Denver Breakdown (Divisional Playoffs)

[pats1]

Defensive Series #2 Punt

Contributor: Pats1
Time: 5:27 remaining in the first quarter
Statistics: 5 plays (2 run, 3 pass), 19 yards (10 run, 9 pass), time of possession was 2:53
Breakdown: 2 green plays (0 run, 2 pass) for 5 yds., 1 black play (1 run, 0 pass) for 3 yds., 2 red plays (1 run, 1 pass) for 11 yds. (6 run, 5 pass).

1st and 10 Den 36

Result: Pass, Lelie, 5 yard hook, 5 yds.
Offense: 3 WR, 2 left, 1 right, TE down off RT, Bell lone RB.
Defense: 3-4, Bruschi, Vrabel, and Colvin all bob around showing blitz, Hobbs 5 yards off his man, Samuel begins to back off into a zone right before the snap.
Blocking: Seymouris doubled by the LT and LG
Wilfork gives the RG a hefty shove but the pass is too quick for penetration
Warren can’t get much on the RT
Vrabel blitzes but is pushed into Seymour and the LG by the C - gets a hand up but can’t tip the pass
Coverage: Bruschi drops behind Bell’s underneath route before breaking off on the pass
McGinest and the TE skirmish on the edge
Samuel opens his body to the field and drops back into a zone, allowing Lelie’s short hook
Colvin at first was lined up over the slot WR before showing blitz, jamming the slot WR off the snap, and then noticing Lelie leaping for the ball and will make the crushing tackle upon Lelie’s landing to keep the play at 5 yards

Analysis: Great awareness by Colvin here to notice Lelie’s route and leap, break off his jam, and get there quickly enough to make the tackle this time, unlike the previous Lelie reception where he would miss the tackle and Samuel would almost as well.

2nd and 5 Den 41

Result: Scramble, Plummer, up the middle, play action, 6 yds.
Offense: 3 WR, 2 left, 1 right, TE down off RT, Bell lone RB.
Defense: 3-4, Colvin and Hobbs pressure coverage on the slot WR left, Hawkins 5 yards off the RWR, Wilson on the fringes of the box talking to Bruschi at the snap
Blocking: Seymouris able to beat the LG outside when Colvin blitzes inside on the LT, lowering his shoulder into the right side of the LG, allowing Seymour to seize the opportunity with a disoriented blocker to beat the edge, but the LT is able to push Seymour enough behind Plummer that there can’t be a sack, but there is a scramble
Wilfork can’t get around the C and RG but holds his ground, breaking off the C’s block and in part forcing Plummer’s slide, albeit for a first down
Warren starts to swim his way around the RT but Plummer scrambles because of other penetration
Colvin blitzes inside but is pushed from behind by the LG across Plummer’s face, and in accord with Seymour’s penetration behind Plummer forces the scramble
Coverage: Vrabel shadows Bell’s play action and subsequent route underneath, drawing Vrabel away from the scramble
Bruschi spies Plummer in a zone but was a tad too deep, not able to force a slide quickly enough to prevent a first down
McGinest does a stare-down with the stationary TE before dropping off in a short zone behind the TE’s standing nothingness, breaking off on the scramble
Hobbs follows the slot WR’s deep route
Samuel does his customary opening of the body to the field, staying a few yards ahead of his man

Analysis: The Bronco LG Hamilton and LT Lepsis did a great job of recovering from Patriot penetration by shoving Seymour and Colvin away from Plummer. Bruschi was caught off guard from a pretty quick Bronco snap, as he was making adjustments with Hobbs when the surprise snap came. Then, Bruschi repeatedly looked to his right while waving his arm towards the line, at possibly Hobbs’ single coverage and skirmish with the slot WR downfield. When he turned back to the play for about the third time, he noticed Plummer’s scramble but couldn’t stop the slide in time.

