the game, to the Jets 69, which tells you about the offensive efficiency of each team.

The defensive line looked dominant against the pathetic Jets O-line. Lawrence Guy and Trey Flowers were solid all game, and newcomer James Harrison notched five total tackles and two sacks (on consecutive plays).

Linebacker? Don't ask. Kyle Van Noy returned for a few plays, but he barely saw the field, made no notable plays, and ended up a stat-sheet no-show (zero tackles or other defensive plays). If Van Noy can't play in the post-season, this is clearly their weakest position on the field. A time-bomb waiting to explode on them if the Steelers or an NFC foe can figure out to attack their short coverage zones.

No report on the secondary; the Jets dropped so many passes that it's impossible to give them a grade.

Special teams had two standouts; punter Ryan Allen and gunner Matthew Slater. In the fourth quarter, Ryan had three punts. Two were downed at the four yard-line by Slater, one of which was converted into a safety a few plays later. And one skipped out of bounds at the three yard-line. That's a good season for some punters, so having it all in one quarter is very impressive.

So where does that leave us? A week off isn't a bad thing at this point in the season. If you're religious, pray for Van Noy's health; he'd be the biggest returning player we could get (with Edelman out of the picture). Enjoy watching the Patriots next foe get the snot kick out of it this weekend and try to stay warm.

Biggest On-going Issue: It is, and will likely always remain the linebackers. Still not enough pass coverage ability in that group; expect to see safety Patrick Chung in the hybrid role the entire playoffs.

Non-Brady MVP: (tie) Lewis and Allen. Not every day you can include a punter. Although I did consider giving it to the Jets receivers.

Statistical Oddity: Tom Brady now has more career touchdowns (488) than the top four Jets quarterbacks combined. (Stole this one from the television broadcast.)

Water-cooler Wisdom: "Remember when the Pats were 2-2 and the sky was falling?"

Keep the faith,

- Scott

PS. 13-3!

Patriots Top Steelers 27-24 In Wildest Finish This Season

Games like this are why we keep coming back to the NFL. The Patriots barely eked out a 27-24 win in Pittsburgh yesterday, sealing the win with an interception in the end zone! The victory won them the division, and most importantly, gave them the inside track on the overall #1 playoff seed in the AFC. Next week the Buffalo Bills visit Foxboro, with the Pats needing a win to keep their playoff status in their own hands.

Pittsburgh changed up their defensive scheme this week, playing more man coverage and rushing just four players at Tom Brady. It's notable because they haven't done much different over the years, but it appears they finally figured out that a soft zone isn't the way to slow down the Patriots offense. The plan worked pretty well for most of the game, but in the second half the Pats beat that coverage by going to all-universe tight end Rob Gronkowski for big chunk plays.

But in the end, it was the Steelers incompetence that cost them the win. The Patriots scored 11 straight points to take a three-point lead. But Pittsburgh roared back, riding a long reception to a first-down at the Pats ten-yard line, with a chance to tie with a field goal or win with a touchdown. Then the wheels fell off:

• An apparent touchdown was apparently bobbled as tight end Jesse James went to the ground, so it was ruled incomplete upon review.
• A pass to receiver Darius Heyward-Bey was short of the end zone, but Heyward-Bey didn't get out of bounds, so the clock continued to run.
• QB Ben Roethlisberger rushed his team to the line for one last shot at a touchdown before a field goal attempt for the tie.
• Instead of throwing a fade (as suggested by commentator Tony Romo at the time), Roethlisberger tried to hit a man over the middle. The pass was broken up by Pats corner Eric Rowe, and intercepted by safety Duron Harmon.

It's not the worst loss in the annals of the league; but it shows once again that unprepared teams have trouble closing out games against prepared ones. The Steelers have more talent on the field, but they didn't close out a home game because they got too conservative with a chance to run clock and they melted down when a busted play gave them a chance to end it in regulation.

It certainly wasn't all sunshine and rainbows for the Patriots. They should always have been ready for the change in defensive scheme, but it took about 35 minutes of game time to figure out how to attack it. They went 3-of-9 on third-down conversions, which makes them 3-of-20 in their last two games (looks like a 15% success rate). That has to change if they expect to succeed in the playoffs. And of course, they missed another extra point, although this one was more on the long-snapper than kicker Stephen Gostkowski.

However, it's always hard to argue with the results. Even head coach Bill Belichick seemed to bend to the gravity of the situation, going for a fourth-down conversion on the first drive of the second half because he knew field goals probably wouldn't do it on a day like this. So without delving in too deep, here are some ups and downs from the game.

