Patriots Fall to Broncos 30-24

The Patriots lost in overtime last night to the Denver Broncos, 30-24. The loss leaves them at 10-1, with a measly four-game lead in the division. Unfortunately, it also puts them at risk of losing a first-round bye in the playoffs -- they have just a one-game lead on Denver at this point (since Denver has the tie-breaker).

I should correct my first sentence. The Patriots did not lose in overtime; they lost in regulation -- twice. Two times they had the Broncos beaten and both times they uncharacteristically botched the situation and let Denver back into the game.

The first time was at 21-7 Patriots early in the fourth quarter. The Pats had just held Denver to a three-and-out, but on the punt, the gunner cleanly beat Nate Ebner and rookie receiver Chris Harper did not call for a fair catch. The semi-predictable result, Harper tried to move before the ball got there, fumbled, and 2.5 minutes later is was 21-14.

Before that fumbled punt, the Broncos offense and crowd were completely listless. It looked like the Patriots had them right where they wanted them. But with injuries to the two main punt returners, and an inexperienced wideout filling in, they lost control of the game.

The second time they lost it was on their second-to-last possession of regulation, leading 21-17. With 2:53 left in the game, Tom Brady had just completed a first-down pass to Rob Gronkowski at the Patriots 40 yard line, and Denver had just one timeout.

However, rather than run the clock down to 1:10 and punt it back (if they didn't get the first down), the Patriots threw it three times. Two of those passes fell incomplete, and Gronkowski also fell on one of those plays, adding injury to insult. Well, the two incompletions and lack of a first down set up Denver with 2:31 left, which was plenty of time to score a touchdown to take the lead.

It is rare to see the Patriots self-destruct in this manner. Harper's mistake was more understandable; he's a rookie. But how Bill Belichick and his staff failed to run the ball to wind down the clock -- that is inexcusable. They didn't need to gain a single yard; just run down the clock and see if the newbie at QB could drive 80 yards with no timeouts to win.

No in-depth breakdown this week, folks. The loss obscured the following:

• Great games from cornerback Logan Ryan, running back Brandon Bolden, defensive tackle Alan Branch, defensive lineman Jabaal Sheard.
• Improvement from linebacker Jerod Mayo, tight end Scott Chandler, left tackle Sebastian Vollmer, and linebacker Jonathan Freeny (12 tackles and a sack).
• A few nice plays from defensive end Chandler Jones (including a jump-ball interception), cornerback Malcolm Butler, defensive end Rob Ninkovich, and quarterback Tom Brady.
• And finally, terrible performance containing the Denver running game (32 carries for 179 yards), lousy third-down conversion rate (2 of 13, 15%), and ten Ryan Allen punts, the most by the Patriots in some time (trivia question: when was the last time the Patriots punted 10 or more times in a single game; answer below.)

So where does that leave us? At 10-1, the Pats still have their playoff seeding in their own hands. Win out and they will have the #1 seed in the AFC, and winning out isn't out of the question. Next week Philadelphia comes to town, and they are a real mess right now. The only danger; Chip Kelley has 10 days to prepare; his team played on Thanksgiving day.

Statistical Oddity of the Week: Bill Belichick is now 4-5 when facing a quarterback in his second, third, or fourth start in the NFL. It's hard to find situations where he is under .500, but this is surprisingly one of them.

Non-Brady MVP of the Week: Logan Ryan, even though he got the ticky-tack holding call that allowed the Broncos to take a late lead. Ryan knocked down four passes and made four tackles in the game, and virtually shut out the Broncos' Damarious Thomas, holding him to 1 catch on 13 targets.

Weekly Water-cooler Wisdom: "The loss isn't fun, but the loss of Gronkowski could seal the deal. The Pats can make the Super Bowl with Amendola, Edelman, and LaFell. But they probably can't win it without Gronk."

Keep the faith,

- Scott

PS. 10-1!

PPS. Trivia Answer: Ryan Allen booted 11 punts in his second game with the Patriots, a 13-10 victory over the Jets on September 12, 2013.

Patriots Outlast Bills for 20-13 Win

The Patriots outlasted the Bills in a 20-13 slugfest in Foxboro. The win earned New England a five-game lead in the division with just six games to go. They also have a two-game lead for the #1 playoff seed. This Sunday it's the Broncos in Denver for a 8:30pm tilt. A victory there could win the division before November comes to a close, but only if the Jets lose, too.

When you're filling out your holiday cards this year, make sure to thank the Pats defense for this win. While the offensive line sleepwalked through the game, the defense put the clamps on in the second half to secure the victory. With the game in the balance, they forced three 3-and-outs, one 4-and-out, and only gave up 32 yards on 9 plays to end the game.

This was significant because in the first half, the Patriots best plays were Bills penalties and dropped passes. They could easily have trailed at the half, but Buffalo mistakes open the door to a 10-3 halftime lead. And when kicker Stephen Gostkowski missed a 54-yarder to open the third quarter, the Bills marched right down the field to tie the game.

That is when defensive coordinator Matt Patricia's adjustments took hold, clamping down on the running game and closing the pocket, while pressing the receivers and contesting every ball thrown.

The defensive line did a great job against inside runs. Unfortunately, it took them a half to figure out that the Bills could run to the outside, after they'd been beaten repeatedly, especially to the defensive right. Rob Ninkovich couldn't hold the edge, and without linebacker Jamie Collins to fly to the ball, the Bills got 36 of their 50 rushing yards to Ninkovich's side -- and not a single run that direction went for a loss. (Note: Ninkovich did have 1.5 sacks and a QB hit, so it wasn't all bad.)