1st and 10 Den 47

Result: Run, Bell, left tackle, 3 yds.
Offense: 2 WR, 1 right, 1 left (in motion from right slot), TE down off LT, FB weak side, Bell RB.
Defense: 3-4, DL bunched over C, Colvin showing blitz left edge, McGinest showing blitz right edge after breaking off coverage of the WR in motion, Samuel 7 yards off the RWR, Hawkins comes down 5 off the RWR, Hobbs 5 yards behind Hawkins.
Blocking: Seymourslides the LG laterally with the play before breaking off with jelly-like ease to make the stop on Bell
Wilfork drives the RG into the backfield before using brute force to break off his block and help out on the tackle from behind
Warren has the RT chopping right in front of him, tripping Wilfork to the ground
Colvin is driven just wide of the run by the TE and is eventually pushed onto the tackle, back-first
Bruschi slides with the play but is spun to the ground by the LT
Vrabel is able to evade a chop from the C coming out, but is thrown off-balance as a result
McGinest evades a disoriented FB on the other side of the line but is too far away from the play
Hawkins and Hobbscome in quickly as insurance on the tackle

Analysis: 2 words: Big Sey. Nothing more needs to be said. The Bronco FB came up looking for Vrabel, who was already being targeted by Nalen. But, even a FB wouldn’t have helped here.

 

[pats1]

2nd and 7 Midfield

Result: Pass, Lelie, Incomplete, play action, 20 yard out, pass overthrown.
Offense: 2 WR right, TE down off LT, FB weak side, RB Bell.
Defense: 3-4, Hobbs pressure coverage on right slot WR, Samuel a few yards off.
Blocking: Seymourcan’t get around the LT and LG
Wilfork powers his way around the C, but might have been held, giving Plummer enough time to get the throw off with the C, Nalen, no longer in-between him and Wilfork
Warren is able to get a good burst on the RG, pushing him into the backfield, but the RG regains his footing and gets some help from the RT to stifle the rush
Colvin tries to beat the TE inside, but runs into Seymour’s blockers
Coverage: Bruschi sits back in a short zone, probably spying a back or Plummer
Vrabel follows the FB’s route from behind, who stumbled through the line and into the flat
McGinest dodges the FB on the edge and leaves the RB Bell in the dust, diving, but just can’t get around the corner enough to sack Plummer
Hobbs bumps his WR, Smith, inside before following a streak route
Samuel gives his WR, Lelie, a cushion on a deep route, and is a step late to break towards the sideline with Lelie, but the throw is too wide

Analysis: I’d like to say this throw was forced by pressure, but that really doesn’t seem to be too much of the case. Both Wilfork and McGinest broke free from blockers, but were still out of Plummer’s immediate area. If the throw had been on the mark, Lelie would have likely made a sideline catch, with Samuel only able to make the tackle from behind.

3rd and 7 Midfield

Result: Pass, R. Smith, drag underneath, 5 yds.
Offense: 3 WR, 2 right (R. Smith wide, in motion from left slot), TE down off RT, Bell lone RB.
Defense: 3-4, Green – Seymour – McGinest line, C. Brown in for Bruschi, Colvin showing blitz left edge, Hawkins and Poteat pressure coverage on the WR stack right wing, Samuel playing 7 yards off behind them, Hobbs playing 7 yards off over the left WR.
Blocking: Green rides the LT outside but the LG gets involved to stop the rush
Seymourtries some light swim movements with the C and RG to no avail
McGinest power rushes the RT but the throw is too quick for the push to get to Plummer
Coverage: Colvin drops back towards the left sideline to prevent any short stuff to Hobbs’ WR
C. Brown follows R. Smith’s drag route underneath, making the tackle after the catch after Smith attempted to turn the corner, with Poteat assistance from behind
Vrabel drops back with the TE’s deep route
Poteat will do the same as C. Brown, just a bit deeper, and drives a struggling-to-break-free R. Smith into the ground with C. Brown wrapping up the legs, short of a first down
Hawkins releases the inside WR on the stack right wing, and bumps R. Smith but breaks off when he drags underneath and spies the RB coming out into the flat
Hobbs is in over/under coverage on the left WR with Colvin
Samuel is deep and awaits the other right WR’s route

Analysis: The Broncos had some nice criss-crossing action going on the right side of the field, attempting to clear it out long enough underneath for Smith to get the catch. The TE went deep, one WR crossed in front of Smith before going deep, Smith crossed underneath, and the RB emptied into the flat, uncovered. Fortunately, the Pats had Wilson, Vrabel, and Samuel to take care of the TE’s and other WR’s routes, with Brown, Poteat, and Hawkins shadowing Rod Smith’s drag. Swarm tackling had the play stopped in time to prevent a first down.

