It’s not often that a Bill Belichick legacy win comes along, but that’s what happened Thursday night. Belichick, with a rookie quarterback, guided a near-perfect performance out of the entire team around the youngster. This will be one we mention when Belichick goes into Canton and it tied him with Curly Lambeau for fourth all-time in the regular-season win list with 226.
The Patriots moved to 3-0 with a dominating effort in all phases of the game, beating the Texans 27-0.
Rookie quarterback Jacoby Brissett, making the start for injured second-stringer Jimmy Garoppolo, was efficient and safe with the ball. He finished the game 11-of-19 for 103 yards and one rushing touchdown, a 27-yarder that gave the Pats a 10-0 lead which they held into halftime.
Now Belichick with some George Halas T-formation boot/trap stuff. Watch the right guard cut the end https://t.co/orLYJexSqj
— Chris B. Brown (@smartfootball) September 23, 2016
It was the second half that the Patriots truly put the pedal down, putting up a 13-play, 71-yard first drive that ended with a disappointing field goal. Then, Nate Ebner forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, and six plays (and two pass interference calls in the end zone) later the Pats pushed their lead to 20-0.
And it didn’t stop there. For the first time, in what seems like a long time, the Patriots played a near-perfect 60 minutes is all three phases. It wasn’t totally perfect, but it was about as close as you can expect. Especially when you’re talking about a ROOKIE QUARTERBACK IN HIS FIRST START.
A feel good edition of Pats Posits is coming at you after the jump…
— A shutout. This is what I have been waiting for. And to do it without Ninkovich or Hightower? Confidence-building. This sets the bar a little higher for this Belichick 2.0 Defense. They were good in all phases — pass rush, coverage, run defense, forcing turnovers. They allowed just 196 passing yards in a blowout. That’s never been the Patriots defense of late. They’ve given up 350 yards through the air but stiffened in the red zone and feasted on turnovers, and hung on for the win. Remember last week? That’s the annoying Patriots defense since 2010. No, this was something new. And if the defense can continue to put these kinds of games together, they could be a top-five defense. And there’s no reason they shouldn’t be.
— The key is obviously health, and to escape the Texans game without any obvious injuries is a huge plus. Now there’s 10 days until the Bills and then Brady, Nink and High are back, then Dion Lewis and oh goodness this team, and offense especially, haven’t even scratched the surface of their potential.
Ryan Allen’s 7 punts:
Fair catch at 11
FC at 10
FC at 10
Downed at 20
FC at 14
Downed at 5
FC at 4— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) September 23, 2016
— The game really boiled down to turnovers. Texans fumbled two kickoffs that turned into 14 Patriots points. Everyone might want to heap all the praise Jacoby Brissett, but it was the special teams foremost that won this game. Ryan Allen had six punts land inside the 20. That field position was huge. And the defense backed them up and gave them a chance to put up 185 rushing yards.
— The offense was just 4-of-14 on third down, but the team had just three penalties (to Houston’s six). Basically the Patriots won every hidden yard there was.
— That is football at its complimentary best and that’s why Bill Belichick called it a “really satisfying win.”
Gronk’s playin and that’s cool but it’s not “3/4 turtle neck under a crop topped sweater” cool pic.twitter.com/QbXMHTnSMu
— Gary Striewski (@garystriewski) September 22, 2016
— I have to admit, Belichick going to an old school hacked-to-shit hoodie gave me a good vibe before the game. Until I saw how short the sleeves were and it brought me back to SB42. Add it he hadn’t worn gray since the second half of the 2015 AFCCG, and I started to worry. But it slowly grew on me as I realized just how badly BB punished this poor garment. He not only cut the sleeves, but the waist and I think the collar, which was then re-stitched to make it almost-kinda look okay. Now after the win, I’m hoping the ratty gray hoodie is back in effect.
— In the Bill Belichick Hoodie Database this new hoodie will be called 2016 Gray Mock Cut.
— LeGarrette Blount looks like Corey Dillon circa 2004. I was wary of Blount carrying the load but so far he’s proved me wrong. If he can stay healthy this year, and then add Lewis to the mix? Woah. If this offense remains intact, the December matchup in Denver looks juicier by the moment.