Brady didn't play his best game, but he bounced back in style. His long throws were mostly money yesterday; he completed them to receiver Brandin Cooks and Gronkowski. Gronk had two catches for 33 yards in the first half but caught fire (and everything thrown his way) in the second half: 7 grabs for 155 yards. And he made an amazing catch leaning down to snag the ball just inches from the ground.

Defensive lineman Trey Flowers was obviously what they were missing on defense. Five tackles, 0.5 sacks, and three QB hits tell you he was disruptive. And he barely missed several other sacks, including a strip-sack that Roethlisberger barely worked out of.

On the other hand, linebacker Elandon Roberts was obviously not what they were missing on defense. He read run correctly on multiple plays where he either rushed the wrong lane or whiffed on the tackle. He did make a play or two, but his inconsistency really hurts with the team down so much talent at LB. Probably no one ever thought "If we could just get Kyle Van Noy back" would be a rallying cry, but... well, here we are.

In the secondary, corner Stephon Gilmore did pretty well in coverage, but his run force leaves a lot to be desired. And safety Devin McCourty had probably his worst game of the year; taking bad angles on a few long running plays and providing just about nothing in the way of help for his corners. Not a good day for the secondary, especially when you consider the up-and-down performances of corners Malcolm Butler and Eric Rowe. (Although I did like the performance of safety Patrick Chung.)

The coaches simply took too long to get untracked. Once they started exploiting Gronkowski in man coverage the offense started humming. But it took until the half, when it should have been implemented in the second quarter.

So where does that leave us? 11-3 and atop the AFC, sorta rhymes, doesn't it? If the Pats win out, then the road to the Super Bowl in the AFC runs through Foxboro. And it would probably help if you gave your 40 year-old quarterback an extra week of rest toward the end of the season.

Biggest On-going Issue: It could always be the linebackers, but the lack of receiving threats is starting to concern me. Yesterday Gronkowski (9) and Cooks (4) were the only Pats players with more than two receptions. The team needs more production out of Amendola and the running backs, just to make other teams defend more players.

It was good to see newcomer Kenny Britt make a contribution. And it was also nice to see he was upset with himself for not getting the first down on his one reception. But his limited time with the playbook and the team makes him an unlikely candidate to step up in any meaningful way.

Non-Brady MVP: Gronkowski. Without his ability to get separation and make circus catches, the Pats wouldn't have been close enough to win at the end.

Statistical Oddity: Rob Gronkowski continued his success against Pittsburgh yesterday. His average in six games against them is: 6.5 catches, 111 yards, 22.8 yards per catch, 1.3 touchdowns. Might want to double-team him someday -- maybe the next time you play. (Trivia question: name the only team against which Gronkowski has higher averages in three of those four categories; answer below.) 

Water-cooler Wisdom: "If you don't like the catch rule, talk to the NFL; but that was not a catch."

Keep the faith,

- Scott

PS. 11-3!

PPS. Trivia Answer:

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In his one game against the Rams, Gronkowski had 8 catches for 146 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Patriots Dominate 2nd Half, Win Going Away, 23-3

The Patriots annual pseudo-bye in Buffalo ended as it always does, with a Patriots win, this time 23-3 over the .500 Bills. The win opens up a four-game lead in the division with four games to go, though they haven't quite clinched the AFC East yet, due to tiebreakers. And pending the Pittsburgh Monday Night game, it will at least keep them tied with the Steelers for the AFC #1 playoff seed.

If there are horses for courses, the Patriots under Bill Belichick were built to dominate the Bills. Since the head coach arrived, the Pats are 35-5 against Buffalo, including 16-2 in Orchard Park! In fact, Tom Brady 14 wins in Buffalo ties him for the most by any QB in that stadium since 2001. And yes, that includes Bills QBs, even though they play there eight times a year and Brady only gets one shot at it a season. (Trivia question: Can you name the only Bills quarterback with 14 home wins since 2001? Answer below.)

As for yesterday's game, the Bills played tough for a half, limiting the number of possessions and holding the Patriots to nine points. But they had a very badly thrown (and badly timed) red zone interception on their opening drive, and their QB also overthrew a bunch of open receivers, while some receivers dropped passes right in their hands.

Then came the second half; which the Patriots won 14-0. In fact, for how close the game was early on, Belichick's charges scored on five of their first six possessions in the game. And even though the passing game was stalled, they ran for 130 yards in the first 30 minutes, not half bad.