4th and 2 Den 45

Result: Punt, Sauerbrun, to the NE 4, Troy Brown attempts to block at the 10 but the punt takes a high bounce and Cox will down it at the 4, 41 yd. punt, 0 yd. return.

Score: New England 0 – Denver 0

 

[pats1]

Offensive Series #3 Punt

Contributor: Pats1
Time: 2:34 remaining in the first quarter
Statistics: 3 plays (1 run, 2 pass), 9 yards (5 run, 0 pass, 4 penalty), time of possession was 1:11
Breakdown: 1 green play (1 run, 0 pass) for 5 yds., 2 red plays (0 run, 2 pass) for 0 yds.., 4 penalty yds. gained for the Patriots.

1st and 10 NE 4

Result: Pass, Branch, Incomplete, 5 yard hook, pass broken up by Wilson.
Offense: 1 WR, Branch WR left slot (in motion from wide right), Graham TE down off LT, Watson TE down left wing, Fauria TE down off RT, Dillon lone RB.
Defense: 4-3, DL sub personnel, SLB pressure coverage on Watson left wing, CB Bailey floating over Fauria, CB Williams pressure coverage on Branch left slot.
Blocking: Ashworth stares down a standing DE Ekuban, who noticed Brady and almost tipped the pass
Mankins has nobody to block and stays in his stance on the left side as the right side is attacked
Hochstein bumps the DT Veal left but the other DT Warren is blocked into Hochstein’s back, sending him to his knees but Veal can’t take advantage of that in time on a stunt to Neal
Neal pushes his DT Warren into Hochstein’s back for whatever reason before the other DT almost jumps onto Neal’s back right in front of Brady
Gorin gets power-rushed, almost into Brady, by the other DE Coleman
Fauria starts to chip Coleman but is paranoid of keeping his eye on a floating Bailey, a few yards off the line, who might have been waiting for the double team to come in on Brady
Coverage: Graham takes a line of scrimmage drag into the left flat, with the SLB in tight coverage
Watson slams into the DE Ekuban before going on a streak route beyond Branch, but his likely coverman, Wilson, saw the throw before Watson got that far and came up to Branch
Branch catches a late-to-react CB Williams in his hook route, but the throw from Brady was hasty and slightly towards the middle of the field, allowing Wilson to get position on Branch
Dillon stutters through the line but doesn’t get through his route underneath the WLB before the pass is thrown

Analysis: Excellent timing by Al Wilson. Brining the close-up shot into slow-motion, you can see Wilson making a break on the ball and cutting his body in front of Branch just as the throw comes in, with contact made into Branch’s shoulder, pushing him away, until the ball had already been knocked. Brady tried to force the throw in there. Not a good idea. Also, he also looked to be throwing a bit off his back foot, with blocks heading towards him in the endzone. Seems he just tried to fire off the thing as quickly as possible. I like the design of the play, but the timing could have been better. Ekuban’s chip of Watson slowed his route, which should have taken Wilson deep and away from Branch, who would hook shortly thereafter for a 5 yard gain before a probable CB tackle. With Ekuban’s lengthy chip, Watson, despite bearing down in a sprint, just couldn’t get past Branch before the hook. Brady had a narrow time to throw, and an accurate throw was a must, with a CB floating left and a LB floating right. That didn’t exactly happen, either. Some of the blame also has to go Gorin, whose movement towards Brady in the backfield required Brady to take a slide-step left before throwing to Branch, giving Wilson precious time to step off Watson and react.

