Took another look at some of the key moments of last night’s game. Overall it was a very good start but there are certainly some areas to focus on. Here are just a few leftover thoughts and a few of the big plays that stood out to me. For my full thoughts make sure to check out the Posits.
— Jame White converting a third-down on a carry!!??? Yes, this play was surprising to everyone and the fact that White grinded it out and picked up the first down is a great development for his development as a more well-rounded player. White also had a couple other third down pickups, including one really tough catch on the final drive of the game. Also, note the great blocks at the point of attack by Marty, Derby and Hogan above.
— Took a closer look at the last drive. Twice in three plays Palmer and Fitzgerald beat Logan Ryan on the same out route. The other time (see below) the Cardinals got rookie Cyrus Jones isolated to the right side on Brown. In all three of these big plays, Ryan (twice) and Jones failed to get any kind of jam on the receiver to disrupt the timing. Those kind of things are fixable and would’ve made a huge difference. Once Palmer found a rhythm he was near impossible to stop. Ryan getting beat on the same route is a little disconcerting but let’s just chalk one up to the future Hall of Famer in Larry Fitzgerald.
— The best play of Jimmy Garoppolo‘s night came in the fourth quarter with the Pats trailing for the first time in the game. Facing a third-and15, Garoppolo manages to buy some time to avoid the three-man rush then find Amendola for the 22-yard gain. This is the kind of play we wondered if Jimmy G could make. Well, he made this one. What a play!
— The entire defense is so interchangeable, every one of those edge/linebackers can do anything and that adds a huge element of unpredictability. A couple times the Pats got free rushers on Palmer though he was usually good about getting the ball out quickly to the correct read. Palmer’s experience was on display but it seems clear that not being able to get the ball downfield early in the game stalled things for the Cardinals.
More to come in the All-22 Review tomorrow…