The star of the game was tight end Rob Gronkowski. He had a couple of monster blocks in the running game, and also had nine catches for 147 yards. His performance proved once and for all what I've said for years: the Pats should run with Gronk blocking because it makes him soooo much more effective in the passing game. When defenders don't know if he fires off the line to block or to run a route, that moment of hesitation is all he and Brady need to gash them with either the run or pass. It's more unstoppable than flanking him out wide on a corner, and they should use it, frankly until he retires.

The other receivers were nondescript, with running backs totaling seven receptions and the rest of the team notching just five. Speaking of backs, Dion Lewis is just electric with the ball, forcing misses on first contact about 75% of the time. He had 92 yards on 15 carries, while fellow back Rex Burkhead got 78 yards on 12 carries. (Before you do the math, that is a very, very healthy 6.1 and 6.5 yards per carry, respectively.)

And the 191 yards on the ground illustrated the great performance of the offensive line. When they weren't committing penalties (three on the O-line, four total false-start penalties -- unacceptable!), Shaq Mason and David Andrews made great pull blocks and created gaps right up the middle or inside the tackles. Mason played his best game of the year, and even struggling Nate Solder did some nice work (though not consistent enough).

Brady was saved his usual pummeling because the run game was so effective. Buffalo had three sacks and five QB hits, and that total of eight hits is much lower than any of the last few games. His pedestrian 82.4 QB rating owes mostly to his one interception (which should have been nullified by three penalties on the Bills). But to complete 70% of his passes for the game after only 57% in the first half is testament to his improvement after the break.

The defense played very well, led by former Bills corner Stephon Gilmore and former Bills practice squad linebacker Eric Lee. Gilmore knocked down two passes and provided tight coverage. Lee dominate his former team: 4 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 3 QB hits, 2 passes defended, and 1 huge interception.

He might be what the linebacking corps needed, as they continue to be short on talent and energy. David Harris just can't make enough plays in the running game (and can't cover running backs), and Elandon Roberts seems to be repeating the same pattern from last year: start strong and fade later in the year. 

On the line, the return of Malcom Brown made a big difference in the run; he is a lineman who regularly totals 3+ tackles a game, which really is a lot for a Belichick defense. If only the front seven contained Tyrod Taylor in the pocket, this would have been a truly dominant performance. He scrambled three times, and each time he converted a third-down to extend the drive.

But overall it's tough to find fault when you only give up three points.

So where does that leave us? 10-2 and waiting to see if we open up a lead over Pittsburgh tomorrow night. The rest of the AFC seems to have ceded the #1 and #2 seeds to the two teams, so it's a matter of jockeying for the poll position. On the injury front, the Patriots really need to get linebacker Kyle Van Noy and offensive lineman Marcus Cannon back at full strength. The linebackers struggle without Van Noy, and you could see the difference in O-line play with the return of David Andrews at center.

Biggest On-Going Issue (a new weekly item): Earlier in the year the offensive pass distribution was great, with multiple receivers/backs getting three or more receptions in many of the games. However, injuries have, of late, set the team back there. The Pats had just three such receivers yesterday and two the week before against Miami.

Maybe it's just that the division rivals who know the Pats tendencies well enough to combat the diverse passing attack. But they've had this pattern before, and it can come back to haunt them in the playoffs, when teams are more adept at shutting down your favorite targets.

Non-Brady MVP: Rob Gronkowski, a monster game.

Statistical Oddity: In honor of Gronkowski, note that he has only fumbled three times in his career, and the last time he lost a fumble was five years (and 69 games) ago in 2012. He might not be durable, but when he plays, he is amazingly dependable.

Water-Cooler Wisdom: "Same old story in Buffalo, just a few new faces to pound into the dirt."

Keep the faith,

- Scott

PS. 10-2!

PPS. Trivia Answer:
Believe it or not, the only Bills QB with as many wins as Brady in Buffalo since 2001 is Drew Bledsoe, who won 14 homes games in three seasons after being traded there in 2002.

Pats Handle Dolphins 35-17, Control AFC East

In a game that resembled the Patriots last two contests, this one was no contest: a 35-17 victory over the overwhelmed Dolphins. The win puts New England at 9-2, and gives them a three-game lead in the AFC East with five games to play. Next up is a trip to Buffalo, in what is a must-win if the 6-5 Bills expect to contend for a division crown.

As with the last two games, there just wasn't a lot to learn in this one. The Patriots controlled the game from the start, and if not for two turnovers, it would have been a complete laugher, just like the wins over Denver and Oakland. But there were some interesting wrinkles in this one, so here goes...

