Pats Posits: The New England Football Machine Rolls On

After showing brief glimpses that they were a good team through the first six games of the season, the 2017 New England Patriots finally turned in their first consistent performance in a 23-7 win over the Atlanta Falcons. Yes, rumors of the Patriots demise have once again been exaggerated.

Simply put, it all worked against the Falcons. The four-headed running back monster finally showed how well it could power the offense, and most importantly, close games out. The much-maligned defense turned in one of their most impressive performances in recent memory, and they did it without Stephon Gilmore. It was a total team, total game win, the first of its kind this season and it was incredibly refreshing.

I’ve been saying there was a good defense inside there somewhere, and against the Falcons we saw what they were capable of. This is where the bar is, and it’s now set pretty high. Way above the worst defense in the league, but maybe not quite the all out domination we saw on Sunday night through the fog.

It looks like the 2017 Pats finally realized the season had started and that’s bad news for an NFL loaded with parity.

Here’s what I think in the Posits.

— The key defensive stats:

• 3rd D: 2-9
• 4th D: 1-3
• Red Zone: 1-4

Any way you cut it those are dominant numbers, no matter what disclaimers you want to put on Atlanta’s offense. There was almost as much doubt around this Patriots team as there was before 2014’s KC beatdown. They lacked identity. There were quieter personalities in the locker room this year. Even Rodney Harrison picked the Falcons to win. This was another one of those “they’re not dead yet” wins that remind us how Belichick’s Football Machine always seems to come around

— What stood out most with the offense? The balance. Finally. It’s what we’ve been waiting for, not just this year but for the past few seasons when they flirted with but never consistently rolled out an attack that could rely on the run. Dion Lewis continues to get his 2015 mojo back, he had 76 yards on 11 carries and was the guy to help seal the game on the final drive. The Pats ended with 36 runs to 29 passes and that’s just a great sign as far as everything goes. If they can continue to run the ball effectively, it only amplifies how good Brady is.

— There seemed to be more focus on the short passing game too, with more screens and underneath passes than I remember in recent weeks. But it wasn’t all perfect, with the red zone offense settling for field goals from the Atlanta 10, three and 20. Going two-for-five in the red zone definitely leaves a major area of improvement to focus on.

— Still, the offense was about as efficient as you could ask, especially in the second half where all three of their drives were effective enough to seal the game. It was a great all-around complimentary game, from the offense to the defense and special teams. That’s why it felt like a bit of a throwback victory.

— The only other negative to come out of it was both Dont’a Hightower and Malcom Brown leaving and not returning due to injuries. This time it’s Hightower’s shouder as we go back and forth between there and his knee every season. Brown hurt his ankle but remained standing on the sideline which leads me to believe it isn’t super serious. Those two are really the two best players of the front seven thus far, luckily the bye week is coming up after the Chargers come to town this weekend.

— Cassius Marsh had just one QB hit on the stat sheet but he played 77% of the snaps and blocked the field goal, a key turning point in the game where it seemed like the Patriots actually started to believe in themselves. Dietrich Wise played 79 percent of the snaps as it seemed like Belichick and Patricia were finally done experimenting with personnel. It was like the settled into who was best and just went with them and that might be why the defense looked so much more settled. Marsh continues to be up and down, but he seems to be making strides and earning trust every week like Rob Ninkovich did in 2009.

— Malcolm Butler had his best game of the season and just seemed to be everywhere early. He had one pass defensed (a beauty) and six tackles, including one for a loss. He really needed a game like this. Across from him Johnson Bademosi was solid as well and I’m not ready to go there yet, but…I’m just saying… his physical style of play feels far more like what the Patriots look for than what we’ve seen out of Stephon Gilmore so far. Gilmore is more talented and a better matchup player in coverage, but again I’m just saying, Bademosi has made the most of his chances and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him continue to see time at cornerback. He had five solo tackles which felt very Logan Ryan-y.

— Kyle Van Noy is another player who has taken some strong strides the last couple weeks. His fourth down stop inside the five yard line was a signature moment for a defense in dying need of an identity. He played 91 percent of the snaps and has developed into a key player in the heart of this defense. After some shaky outings against the run, he’s improved, leading the team with seven tackles and two for loss.

— Trey Flower stepped up in this game as well, as he continues to be the best technique player up front. I thought he really sparked the pass rush early in the game and they fed off of his energy the entire game. It was good to see. He’s always solid but has had long stretches of being too quiet this year. The new leaders of this defense continue to emerge.

— Overall, we just finally saw this young defense come into its own. The leaders and vets played like they should’ve been playing all season and the young players made some key plays. It all just fit together really well. I know this is shocking to some who think a defense that plays shitty is a shitty defense, but this kind of potential has been there all season, it was just never consistent. Adam Butler got his first sack of the season.

— Offensively the full balance is so refreshing. No one is being leaned on too heavily. In the passing game, Cooks, Hogan, Gronk, Amendola and White all make things go, but it’s not obvious who defenses have to take away. All of them are coming through in various moments, kind of like how the comeback in Super Bowl 51 went. Everyone is contributing and that’s a really good sign.

I think we can all finally feel really good about the 2017 Patriots now. Yes, it was a little dicey to start this season and there are still issues to work through, but especially in a year where every team is up and down, these Pats are every bit as dangerous as recent years.