Pats Posits: Systematic Destruction of the Bills

The Patriots capped off the first half of their 2016 season with a convincing 41-25 win over the Bills that puts them three games ahead in the division as we sit at Halloween.

Considering Tom Brady‘s suspension, and Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett‘s injuries, it would be hard to ask for better than 7-1, with a commanding lead in the division.

The offense is shaping into the most balanced attack we’ve seen yet. Against Rex Ryan’s defense it was on full display.

The defense had their “bend-don’t-break” moments, but overall it was a fine showing considering the Bills offense was on life support as injuries mounted. But the Pats D has made strides every week on third down and in the red zone, and by the time January comes around they should be peaking.

Now, the bye week, and a chance to take stock of who the 2016 Pats are.

More on that and the systematic destruction of Rex and the Bill in the Posits.

Posits

— Other than back-to-back three-and-outs on their third and fourth possessions, the offense scored on every drive. But most exciting, Brady suddenly throwing the deep ball like it’s 2007 again. Two 53-yard touchdowns in one game? Crazy. Hogan (4-91-1) has been a perfect addition and fits in seamlessly with the offense.

— This was a “no bullshit” game from the Patriots. Rookies took the day off, with vets like Danny Amendola being upped in service. We used to joke about Brady’s favorite receiver being the “open one,” but now it feels like any of the targets could be the open one, and all can really do damage.  Just outstanding balance that provides a multitude of problems for defenses. It was exciting to watch and I’m sure we haven’t seen the last explosion from them this year.

— Amendola (3-29-1) really ignited the team with his 73-yard kickoff return, he’s always been a clutch player and they’ve brought him along extremely slowly. This was a good sign for him to have his best game, then get the bye week to heal up even more. No question that Amendola brings a spark in the biggest moments.

— No one needs the bye week more than Martellus Bennett, who was toughing it out through an ankle injury, clearly limping on a couple occassions. But with no backup to him and Gronk, he stayed on and continued to fight. Hopefully he can get right with a week off.

— Congrats to Gronk on #69, which he got in front of family and friends in upstate New York. From the moment the Pats selected him, Gronk has been a force of nature for the Pats. And he’s still got a long way to go.

— Another one of those quiet LeGarrette Blount (18-43-1) games but he was effective in spots down the stretch. If there is a weakness on the Patriots offense, it’s rushing games like this one. If Dion Lewis can be the same dual threat, Blount will get a reduced workload.

— The defense gave up two meaningful touchdown drives (I’m not counting that garbage time one), going 2-4 in the red zone and 4-13 on third down. Again, this is improvement in areas they were weakest through the first four weeks of the season. The Bend-Don’t-Break will always be maddening but there’s no arguing it’s effectiveness. This is the Patriots defense. Each week the numbers creep toward where they’ve been the last few seasons. Bottom line — they’re smart, tough and play hard for 60 minutes. They might not be perfect, but this veteran squad is more than capable of executing a BB game plan. In a three game playoff run I’ll take those odds against any current NFL team, no matter what the sacks stats say.

— However, the lack of finish was what bothered me the most against the Bills. So many times they collapsed the pocket and just needed to finish Tyrod Taylor off, only to see him slip away and scramble for a first down. They need to make those plays and I think they will be making them as the season progresses. The tackling overall has been up and down, but it always gets locked down.

— The back-to-back 12 Men penalties were an embarrassment. Not a lot of that kind of stuff happens on Belichick’s teams. Not Matty P’s finest moment.

— 22 total penalties and I’m not sure how anyone who isn’t a diehard Pats/Bills fan sat through them all.

— There’s no longer any question that Dont’a Hightower is the heart of the defense. He causes the kind of disruption they often lack when unleashed as an interior rusher. He’s their most effective player in that role, one usually reserved for three-technique DTs, or DEs. No one collapses a pocket like Hightower can. He led the team in tackles (six) and set the tone early with a big hit that knocked Mike Gillislee out of the game for a bit, and a hard tackle on Tyrod Taylor just out of bounds that somehow avoided a flag. The defense will go as he goes and I’m praying the Pats lock him up long term before anyone else.

— Devin McCourty had one of his more active games. It seems like this year the Patriots are spinning the dial on TE/RB coverage more liberally. That includes more of McCourty in coverage and he was around the ball a lot.

— Malcolm Butler finished off the first half of the season with another strong performance, allowing just two catches for 15 yards. Though Butler is just a restricted free agent this offseason, he’s outplayed the guys who are due to hit real free agency, outside of maybe Hightower, but even he missed a couple games and has had some inconsistency. Butler’s third down hit late in the game showcased his taste for contact. What a player he’s turned into, and one the Patriots will have for at least two more seasons if they can’t figure out a long-term deal.

— Eric Rowe got another start but was pulled after two costly pass interference penalties on back-to-back scoring drives for the Bills in the second quarter. He was called for a bullshit third PI as well when he got back into the game in the fourth quarter. I’d guess we’re back to Logan Ryan starting in two weeks against the Seahawks. Like Rowe’s size but he doesn’t have the same coverage savvy that Ryan has.

— Jamie Collins was taken off the injury report on Friday but was still rotating in and out with Elandon Roberts early in the game. It appeared his snaps were coming in sub-packages while Roberts took the run stopper role. I’m curious what those numbers are. Either way, good sign for Roberts as he continues to progress as the best rookie on defense. Roberts drew a hold and finished with five tackles.

As for Collins, I’m not ready to say his snaps are getting reduced because they’re unhappy with his play. They’ve been really conservative with injuries this year so it’s likely they’re just being precautious getting Collins to the bye week. But if he’s coming off the field against the Seahawks, that will be something to talk about.

— Can’t leave out fellow rookie Vincent Valentine either though. After missing a couple with a back injury Valentine came back and flashed.

— Great game for Stephen Gostkowski to get back on track. The 51-yard field goal make at the end of the first half was just the kind of confidence-builder he needed to make. They weren’t all pretty, including the one that hit the goal post and went in, but they all were good.

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Plenty more to come this week as we break all things Patriots down at the halfway point at the season, but big picture, you have to like where the Pats stand. Obviously. But aside from 7-1, the biggest thing is how relatively healthy they are. If that continues, l’m not sure there’s a team that can stop them from Houston. Or if everyone starts getting dinged right after the bye like last year, it will get dicey once again.

Let’s hope that doesn’t happen, because this team could be another special one.

The main questions at this point:

1. Can the pass rush produce against the best pocket passers (i.e. can they get by Big Ben & Pitt at full go)?
2. Can Dion Lewis ensure a balanced run/pass offense?
3. Who starts at cornerback opposite Butler?
4. Where are the defense’s interceptions?

We might not know for sure about the pass rush until games against the Ravens and Broncos in December. Until then, it’s a run of mobile quarterbacks who will have to be contained not rushed. So try not to worry about pass rushers, especially when it looks like Chris Hogan is gaddam DEEEEEEP THREAT!!

A weekend without Patriots football incoming, but the team is in a very good place. So enjoy some time off before it all starts going down for real.