There are plenty of specifics I’ll dive into a bit later this week, but for now the All-22 viewing is allowing me to process the minutiae of this game a bit better without all the nerves involved.
I think this game was better than a lot of us want to admit, with it really just boiling down to poor third down defense. The imminent return of Jamie Collins will help that.
Otherwise the run defense was stout, the tackle was good and the edge setters did their jobs. The pass rush just couldn’t cause enough problems to get Eli into bad throws on third down.
Here are my thoughts on the defense after review:
– As usual it was a mix of mostly single high safety man coverage, with some Cover-2 Man mixed in. They went right at Eli which is a nice change from 2011.
– I don’t think the biggest talent problem on the defense is at cornerback, it’s at linebacker after Hightower and Collins. The Giants made a number of plays picking on Jonathan Freeny, especially in the first half. Neither Jerod Mayo nor Jonathan Bostic can do much either. Mayo looked a little better in this one, but overall he still lacks any pop in his game. If Hightower and Collins are healthy and on the field through the playoffs the defense will be a lot better than they were in this one.
– Justin Coleman was clearly playing with one hand, but I’m still not sure if he got yanked because of that or because he had a growing target on his back throughout the first half.
– Even the All-DE pass rush front was failing to generate much disruption. Eli was getting the ball out quick, but he had a good feel for the pocket and even when they flushed him out of it he was able to complete easy checkdowns.
– The run defense was excellent, as the Giants averaged just over 3.5 yards-per-rush on first and second down. The longest run they gave up was 10 yards on the day. 20 runs went for five yards or less, just three went more than five yards. This bodes well for the Bills game. One that went for six yards only had Easley in as a down linemen. Easley should’ve had him in the backfield too.
– The crazy thing to me is that I continue to feel like Easley makes more plays against the run with his burst than he does against the pass. He pushes back his blocker into the backfield and that forces the running back to make an early cut. But on many passing downs he just doesn’t cause the same kind of disruption.
– Interesting to see Chung effectively playing WILB in the 34 above.
– Couple pressure plays by Hightower and Ninkovich that I missed live and picked up this time. Part of hold their opening second half drive to a field goal.
– PI calls on Chung and Butler on the first drive of the second half were head scratchers. Especially Butler’s where it looks like he didn’t even touch Beckham.
– Sheard just rotated in at defensive end, in the first half, then got some pass rushing snaps in the second half. Didn’t seem like the ankle was an issue, but he wasn’t quite back to where he was early this season. He should make a splash on MNF I’d bet.
– In a lot of ways this felt like last year’s defense, where the outside corners were doing a great job but the slot guys and linebackers were the ones getting picked on. Getting Collins back should help on both fronts due to trickle down and just how much ground he can cover.
– There’s nowhere to go:
– I know a lot of people were running to McCourty’s defense after this one but he missed a few plays in this one. Once he was doubling Rueben Randle under the route and still got beat. Just want to see him make more plays that he should make and has made in the past.
– Seeing more pressure than I remember again, this time Easley forcing Eli off the spot but Eli does a great job with a subtle slide then throwing a strike.
– Yes, this was a blah defensive performance overall but there were some impressive moments, none more than the defense forcing a punt after Brady fumbled on their own 34-yard line. Game was hanging by a thread.
– Ninkovich’s sack that moved the ball back 13 yards was a big part of this, but that sack was helped by great coverage as Eli had to pull it down on two reads before Nink got there.
– The Pats then forced two three and outs with impressive play from Malcolm Butler along with a timely blitz from Patrick Chung. The defense picked the right time to wake up on those two drives with the game in balance, but then came the final drive.
– Pats started rushing three on the first third down. On the second third down with just one yard to go Easley and Brown didn’t give an inch inside, but the Giants still found the yard. Good stoutness up front anyway.
– On the next third down the Giants got 30 yards with the Pats rushing just three again. The rotation on this drive was apparent to keep the pass rush fresh but even that couldn’t get three guys home. Eli easily slid and threw a strike as Melvin got beat in coverage.
– This is what bugs me. Three third downs and they couldn’t get a stop on any of them. I don’t love the rushing three guys here and it killed them on two of them.
– Still the goal line stand was impressive and once again the Pats were prepared for what the Giants were doing down there.
Was this the ‘85 Bears D? No. But this is what the Patriots do. Really what it boils down to was that the pass rush just wasn’t quite firing like it should be. How much can you complain about bad calls, your slot receiver getting picked on or incredible throw-and-catches? We’ve see this before this season against the Jets. When the third down defense doesn’t get off the field they’re in trouble. But in almost every other facet they played well.
And if you can’t be excited about Malcolm Butler after this one I got nothing for you.