The running backs have gone from a five-headed monster to just two heads: Dion Lewis and Rex Burkhead. Lewis ran for 112 yards, Burkhead for 50, and the rest of the RBs had 13 total. And it's the third week in a row. Against the Raiders it was Lewis/Burkhead 66 yards, James White 13, and versus the Broncos it was Lewis/Burkhead 91, White 7.

Given that the ratio holds in the passing game, too, it appears they have settled on a rotation. The big question is Lewis' health. He's had only one injury with the Patriots, but it was a huge one; an ACL tear that cost him an entire year. He is smaller, so it probably makes sense to spell him with James White to keep him healthy and fresh for the stretch run.

Speaking of White, the team did something interesting with him this week. When he was assigned blitz pickup, he moved up three yards so he could take on defenders before they got a running start. White struggled picking up the pass rush against Oakland, so this probably makes sense. However, it means he can't be used as a runner out of the shotgun, which limits his effectiveness. I'll keep an eye on that the next few weeks; it's a crutch he's never needed before, and it makes him more one-dimensional.

As for the offense in general, apparently Miami defensive end Ndamukong Suh is right; the only way to get Tom Brady to make mistakes is to hit him, a lot. He was sacked once and hit eight other times, and he did make some mistakes (a bad interception, over and under throwing players a few times). Although in fairness, he made some great throws into tight coverage, especially near the goal line (one reason he ended up with four TDs).

Brady was hit so many times mostly because the offensive line didn't hold up particularly well. Yesterday they lost LaAdrian Waddle to injury (and he himself was playing because of an injury to another starter), and on the next play Cameron Fleming gave up a sack that forced a punt. Replacement center Ted Karras snapped the ball early, resulting in a fumble return for touchdown by Miami.

Usually offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia can make almost any situation work. But it appears there is a limit to magic; and perhaps three missing starters is just too much to bear. Especially when left tackle Nate Solder is having a down year, although he played better yesterday.

In the defensive secondary, the Pats employed an interesting twist; they had their third corner, Jonathan Jones, cover the Dolphins #1 receiver with safety help. Jones followed Jarvis Landry around all day, mostly tackling him after catches, which is one reason he led the team with nine tackles.

Historically, this strategy has involved having the #2 corner cover the other team's best receiver with safety help. So this appears to be either a shot at #2 corner Malcolm Butler, an acknowledgement that Landry just isn't that dangerous (or that his QB isn't), or an expression of confidence that they can slow down #1 receivers with even their third corner. Whatever the case, it was interesting to watch that defense deployed.

At linebacker, Elandon Roberts looks bigger than last year but plays just as fast. When he guesses pass/run correctly, he can be a real force. But when he is wrong, or when he chooses the wrong place to help, he looks completely lost. Yesterday he looked great: 4 tackles, 2 sacks, and 2 QB hits.

The biggest problem at linebacker is the team literally has no one who is even above average in pass coverage. Longtime Jets linebacker David Harris has played better lately, but he's good against the run and junk in coverage. Same goes for Kyle Van Noy (well... he's a little better in pass coverage, as long as it's a pretty short pass).

The only team that can exploit this weakness for the remainder of the regular season is the Steelers, and there's no guarantee they will bother -- they like to establish the run, while the Patriots get out to a 14- or 21-point lead. It's just what they do.

The point is, the Patriots are likely to end up with a great record and good playoff positioning. But once they get to the post-season, there will be multiple teams that can exploit poor pass coverage by linebackers. So we might not know if they are vulnerable until it's too late. Stay tuned; I'll do my best to watch for signs of improvement here.

So where does that leave us? Riding high at 9-2, and rooting for a Green Bay victory over Pittsburgh tonight that would put us atop the AFC alone. Next week in Buffalo would look like a tough game on the face of it. But historically the Patriots have played Buffalo tougher there than at Gillette Stadium. So expect a close game early that turns in the Patriots favor after the half.

Non-Brady MVP: Trey Flowers, who notched 2 sacks (for 16 yards), 2 QB hits, and 4 tackles. Same statline as Roberts, but he was more consistent throughout the game. (I almost gave it to Stephon Gilmore, but he let Duron Harmon take his second interception, so he only got credit for one.)

Statistical Oddity: For the third straight year, the Patriots have more than one player with a quarterback rating of over the century mark: Brady is at 111.7 and Brian Hoyer is at 118.1. The previous two years it was Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo. (Trivia question: prior to 2015, can you name the last year that the Pats could make this boast, and which players were involved? Answer below.)