2nd and 10 NE 4

Result: Run, Dillon, left tackle, 5 yds.
Offense: 2 WR, Givens wide left, Branch wide right, Graham TE down off LT, Watson TE down left wing, Dillon lone RB.
Defense: 4-3, DL sub personnel, LBs shaded over left wing, both CBs a few yards off the line, S Lynch a few yards behind the linebackers, coming in quickly on the snap thinking run.
Blocking: Watson quickly comes up and shoves the SLB left and almost out of the hole, but Dillon will actually be roadblocked by Watson when trying to escape from Lynch
Graham immediately gets his angle on the DE Coleman with a block, but his block is disrupted by the MLB who came down through the line and was pushed by Neal. The DE, however, could only chase the play from behind.
Ashworth pushes the DT Warren inside and away from the play
Mankins chips Ashworth’s DT before breaking off to give the WLB coming through a hole in the line a shove
Hochstein quickly gets position on the other DT, Veal, and holds his block steady despite many spins from the DT
Neal pulls left and gets just outside of Graham before turning back inside, following the MLB’s penetration and shoving that MLB into the ground when he tried to run around Neal and sneak up on Dillon from behind. However, in the process, this left Dillon without inside protection, leaving Lynch free to race across the field and take Dillon down
Gorin starts off a block with the DE Ekuban but gets slightly knocked in the back by the invading WLB, leaving the DE to come behind the line, but too late to make any play
Givens’ CB drops off on the run, but Givens will run up to block the FS Ferguson, leaving the CB Foxworth free to come back in and ready himself for a tackle on Dillon

Analysis: The Pats’ OL and TEs were able to get surprisingly quick angles on the Bronco DL with ¾ rotated-in personnel. However, a nice diversion by the MLB Wilson had Neal turning around after his pull and coming back inside. Lynch looked to have read run early and came flying in from the other side of the field, deep, to wrap up a sparsely protected Dillon by the legs. Since Graham was a victim of Neal’s bite inside, and Gorin couldn’t hold his block, two defensive linemen were in pursuit of Dillon from behind, and Givens’ choice to take on the FS had another CB setting up beyond Watson’s block. Also, the LOLB Williams was able to set outside containment and force Dillon inside towards Lynch. The play would have ended fairly quickly even if Lynch hadn’t made a great effort. Finally with no defenders in his backfield, Dillon was able to get a quick burst on the edge for a decent 5 yards.

3rd and 5 NE 9

Result: Timeout, New England – 2 remaining in first half.
Offense: Shotgun 4 WR, Givens wide left, Watson left wing, Brown right slot, Branch wide right, Faulk RB to right of Brady in shotgun.
Defense: 4-3, all 3 LBs up on the line showing blitz, S Lynch showing blitz left edge, CBs a few yards off the line.

Analysis: Before the play, there were some shots of Broncos rallying up the crowd and fans banging on the stadium walls for noise. When Brady got up to the line, there was only about 10 seconds left on the play clock. When he got under center, he immediately stood up and signaled for the shotgun formation (Watson stood up). By the time he got set in that formation, the clock hit 1 second and he called the timeout.

 

[pats1]

3rd and 5 NE 9

Result: Pass, Givens, Incomplete, pass thrown as a screen to a slanting Givens.
Offense: 4 WR, Givens wide left, Watson left wing (Brady came over to give him an adjustment with the Broncos showing blitz), Brown right slot, Branch right wing, Faulk lone RB.
Defense: 4-2-5 nickel, MLB Wilson showing blitz over C, S Lynch and S Ferguson showing blitz left edge, S Brandon showing blitz over RG, CBs 5 yards off the line, NB drops deep before snap.
Blocking: Watson turns inside and helps Ashworth with the DE Pryce
Ashworth starts to block Pryce but Watson takes over and smashes him downfield
Mankins pulls right and knocks the MLB Wilson from the side
Hochstein drives the DT Myers left
Neal comes out, sidestepping to follow a dropping-back DE Ekuban
Gorin rides the DT Warren outside
Coverage: Faulk steps up as if he was taking a play action but has to stop with Brady in the way, making his phantom screen pass left
Brown slants inside
Branch starts a slant or hook underneath his CB Bailey
Givens begins a slant route forward, with Lynch dropping back to his immediate right, Brandon dropping back further right, and the CB waiting for him 5 yards deep. Brady proceeded to throw the ball as if Givens was in a screen route, with the ball just sailing off to never-never land behind Givens

Analysis: Just before the snap, half of the Bronco DL stood up, jumped over the line, and started pointing at the Pats’ OL. The snap was then rushed in attempt to get an offsides call, but Denver got back in time. Gorin proceeded to point at the DE who stood up in front of him. No flags flew for either side. Gorin made no noticeable movement prior to that. Some miscommunication occurred here, with Faulk almost running into Brady’s back and Brady throwing the screen to a slanting Givens. If it had actually been a completed screen pass, Givens would have been creamed by the 3 DBs in the area. Denver’s blitz look and the confusion with offsides/false start had the Patriots shaking their heads yet again walking off.