In the second half it was a different story. The Pats reemphasized holding the edge, forcing runs to their huge interior linemen and linebackers. Jabaal Sheard had an excellent game, with 5 tackles, a forced fumble, and a QB hit. And the two young guys inside, rookie Malcom Brown (3 tackles) and second-year player Dominique Easley (2 tackles, 0.5 sacks, and 2 QB hits) cleaned up runs and managed a controlled push of the pocket that pressured the quarterback without letting him escape. And Chandler Jones made a huge tackle for a six-yard loss that forced a Bills punt when the game was still tied.

Linebacker Dont'a Hightower recovered nicely from a first half where he was a tick late to most plays. And Jerod Mayo played by far his most snaps this season, ending the game with five tackles (one for a loss). He made some nice plays early on, even knocking down a pass in coverage. And Jonathan Freeney is actually rounding into form well. He's making more plays, and actually had the most tackles of any linebacker (6).

The secondary had two leaders this week: Malcolm Butler against the pass and Logan Ryan was a tackling matching. Butler shut down the Bills best receiver, holding Sammy Watkins to 3 catches for 39 yards and zero touchdowns. Ryan topped the entire defense with nine tackles, and even threw in a pass knockdown. Also, safety Patrick Chung filled in as a third cornerback, which tells you the secondary is much shakier than we thought.

The offensive line had a horrific game. Buffalo used the "amoeba defense," where the front line players don't indicate whether they'll rush the passer or drop into coverage. And it was one free rusher after another that knocked quarterback Tom Brady to the ground play after play. Marcus Cannon not only missed blocks but was responsible for three penalties. Center David Andrews was benched in favor of last year's center, Bryan Stork. And even the return of Sebastian Vollmer couldn't help the Patriots running game, which had just 55 yards through three quarters.

Two of the running backs had a big play or two in the game. James White ran for a touchdown and caught another just before the half. And LeGarrette Blount got enough tough yards in the fourth quarter to help seal the game. But mostly, it was like watching guys in pads run into brick walls -- there just wasn't anywhere to go.

The receivers performed a lot worse with Julian Edelman out, although each contributed at least one big play (sort of like the running backs). Danny Amendola had clutch catches on both touchdown drives, and he caught 9 passes for 117 yards. Rob Gronkowski had a 27-yarder, as did Brandon LaFell. It's going to be tough without Edelman, but time for the newbies to step up.

Finally, quarterback Tom Brady had a rough go of it -- literally. He was clearly confused by some of the defenses, and it didn't help that the O-line let so many free rushers through. I've never seen Brady throw so many balls into the turf because they just weren't in the right play to attack the defense that showed up after the snap.

However, in the end the Patriots won this game with second-half defense and the guts of their quarterback. Brady was hit 10 times and sacked once, but he hung in there for important passes to Amendola, Gronkowski, and White. Brady's pedestrian numbers don't tell the whole story. 20 of 39 for 277 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 INT sounds pretty bad for him. But those numbers look decent when you consider the patchwork O-line and constant pressure.

On special teams, Amendola had two big punt returns, and oddly punter Ryan Allen kicked the ball further into the wind than with it. Kicker Stephen Gostkowski missed a 54-yard field goal, but that's hardly a gimme. Sorry his perfect season is over, but kicking with the wind he probably should have hit even that one.

So where does that leave us? 10-for-10 sounds about as good as it could be. The Pats had more injuries yesterday, but they should get Collins back soon, and the O-line is at least getting healthy. A win this Sunday would give the Pats a four-game lead with five weeks to go in the chase for a playoff bye. So this game is huge. (Note: I'll have more on this later this week at FootballNation, so watch out for that.)

Statistical Oddity of the Week: Bill Belichick's dominance over the Bills seems to be independent of venue. The average score in Foxboro: Patriots 25.7, Bills 15.2. Average score in Orchard Park: Patriots 28.8, Bills 15.4.

Non-Brady MVP of the Week: Defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, who's in-game adjustments put the clamps on the Bills more and more as the game progressed.

Weekly Water-cooler Wisdom: "Look, division games are tough, but they are close to winning the AFC East again; that's all that matters."

Keep the faith,

- Scott

PS. 10-0!

Pats Comeback Outdoes Giants 27-26

In what will be one of the best games this season, the New England landed one last blow with 1-second left on the clock to turn a likely loss into a 27-26 victory. The win kept the Patriots record perfect, 9-0, putting them four games up in the AFC East on the Jets and Bills, both at 5-4. Next up is a Monday night tilt with the Bills, with a chance to put them five games behind with six games to go in the season.

(Note: this win gives Bill Belichick a 3-3 record against the Giants during his time in New England. Trivia question: name the only other NFL team that does not have a losing record against the Patriots under Bill Belichick. Answer below.)

The game had a series of big plays: an Odell Beckham Jr.'s 87-yard touchdown; a Rob Gronkowski 76-yard touchdown; two strip sacks by the Giants; an important sack by Rob Ninkovich; a strip-sack by Chandler Jones; a soul-sucking interception by the Giants in the red zone; a gut-check drive by Eli Manning for a field goal that put the Giants ahead; a Malcolm Butler knockdown in the end zone on that same drive; a fourth-and-10 conversion throw by Tom Brady; and finally to a 54-yard Stephen Gostkowski field goal to win it.

