Ian

I put this in a blog post, but figured I'd share it here as a regular thread:

Here are some quick thoughts on this one:

- Mistakes were critical in this game: Looking back at the stats in this game, both quarterbacks were pretty much even. However, it was two plays that really made the difference in the game:

The safety that was called on Brady on the first play of the game cost them because it gave New York two points and possession after New England’s defense had already been on the field for nearly six minutes. From there they spent another 5:28 on the field after the Giants marched 78 yards on 9 plays en-route to a touchdown to go up 9-0 early in the game. The Giants closed the quarter having held the ball for 11:28 compared to just 3:32 for New England, and that possession swing really hurt them. In the end those two points ended up playing a key factor since it could have potentially forced New York into a situation where they would have had to score a touchdown instead of a field goal to win the game, which would have likely changed the sequence of how the end of the game was handled defensively.

The interception to start the fourth quarter was also big, because again, it put the defense back on the field after they had just spent five minutes on the field while managing to hold New York to a field goal. You could make the argument that it was like a “long punt”, but the problem with that rationale is the fact that Brady made the throw on 1st down – not third down. Granted the defense ultimately held the Giants to a punt, but not until New York ate up another 5 minutes and ran another 10 plays (excluding penalties). New England did manage to put together a six minute drive after that, but that sequence essentially left their defense more or less out of gas by the time New York attempted their game winning drive.

- Their lack of a 3rd receiver really hurt them: Somewhere Bernard Pollard must be pretty happy with himself. Thanks to his injury on Rob Gronkowski, New England needed someone else to step up tonight and pick up the slack. They finally started getting some production late in the game with Aaron Hernandez, but it’s clear that the Giants defense really only needed to key on he and Wes Welker because New England didn’t really have anyone else. Chad Ochocinco made his token 21 yard grab, but from there he was virtually invisible and Brady found himself trying to buy additional time on multiple occasions to find an open receiver. Deion Branch looked slow and the drop at the end of the game could potentially force New England to take a good hard look at that position after the season.

They’ve got at least two good years left from Hernandez and Gronkowski before their rookie contracts expire and one from Welker should they elect to franchise him. One would have to believe they’ll at least try and bring in one or potentially two players to compliment them.

- It’s tough to put this one on their defense: By the time the game was over, it was obvious that we saw a tremendous effort defensively by a group that in all honesty should have just been happy with being in the position they were in. They essentially gave up 19 points in a game where it was up to their offense to play well enough to win the game, and unfortunately the Giants simply made a few plays to win the game. Granted some offseason moves are going to be necessary, but there seems to be a lot more to work with than most fans originally thought.

- Welker’s Missed a chance to shine Sunday night: With Gronkowski ailing they really needed Wes Welker to step up and have the game of his life against New York Sunday night, and it just didn’t happen. In fairness to Welker, their lack of one more threat prevented him from exploiting too many bad match-ups, but he had a couple of key drops that really could have turned the game and also potentially given them some momentum. His contract situation will be the biggest topic this offseason, and if they are able to keep him, they’ll need to finally bring in some younger and better players to compliment the talent they have with Welker, Hernandez, and Gronkowski.

- Not much negative you can say, it’s just a tough loss - Other than the fact they lost to a Manning, it’s tough to feel too terrible about this game. In the end they won 15 games with a bunch of unknowns on defense and some guys who were at the tail end of their careers in Branch and Ochocinco on the offensive side of the ball. What they managed to do was unbelievable, and the biggest problem is simply the fact that they were so close to what was ultimately a big missed opportunity. But as Belichick said after the game his players gave it all they had, and it just came down to a couple of plays that ended up being the difference in the game. This one will sting for a while, but they have a lot of young talent on both sides of the ball that – if nothing else – should put them in great position heading into next season.

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Ian

A quick bump for some rational discussion.

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Keyser Söze

Brady keeps reminding me of Favre and it makes me want to puke. Chucking the ball up in the air, and underthrowing it to his target...URGGGGHHH

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PATSFTW

I don't know what to do guys. I just can't get over this loss.

Tunescribe

Very good summary, Ian. I'll add that I don't believe there will be a Super Bowl loser's hangover going into next season, considering (A) the youth of this team and (B) the fact that this season was shortened by lack of training camp. I think our guys will bounce back and win the division once again as they should.

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Jangles

It's been 3 hours

maybe give it a few days

PATSFTW

The Pats were the better team. I think the Giants suck. The Pats would beat them 10 times out of 10.

GostkowSKI

Nice analysis Ian. People laugh (non-Pats fans) when I say they could really use another receiver, but a guy on the outside that could beat single coverage could really open up this offense.

They're going to be a contender again next year and hopefully for several years to come, it'll just be a bitter pill to swallow from now until the start of next season.

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pheenix11

Thanks for this post, it pretty much sums up what I took away from it. Lots of people will complain about the D but I thought they played well enough to win. 19 points to the Giants is pretty good and it would have probably been 15 points if they were allowed to play it out and didn't let the Giants score the TD to try and get the ball back with some time. This team is built upon the offense scoring more than 17 points. They made too many mistakes and were too inconsistent tonight, much like in 2007. They put the defense in a bad position and I think the D played well to only allow 19 considering the circumstances.

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PatsFanSince74

The Giants made some plays, we didn't. They covered three fumbles and Manningham secured the ball and kept his feet in bounds. Welker didn't make that catch and we whiffed on a lot of tackles.

If you'd told me at 9AM on Sunday that we'd hold the Giants to 21 points, I'd have clipped my victory cigar and had it ready to fire up.

Brady made one huge mistake (the Safety and effectively spotting the Giants nine points) and another almost as huge error (the Hail Mary pick to Gronk), both of which left the D on the field too long.

On the other hand, Brady also set a SB record for consecutive completions and let the Pats on a drive that would have supplanted "The Drive" if the Pats had won.

Four years ago, I felt we were the better team but were outplayed and out "hungried" for those 60 minutes. Today, it was tough, but the better team won.

We have lots of cap space, a healthy Brady with two or three great years left in him, a boatload of low draft picks and the best HC since Lombardi. We'll be back, haunting the rest of the AFC in just seven months.

We're not the ones with the problem; it's the rest of the league.

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