4th and 5 NE 9

Result: Punt, Miller, to the Den 38, Adams eludes a slipping Graham before being tripped up by Izzo in the open field, 53 yd. punt, 17 yd. return.
PENALTY on DEN, Defensive Offside, 4 yards, enforced at NE 9 - No Play.

Note: After the penalty, Belichick and the referee Triplette proceeded to “discuss” his penalty choices on the sideline. The penalty would be assessed as a re-kick.

4th and 1 NE 13

Result: Punt, Miller, to the Den 37, Adams calls a fair catch with 5 Patriots coming in about 15 yards away, 50 yd. punt, 0 yd. return.

Note: The reason for argument on this drive was the distance measurements. Dillon’s run only went for about 4.8 yards, so the CBS broadcast had the rest of the drive at 3rd/4th and 6. The penalty would add 5 yards, making it 4th and 1, or a re-kick. However, the NFL.com play-by-play would have the rest of the drive at 3rd/4th and 5. Since a 5 yard offsides penalty not assessed on the return would add 5 yards to the offense, it would be a Patriot 1st and 10. But since in the actual game it would be 4th and 1 (what Belichick argued against), the gamelog would put the penalty down as 4 yards. Also, in the WBCN radio broadcast of the game, Gil Santos would immediately notice that only 4 yards were assessed, just before he notes an official moved the ball. Gino Cappelletti would then quickly add that that official only moved the ball another ½ yard, making the penalty 4 ½ yards. Conveniently, CBS would not show their normal broadcast view for the re-kick, and instead just a shot behind Miller in the endzone, so there’s no graphical evidence to examine for this matter.

 

[pats1]

Defensive Series #3 Downs

Contributor: Pats1
Time: 1:23 remaining in the first quarter
Statistics: 11 plays (5 run, 6 pass), 60 yards (13 run, 57 pass, -10 penalty), time of possession was 5:40
Breakdown: 5 green plays (3 run, 2 pass) for 1 yd (1 run, 0 pass)., 2 black plays (1 run, 1 pass) for 7 yds. (4 run, 3 pass), 4 red plays (1 run, 3 pass) for 62 yds. (8 run, 54 pass)., 10 penalty yards gained
for the Patriots.

1st and 10 Den 37

Result: Pass, Lelie, 10 yard hook, 15 yds.
Offense: 2 WR left, TE down off RT, FB strong side, Anderson RB.
Defense: 3-4, Green in at DE, Bruschi showing blitz over RG, Colvin pressure coverage on slot WR, Hawkins 5 yards behind Colvin, Hobbs 5 yards off the wide WR, Samuel floating off right wing.
Blocking: Green will stand up and try some hand movements but can’t get around the LT and LG containing him
Wilfork starts to beat the C outside towards the RG, but then drops back into a short zone when Plummer turns left to throw
Warren stunts behind Bruschi’s blitz but is caught behind Bruschi trying to break free from the RG’s hold. The RB was in position to block but Bruschi knocked him down with an arm
Bruschi beats the RG with a quick arm slash but as he’s turning the corner, the RG will get Bruschi’s right sleeve and front shoulder pad into a clasp and illegally hold him back. Bruschi tries to break free but runs into and smashes the RB into the ground while trying to do so.
Coverage: McGinest slides laterally with the TE’s short drag route towards the right sideline
Hawkins is a bit late to break and has to sprint to chase the slot WR Smith on a 5 yard out, but was still in adequate coverage to at least make a tackle on a catch
Colvin takes a few steps back before following Rod Smith on coverage from behind, but takes a few too many steps towards the sidelines and away from Lelie’s hook route 5 yards downfield, and with Hobbs playing behind the route, Plummer has a free lane to throw
Hobbs drops back behind Lelie’s hook route, and when Lelie catches it, Hobbs has a large chunk of open field to cover as Lelie is able to fake Hobbs out and take the inside route, with Hobbs having to turn around and catch the feet of Lelie with Vrabel helping out
Vrabel drops back into a zone before coming up from the opposite side as Hobbs to make the tackle on Lelie

Analysis: After the play, Vrabel immediately got up and went crazy, with Geno the only restraint between him and the referee. He was upset over Bruschi possibly getting held on his blitz, a borderline play very similar to the infamous Sean Locklear holding penalty in the Super Bowl which was called as a penalty. But outside of the Bruschi situation, Colvin bit too much on Smith’s out route with Hawkins trailing and late to break. When Lelie caught the pass, Hobbs planted too far towards the sideline, allowing Lelie to make a break for it inside. If Vrabel hadn’t come up from the side, Lelie would have tried to break free from Hobbs’ trip rather than go down under the impending hit from Vrabel. Lelie caught the ball about a yard short of a first down, but Hobbs was another 3-5 yards deep, all but cementing the first down for Denver.

