Now that the bye week is here, what are the areas that the Patriots should try to shore up before hitting that tough stretch of games?
Good question, the bye week is always a good time to self-reflect a little bit. Here are some areas of question that remain for me.
1. How does the defensive front seven stack up now with injuries, guys returning from injury and the new additions? Siliga can start practicing shortly and is eligible to return after Detroit. How does he stack up rotationally with Alan Branch and Casey Walker?
Similarly, is Akeem Ayers ready to be the every-down defensive end replacement for Chandler Jones? Or was that a Broncos-specific thing? Could Alan Branch be used at DE for run-stopping or a more traditional 34 look? How about Easley? Then there’s Casillas. Can he find a role in the defense?
All these guys need to be further evaluated to find how to best employ them.
2. Develop the Running Game. I’m still not convinced the Pats can run and pick up those gotta-have-it short yards in critical moments. Jonas Grey runs hard, and Shane Vereen has his moments, but continuing to develop the running game is critical as the weather gets worse.
3. Involve Wright/Amendola (Dobson?) more. Teams are going to study what the Pats are doing with LaFell-Edelman-Gronk and do their best to stop it. The way to stay ahead of the curve is to continue to get guys like Wright and Amendola involved in new ways.
Otherwise it seems like the OL and secondary have found what works for now. Dennard is one interesting guy who I kind of like having in our back pocket. He’s presumably developing at slot corner still and has been bumped by Browner, but he’s got to be the best healthy scratch corner in BB’s history. I still think there’s a role for him to play.
Defensively the Patriots had a sound plan as well. They were very multiple in this game. The Patriots played nickel on every passing snap, with 59 percent man coverage and 41 percent zone coverage. They were very multiple within the man coverage concepts too, switching up coverages the whole game. They played just one snap of “two shell” with two deep safeties the whole game. It was mostly either man coverage or “Cover 3” zone.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/defensively-the-patriots-had-a-sound-plan-as-well/
3 GIFs That Defined Patriots Win Over Broncos
A lot of hard choices were made this week when choosing the three GIFs that defined this big win. What about Edelman’s punt return for TD? What about Gronk’s ridiculous catch? What about Ayer’s third down sack?
All of those were impressive plays, and while I think Edelman’s punt return should certainly be in there, I felt these three really were the ones that cemented the game in the Patriots’ favor.
First, we have Ninkovich’s interception which has been broken down all over the internet the last two days. When you look back at the classic Manning vs. Patriots defense games, this interception fits right in. This pick was one of those instant messages that the Patriots were fooling Manning, at least early on, with their coverage schemes. They’d take the lead for good four plays later on a touchdown pass to Edelman.
There’s nothing like extending a lead from 13 points to 20 points just before halftime. Of course, you always need touchdowns vs. Manning, but to pull out a touchdown on third down in the final seconds of the half, was a huge boost to a team that was already rolling. Of course it helps when three defenders follow Gronk, leaving Vereen wide open.
If the Broncos get a touchdown here on their second drive of the second half, things would’ve gotten interesting in a hurry. On their first possession they drive right through the Pats on a six-play, 57-yard touchdown drive. Instead McCourty delivers a knockout blow to Welker’s back and Browner was there to grab the ball as Welker coughed it up. The Pats would score a touchdown on the next play and the blowout was on.
Previous Three GIFs:
Pats Posits: Notes on a game experience that will be hard to top
I always thought it would be hard to top the fan experience I had in 2006 when I saw the Pats upset the Chargers in the playoffs from about 15 rows in back of the New England bench, but it might’ve just happened on Sunday.
First, a huge thank to NRG who gave us a ton of swag bags and two pairs of tickets to give away. Walking through the lots with my sister Mary, Nick “Fitzy” Stevens, George “the other guy in those funny videos” Kippenhan, and the one and only Jerry Thornton, handing out free stuff, making people’s day and meeting many passionate Patriots fans, it was just awesome.
The Pats could’ve gotten blown out and it still would’ve been a legendary day, but obviously the game ended up topping the pregame.
What more could you ask for out of a game? A blow out of a long-time rival and arguably the best team in the NFL (coming in), interceptions, a punt return TD, multiple fourth-down stops and a ridiculous catch by Gronk. The entire day could not have been scripted better.
I’m still in the afterglow two days later. Glad it’s the bye week so I can draw out breaking down the game without having to turn the page to the next opponent immediately.
Now as for the game, it’s always amazing to me the difference between watching the game on TV and in person. In person you can really see the matchups and strategy unfold a little clearer because you can focus on what you want, like when I saw Chung manned up on Julius Thomas and called the coming touchdown to my sister.
So now everyone comes running back to the Patriots band wagon. Tom Brady for MVP! Pats #1 in the Power Rankings! Yay!
Around here we’ll do our best to Ignore the Noise. The Patriots are good enough to win the Super Bowl, we are assured of that now. But can they put together three perfect games where they get the bounces needed to win the Super Bowl? That’s still a big question mark.
For now let’s just enjoy seeing the team once again overcome significant injuries and turnover and start to round in to shape.
How good are these Patriots really? Offensively, if they stay healthy, they’re just going to keep getting harder to stop. Could the offensive line regress for another game or two and some point? Certainly. And as long as they get that out of their system before the playoffs, the Pats should make another Lombardi run.
What we saw Sunday was a team that is completely tuned in and, for lack of a better phrase “in the zone”. Are the Patriots really that good? Probably not. The game unfolded almost perfectly for them. But they’re certainly not as bad as they looked against the Chiefs either.
So now what do we hope for during the bye week? First and foremost is a chance for all the little nagging dings to heal up. It will also be a chance for Akeem Ayers, Alan Branch and Tim Wright to get even more caught up on the playbook.
It will be a chance to step back schematically and see what’s working and what’s not as well.
I will say this though, this Patriots team is more well-rounded than the’ve been since 2007. They have size and speed and a secondary that can be difference-makers. If they can continue to compensate for the losses of Chandler and Mayo, they could be in position for a bye.
But make no mistake, there’s little margin for error and the schedule is unrelenting. The win over the Broncos was a nice feather in the cap, but the biggest challenges are still coming.
Defensive deception confuses Peyton Manning | Boston Herald
Defensive deception confuses Peyton Manning | Boston Herald
Yesterday was a travel day and one to let the awesomeness of the entire experience on Sunday sink in. So today we’re back in the saddle and I’m looking forward to taking a slow look at the All 22 from Sunday. Here’s a good primer from the Herald about the defensive gameplan.
Julian Edelman 1st half numbers: 6 receptions for 66 yards and 1 reception TD + 84-yard punt return for a TD
https://www.patspropaganda.com/pottsisstarksheart-julian-edelman-1st-half/