— Please Football Gods give us just one year of full team health. I know it’s a near-impossible ask but do it just this one time so we can see what this team is truly capable of if nobody gets season-ended.
— Bounce back games from Jamie Collins (interception, 8 solo tackles), Jabaal Sheard (2 sacks, 2 TFL, 2 QB HITZ), while Trey Flowers stood out late and had three solo tackles of his own. Chris Long remained generally all over the field. Almost every player showed up with a positive play at some point or another. Anthony Johnson bounced back and showed a couple flashes in his return to the lineup. Ryan gave up some catches to DeAndre Hopkins, but all were contested and he didn’t break any long runs. Hopkins had four catches for 56 and a long of 16. Everyone was good. Even Jonathan Freeny (four solo tackles)
— It’s finally time to talk about Jacoby Brissett and we’ve said it all along there’s a ton to like in his game. The Ben Roethlisberger comparisons are apt. And who doesn’t like some kid who treats Bill Parcells like grandpa. That’s just enough Parcells for even the most bitter 90’s Patriots fan.
— The gameplan didn’t ask a lot of him in the passing game, but he played safe with the ball and made some throws in key spots. He had 48 yards rushing. Obviously it was a team effort and the coaches deserve a lot of credit for putting Brissette in position to succeed. But he delivered and looked cool and calm playing NFL quarterback. Those guys are pretty rare.
— Once Brady gets back the Patriots can see how Brissette develops against Garoppolo. His career timeline matches up far better with Brady’s probable one. Injuries can change that quickly of course. But there’s no need to rush to a decision. The Patriots have three quarterbacks who can, at least, play. All are under contract for at least two more years. Those kind of options are non-existent elsewhere. Let it play out.
— Credit especially goes to Dante Scarnecchia and the offensive line. We’re not used to this kind of solid line play early in the season. Even Dante’s last couple years before premature retirement were a little dicey in September, but he’s done an outstanding job. Mason has settled in as the starter at right guard, and the interior work between him, Andrews and rookie Joe Thuney is remarkable given the fronts they’ve faced in the first three games. I’m excited to see how Brady enjoys his re-found pocket.
— Cyrus Jones was inserted into the slot over Justin Coleman, who was lit up against the Dolphins. It wasn’t his work on defense that stood out the most, it was him putting the ball on the ground twice. Once ruled not a fumble, but still. Jones’ ball security is something to monitor. Those two near-misses could’ve quickly changed the game.
— Gronk didn’t play much, but it was good to see him out there working his way back in. In 2013, when he missed the first five games, the Pats had to throw him right into the fire against the Jets, targeting him 17 times in a 30-27 loss. Now, with Bennett, who I’m liking more and more by the minute, they can ease Gronk in with just 14 snaps. But make no mistake, the Brady-Gronk-Bennett-Blount-Lewis-Edelman-Amendola-Hogan-Mitchell Monster is coming. With its minion, the best fullback in the game, James Develin.
So where do we go from here? Hopefully not too far down, but it would be tough to expect this kind of performance every single week. There are going to be bad games, but for now everything looks pretty good. It’s still only week three and there’s a long way to go, but what more can you ask for?
What a coach Bill Belichick is.
His career with the Patriots has been constant surprises. Overcoming player, staff and coaching departures and “catastrophic” injuries. Most of all, Bill Belichick’s Patriots have continually put up impressive wins whenever they’re most written off.
The Patriots have just continued to prove all their doubters wrong. And for the first three games they’ve done it without their best player, Tom Brady. I can only imagine the pride he must’ve felt in how the team performed in adverse circumstances. He must be chomping at the bit to get in there and play with them.
The Patriots have a nice little break here and the nagging injuries can heal up some more. And in ten days, perhaps the chance to end Rex Ryan’s AFC East career for a second time. If I had to guess now I’d say you roll again with Brissett but we’ll see how Garoppolo progresses. The defense should crush Buffalo’s anemic offense.
For now, let us enjoy a football-stress-free weekend with the NFL world at our feet.