1st and 10 NE 48

Result: Run, Anderson, right tackle, 4 yds.
Offense: 2 WR right, TE down off LT, FB weak side, Anderson RB.
Defense: 3-4, Green in at DE, Colvin and McGinest tight on the edges, Hobbs a few yards off the slot WR, Samuel backing off to about 7 yards off the other WR.
Blocking: Colvin will shed the TE’s block by letting him overpursue, but the TE turns around and goes for the good ‘ol Bronco chop block into the side of Colvin’s left leg, with Colvin noticing and just sliding enough to miss the brunt of the blow. Now with the play dead on the other side, Colvin turns around to start something with Alexander before the camera pans away
Green can’t get an angle on the LT, who keeps his ground despite sliding towards the play
Wilfork loses ground immediately off the snap with a quick burst from the C, who is able to get an angle on Wilfork before the run slows and cuts to the right, where Wilfork breaks free and helps out from behind on the tackle with a hardy dive
Warren gets too low on the RT and is thrown to the ground wide of the play
McGinest meets the FB blocker on the right edge, wide of the running lane, but is able to easily step back and break off, and helps take down Anderson with Vrabel
Bruschi is blocked long enough by the LG to not factor in on the play, although he does break loose eventually
Vrabel is met by the RG but is able to slide with the play, break off, and drag Anderson down
Wilson and Hawkins come flying in
Hobbs bounces off his WR and breaks free, but is also knocked off trying to tackle Anderson, much to Hobbs’ frustration

Analysis: This play started out ugly with Colvin getting the cheap shot from Alexander, as well as Wilfork and Green losing angles, but Vrabel made a great move to shed his block, and McGinest flew off his and to the point of attack.

2nd and 6 NE 44

Result: Run, Anderson, right before cut-back left, 0 yds.
Offense: 2 WR, 1 left, 1 right (Smith in motion from left slot), TE down off RT, FB weak side, Anderson RB.
Defense: 3-4, Green in at DE, Hobbs follows R. Smith into pressure coverage, Samuel drops a few yards off.
Blocking: Green turns the LT inside on the edge before the run cuts back to Green’s right, where he’ll take down Anderson with some help from Colvin
Wilfork is turned away from the run by the C but spins around on the cutback only to be pushed onto Green’s tackle from behind by the C
Warren gets some immediate penetration on the RT but is stood up and can only muster a short dive towards the cut-back on the run
Colvin flat-out “goosed” the charging FB here, just opening his body up and letting the FB stumble forward past Colvin. From there, he’ll meet Anderson trying to cut-back behind the line where Colvin unleashes a body slam with Green taking care of Anderson’s legs
Vrabel bobs forward where he’s met and held by the LG
Bruschi gets hit initially by the RG but is able to throw him to the ground and come over to give Colvin a pat on the back
McGinest is met on the edge by the TE
Hobbs is driven downfield with consecutive shoves from the WR R. Smith

Analysis: To start things off, there looked to be a missed false start here. The FB Johnson started moving forward (while Smith was in motion) just before the ball was snap, never coming to a stop. However, that still probably didn’t have much to do with Colvin performing his ritual blocker toss to give Anderson his own little toss-up. Both Green and Wilfork didn’t get favorable angles off the snap, but that all changed when Anderson met resistence from a penetrating Warren and stonewalled McGinest on the right edge, cutting back to give both Green and Wilfork a chance to take advantage of their angles and force Anderson into Colvin’s waiting arms.

