As y'all know, this anthem business has left me very conflicted regarding the Patriots and the NFL. Things have appeared to have died down, at least for the Patriots. Accordingly, my anger over the kneeling, fist raising players has subsided a bit. I place far more blame on the Commissioner and the owners for not taking appropriate action in dealing with the "protests" of Colin Kaepernick last year. Had the league had done so, none of this would likely have gotten as far as it has. But the NFL, with a Commissioner and owners seemingly more concerned with appeasing the media than doing what's best for their league, or taking in account their customers, waffled. While I don't give the players a pass for what I view as their shortsighted, disrespectful actions, my belief is that, for them, it was more of a situation in which they felt compelled to back one of their fellow African American players, than anything else. My "counter protest" will remain to not watch any NFL games this season, save for Patriots games...and to not spend a dime on anything NFL. No NFL Channel or ESPN for me, either. All I can tell you, folks, is that I'm a avid fan of America first and second, an avid Patriots' fan third, and an NFL fan a fourth. That said, I'm done discussing this anthem matter, and will get back to discussing football.
So happy to say that for the first time this season, the Patriots played like the Patriots. To be sure, it still wasn't close to perfect. Too many penalties, a missed blocking assignment which nearly caused a turnover deep in New England territory...and might have gotten the 40 year old GOAT killed, and not finishing drives persist as problems in need of being addressed. But the play in the defensive secondary, despite missing tall CBs Stephon Gilmore and Eric Rowe, appeared to be vastly improved. This performance overall was the Patriots best of the season, against a talented, though grossly underachieving, team. Query: Were the Patriots that good Sunday night? Or, were the Falcons that horrible?: jeffschultz.blog.myajc.com/2017/10/22/falcons-go-from-super-bowl-collapse-to-regular-season-awful/
You be the judge. Here are my grades:
I. OFFENSE: As stated above, this unit is still not finishing drives, settling for FGs instead of TDs. Picking up short yardage, on both third and short and, in particular, inside the five yard line, remains a problem. Still, the offense managed an excellent 162 total yards rushing, and 403 yards of total offense. The "O" also managed a very respectable 7 of 13 on third down conversions. Overall, this game presented a fine example of complimentary football, with the offense making enough plays to get the job done.
1.) QB: What was another very good performance from The GOAT was nearly marred by one horrific heave, on the Patriots' initial scoring drive. With 13:27 to go in the second quarter of a scoreless game, the Pats faced a 2nd and 6 from the Atlanta 31 yard line. Looking down field as his pocket was beginning to collapse, Brady swerved to his right to buy time, and threw into the end zone, directly into the hands of Falcons' CB, Robert Alford. But, fortunately or unfortunately for Tom, almost immediately after making the errant throw, he got bombed by Atlanta DE, Adrian Clayborn. The hit was high, and definitely a helmet to helmet hit. The ensuing 15 yard "roughing the passer" call negated the awful interception, and gave the Patriots a new life, with a first and 10 from the Atlanta 16. A subsequent Gillislee five (5) yard run, followed by a Brady flip to a flashing from right to left Brandin Cooks, who, shepherded by Gronk, covered the final 11 yards running down by the left sideline for a TD...gave New England a 7-0 New England lead. But for that dumb Clayborn penalty, this game could have turned out quite different. The great ones rarely make such mistakes...and that certainly applies to The GOAT. Other than this one wart, when given time to deal, Tom was outstanding. For the game, he completed 21 of just 29 passes for 249 yards, and two TDs (although the Cooks play mentioned above was one of the two Brady "touchdown passes"). Highlights of Brady's performance were his converting on a 3rd and 16, by hitting Chris Hogan over the middle for a 20 yard gain. This play occurred just prior to the above mentioned roughing the passer sequence. On a 3rd and 8 from the Atlanta 49, Brady threw a perfect teardrop to Gronk on the left sideline for a 27 yard gain. This was the key play in a second quarter drive that netted a FG, which gave the Pats a 10-0 lead. A beautifully thrown 18 yard completion to Bradin Cooks in the closing seconds of the second quarter set up the Pats second touchdown, which staked New England to a commanding 17-0 lead at the half. A 30 yard third quarter hookup to Chris Hogan in the deep left sideline area set up another FG, which expanded the lead to 20-0. A 27 yard completion to Brandin Cooks in the deep left sideline area was the key play in a sustained 74 yard drive, six minute fourth quarter drive. This drive started from the New England 6 yard line, and led to another FG, giving the Pats a three score advantage, at 23-0. The Falcons then tacked on a cosmetic touchdown, for the 23-7 final. There was also a perfectly thrown 42 yard completion to Gronk in the first quarter, that was negated when Gronk got called for pushing off. The Terrific One also picked up a pair of first downs on one of his patented QB sneaks, and on a nifty 5 yard slide...which keep alive the aforementioned 3rd quarter FG drive. For you stat lovers, Brady's suffered somewhat because he took a more conservative approach in the second half, as he endeavored to protect a big lead with the game well in hand.