Water-cooler Wisdom: "Honestly, what would big mouth Ndamukong Suh know about beating Tom Brady? He's 1-6 against him all-time."

Keep the faith,

- Scott

PS. 9-2!

PPS. Trivia Answer:

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In 2011, both Tom Brady (105.6) and Brian Hoyer (118.7) topped 100 in QB rating for the Patriots. Ironical, isn't it :)

Patriots Continue To Roll, 33-8 Over The Raiders

The Patriots Crazy Train keeps on rolling along, notching a 33-8 rout of the Raiders yesterday in Mexico City. The win keeps them tied with 8-2 Pittsburgh for the first playoff spot in the AFC, and coupled with Buffalo's loss, they now have a three-game lead in the division. Next up the Dolphins come north to play on Sunday.

This will be one of the shortest entries in quite some time. There just wasn't much to learn from this game. If you like shorter write-ups, please send your thanks to Jack Del Rio, head coach of the Raiders. He just won't change his defense, and Tom Brady roasts him almost every time they face each other. (There are details in this entry from a few years ago, scroll down to "Factor #4": link.)

And not only does Brady destroy Del Rio defenses, no one is better in international games than the G.O.A.T. (Trivia Question: name the only game Brady has lost to a Del Rio defense; answer below.) Here are his numbers in three games outside of the U.S. (two in London):

76 of 104 (73%), 951 yards, 10 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, and a 125.1 QB rating. He is 3-0 in those games, with an aggregate score of 113-22. Maybe the Pats should move to London; Brady would retire the MVP trophy if they played half their games across the pond.

Another player who excels in international games is kicker Stephen Gostkowski. He has never missed a kick in that situation; here are his numbers in three games outside the U.S.:

14 of 14 successful extra points, and 5 of 5 successful field goals, including a franchise record 62-yard boot yesterday. He also booted the ball through the end zone on six of his seven kickoffs in the game. And just for symmetry, he kicked one short enough for Oakland to return it, and they still ended up on their 25 yard line.

Not much else to say. Every time Oakland had a chance to get back in the game, their receivers dropped easy passes, or they committed an untimely penalty or turnover.

Once again, a disorganized team was outclassed by the Pats in a game outside the country. Not sure why other teams still can't figure out how to handle it. But it effectively gives the Patriots a second Bye week, and that's probably just fine with the team.

So where does that leave us? 8-2 and sitting pretty for a first-round playoff bye. Because of their loss to Kansas City, they really have a one-game lead on them. And by virtue of their better conference record, they hold the tie-breaker over the 7-3 Jaguars, too.

Non-Brady MVP: Receiver Brandin Cooks, who caught six passes for 143 yards and a 64-yard touchdown.

Statistical Oddity: Someone might want to notify Del Rio that Cooks has his number almost as much as Brady does. He has played the Raiders in each of the last two years. His receiving totals:

• 6 catches for 143 yards, and a 64-yard touchdown
• 6 catches for 149 yards, and a 98-yard touchdown 

Water-Cooler Wisdom: "Suddenly 13-3 doesn't look unreasonable."

Keep the faith,

- Scott

PS. 8-2!

PPS. Trivia Answer:
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This should have been an easy one; it was the game referenced in the link in this article, the AFC Championship Game in January 2014.

Pats Coast To 41-16 Win Over Denver

In case you went to bed at the half, the Patriots finished off the Broncos last night, 41-16. The win ran their record to 7-2, tied atop the AFC with the Pittsburgh Steelers. They are two games clear in the AFC East now, with the division crown looking more inevitable all the time. Next week the Pats take on the reeling Raiders in Mexico City.

The story line today will be how the Patriots special teams totally outplayed Denver's, which led to an easy victory. But that misses the point; special teams was a mismatch to be sure, but the Patriots improving defense and diverse offense outplayed Denver's units as well. All that said, here are some of the special teams highlights...

The Pats kickoff team executed its usual strategy of kicking high/short and covering well. This forced returns (because the ball wasn't in the end zone) and allowed the coverage team to keep the opponent inside the 25 yard line. But when the Broncos tried it, they gave up a 103-yard touchdown to Dion Lewis. And frankly, there's no way they should try that -- it isn't their game, and Lewis had a huge return in the Patriots previous game, too.