Special teams were crucial this week. Not only did Gostkowski win the game at the end, but four of his six kickoffs were touchbacks and his end-of-game squib kick was perfectly executed not to allow the Giants a chance to run a play after that. Punter Ryan Allen averaged 50 yards a kick (and a net of 39.8 yards), and the coverage team never allowed dangerous return man David Harris anything longer than 17 yards.

And the biggest play of the day, the one that brought the Patriots back to life, was Danny Amendola's 82-yard punt return, which would have been a touchdown if he hadn't tripped over a teammate's foot. At the time the Giants led 20-10 and the Patriots looked lifeless and dead in the water. Four plays later it was a three-point game and they had new life.

In the five drives after that return, the Patriots scored 17 points (and had two turnovers, to be fair). In the five drives prior to that return, they'd scored 3 points. That is how much that return meant to the team - it totally transformed them and got their collective heads back into the contest.

Second on the list of groups to thank is the defense. After the Patriots trailed by 10, the defense allowed only 6 more points, forcing three three-and-outs in the process. Oddly none of the individual units played great, even after the second half adjustments. But their situational play was fantastic, getting punts on three drives when New York could have put the game out of reach.

The secondary had a tough first half, allowing over 10 yards per completion and a 137.5 QB rating against them. But they mostly rallied in the second half. Malcolm Butler effectively shut down Beckham Jr. after his initial 87-yard catch, allowing just 3 completions on 11 more targets for only 17 yards. He also had a huge pass breakup when Beckham Jr. almost had what would have been a touchdown (the Giants settled for a field goal). However, Rashaan Melvin (#24 on your scorecard, but no Ty Law, that's for sure) was terrible, giving up play after play as the Giants marched down the field to take the lead late.

Safety Patrick Chung led the team with 10 tackles and he's playing the best football of his Patriots career. Devin McCourty got beaten on the Giants long touchdown pass, and even after that he gave up several sideline passes where he was out of position or late. The last few games have not been among his best.

The linebackers graded out pretty well against the run. But don't ask about their pass coverage; the Giants killed them on short crossing routes all day long. They were led by Dont'a Hightower's nine tackles. Jonathan Freeney was just one behind with eight tackles, and he also knocked down a pass in coverage. And Jerod Mayo looked overmatched at times, but they stayed with the 4-3 and he ended up with four total tackles and more playing time than he's seen all season. Hopefully that signals a return to health for the veteran, because they need him down the stretch.

On the defensive line, rookie Malcom Brown was consistently in on play after play, ending up with 7 tackles, 1 sack (7 yards), and a QB hit. The big plays were made by Rob Ninkovich, who's 13-yard sack knocked New York out of field goal range, and Chandler Jones, who had only 3 tackles but his sack caused a fumble inside the Patriots 20 yard line, saving points at the time.

Injuries to the offensive line are starting cause problems. Three players missed time yesterday, and the team dressed only six O-linemen for the second straight week, including Chris Barker, who couldn't even make their practice squad in September. The result: a Giants team that had 9 sacks in 9 games this year had 3 in this game, and added 5 QB hits, and multiple missed passes caused by pressure.

There's plenty of blame to go around. The only lineman about whom I have nothing bad to say is rookie Shaq Mason, who is a road-grader and great pull-lineman on running plays and does a decent job in pass protection. Most of the pressure yesterday came from the outside, which means a change to two tight-ends might be in order, so the outside rush guys can be chipped at the line or the TEs can stay in to help in pass blocking.

The running backs didn't help in pass protection, with LeGarrette Blount blowing a blitz pickup early and James White getting bowled over trying to pickup another blitz. Early on it appeared the Pats were going run-heavy with Blount, but he ended dup with just 66 yards on 19 carries after they had to throw more to catch up. And White helped with a third-down catch that kept a drive alive. But mostly they missed Dion Lewis again.

Quarterback Tom Brady had some bad throws under pressure, and early in the game missed some chances to audible running plays against light defensive fronts. And at the half you would have thought Manning was the one on the fast-track to an MVP, not Brady. But the Patriots helmsman turned it around when it counted. He started the fourth quarter with a fumble, and then completed 11 of 17 for 187 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 INT, and the final drive for a field goal.

The receivers had a tough time getting open in the first half, but they also came through when it counted. Amendola not only had that punt return, but he had twice as may catches (10) as any other Patriots receiver. He also converted a fourth-down on the final drive and caught the last pass of the day to get them into decent field goal range.

Gronkowski was held mostly in check but converted two first downs and had that 76-yard catch-and-run for a huge touchdown. He was decent in run blocking, though not as dominant as usual against the faster New York ends. The bad news on the receiving front was Julian Edelman leaving the game with an apparent broken foot. Edelman was a mismatch for the Giants; he had four catches in the first quarter alone. And the Patriots don't have anyone to replace him, although Amendola will try. Sadly, that leaves the team with no one to replace Amendola.

The coaching matchup was outstanding. The Giants went long-ball when they had mostly gone with short passes this season. And the biggest difference between this game and past matches is that Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia's in-game adjustments put the clamps on teams as the game goes on. His defense got better as the games went on last year, and that pattern has continued this season -- giving the Patriots a chance to come back whenever they get behind.

So where does that leave us? This is the second 9-0 start in Patriots history, but they are only one game into their toughest stretch of the season. Next up is the Bills in Foxboro next Monday, and then the Broncos in Denver after a short week of preparation.

Statistical Oddity of the Week: For all the high-powered receiving talent on the field, the only players who caught every pass thrown their way were both Patriots running backs. Blount caught two passes on two targets and White caught one pass on one target.