GRADE: A-;
2.) RBs: Dion Lewis cemented his starting role, at least for another week, with 76 yards on 13 carries. The highlight of his performance was a 25 yard run off LG to help set up the team's first TD. Rex Burkhead chipped in with 31 yards on 6 carries, and an 11 yard pass reception. Designated power back Mike Gillislee added 31 yards on 8 carries. But, when you consider that 14 of those yards came on one run, he had just 17 yards on the other 7 carries. This underscores the teams continuing troubles performing in short yardage situations. James White had his usual solid overall game, accounting for 35 yards on 12 touches (includes 5 pass receptions for 16 yards, including a TD). For the game, the RBs accounted for 162 yards rushing on 36 attempts, for a respectable 4.5 yard average per play.
GRADE: B;
3.) OL: Still committing too many penalties. A holding call on Shaq Mason killed one drive, and a missed blocking assignment on Atlanta edge rusher De'Vondre Campbell nearly killed Brady. Clean shots on the 40 year old GOAT can't be allowed to happen. That said, the OL allowed just three QB hits, including two sacks, and pretty much controlled DT Grady Jarrett. Nonetheless, two of these three QB hits were of the earth shattering variety. The other thing that irked me almost as much about this group is their complete inability to get any kind of push on short yardage plays, especially in the red zone. Mike Gillislee is running too much East and West instead on North and South. But, he's doing it mostly out of necessity. Still, Gillislee doesn't appear to be the fence buster that LeGarrette Blount was.
GRADE: C;
4.) TE & WRs: Nothing had better happen to Gronk, since the Patriots sadly seem to have nothing else at the TE position. Gronk had a pair of penalties, including the above mentioned 42 yard completion negating offensive PI call for pushing off. That said, the Big Guy still contributed with three catches for 51 yards...including the 27 yard play which set up a FG. Chris Hogan had a strong game with four receptions for 71 yards, including the two big plays discussed above. Brandin Cooks added four catches for 65 yards and a TD, while Danny Amendola chipped in with a modest three catches for 17 yards.
GRADE: B+;
II. DEFENSE: The "D" was the beneficiary of about a 10 minute advantage in time of possession, as they were only on the field for just under 26 minutes. Nonetheless, this was the unit's finest performance of the season by far...especially in the secondary. The "D" was able to consistently get off the field on third down, holding Atlanta to just two conversions in nine (9) attempts. They also shut the Falcons down on 4th down tries, in which Atlanta was able to convert just one in four tries.
1.) DL: In the first half, the DL absolutely shut down the Atlanta running game...allowing just 21 yards on 8 carries. A sack by rookie Adam Butler (3 tackles, including two solos), choked off an early Falcon drive around midfield. Trey Flowers continues to be the best defensive ineman on the team, finishing with six (6) tackles, including five (5) solos...and was a going concern all evening. Still would like to see more production out of DT Malcolm Brown. My main complaint with this unit is the continuing failure of the DEs and/or edge rushes to contain the opposing QB in the pass pocket. This really hurt in the Patriots in home games against Kansas City, Houston, and Carolina...two of three which were losses. It also reared it's ugly head last night, as Falcon QB Matt Ryan was able to escape outside three times...two of which extended drives, including a 4th and 7 conversion. Cassius Marsh in particular needs to be schooled on this.
GRADE: B;
2.) LBs: There was at last a David Harris sighting. Though his contributions as a run stuffer weren't voluminous (3 tackles, 2 solos), he had two very loud, discouraging hits on Atlanta RBs. Outstanding performance from Kyle Van Noy, who had seven tackles (all solos) to tie for the team lead, including two tackles for loss. In one of those, he threw slot WR Taylor Gabriel for a 5 yard loss, on an horrendous fourth and one call by the Falcons in the fourth quarter. Van Noy appears to be blossoming into a Mike Vrabel/Rob Ninkovich type. Meanwhile, Dont'a Hightower continues to attract injuries like a bear to honey...suffering an undisclosed shoulder ailment. The Patriots need to get him healthy for the second half of the season, and the playoffs.
GRADE: B;
3.) SECONDARY: No Stephon Gilmore...no Eric Rowe...NO PROBLEM! Excellent performance from reserves Jonathan Jones, and Johnson Bademosi. Watching Bademosi play (seven tackles, including five solos) reminds me of Malcolm Butler's performance in his rookie season (like Malcolm, he also wears the #29). I know it's early, but one has to begin to wonder why the secondary challenged Lions let this guy get away for just a late 6th round pick in 2018? Malcolm Butler had his best game of the season, covering Julio Jones all night. Though Jones got his in terms on stats (9 catches for 99 yards and a TD that he pulled away from the shorter Malcolm), Butler held his own. Safeties Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung combined for 13 tackles, including ten solos. The most important thing is that this group allowed just two plays of over 20 yards...the longest going for just 22 yards. Prior to the final 21 seconds of the first half, this unit held Matt Ryan to just 94 yards passing. Until Atlanta's garbage time final drive, Ryan threw for just 161 yards. Not to pour cold water over this fine defensive performance, but it's important to note that this once powerful Atlanta offense hadn't scored a TD in 6 quarters combined against the Dolphins and Patriots...until their final drive of the game.