Denver also fumbled the Patriots first punt of the night, turning the ball back to the Pats who promptly scored a touchdown. And Pats running back Rex Burkhead blocked another punt. But the last special teams disaster was probably the sweetest of all: a five-yard penalty for too many men on the field, which negated a Pats punt and gave them a first down instead. Naturally the Patriots scored a touchdown on that drive.

On offense the Pats started out by exploiting their running backs in mismatches with Denver linebackers. But by the end of the game, the leading receivers were wideouts and tight end Rob Gronkowski.

The final stats were very impressive; quarterback Tom Brady completed passes to nine different receivers, with eight of them catching multiple passes. No team can stop that kind of diversified attack, because no team has enough talent across the board to do it. Denver needed heavy pressure on Brady but had only one sack and four QB hits.

Brady finished 25 of 34 (74%), 266 yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, and a 125.4 QB rating. He is currently the highest rated quarterback by Pro Football Focus, a site that breaks down the All-22 video of every play in every game. Brady's longest pass was 27 yards, but the short- to medium-passes over the middle were open early and often. The team never bothered to attack the outside corners, the strength of the Broncos defense.

The running game was effective in spurts, with Lewis (14 carries for 55 yards, and 1 TD) and Burkhead (10 of 36) carrying the bulk of the load. Most impressive was the blocking of the offensive line and especially fullback James Develin. He blasted linebackers multiple times, and never once in the game whiffed entirely on a block. A stellar game for an under-appreciated player.

The O-line deserves a lot of credit for keeping Brady clean and blocking well on running plays. But you should temper your enthusiasm a bit; the lack of pressure on Brady was largely due to quick-release passes. He did stand in the pocket a few times, but he mostly avoided pressure by hitting receivers on-time and in rhythm to keep the Denver rush at bay.

The Pats secondary didn't always look great. Corner Malcolm Butler gave up a few big plays to Denver's Emmanuel Sanders, with whom he was matched up one-on-one all night. It was a tough draw for him, but he battled all game long and made more plays later in the game to stop third-down conversions and force Broncos kicks.

Fellow corner Stephon Gilmore returned from a concussion and played much better. Of course, the defensive scheme was mostly man-coverage, which is his preferred way to play. So it won't be clear how much progress he's made in learning the defense until they play more zone. One other note on the defense: they had six passes defended by six different players. So they are playing very good team defense, at just the right time of year.

At linebacker, David Harris is actually playing better, which is astounding. He was invisible early in the year, but he made plays against both the run and the pass last night. Kyle Van Noy led the team with five tackles, and Elandon Roberts even played well in the absence of Cassius Marsh. I also noticed lineman Trey Flowers dropping into coverage again on a few plays; makes me wonder if they are moving him into Rob Ninkovich's former role as lineman/linebacker.

Speaking of the defensive line, the Pats don't have any supremely talented players there, but they have depth, depth, and more depth. Malcom Brown was out with an injury, but Alan Branch improved his play to make up for it. And they have semi-interchangeable parts all across the line: Lawrence Guy, Branch, Adam Butler, Deatrich Wise, Jr., Flowers, and newly added Ricky Jean Francois. They just keep coming in waves, mostly the same type of player, but fresh every new set of downs.

The coaching was solid if no spectacular. The Patriots obviously used the bye week to put in a few wrinkles with running backs in the passing game, which worked perfectly. But mostly it was a game of making Denver settle for field goals (four of them) while the Pats scored touchdowns.

Not to make light of the defensive coaching -- the Pats have given up 17 or fewer points in each of their last five games. But most any defense would look good against Denver's current offense. It's time for the Broncos to remake their offense, starting with getting a real QB under center.

So where does that leave us? 7-2 isn't bad at all, even better is the two-game cushion in the AFC East. The Patriots play the Steelers in Pittsburgh in a few weeks; that game could determine home field throughout the AFC playoffs. (That's right, I said "Playoffs!")

Non-Brady MVP: Running back Rex Burkhead had some nifty runs, caught a few passes (including a touchdown), and blocked a punt. A pretty good day.

Statistical Oddity: The AFC South is the only NFL division with a first-place tie. The oddity is that the 6-3 Jaguars have a +92 point differential for the season, while the 6-3 Titans are -8 on the year. That's an impressive 100-point difference between two teams with identical records.

And the -8 Titans are technically in first place because they beat the Jags earlier in the year. Tell me *that* isn't an oddity!

Weekly Water-Cooler Wisdom: "With Bennett in the fold, and Burkhead growing into his role, the offense looks unstoppable."

Keep the faith,

- Scott

PS. 7-2!