Non-Brady MVP of the Week: Malcolm Butler's defense of New York's best receiver earns him this coveted award. Amendola could have been the winner, but it was the defensive stops that allowed the offense the chance to get back into the game.

Weekly Water-cooler Wisdom: "Those damned Giants. If they aren't beating us in the Super Bowl, they are taking 10 years off my life with games like this."

Keep the faith,

- Scott

PS. 9-0!

PPS. Trivia Answer: The Green Bay Packers are 2-2 against the Patriots since Bill Belichick arrived, making them the only team other than the Giants that does not have a losing record.

Patriots Beat Back Washington, 27-10

The Patriots defense dominated again, holding Washington to ten points in a 27-10 victory yesterday. The win keeps the team undefeated at the halfway point, still three games ahead of the Jets for the AFC East lead. Next up is the PITA New York Giants, in the Meadowlands.

The game was another dominant performance by the Patriots defense. The final score should have been 27-3, but for a garbage-time touchdown allowed. They are a half-point behind Denver for the league lead in points allowed (17.9 to 17.4), are seventh in defensive passer rating (83.1), and have given up only two plays of 40+ yards the entire season (3rd in the NFL).

The secondary gave up some big third downs in the first half, but buckled down to shut that down in the final 30 minutes. Logan Ryan got picked on and responded with 6 tackles, 2 passes knocked down, and a gift interception. Malcolm Butler might not be a shutdown corner against the league's best, but he was good enough to hold down the receivers he matched up with yesterday, ending up with 5 tackles and a pass defended himself.

Safety play was a problem two years ago; now the Patriots have a great group of three safeties. The surprise of the group is Patrick Chung, who was better in his return last year and is twice as good this year. His run-stuffing abilities and pass coverage in short zones were both crucial yesterday.

The linebacking corps was down Jamie Collins and it showed. Dont'a Hightower was double-teamed often and that left more work for Jonathan Freeney, who ended up with 4 tackles and a forced fumble. Fortunately Collins' situation was an illness, not an injury. Because longtime starter Jerod Mayo just can't seem to get on the field, and they have very little depth at this position.

It is increasingly difficult to single out defensive linemen because the Patriots rotate so many of them. Chandler Jones got another sack yesterday (and has a league-leading 9.5 for the season), but both he and Rob Ninkovich had trouble holding the edge against the run. This owes partly to not having Collins around to take up more blockers, so here's hoping he comes back soon.

And even though the stat sheet doesn't show it, I thought interior lineman Alan Branch did a nice job clogging the middle and making big plays at key junctures. One example was when Washington was threatening to make it a one-score game in the third quarter, Branch stripped the ball out and it was recovered by Ninkovich. Branch plays every down with high energy, and has slid nicely into the role once held by Vince Wilfork.

On offense it was a heavy dose of running back LeGarrette Blount. He rumbled over and through the Washington defense, gashing it occasionally through the middle and outside, and ending the game with 129 yards on 29 carries and 1 touchdown. Dion Lewis caught 4 passes for 39 yards, had two nice runs, made a terrible decision on an 11-yard loss, and suffered a knee injury in the third quarter. In Lewis' absence, Brandon Bolden came in for an 18-yard touchdown catch that essentially ended the game. If Lewis can't come back soon, expect James White to step into the third-down back role.

Quarterback Tom Brady was off on several throws early (might have been the wind). And unfortunately, the one throw that was right on the money was into the arms of a Washington defender, for Brady's second interception of the season. He settled down after that play, and ended up 26 of 39 for 299 yards, 2 touchdowns, and the 1 INT. His quick release frustrated the defense all day, and they ended up with just 1 QB hit and zero sacks.

Among receivers, Brandon LaFell has the biggest day: 5 catches for 102 yards. He was so wide open on one play that he waited under the under-thrown ball like it was a punt, and the Washington defenders still couldn't catch up to him. Julian Edelman (5 for 55) caught a touchdown, but also fumbled. And Rob Gronkowski actually converted the tough first downs this week.

The best news on the receivers was the distribution: six players with 3+ catches. That's good news, as a multi-headed passing attack is much more difficult to defend.

The Patriots offensive line suffered yet another injury, losing tackle Sebastian Vollmer to a reported concussion. The good news is that starter Bryan Stork returned, and the reviews were decent. Shaq Mason continued his dominant run blocking, but even though Brady was kept clean, the line is showing some issues with outside pass pressure. Might be time to play two tight ends nearer the ball to help with protection.

On special teams, kicker Stephen Gostkowski executed a decent onside kick, which the Patriots recovered. They obviously saw something on film and decided to try it in a live game, because the Pats most definitely didn't need trickery to win this game. Also, Matthew Slater is actually underrated at his job, even though he's been the Pro Bowl as a special teamer. He might go down as the best kick and punt coverage player in NFL history.

So where does that leave us? Well, you can't do much better than 8-0 after eight games, so looking pretty good. The Giants always give the Pats trouble, and they actually lead the NFC East at this point. I suspect the coaching staff would like to paste the Giants, but they need to focus on getting the win and improving their linebacker and offensive line play.

Statistical Oddity of the Week: For all you hear about the Patriots offense, they are the only team with a winning record that has held two opponents under 10 points this season (Trivia Question: name the two teams they held to single digits, answer below). Note: they would have had a third such game yesterday except for a garbage-time touchdown.

Bonus Statistical Oddity: At the halfway point of the season, Chandler Jones leads the NFL in sacks. No Patriots player has ever led the NFL in that category during any single season.