Note: End of 1st Quarter

 

[pats1]

3rd and 6 NE 44

Result: Pass, R. Smith, drag underneath, 15 yds.
Offense: 2 WR left, TE down off RT, FB strong side, RB Anderson.
Defense: 3-4, Green in at DE, both CBs pressure coverage.
Blocking: Colvin blitzes but can’t get around the LT
Green power rushes the LG to Plummer’s left
Wilfork is stood up by the C
Warren tries to swim around the RG and in the process almost rips the RG’s head off, but still can’t get to Plummer
Coverage: McGinest follows the FB into the right flat, with the RB taking an identical route underneath the FB
Vrabel follows the TE’s drag route towards the opposite side as the WR R. Smith’s, with Wilson coming up in coverage
Bruschi bumps and releases the TE over to Vrabel before dropping back a few steps where he was either too shallow or late to break on Smith’s drag across his territory
Hobbsjostles with the WR Smith at the line before the route crosses the field, where Hobbs looks to lose a step and was unable to break up the diving catch
Samuel drops back behind the WR Lelie’s deep sideline hook route

Analysis: As with other moderate-to-deep passes, the camera is trained on the line play, not the secondary play, so all I was able to catch was Hobbs struggling with Rod Smith in the slot and Bruschi bumping the TE in his crossing pattern to Vrabel. When Plummer made the sidearm bullet pass, and the camera subsequently panned, Smith was diving away from a trailing Hobbs and Bruschi was actually closer to Smith than Hobbs, however still to the left, but suddenly stopped in his tracks when Smith laid out to make the catch. It’s tough to pin the blame for this play on Hobbs, especially when there should be linebacker coverage for quick slants. For whatever reason, Bruschi was unable to get in the way of this pass or break up the catch. His akward body language leads me to believe it was some type of misread or miscommunication. Another replay view shows that Bruschi had his back turned to Plummer’s throw, and was in front of Smith’s route, but turned just in time to watch the ball sail into Smith’s outstretched hands.

1st and 10 NE 29

Result: Pass, Lelie, short hook, 3 yds.
Offense: 2 WR left, slot WR Devoe comes in motion to left wing, TE down off RT, FB strong side, RB Anderson.
Defense: 3-4, Colvin a few yards off on the slot WR, McGinest up tight on the TE, Samuel 5 yards off the WR, Hawkins about 5 yards behind McGinest, Hobbs 5 yards behind Colvin.
Blocking: McGinest is blocked by the TE
Warrenis blocked by the RT
Wilfork is blocked by the C and LG
Seymour is blocked by the LT
Bruschi meets the RG at the line
Coverage: Vrabel takes a few steps towards strong side on the play-fake while keeping his ground
Colvin will shadow the slot WR Devoe, who keeps still at the line to prevent Colvin from getting in the way of the pass
Samuel was already set 5 yards off the line on the snap, and trailed by a step on Lelie’s hook, twirling him down from there.

Analysis: With this being a short 3-step drop, the line play was negated. Plummer, off the snap, made a quick turn to his side as a semi-play action, which appeared to draw Bruschi in, before turning back left and firing it high and to the line of scrimmage/non-Samuel side of Lelie. Although forward progress would award 3 yards, Samuel grabbed, dragged, and twirled Lelie back behind the line of scrimmage and out of bounds.

2nd and 7 NE 26

Result: Pass, Alexander, Incomplete, drag underneath, pass thrown wide.
Offense: 2 WR right, slot WR R. Smith in motion to right wing, TE down off LT, FB in I-formation with Anderson at RB.
Defense: 3-4, Warren slides inside over RG, McGinest tight on slot WR right wing, Hobbs a few yards behind McGinest, Colvin showing blitz over TE, Samuel 5 yards off WR.
Blocking: Warrencrashes inside before sliding back outside on the RT, getting in Plummer’s throwing lane, getting a hand up, and forcing the throw wide
Wilfork struggles with the RG
Seymour smashes the LG into the LT before the C slides over and helps out
Colvin bull-rushes the LT almost into Plummer’s back
Coverage: Vrabel follows the FB into the right flat
Bruschi follows the TE’s drag route underneath before releasing him to Hawkins coming up
McGinest blitzes off the right edge but has to slide out of Plummer’s throwing lane when the RB comes forward with a cut block
Hobbs dodges traffic across in middle following R. Smith’s drag route underneath towards the opposite sideline as Alexander’s.
Samuel follows Lelie’s route deep
Hawkins was lined up about 10-15 yards off the left wing, but was able to follow Alexander’s crossing route and come up from behind and smother a diving Alexander into the ground after the ball sailed wide

