Where do I begin? I guess by saying that this was one of the best football games I’ve ever watched and really, it was a lot closer than I thought it was going to be. Tip of the cap to the Ravens, who, despite being a different team than they were in 2009-2012, played the same way – fearless – and had a great gameplan to attack the Pats’ weaknesses.
But the Patriots did what they do, fought for 60 minutes and used every trick in the book to get the victory. There’s so much to break down, let’s get to it.
I never expected the Pats to come out so tight and get so dominated on defense. Thank Hoodie they recovered their two fumbles early in the game or this one would’ve started out even worse than 2009’s playoff game, as if any of us ever thought that would be possible.
Flacco went back to what worked in 2012 – attacking the middle of the field. Even when they stopped those passes, the run defense remained a problem. Most concerning is that even with their heavy front of Wilfork-Siliga-Branch, they were still getting pushed around by a patchwork Ravens offensive line. That is not good and will have to fixed immediately.
We talked about it all year, the Pats short yardage run defense on third and fourth down was near the bottom of the NFL, as they were stopping runs for a loss or no gain. Those problems continued yesterday and the Ravens knew to attack them there.
Early in the year when the run defense was struggling it was more about simple fundamentals, this time I’m not so sure. I need to take a better look once the All-22 comes out. But I think overall, without looking back yet, the entire defense was often just out-physicaled across the board and that’s a bit surprising/disheartening when I thought they had a chance to really set the tone.
Chandler Jones was not nearly as dominant as we were all hoping he would (and needed) to be. The pass rush with the bigger nickel front (with SIliga instead of Chris Jones) was non-existent. This is troubling, but it’s also part of what makes the Ravens so tough for the Patriots. The Pats can’t sell out for the pass by putting a DPR like Ayers in there so they get stuck in a middle ground where they had to force coverage sacks. And even with multiple defensive backs on the field, they still weren’t buying enough time for the rush to get there.
But this matchup is done with and the Pats coverage/rush will match up better with their next opponent. Still, the defensive ends have to be better.
Perhaps most interesting with the defense was that they flipped the script on their strengths and weaknesses. Red Zone defense, the hallmark of the defense in the second half of the season made just one stop (albeit a critical one that saved the game), going 4-5 on the day.
Meanwhile, their third down defense, a weakness for them this year, held the Ravens to 1-9. Some of that was mitigated by their 3-3 on fourth downs, but still, these two major statistical areas were anomalies when it comes to what we thought we knew about this Patriots defense.
Despite their up-and-down game, they came through in the clutch, almost with a nod to the shitty Patriots defenses of the past few years by sealing the game with a timely interception. The double 14-0 holes and game-saving turnovers felt like an uncomfortable tribute to 2009-2012.
Let’s turn to the offensive side of the ball, where outside of the awful interception, Brady had maybe his best playoff game against a tough opponent in some time. The fact that the game-winning touchdown came on a 20-plus pass, Brady’s greatest area of criticism, was nice. That was an absolute pinpoint pass.
The trick play and four offensive linemen wrinkle were classic touches from a coaching staff that is always looking for an edge. Great execution on both as Belichick and McDaniels broke out the chess board on the checkers players once again.
This game showed what the Pats lacked in past years to get the job done – multiple weapons. Every receiver – Edelman, Gronk, Amendola, LaFell, Vereen and even Hooman – came through with big catches. In years past, there was never that kind of depth and clutch play. That bodes well going forward.
Those who were calling for the Pats to “spread them out” certainly got their wish and the multiple point deficits certainly reinforced that. I’d have never thought the Pats could win a game where they could not and did not run, but that just shows how good Brady and the passing offense was.
The offensive line wasn’t perfect, but they did enough within the scheme to get the job done. Losing Stork (not expecting to see him again this season based on the reports) is a blow, but the Pats have the pieces to make it work. Now we have to be happy that Josh Kline got some playing time at the end of the regular season. Wendell knows what he’s doing at center, but a potential re-match with Terrence Knighton and the Broncos could be concerning.
This game had so many momentum shifts – it was back and forth all game long and we were all on the edge of our seats the entire time I’m sure. It was the most stressful non-Super Bowl game I can ever recall.
Most of the close playoff games of the Patriots dynasty have had much longer sustained momentum on both sides of the ball, but this one was back-and-forth almost from snap to snap.
While it wasn’t their best game, the playoffs are only about winning and hopefully it will be a wake up call at just the right time. The defense can and will play a lot better, and there is plenty to build off coming out of this one. But also plenty to correct.
When was the last time the Pats had a huge win like this in the divisional round? Indy in 2004. Otherwise, beating the Jaguars, Jets, Broncos, Texans, and Colts have felt more obligatory than tough wins that could be built off of. Certainly none of those had the same effect this game should have on the team.
Confidence, not only in their own resiliency, but in that they can play much better, should be sky high.
Next week will be another stiff test, especially if it’s Peyton and the Broncos, and the Pats are well aware that this kind of performance, especially on defense, will not cut it.
But for the moment we can enjoy the best playoff win in Gillette Stadium playoff history. The crazy epicness of the Bill Belichick’s Patriots lives on for another game.
