Was re-watching the Fins game, and had to loop the Edelman TD a dozen times, because it is such a great example of an offense playing at its peak ability.
Pre-snap
To start, I didn't realize in real time, but the Dolphins were showing an 8-man blitz against a 3rd and 7.
The Pats spent almost 10 seconds pre-snap to adjust this alignment.
Miami has four down linemen, two linebackers, three corners and two safeties. They've have Bobby McCain showing corner blitz from the left side, and a safety showing blitz from the right side and two linebackers showing blitz up the middle, Alonzo and Paysinger.
Against that, the Pats have 3 WR and 2 RB... Floyd and Edelman left, and Hogan right. In the backfield, they have White and Lewis as wingbacks.
You can tell, watching the tape, that the offense sees what they're up against, and maybe licking their chops. They go through their assignments, and the play clock is ticking down.
Reading the Corner Blitz
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First, Edelman and Brady simultaneously point out McCain, who is not lined up across from JE in the slot, but is aligned tight against the DL showing blitz. If McCain comes, it's clear pre-snap the next closest defender to Edelman is the deep safety-- who isn't even in the frame. Opportunity knocks.
OL Assignments
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While Brady and Edelman are discussing the corner blitz, you can also see that Andrews is calling out blocking assignments and the OL are looking to him as he counts out the defensive linemen by hand. Solder = Branch, Thuney = Jones, Andrews = Paysinger, Suh = Mason, Cannon = Wake. The other linebacker, if he comes, they have to drop to the RBs. And if either corner or safety come on the blitz, they will fall to the RBs to pick up, too.
RB Alignment
Then, Brady and the RBs spend a second or two on blocking assignments, first shifting White forward to pick up a linebacker coming up the middle, and then setting Lewis back to protect against the blitzing S on the right side.
They go from here...
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... to here...
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After the adjustments, here's what they have...
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If the Fins send all 8, there are only 7 potential pass protectors, so the math doesn't work out so good. But, if they send 8, then the receivers are all 1 on 1 with DBs, and Edelman in particular is manned up against the deep safety. Is there any question where the ball has to go?
At the Snap
McCain does come from the left.
The safety (Hendy?) on the right does pretty much nothing-- assigned to shadow Lewis who's blocking.
Of the two linebackers, Paysinger comes up the middle in the blitz, met by Andrews. Alonzo drops into coverage, ostensibly to pick up Edelman in the slot. Linebacker on Edelman, lol.
The Pass Protection
In brief, the protection is amazing. Textbook "Do Your Job".
On the left side, McCain is blitzing. Soldier takes Branch and Thuney turns Jones into him. The two of them together move those guys outside and McCain gets kinda caught up, trying to get around the bodies from his corner position. White was initially deployed to pickup Alonzo. But when Alonzo drops into coverage, White swings back to the outside to pick up McCain as he turns the corner. White gets there in time and Brady is clean.
On the right side, Wake and Suh and Paysinger are all coming. As a unit, Cannon, Mason and Andrews stonewall the group and press them together into a big aquamarine mound of flesh that gets nowhere near Brady. On paper, Wake on Cannon and Suh on Mason seem like mismatches. But in the game, the overpaid Miami DL is absolutely stuffed.
Brady doesn't wait to throw the ball. He knows right away where the ball needs to go. Here's what the pocket looks like when he pulls the trigger.
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In the frame just before this one, Soldier and Thuney are group-blocking three players between the two of them, to give White time to come back outside from the middle for the corner blitz. In this frame, White is there for the corner. But Soldier has stepped left to get a hip on McCain as he comes around, and as a result Jones has leaked through the gap created between Soldier and Thuney.
Brady might have had another half second before Jones got to him. But he didn't need it.
Edelman's Route
I have no idea what route Edelman was supposed to run, but reading the blitz he just runs four yards to an open spot and sits down to get the pass. This was clearly ordained. You can see that Alonzo is late getting there.
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YAC
Edelman's escapability on display in the open field. Here, the deep safety misses the tackle. Alonzo is tailing the play.
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The Block
Tony Lippett, #36, the corner who was covering Floyd on the outside runs with Edelman for a while and would eventually have caught him. But, of course, Floyd comes in and pops the guy hard. Lovely to see.
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That other set of aquamarine feet belong to Kiko Alonzo, still trailing and never a factor at all in the play.
Summary
Top to bottom, terrific execution. Blocking was there, the blitz pickup was there, the ball was out, the receiver adjusted his route to burn the blitz, the open field elusiveness and the crushing block. Picture perfect. Do your job, know the situation, make a play.
The only member of the 11 offensive players that I didn't mention is Chris Hogan, who was lined up 1:1 on the opposite side of the play. He had nothing to do, other than meet Edelman in the endzone for the celebration.