GRADE: A;
III. SPECIAL TEAMS: Though the kick return game produced no dividends, and continued to be hit with penalties, the rest of this unit came up aces. Stephen Gostkowski had his usual solid kickoffs, and was a confident three for three in FGs, and two for two in extra points. Though DE Cassius Marsh needs to learn about containment when pass rushing, he earned high marks for blocking a 37 yard Atlanta FG, which would have staked a team starving for confidence to an early 3-0 lead. One must wonder whether the Marsh block had something to do with the mind set of the normally reliable Falcon kicker, Matt Bryant, on a subsequent miss in the third quarter. Great job in recovering an Atlanta onside kick in the closing minutes of play to easily secure the win. Good job by punter Ryan Allen, and the usual good Patriots kick coverage helped the cause.
GRADE: A-;
IV. COACHING: I don't know what was going on with this team earlier in the season...but there's no question that the team lacked the focus and intensity of teams past. For the first time this season, the Patriots looked, and played, like the Patriots. Great job of complimentary football between the offense, defense, and special teams. I don't know what BB has done with this Bademosi kid, but he appears to have found himself a guy who's not just a special team's standout, but a guy who can be a valuable contributor in the seconary. Jonathan Jones continues to show improvement, and Malcolm Butler appears to have his competitive edge back. True, Atlanta isn't the team that they were last year...but they still have the same talented cast of WRs. Patriots fans have to leave this game feeling so, so much better about their justifiably much maligned defense. The team attitude and intensity appears to be back! Good job of incorporating the running game into the offense, to take some pressure off Tom Brady. But, Dante Scarnecchia has his work cut out for him again this season, with this OL. One has to wonder whether OTs Marcus Cannon and Nate Solder are playing despite being dinged up. The short yardage offense and red zone offense must improve. I don't know what's going on with reserve TE, Dwayne Allen...but I'd like to see the Patriots get a second TE involved in the offense. The passing game will improve if Malcolm Mitchell ever can regain his health. I think that the team is wise in holding him out until he's 100% ready to go. Perhaps greater use of RB Rex Burkhead should be attempted...even experimenting with him as a slot receiver. For all his skills, Brandin Cooks is a faster version of Deion Branch, but is no Julian Edelman, or Wes Welker. Chris Hogan is quietly having his best season...if only he could stay healthy! Speaking of health, the defense will improve if it can ever field a healthy Dont'a Hightower. The young New England DEs need to be schooled in keeping the opposing QB contained in the pass pocket. Mobile QBs like Alex Smith, Russell Wilson, Cam Newton, Deshawn Watson, and even Matt Ryan are consistently hurting the Patriots by extending plays outside of the pass pocket, or running for first downs. Next week against the Chargers, facing the immobile Philip Rivers, it shouldn't be a concern. The Pats are still committing too many penalties. The Bolts have an outstanding front seven (Bosa and Ingram, to name just two), that needs to be reckoned with. The OL will have a major challenge next week, and must do a better job of protecting Brady. I'm expecting a stiff test next weekend, against a very underrated team.
GRADE: A-;
V. PLAY OF THE GAME: I have a list of four plays that to me, stood out:
1.) Blocked FG by Marsh, which seemed to hurt Atlanta's fragile mindset;
2.) Third and 16 Brady conversion on a 20 yard completion to Chris Hogan was clutch;
3.) Roughing the Passer penalty on Atlanta's Adrian Clayborn was a killer, as it nullified a turnover, and set up the Patriots' initial score, giving them a 7-0 lead.
4.) The absurd Atlanta decision to go for a first down, on a 4th and 6 from the New England 47, with 1:55 to play in the second quarter, smacked of desperation. The Falcons were only down 10-0, and would get the ball first in the second half. Their dubious gamble gave the GOAT a short field with plenty of time in which to negotiate the necessary 53 yards to pay dirt. Bingo...17-0 at the half. Just a killer mistake in judgment.
My choice: It's between choices 3 and 4. I'll go with #3. That penalty was a killer. Without it, Quinn might never have faced that fourth down decision, late in the first half.
VI. PLAYER OF THE GAME: As always, THE GOAT. So instead, I'll pick the second MVP of the game. I'll choose Malcolm Butler.
As always, your comments and opinions are welcome. Here are the game stats: www.espn.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=400951638; www.espn.com/nfl/matchup?gameId=400951638
Have a pleasant evening, all. Go Pats!