1. The Patriots gave that one away
For the second straight week the Patriots uncharacteristically gave up a couple of massive plays on special teams. The blocked punt for a touchdown at the end of the first half was particularly back breaking. After a dominant first half, leading 14-7, the Patriots looked poised to go into the locker room up seven and getting the ball to start the half. Then suddenly, an Eagles special teamer slips through unblocked, they scoop it and score and the game is tied 14-14 and the Eagles stole all of the momentum. I'm not sure who missed their blocking assignment, but that play set the tone for the rest of the game.
I will say that Philadelphia has been known for being an opportunistic special teams group, often capitalizing on other teams' mistakes. They also have one of the best punt return guys ever with Darren Sproles. As soon as Sproles found the edge, it was pretty clear a return touchdown was imminent. It is easy to say sitting on the couch watching the game, but I think that Ryan Allen (the Patriots kicker) could have done a better job being a little more physical in trying to get Sproles out of bounds. However, Sproles looks like a cannonball when he runs, and I would want no part in trying to bring that guy down when he's got a full head of steam.
2. Belichick made some suspect coaching decisions
In all of my years watching the Patriots play, it is very rare that I would second-guess decisions made by the Patriots coaching staff, but last night there appeared to be some really hurtful decision making, beginning with the weird pooch punt drop-kick in the second quarter. I understand that they were up 14-0 at this point, and it is good to put plays on tape to make other teams have to prepare for a multitude of potential plays, but this really started to swing the momentum of the game. The Eagles recovered, and all of the sudden they have the ball in pretty good field position. After doing very little through the first part of the game, they were able to use the field position to drive down the field and score a touchdown to decrease the lead.Later in the half, there was some brutal clock management. I understand that the Patriots special teams is usually awesome, but when their kick was blocked, it changed the whole face of the game. The passing attempt on third down allowed the clock to stop and forced the Patriots to punt, which, as we all know went very poorly.
3. Speed Kills
The Eagles exposed the age an athletic ability of some of the key Patriots last night with their speedy rushing attack. Using Darren Sproles and Kenjon Barner as their primary running backs, it seemed like Sam Bradford went into the huddle and said "okay guys, let's run the same play again". Sproles or Barner would get the ball, hit the hole and go for 5 or 6 yards a carry, allowing Bradford to get into really manageable third downs. For the second straight week, Rob Ninkovich and Jerod Mayo weren't able to set the edge, as the running backs speedily bounced out and around. In a game where "feature back" DeMarco Murray barely had any effect, one would have thought the Patriots would have had more success against the run. Obviously, without Dont'a Hightower, there are clear struggles in that department.
4. Brady is the best QB in the league
In a game where there was little help to be found anywhere on the field, Brady continued to make big play after big play to keep the Patriots in the game. I will overlook the horrible pick six, because it was very apparent that the fourth and fifth options on this team were on a different page than Brady. At this point, it looks like he would have more success playing behind a few cardboard boxes, than his offensive line, who appear to be non-existent in the past two weeks. Every time Brady dropped back, it seemed like he was being hit by an Eagle defender. Once they finally got into their hurry up offense at the end of the fourth quarter, it looked a little better (probably had more to do with the defensive scheme and tired legs), but they have to protect the quarterback. There were a number of plays that looked like sure sacks, but Brady maneuvered within the pocket to buy enough time for his wide receivers (I have a few things to say about them), to get a little space to make plays. He also accounted for four total touchdowns (so not too bad).
5. The Wide Receivers need work
Nothing was more apparent than the help that Brady needs at wide receiver. There were countless plays where Brady threw the ball perfectly only for it to be dropped by the intended receiver (drops all around no one player to be blamed.) This was displayed for all to see on the final drive, when the Patriots receivers had four drops to end the game, the worst of which came from Brandon Lafell, who inexplicably dropped a perfect pass that would have been a first down. I'm not saying that it would have changed the outcome of the game, but it very well may have. The injuries have disrupted the flow of Patriots offense, who looked unstoppable for the first half of the season. I think having a couple of games under the belts of the more inexperienced players will help them down the line, but in the short term, it isn't the prettiest.
6. Brady is the best Wide Receiver in the NFL?
7. Opposing Third Downs are a problem
Something I have noticed while watching the Patriots all these years, is that they often struggle getting off the field on third downs. This showed yet again last night, when they had the Eagles in third down situations several times, and failed to dial up enough defense to make the plays they needed to. A short rushing gain here, a pass interference call there, and the Eagles kept plugging away. On many of the plays, the pass rush that the Patriots dialed up was a step short. I think that the more reps Jamie Collins gets, the better this will be in future weeks, but it is a major blow to the defenses momentum and energy level if they can't dial it up an get the stops in crucial situations.
8. Stephen "Beaver" Gostkowski is the best kicker in the NFL
A few things first: 1. Gostkowski used to play soccer with my brother (when I was very little). 2. We used to give him rides to soccer games in our sweet van (chronicled in an earlier blog). 3. We knew him by his nickname "beaver." 4. When the Patriots picked him up all those years ago, our family was really excited. 5. We did not keep in touch, so there is no chance I can get you tickets to games.
Back to my point... This year, more than recent ones, bad kickers have been exposed in a big way. The extended extra point has crushed some kickers to the point that they are not even in the league anymore. Conversely, it has placed a spotlight on the good kickers, the best being Gostkowski. Not only is he an excellent field goal and PAT kicker (he has yet to miss a PAT from the extended range), but the things he does on special teams can't be overlooked. There have been several occasions where he has had to come up with an important tackle, and makes it. He also prevents teams from being able to get big returns, because he just puts it out of the end zone. It makes offenses struggle a whole lot more when they have to go 80 yards every time. But wait, it doesn't stop there! In addition, he is phenomenal at the onsides kick. Since he has been with the Patriots, they have successfully recovered four onside kicks (a number that surely can't be matched around the league by any other kicker). He is an excellent kicker, and I'm glad the Pats have him on their side!
9. Not all hope is lost
In a game where the Patriots gave up 21 non-offensive points and made numerous mistakes, they were still able to give themselves a chance to tie the game at the end. It is very likely that this game will be the worst game that they play this season, so that should give Patriots fans hope. When they were down 21, I like the fans that were filing out of the stands thought that the Patriots were rolling over and conceding victory, I even texted one of my friends saying: "Chalk it up as a bad game" (this was mid-way through the fourth). I wasn't wrong that it was a bad game, but the Patriots seized some opportunities and made it a lot closer than it really should have been. Here are the positives that I took from the game: 1. James White made some big plays, which should boost his confidence and Brady's confidence in him, 2. Brady is still the man, 3. The Pats defense started to figure things out a little bit towards the end, 4. The injured players will be back soon (minus Lewis), and 5. Like I said, likely their worst game of the season, and they only lost by 7.
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