Non-Brady MVP: Going out on a limb, I'm choosing Alan Branch, though it's more of a season-long award this time. He's the unsung anchor of the D-line, hardly making a dent on the stat sheet but always impacting the game. With players switching in and out by the play, Branch is the most productive of the interior defensive linemen so far this year. 

Weekly Water-cooler Wisdom: "Last year's tough stretch was six games and five dangerous QBs. This year it's the next three games, and one dangerous QB named Manning. And it isn't Peyton :)"

Keep the faith,

- Scott

PS. 8-0!

PPS. Trivia Answer:
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The Patriots held the Dolphins to 7 points and the Cowboys to 6 points earlier this year.

Patriots Destroy Dolphins 36-7

The Patriots put the wood to the Dolphins last night, crushing them 36-7 in a game that frankly wasn't even that close. The win gives the Pats a stranglehold on the AFC East; a two-game lead over the Jets, and a four-game lead over Miami and over Buffalo. Next up is a 10-day respite before taking on Washington at home.

This game was over before it began. Miami simply was not prepared for what they would face in Foxboro, and the short week of preparation did them no favors. The Patriots played crisper, with more purpose, and their offensive and defensive game plans gave them a decided advantage over the less-talented and still-building Dolphins.

Even though the team scored 36 points, this game was more about their stifling defense. A week after the Dolphins racked up 248 yards on the ground, the Patriots held them to just 15. That might be the biggest one-week drop-off in NFL history. And credit is due not only to the players, who were flying all over the place, but to the defensive coaches, who put together a great plan and also had some perfectly timed mix-it-up calls that confounded Miami.

The defensive line was largely responsible for holding down the Miami running game. They blitzed a fair amount to get pressure on quarterback Ryan Tannehill, ending up in 5 sacks and 10 QB hits (along with 8 tackles for a loss). Chandler Jones led the way with 2 sacks, 4 tackles (2 for a loss), and 2 QB hits. He and Rob Ninkovich (1 sack of his own) also did a great job holding the edge to funnel running plays back inside. And once there, it was gang tackles by the interior linemen (too many to mention here).

Linebacker Dont'a Hightower is playing at an extremely high level. He had 3 tackles, a sack, and 3 QB hits, and he also redirected plays to other defenders. Between him and Jamie Collins, they shut down most everything across the short-middle. Jonathan Freeny continues to get more snaps than Jerod Mayo, and it's curious, as there doesn't seem to be anything special about Freeny. The situation bears watching; we could be seeing either the last days of Mayo or he could be recovering from injury.

Patrick Chung led the secondary again, making plays against both the pass and the run and hitting hard when he tackled. Corner Logan Ryan still is behind too many plays, but he led the team with 7 tackles, knocked down a pass, and got an interception in the game, so it was worth it on Thursday. Safety Devin McCourty's play has slipped a little, and I'm not sure why. But he is extremely valuable in coverage of tight ends and he even got a sack yesterday.

A shoutout to the defensive coaches. They played two-gap on the line all night, and when they needed a big play on third-and-one, they sent everyone one-gap and blew up the run before it could get started. Result: punt. On another play, they had been sending blitzes throughout the game, but this time they dropped eight into coverage and confused Miami. Result: interception by Duron Harmon.

Excellent scheming and play-calling like this gives the Patriots a chance against any team. Their offense already rocks the house, and when the defensive coaches are on their game like they were Thursday, the team is close to unstoppable.

On offense, a week after New England abandoned the run against the Jets, the opening touchdown drive was four pass plays and four running plays. It was amazing to see LeGarrette Blount push and plow his way for 72 yards (on 17 carries), especially given that the bulk of Miami's defensive talent was on the defensive line and the Pats dressed only six offensive linemen.

The offensive line did a great job run-blocking, with assists from two tight ends. Michael Williams mostly helped left tackle Sebastian Vollmer, while Rob Gronkowski hardly split out, mostly sticking with tackle Cameron Fleming on the right side. The O-line still needs work in pass protection, but they are improving -- and would do even better if they could get healthy.

(Note: the close-in alignment gave Gronkowski more free releases, just as I said it would last week. Here's hoping they stick with it; it really takes best advantage of his abilities.)

Going with this lineup also allowed the Pats more options protecting quarterback Tom Brady, and he took full advantage. Brady finished the game 26-38 for 356 yards, 4 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, and a 133.2 QB rating. On the season, he has 20 touchdowns and 1 interception -- almost unimaginable. (Trivia Question: what was Brady's best season-long TD-to-INT ratio, and what year did he get it? Answer below.) And bear in mind that his pass protection wasn't great; his success is mostly due to his quick release and amazing rapport with his receivers.

Speaking of receivers, where o where to start? Gronkowski did most of the damage, 6 catches for 113 yards and a long touchdown to open the game. He also blocked very well on running plays and in pass protection. Julian Edelman caught 7 balls for 81 yards and did a nice job stretching for the end zone on both of his touchdowns. Brandon LaFell caught 4 passes, and running back Dion Lewis had 6 grabs for 93 yards and 1 touchdown (all in the first half), and he always seems to make the first guy miss when he gets the ball outside the numbers.

Special teams gave up one big kickoff return (thankfully it didn't amount to anything), but Stephen Gostkowski set a Patriots record with his 25th consecutive successful field goal -- guess whose record he broke :) The punting was a mismatch in favor of Miami, but that seemed to be skewed by several punts with the wind (one of 70 yards).

