PostGame Discussion Thread

5 OL could not consistently block 3-5 pass rushers. That is the biggest story of the game.

patsinthesnow said:

I don't know if this is correct at all, but my gut reaction:

White vs. Dion was the difference between SB champs and not

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I thought Dion was great...while he was in, but he was an accident ready to happen. White? in the scheme of things White White was/is nothing more than a ****y

We need a running back that we can count on. CJ Anderson didn't have a great game back he at least gave the Broncos something today.

in hindsight this was one of BB worst coached games.

I get that they wanted to "go for the win" but if they kick two field goals instead of turning the ball over on downs, we win this game by 5 points.

Defense did all they could, but this offensive line needs to be completely rehauled.

No doubt the Pats would have won this game in Foxboro, the Broncos d line had the silent snap figured out, Brady would have drawn them offsides a few times and slowed that down.

This game was lost in that stupid onside kick against the Eagles up 14-0.

in the end, injuries did in the Pats.....what started so promising.....ended in frustration.
Oh well, on to next year. Thanks for the entertaining season, in it til the bitter end....

NE_Zealot said:

I don't get how the XP is what did them in. The coaching staff should've learned from the first 4th down attempt fail and kicked the 3 before the 2nd fail.

Based on the wretched OL, what kind of crack were they smoking when they thought they could convert on 4th and 6? They put their faith in the wrong unit when they should've trusted the defense. That defense balled-out and I feel awful for them.

I understand going for it the first time, but the second time was inexcusable. I know the coaching staff is a sacred cow on these boards but sometimes they screw the pooch just like everyone else.

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I mean you really think kicking a FG with 2 minutes left would have sat well at the time? A competent ball-control operation and they would have got the ball back with less than a minute. You're really underestimating how much the DEN offense folded up at the very end.

These kinds of discussions are dumb because not because the coaching staff is a sacred cow- they had an awful day lol- but because we can play the phantom points game all over the place. If Brady doesn't throw an awful INT in their own territory that's seven points gained back. If Gost hits the XP there's not even a panic about FGs vs 2-point conversions. If the O-line isn't a turnstile Brady isn't rattled and seeing ghosts all day. Nothing was good enough, across the board.

ensoul said:

This is 100% on BB. They chose to play against Miami like a preseason game then they left 3 points on the field and lost by 2.

Pats kick that field goal they are going to the Superbowl.

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Hindsight is 20/20 on the FG's. If they kick and go down only 5, Broncos probably play more aggressive on offense. No one can say they don't get a few first downs and flip field position. The oline did not allow them to be succesful on a long field .

slash83 said:

The damn XP is why we lost in the end, not the FGS.

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We lost because our offense got physically manhandled and our defense came out flat early on. After their two touchdowns, we outscored them 12-6. We needed to play with more mental toughness in those opening stages.

This game would have been a blowout if not for Steven Jackson. So glad we signed him.

If you do some EV analysis on the 4th and 1, I bet it's pretty close based on the low chance we score a TD(or 2 FGs) at any point. This it's probably silly to second guess that decision.

What we do know is the OL personnel need significant upgrades. We have some young guys who might be OK but Stork was bad most of the year too. Was Andrews our best lineman? That's sad

sambam94 said:

they run for 99 yards and Manning throws for only 176 yards..and we lose.
Kick the FG and we win....but I do see why Bill went for it at the time. Denver's defense was dominating, yet that 1 decision played differently and Pats win...such a frustrating game, our D played well, except for those 2 Manning TD's..but they were the difference.

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Yeah, I don't think BB thought they would get that close again fairly easily, I see why he did it because if you convert and score a TD there, hold them and you just need a FG to win the game.

Von Miller was right. They only needed 1 second against this line.


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tmajr3 said:

Brady hit 23 times.

Can we cut Dobson and LaFell and get a big body WR?

Now, JE is limping badly in the locker room according to Jeff Howe.

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Thanks to belichick edelman has plenty of time to heal

It's amazing how people are still disrespecting the Denver D-line and LBers by putting all the blame on the Pats O-line being "hot garbage". Hello, people. Denver had the best Defense in the league. Not to mention All-Pro Von Miller. They will make most O-lines look like "hot garbage" unless the O-line is given help. Cannon is what he is. A reserve OT who can come in for an injury, but should never be the starter without help.

I am disappointed that BB and McDaniels pulled an Andy Reid and didn't give Vollmer and Cannon almost any help from the TEs. I'd have had Mike Williams out there mirroring Von Miller every down just to ensure he was doubled. That would almost ensure Brady would have the time needed to hit Edelman, Gronk, Amendola or Martin. That didn't happen and we saw the results.

I have no issue with the pats not going for the FGs twice. Manning could have easily run the clock out on them either time. As it happened, our D stepped up greatly.

Denver's defense simply dominated the game - plain and simple. The problem with being one-dimensional finally showed up today, unfortunately. Obviously, the Denver defense was designed to stop Brady: strong pass rush and good corners.

Maybe someone, however, can explain one thing to me: WHY, with Miller and Ware consistently blasting past Cannon or Volmer, did we go empty backfield so many times? Why not leave in White to help pick up Miller or Ware? Very perplexing to leave one-on-one match-ups that were demonstrably being dominated by Denver.....

borg said:

Personally, I'd prefer a WR to be my team's deep threat.
It's all on the wretched O line. Even during last year's SB run, the signs were there that the O line personnel was subpar. It has been confirmed. Wretched from left to right. And I hope BB examines the coaching side of this grouping as well. When you can't run block and can't pass block....accountability.

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Anyone watching today who doesn't believe the Patriots badly need an outside WR doesn't know what he's watching. James White (and in the earlier game Scott Chandler) should not be your deep threats.

midwestpatsfan said:

Hindsight is 20/20 on the FG's. If they kick and go down only 5, Broncos probably play more aggressive on offense. No one can say they don't get a few first downs and flip field position. The oline did not allow them to be succesful on a long field .

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The Broncos had serious trouble moving the ball, I liked the Patriots chances of getting stops.

I will say I was extremely proud of our defense.
If you told me that we would hold Denver scoreless the second half, and limit them to 17 in the first half (7 of which were mostly a gift of Brady), AND still lose, I would not have believed it.

MainePatsFan26 said:

We lost because our offense got physically manhandled and our defense came out flat early on. After their two touchdowns, we outscored them 12-6. We needed to play with more mental toughness in those opening stages.

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The defense wasn't flat. The early defensive gameplan was the problem. Why you'd ever play zone with large cushions against Manning in Denver is mind boggling.