The New England Patriots bounced back on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings to even their record at 1-1. It was still an ugly affair – with the Pats getting called for a whopping 15 penalties for 163 yards.
The general NFL sentiment and betting expectations were not favorable to the Patriots after their opening weekend loss, but with big games just around the corner, including a Monday Night Football matchup in Kansas City on the horizon, the Pats look to be coming into form. You can read more on the best NFL news here.
It’s always better to take a second, emotion-less look at the game before going to the All-22 film. I finished this game feeling a great sense of “what if”.
What happens when this offense cuts their excessive penalties? They will be tough to stop. And the defense looks like they are starting to find their stride and that’s a good thing – the season is about to get very real, very soon.
Here are my observations on the rewatch.
Hard for the penalties not to be the first thing that jumped out immediately. So many positive plays and momentum were killed by flags. Just unprecedented and I’m not sure why the Patriots are the worst team in the NFL right now in penalties. They just have to be better and the results should really make a huge difference.
Packages:
Standard
- Ninkovich-Wilfork-Siliga-Chandler
- Hightower-Mayo-Skinner
34
- Wilfork-Siliga-Chris Jones
Nickel/Dime Combos
- Easley/Jones inside, Easley only in dime.
Easley over center, best spot for him to use his quickness/disruption. Really like combining him and Chris Jones inside, that’s the pass rush interior front I’ve been waiting for a long time.
Start of second quarter – did they send McCourty on a blitz? Seemed like there were a few DB blitzes in this one. Not usually a big tenet of the defense.
Second drive went to double nose with Wilfork/Siliga two-gapping inside and letting Ninkovich/Chandler deal with the edges. This might not be the best interior pass rush package, but it’s probably the most balanced and effective early down package unless it’s one of the better passing offenses. Then I think you work Chris Jones and Easley more into the early down rotation.
With Fleming as blocking TE, Cannon/Devey at G, the Pats were essentially running a 5 tackle offensive line. Hopefully that kind of size can make a difference.
After first drive the Pats started dropping Ninkovich and Hightower (edges) into short zones that would allow them to come downhill and nail any crossing routes.
Third-and-three with time winding down in the second quarter, the Pats send the blitz but Cassel gets it off. Worth taking a closer look at this one on A22. They were spinning the dial a bit on defense.
Tackling and getting off blocks were so much better than last week. That made such a difference and allowed them to overcome the penalties.
Stephen Gostkowski is such an unsung story. To replace Vinatieri as seamlessly as he did is pretty impressive. Now he’s reached that level we had with Vinatieri where you pretty much expect to make every kick and an occasional miss is forgivable.
The defense really settled in during the second half, likely because Minnesota was in a hole. Their physicality and aggressiveness really stood out.
Logan Ryan is such a smooth corner, even when he allows a catch he seems to be right there and immediately makes the tackle. His interception was just the perfect undercut of the route.
Offense still looked sloppy and couldn’t get out of their own way. They’re going to put it all together, probably this weekend, and when they do expect a 2007-ish explosion.
Despite that, Tom Brady was really starting to step into his throws with great accuracy. Second-and-10 pass to Edelman in the third quarter showed how much arm Brady has left. Those are the throws that indicate to me that he’s feeling comfortable with the protection. He wasn’t stepping into them last week.
The thought of Brandon Bolden being the lead back for a full game scares me. I would love to see James White start to eat into Bolden’s limited carries. The rookie just needs to work on pass protection I’m sure, that’s the hardest thing for a rookie RB.
The only sack of the game is mostly on Cannon. I thought Brady had enough time to get the ball out, but the coverage was solid. Cannon was stunned by a good initial punch and that allowed the DL to get by him.
Not enough push from Devey and Stork on Brady’s failed 4th quarter sneak attempt. Good to get Stork’s feet wet though.
Great athletic play by Easley on his interception. He might not’ve gotten any sacks but he’s a handful inside. As he learns to be a better pass rusher in the pros, his production will only go up. He knows how to use his hands that’s for sure.
Not to oversimplify anything, but just eliminate the penalties and I think we’ll be amazed by how good this Patriots team can be. Hard to have any momentum on offense with that many penalties. And I really can’t wait to see this defense go up against a quality passing offense.
I’ll take a look at the All-22 tomorrow to take a closer look at coverages and schemes.