The only problem on the coaching front is the number of penalties. The Pats had 8 for 69 yards yesterday, giving them a total of 50 infractions on the year for 456 yards (11th and 7th worst in the league, respectively). There were too many "concentration" penalties Thursday (false starts, illegal man down field, etc.), and sometime soon this could bite them in the ass.

So where does that leave us? 7-0 and rolling is all you can say. Washington has been playing better of late, but expect Belichick's stellar record against the NFC to come to the fore here. Besides, their quarterback, Kirk Cousins, has never faced the Patriots -- and that usually doesn't go well the first game.

Non-Brady MVP of the Week: Dion Lewis emerged from a crowded field to get this award. It was a toss-up between him and Gronkowski, but Lewis' receiving yards in the first half were more important to keeping Miami off-balance.

Statistical Oddity of the Week: Rob Gronkowski has a remarkable 61 touchdowns in 61 starts. Other Hall of Fame tight ends -- don't ask, it isn't even close. G.O.A.T.

Weekly Water-cooler Wisdom: "I expected the outcome, but that was one of the best game-plan games I've ever seen -- offense and defense."

Keep the faith,

- Scott

PS. 7-0!

PPS. Tom Brady had a 9-to-1 ratio in 2010: 36 touchdowns to only 4 interceptions.

Patriots Comeback, Then Hold On For 30-23 Win

The Patriots overcame a fourth-quarter deficit to post a 30-23 win over the division rival New York Jets. The victory gives the Pats a two-game lead in the division and evens them up with two other 6-0 teams in the conference (Broncos and Bengals). Next up is another division tilt, with the Dolphins on a short week, this Thursday night.

Yesterday's game went down to the wire. The Patriots trailed 20-16 early in the fourth quarter. But their next two drives were 10 plays each and resulted in touchdowns, covering 80 and 68 yards, respectively. The defense pitched a shutout during that time, and the 30-20 lead would hold up for the win, as the Jets botched the end-of-game clock management and ran out of time.

From the Patriots perspective, just forget that anything called the "running game" even existed. New England's leading rusher on Sunday was quarterback Tom Brady, who had 15 of the 16 total yards on the ground. The Patriots frankly didn't even try to run, calling just 6 running plays to 60 total pass-play drop backs. (Trivia question: when was the last time the Patriots won a game in which they rushed for less than 20 yards? Answer below.)

I don't remember ever seeing a 10-to-1 pass/run ratio, and I don't expect to see it again any time soon. It was a stunning admission that the offensive line problems, coupled with an injury to their most logical running back for this game (Dion Lewis) meant they just shouldn't bother trying to run. In short, there were no holes to run through and no running back who could make someone miss to get a few yards after contact. So why bother, I guess.

Those offensive linemen had a rough day. The Jets knocked down multiple passes at the line because Patriots O-linemen didn't cut them properly to the ground to open passing lanes. The O-line gave up three sacks (for 18 yards) and five QB hits, and collapsing pockets forced Brady to throw off his back foot multiple times. No wonder he was off-target so often.

Guard Tre' Jackson had an awful game, sometimes blocking no one while Brady was being pummeled by the linemen he was supposed to take on. Tackle Cameron Fleming failed on one of the cut-blocks, and the Pats had to move first one, and then two tight ends in to help with pass protection. Suffice it to say, I already long for the days of Marcus Cannon at left tackle, and I hope he gets healthy soon.

Brady's numbers looked good by the end of the game: 34 of 54 (63%), 355 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 rushing touchdown, 0 interceptions, and a 94.3 QB rating. But his grit was almost as important as his skill in this game. His 11-yard scramble on third-and-10 near the Jets goal line completely changed the complexion of the game, giving the Pats a first down and eventual touchdown to tie it at 10-10 on his 1-yard plunge. Without that first down and touchdown, it appeared momentum would be going the Jets way. With those plays by Brady, it was clear the Pats weren't knuckling under and it probably raised some doubts in the Jets' players minds.

Then there was the matter of 10 dropped passes by the receivers. If not for those, Brady's stats (and the final score) would look a lot better. Brandon LaFell returned from injury to drop four passes all by himself, and Julian Edelman (2) and Rob Gronkowski (1) pitched in, too. Only Danny Amendola was 100% reliable, putting his body at risk multiple times to catch passes laid out near the sideline or flying through the air about to be crushed by a safety hit.

Amendola ended up with 8 catches for 86 yards and a touchdown; five of those receptions going for first downs and two more setting up short-yardage conversions. Gronkowski had better stats (11 for 108 yards and 1 TD), and Edelman contributed 5 grabs for 54 yards, but no receiver has been better than Amendola the last two games.

One other receiver note: I believe the Patriots are misusing Gronkowski. They split him out wide far too often, trying to get a receiving mismatch. But because of his skills as a blocker, Gronk is better in tight near the O-line. And playing him there would do three things the team needs right now:

1. Keeps the defense off balance, since they don't if the next play is a run or pass.
2. Gives the Pats more flexibility in to change pass protection in the face of blitzes.
3. Gives Gronk a better chance at a free release, especially when the running game is goes well.

The Patriots coaches get paid a lot more than I do to make these decisions. But I'd move Gronkowski back inside until the O-line gets healthy. That will help keep Brady healthy and might restore more balance to the overall offense. And balance keeps other teams guessing -- never a bad thing.

