Film Review: Pats vs. Jags AFC Championship

After a day of wonky performance by NFL Game Rewind I was finally able to get it to function long enough to take a look at the All-22 film from the AFC Championship. It’s always nice to get a clean strategic view of the game without my stomach turning after every bad Patriots play.

I came away even more impressed with how the Jags executed, especially early. But really from the start of the second half you could see the Patriots taking their game to another level while the Jags were slowly starting to fade as they got closer and closer to a potential win. It’s just remarkable how steady the Patriots are. Some of the late punts in the second half left an even bigger impression on me because most teams would’ve packed it in.

Aside from the Patriots perseverance it was clear that the flaws of the 2017 team were still very much there. And with Dion Lewis mostly ineffective until the final game-sealing carry, it’s just incredible what Brady did, almost exclusively with Danny Amendola.

Great play designs, great adjustments and an unflinching approach to the game were the hallmarks of this performance.

Here are a bunch of my quick-hit thoughts.

Defense

— I have to start with Trey Flowers who I didn’t give enough love to in my Posits after the game, nor on Patshow. The guy was everywhere and made some of the most key plays, including a pass defense to get the Patriots off the field on a critical third down. The Pats move him all around and he’s a nightmare to block one-on-one. In a season that required Flowers step up and make the big plays he certainly did so against the Jags. He’s a stud.

— I was similarly impressed with Malcom Brown who is clearly coming off his best season as a pro. It’s remarkable because he’s not as big as Vince Wilfork was, but he’s similarly immoveable. He can play on the nose or as a three-technique, but wherever he is he holds his ground, sheds and makes plays consistently. Stopping the run was a huge key in the two playoff wins and Brown is the one upfront who keys it all.

— James Harrison had some bad plays in the first half, one where he was targeted in coverage and another where he lost the edge inside the red zone, but in then second half he was pretty much lights out. The Patriots move him back to the middle of the field, part of a presnap shift they ran a few times, although a couple times they just kept him in the middle and rushed him. He’s just so strong and has added a critical element to the defense. Not sure they’re in the Super Bowl without him to be honest.

— Eric Lee had his playing time knocked down with the arrival of Harrison but he continues to see action in the sub packages. He was mostly invisible aside from one tackle that stood out. I think that’s probably a good thing though as he’ll be a player to really keep an eye on this summer. The coaches seem to like him.

—Malcolm Butler might not have had the standout plays Stephon Gilmore did, but he did some good things. It was what we’ve seen a lot of with Butler, he has a knack for getting beat on close contested plays for whatever reason, or teams just seem to make really tough catches against him. I can’t quite place it. Still I think I’ve progressed from being pissed about potentially losing Butler this offseason to being okay with it.

— Elandon Roberts has really developed as a player this season. I still am not sure if he’s more than a role-playing linebacker, but he’s sure not biting on play action like he did as a rookie and into the early parts of this season.

— Kyle Van Noy‘s return has been another huge factor for the defense as he does a little of everything and is the most athletic linebacker on the second level. He’s surprisingly strong and holds up well against big running backs like Leonard Fournette. After losing Hightower it’s clear that Van Noy is the guy everyone looks to on the defense.

— The defense still got hurt by the things that have hurt them all this season — toss sweeps, bunch formations and low crossers. All of these challenge their speed from sideline to sideline, an area where they just don’t have the second level speed and anticipation they usually do. But as usual they gave up some plays, forgot about them and didn’t allow them to happen again in crunch time. That really sums up the 2017 defense.

Offense

— This might’ve been Tom Brady‘s best playoff comeback considering what he had to work with in the fourth quarter of this game. Against the Falcons in SB51 they never had a problem moving the ball, they just weren’t finishing. Against the Jags every possession was a war and the Pats’ struggles continued into the late 4th quarter. Brady’s ability and calmness in the pocket was just amazing, aided by an offensive line that held the Jags talented front in check for most of the day.

— Shaq Mason had some struggles against Marcel Dareus, but that was the only noticeable matchup that was a problem more than once or twice. Otherwise I was amazed at how well the OL fought, especially against the power of Calais Campbell and the speed of Yannick Ngakoue. Nate Solder especially was just an absolute beast at left tackle and I’m just so impressed with how well he’s playing now after a shaky start to the season. He should really get a new contract and I think that’s offseason priority number one.

— Credit to the Jags, they were not having any of Dion Lewis dancing through tackles and picking up big chunks on the ground. I thought that would be a fatal blow to the Patriots offense but Brady kept them going despite it. I’d expect Philly to put a similar focus on preventing Lewis from gashing them.

— At this point Amendola and Brady are just so savvy. Amendola is like Brady’s scalpel, executing with pinpoint precision under the most pressure-packed situations. But again, a lot of Amendola’s work never happens if the OL doesn’t give Brady the pocket he needs.

— Brandin Cooks had one of those weird days where he came up huge with catches and PI’s drawn but people were still complaining because he missed a big catch and was out of sync on a couple others. Cooks isn’t the guy who keeps the offense moving, he’s the outside threat who draws coverage and makes things easier underneath while chipping in with big plays that keep a defense honest. It’s hard to appreciate that in the way we appreciate Edelman or Amendola who make those tough catches that win games, but Cooks is very much an important part of the offense even if he’s not Randy Moss or Deion Branch.

— I kept trying to figure out why Chris Hogan wasn’t involved more and I’m still searching for answers. He played the most of any receiver and had just two catches. He’s one guy I’d really look toward having a big game in the Super Bowl because he’s never been this quiet. He has just four total catches since coming back in Week 17, but was averaging four catches per game before he got hurt mid-season.