Crumpler's drop TD changed everything

[MassPats38]

there were 3 game changers, and one for each of your units

on offense, crumpler cost NE 4 points

on special teams, the stupid fake punt call gave the jets 7 points

and on defense that horrible catch and run they allowed to cotchery after NE's O just got back to down 14-11 , killed the pats momentum

those 3 mistakes is why NE lost, that and the jets D really came to play

Good observations on individual plays. In some ways, this reminded me of the divisional game in 2006 against the Chargers (I thought the Chargers were a much better team overall than the Pats that year but let the game slip away). And taken to the extreme, what the Pats did yesterday is pretty much the reason the Chargers were not in the playoffs over the Chiefs. NFL games typically have a low mistake threshold between winning and losing, and the Pats made more of them.

I am not going to dole out scapegoat awards, especially not to Crumpler who was not used heavily as a receiver this year and otherwise showed up to play. There are plenty of other names on the Pats who assisted in this outcome - Chung, Welker, Brady, etc. This was a team loss.

In the end, woulda, coulda shoulda.

 

[The_Riddler]

I guess the question is why is Alge Crumpler playing this much in a playoff game when you have guys like Hernandez and Gronk?

 

[Uncle Rico]

I guess the question is why is Alge Crumpler playing this much in a playoff game when you have guys like Hernandez and Gronk?

1 catch/target for Hernandez tells me he was still bothered significantly by the hip injury.

 

[Patradomous]

Jets made plays Pats didn't.
Bradys first pick was a killer, gave the Jets a whole new outlook.
Crumplers drop and I knew it was going to be a struggle.
Once you give a team hope its a whole new game and not a continuation of the last game.

Its like baseball. how many times do you see a team get the bases loaded with no outs in a tie game get no runs and the other team come up and score a couple of runs and win the game.

 

[sieglo]

1 catch/target for Hernandez tells me he was still bothered significantly by the hip injury.

+1 on this.

I can't fault Crumpler though. He cost us 4 points on that drop, but he saved us net 4 by making the saving tackle after Brady's ridiculous INT.

 

[upstater1]

Chalk it up to poor execution.

Those of you asking why the Patriots were running the ball, wondering what they were thinking, should perhaps consider that the Jets had 3 guys on the line, Brady was calling audibles to run, because BOB and Brady were expecting one of those runs to be for huge chunks. They ran 7 times for heaven's sake, and never ripped a big one.

That's what I believe they were thinking on that series. When you run that many times and you don't break one, your strategy has failed.

by the way,. Peyton Manning has used that exact same strategy against the Patriots in the recent past, and won with it!

All it takes is, score a TD and not a FG. Or, don't go for the onside kick, don't give up a TD, stop them on defense.

The Colts have won with that exact same strategy.

I'll tell you something else where Welker and Brady blew it.

Right before the 2-minute warning, Brady should have been looking only at the end zone. That was a killer for Welker not to get out of bounds.

If you kick a field goal with 15 seconds left before the 2 minute warning, then you can kick the ball downfield instead of the onside kick.

You still have the 2-minute warning and 2 timeouts left.

Poor execution and thoughtless play by the Patriots.

Situational football?

It looked like the Patriots forgot what they excelled in usually.

Brady and Welker especially.

 

[PatsFaninAZ]

I don't know how a thread gets this long without talking about the play that I think was the play of the game -- the botched fake punt.

Even if you say it was a well designed play and should have worked, from a risk/reward perspective it's really really difficult to fathom in that situation. Take your 7-3 deficit, lick your wounds, and get to the locker room knowing you have the ball to start the second half.

Just a terrible terrible call, to me, at that point in the game. It was like a second turnover. Rarely does a team overcome a -2 turnover deficit in the playoffs.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

I don't know how a thread gets this long without talking about the play that I think was the play of the game -- the botched fake punt.

Even if you say it was a well designed play and should have worked, from a risk/reward perspective it's really really difficult to fathom in that situation. Take your 7-3 deficit, lick your wounds, and get to the locker room knowing you have the ball to start the second half.

Just a terrible terrible call, to me, at that point in the game. It was like a second turnover. Rarely does a team overcome a -2 turnover deficit in the playoffs.

Chung just spoke to reporters in the locker room and told them he takes full responsibility for the fake punt. It was his call, probably a mistake in and of itself situationally on a couple of levels..., but he saw the kind of look they practice it all season for and went with it. In that instance with the time left and them getting the KO to open the second half and the fact that BB had already opted not to go for the FG the kid made a situational mistake and chose an even higher risk less reward option. It was that kind of night. They don't have them often around here, just seems like recently they have them at the least opportune times.

 

[GoWhalers]

Count me in the "the dropped TD wasn't that bad" camp.

Crumpler's rundown of the INT was huge -- a lite version of the Champ Bailey / Ben Watson play. Especially to come from a guy who's not exactly a burner on the field.

For everyone who's claiming how important it was for the Pats get ahead early, think about what 7 points for the Jets would have done in the other direction.

Secondly, unless I wrong the dropped TD was on 2nd down. Brady then proceeded to get sacked on 3rd down. That was the real killer. Pats should have been able to get in on two chances at the end zone. Short field, not much time needed to develop a play.

 

[letekro]

I'll tell you something else where Welker and Brady blew it.

Right before the 2-minute warning, Brady should have been looking only at the end zone. That was a killer for Welker not to get out of bounds.

If you kick a field goal with 15 seconds left before the 2 minute warning, then you can kick the ball downfield instead of the onside kick.

You still have the 2-minute warning and 2 timeouts left.

Poor execution and thoughtless play by the Patriots.

Situational football?

It looked like the Patriots forgot what they excelled in usually.

Brady and Welker especially.

This was a huge mistake. Down 21-14 with 2:10 left and we get the ball back with 1:35. As it was, we had the choice to onside kick or get it back with about 50 seconds. I have to credit Drew Coleman with making a great play there as well. Just another example of the Jets making all of the game's big plays.

 

[JFK]

1 catch/target for Hernandez tells me he was still bothered significantly by the hip injury.

No it doesn't. Its just game plan. Explain BJGE's playing time?

 

[italian pat patriot]

i started to become really nervous, i admit it... but i appreciated a lot his TD saving after Brady INT - huge effort