On defense, the early star was returning linebacker Dont'a Hightower. His 10 solo tackles helped slow the Jets running game before it could become dominant. Many times in the first quarter he was the only thing keeping the Jets from ripping off big runs, after the defensive line missed the running back. And he threw in a fumble recover that led to the only Patriots points for the first quarter.

His linebacking mate, Jamie Collins, had a nice stat sheet: 12 tackles, 1 sack (12 yards), and a QB hit. But his play was erratic, with big hits or tackles for a loss being followed by giving up yards after the catch in the passing game. A mediocre effort given his usual dominance. But still miles ahead of Jerod Mayo, who for the second consecutive week was listed as playing but shut out on the stat sheet.

Defensive lineman Rob Ninkovich anchored a group that didn't dominate or get dominated. He did a great job holding the edge against the run, he knocked down four passes at the line, a season's worth for many linemen. Alan Branch played tough and the rest of the line was a team effort, with Chandler Jones, Trey Flowers, Malcolm Brown, and Dominique Easley making important plays. It was no accident that the Pats held the Jets to 89 yards on the ground when they'd been averaging 146 yards a game.

They were all instrumental in disrupting the passing lanes and slowing down the run before it could become a dominant factor in the game. The only problem was, they didn't get nearly enough pressure on the passer, and that exposed the weaknesses in the secondary.

How weak was the secondary? Malcolm Butler was overmatched against the Jets second best receiver, giving up 6 receptions for 94 yards, four third-down conversions, and tons of YAC to Eric Decker. Butler's one nice play was a quick-recovery tackle to stop Decker from converting yet another third-down, but they even had to challenge the play via instant replay to get that call. Overall not a strong game for the Super Bowl hero.

At the other corner, Logan Ryan was getting beaten like a rented mule by #1 receiver Brandon Marshall. Ryan didn't seem to figure out he could get up to jam Marshall at the line, because he had safety help all game long. And that help mostly came from Devin McCourty, who was late on most of the Marshall receptions. This was as bad a bracket coverage as I've seen from the Patriots, and they'll need to get it shored up when they face the better teams, or they'll get smoked.

The one bright light in the secondary was safety Patrick Chung. He did a great job in run support and ended up not only with 8 tackles but also 2 passes defended (both times on passes to the tight end, IIRC). A very good game for Chung, and they needed it with breakdowns at the other secondary positions.

The Patriots special teams were subpar. Kicker Stephen Gostkowski notched 5 touchbacks, but the two returned kicks went for an unacceptably high 29-yard average. And the "hands team" let a late onside kick slip through its fingers (tsk tsk, Jamie Collins). That makes two onsides they should have lost the last two weeks. I suspect they'll be working on that during their ten days of after Thursday's game.

The coaches have to work on the onside kicks and they have to find a better fit to cover slot receivers, too. They did a good job with adjustments in this game, but with all the injuries on the O-line, I would have expected them to go with more tight-end protection earlier in the game.

So where does that leave us? 6-0 and riding high with a two-game division lead is a great place to be. The rejuvenated Dolphins could be trouble on Thursday, so hope for a healthier offensive line and better secondary play.

Non-Brady MVP of the Week: Dont'a Hightower saved the Patriots in the first half. He made up for mistakes by teammates and kept the game close so the Pats could pull out the win late.

Statistical Oddity of the Week: The Jets third-down conversion percentage got better the more yards they needed for the first down. They converted at the following rates:

• 40% when they needed 4 yards or less (2 of 5)
• 50% when they needed 5-9 yards (3 of 6)
• 100% when they needed 10+ yards (3 of 3)

Weekly Water-cooler Wisdom: "The Jets are better with Fitzpatrick at QB, but still not good enough to beat the Pats in Foxboro."

Keep the faith,

- Scott

PS. 6-0!

PPS. Trivia answer: The Patriots beat the Baltimore Ravens in last year's playoffs when rushing for only 14 yards (an NFL record for fewest yards in a playoff win).

Patriots Top Colts, 34-27

The Patriots destroyed decimated pounded slaughtered man-handled pummeled beat the Colts 34-27 last night, running their record to 5-0. The win kept the team in first place in the AFC East, and also helped them keep pace with the other AFC undefeateds (6-0 Broncos and Bengals). Next Sunday it's a showdown with the 4-1 New York Jets in Foxboro.

This game was closer than most though it would be, owing to better offensive play by the Colts. Well, at least for the first half. Indianapolis actually led at the half: 21-20, on the strength of a pick-six (trivia question: what year did the Colts last lead the Patriots at the half? Answer below). But in the second half, it was 14-0 when it counted, with the Colts tacking on a meaningless touchdown late to make the final look respectable.

The Patriots defense shined brightly in this game, nearly pitching a second-half shutout. Defensive Coordinator Matt Patricia and his staff made great adjustments, sending mostly a three-man rush and flooding zones with defenders to confuse and frustrate the Colts. They must have figured that running back Frank Gore couldn't beat them on the ground, so why not just load up to stop the pass. (Note: it couldn't have worked better -- Gore was out-rushed by his own quarterback in the second half, 28 yards to 25 yards.)

Defensive lineman Chandler Jones was close to the Colts QB most of the first half, but his 2.5 sacks (for 17.5 yards) came in the second half, along with most of his 4 QB hits and 4 tackles (2 for a loss). Not bad for a guy the announcers said was being neutralized. The rest of the defensive line was nondescript, but each man made a play or two to contribute to the overall performance.

Linebacker Jamie Collins starred again, not only with five tackles, but by "spying" quarterback Andrew Luck all game, mostly shutting down his running and escaping the pocket. Collins also did a nice job in pass coverage and, when called upon, in getting after the QB. Jonathan Freeney also did a nice job, finishing with seven tackles.

However, middle linebacker Jerod Mayo continues to struggle in his return from injury. He couldn't get off blocks to make tackles, was nowhere to be found in pass coverage, and for perhaps the first time in his career, he was shut out of the stat sheet. If Dont'a Hightower's injury keeps him out for a while (he missed yesterday's game), the Patriots better hope newly acquired Jon Bostic can contribute soon.

Before you kill the secondary for giving up too many yards, consider that the coverage was just a tick late on many throws. Malcolm Butler is no Revis, but his coverage was pretty good most of the game, and he battles on every play like the long, lost Kyle Arrington. He also ended up with 8 tackles and 2 passes defended. For all the slurping Logan Ryan got, he was beaten early and often, forcing the Pats to switch from man-coverage to zone, just to protect him. They also had to drop more people into coverage -- which worked against the Colts but probably won't be good enough against better teams.

The Patriots used three safeties a lot, with Duron Harmon at free safety, Patrick Chung at strong safety, and Devin McCourty in a pseudo-safety/corner combo. Harmon did a decent job making sure nothing got behind him, Chung was quite good in coverage, not so great against the run, and even though McCourty was exposed once or twice, he was good for a guy moving back and forth between positions.

On offense, quarterback Tom Brady was sharp as usual. Indy got decent pressure on him about 1/3 of the plays, which is more than usual. Some of that pressure was immediate; yet Brady went 23-37, 312 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception -- good for a 104.8 rating. Although he did fail on a third-and-one QB sneak; first time in a long time that happened.

His rating would have been even better if receiver Julian Edelman had hung onto the ball with his usual skill. Edelman took a big hit on a touchdown reception, and it apparently affected him, as he dropped at least three passes, knocking one of them up where it was intercepted and returned for a touchdown.

Danny Amendola was the receiving star of the game, making 7 tough catches for 105 yards and 4 first downs. Tight end Rob Gronkowski was absent the first half, but nabbed 3 passes for 50 yards (and a touchdown) in the second half. Indy was beating up Gronk off the line, and I'd like to see the Patriots go to the running game in situations like that. Defenders trying to jam Gronk are distracted defenders, and having the tight end block them is nearly a guaranteed win on every down.

It was also nice to see tight end Scott Chandler contribute (2 catches for 39 yards, and a called-back touchdown), and Keshawn Martin (1-39) could be the deep threat they need until Brandon LaFell returns. Also, running backs Dion Lewis (3-18) and LeGarrette Blount (1-11, for a touchdown) had key moments in the passing game.

Speaking of running backs, this wasn't nearly the run-run-runfest that the previous meetings were. Blount did most of the damage, 15 carries for 93 yards and a touchdown. And Lewis spelled Blount when necessary (4-21). But a pedestrian total of 116 yards and 1 touchdown owed mostly to improved interior defensive play by Indy.

Problems along the offensive line were the rest of the story in the Patriots running difficulties. They started out short-handed, moving long-time whipping boy Marcus Cannon to left tackle to replace IR-bound Nate Solder. But when Cannon went down, right tackle Sebastian Vollmer moved to left tackle, and signed-two-minutes-ago Cameron Fleming went in at right tackle.

All that shifting around, along with the commensurate drop in talent, meant a tougher time running the bal. If the Patriots get to the playoffs and end up playing Indy again, they might go right back to running it down their throat. But their current O-line just doesn't have the talent or time together to do that. Not in October.

The Patriots made three key special teams plays. First, they recovered a semi-surprise onside kick (reviewed by officials, and upheld). Second, they had the right call for an attempted Colts fake-punt (one that blew up in Indy's faces). And third, Collins leaped over the snapper and blocked the Colts last extra-point attempt (which made it a seven-point game instead of a six-pointer).

Kicker Stephen Gostkowski also hit six of seven kickoffs so deep they weren't returned. And punter Ryan Allen had a 44.8 net average and two kicks ended up inside the 20 yard line. One concern is a potential injury to special teams captain Matthew Slater. He was hurt on an illegal block in the first half, and had to be helped off with a leg injury late in the second half. This bears watching.

The coaching was a complete mismatch. The "surprise" onside kick was telegraphed and showed desperation on the part of the Colts. The "fake punt" was actually a shift into an illegal formation and then a snap into a defense ready to stop it. (Even Colts head coach Chuck Pagano couldn't understand why they snapped it.) Also, the undisciplined Colts had over 100 yards in penalties, and their coaches never properly adjusted to the Patriots second-half defensive changes.

So where does that leave us? 5-0 sounds pretty good. The next game will be difficult; the Jets always play the Patriots tough and they are doing very well under new coach Todd Bowles. The Jets lead the league in takeaways, so protecting the ball will be key.

Non-Brady MVP of the Game: I'm going with Amendola, who starred at receiver and also returned some punts to give Edelman a break after his injury.

Statistical Oddity of the Week: Tom Brady broke Bruce Armstrong's record for most games started for the Patriots: 212 and counting. Since both players were on the team in 2000, that means the last time the Patriots had neither Brady no Armstrong on their roster was 1986!

Weekly Water-cooler Wisdom: "Closer than we wanted but a win is a win."

Keep the faith,

- Scott

PS. 5-0!

PPS. Trivia Answer: the Colts last lead the Patriots at the half on November 2, 2008, when they led 7-6 (and won the game 18-15).