Analysis: While Warren was able to make a nice play and help force the wide throw from Plummer, I do have to wonder why Alexander hit a large patch of free territory after Bruschi lightly released him across the middle. The plausible explanation was that Hawkins was late to crash down on the play, and as the SS had the TE in coverage, but was not fast enough to come across the field and get in adequate coverage. If the throw was on-target and Alexander was able to turn the corner after the catch leaving Hawkins in the dust, this play could have gone for a large number of yards. If Alexander was able to make the catch on the dive, Hawkins would have just smothered Alexander in the same manner as the actual play.

 

[pats1]

3rd and 7 NE 26

Result: Pass, R. Smith, Incomplete,10 yard hook, pass thrown low.
PENALTY on DEN-T.Bell, Offensive Holding, 10 yards, enforced at NE 26 - No Play.
Offense: Shotgun 3 WR, 2 right with the slot WR in motion from left slot, 1 left wing, TE down off LT, RB Bell to right of Plummer in shotgun
Defense: 4-2-5 nickel, Seymour-Green-Vrabel-McGinest line, Colvin showing blitz left edge, Hawkins a few yards off left WR, Hobbs a few yards off slot WR, Samuel 10 yards off other WR.
Blocking: Colvin beats the left WR outside on a wide rush but Plummer has already slid right to avoid a held McGinest
Seymourbounces into the LT before dropping off
Green gets an initial burst on the C before the RG pushes Green from behind into the LG’s legs, who too falls on top of Green
McGinest beats the RB Bell inside, who grabs McGinest’s leg in the process and takes it out from behind right in front of Plummer, drawing the flag
Coverage: Vrabel comes up from his stance with the RT following, and into a flat zone
Bruschi is left in a zone after his man, the RB, ‘blocks’ McGinest instead of coming out in a route
Hobbs sticks tight to the slot WR Adams’ 10 yard hook inside of Smith’s
Samuel comes up on Smith’s sideline hook, diving on an already-kneeling Smith to smother a turf-brushing catch

Analysis: McGinest came in and had his leg grabbed and taken out, and while this prevented McGinest from forcing a Plummer scramble, it still had Plummer sliding and throwing off-balance, causing another low throw that was again smothered by a Patriot DB.

3rd and 17 NE 36

Result: Pass, Putzier, 20 yard out, 24 yds.
Offense: 3 WR, 2 left, 1 right, TE down off RT, Anderson lone RB.
Defense: 3-3-5 nickel, Green-Seymour-McGinest line, Vrabel gets up from a DT position just before the snap, C. Brown at MLB, Colvin pressure coverage left slot WR, Poteat a few yards behind him, Hobbs pressure coverage far left WR, Samuel a few yards off the right WR.
Blocking: McGinest is stood up by the RT wide
Seymouris doubled by the RG and C
Green is doubled by the LG and LT
Coverage: Vrabel will take the TE Putzier off the line but release him from there deep
Colvin sprints into a left flat zone
C. Brown drops back into 15 yard mid-field zone
Hawkins comes up from his SS position to sit between Putzier’s deep out and the WR Adam’s short hook, and because of a combination of Plummer watching Adams almost from the snap, the throw being released in Adam’s direction, and the fact that Adams was open underneath Hawkins’ zone, Hawkins chose to come down on Adams on the ball release
Samuel is playing a deeper zone than Hawkins after dropping back on the snap, and because Hawkins was still in Putzier’s proximity, Samuel didn’t aggressively attack Putzier’s out in case Putzier cut deep instead. Just after Putzier cut towards the sidelines, Plummer released and Hawkins went up on Adams, leaving Samuel to hastily attack Puzier’s route, a futile effort
Wilson quickly comes down from his deep safety zone to help out Samuel on the tackle of Putzier
Poteat covers the slot WR Smith’s deep route, with Wilson helping out Putzier’s catch
Hobbs covers the far left WR’s deep post route

Analysis: This is where the recognition aspect of a zone can give the offense some advantages in route-mapping and manipulation of defensive backs. All it took was the right batch of circumstances to make both Hawkins and Samuel ineffective on this play. As expected with any 3-man pass rush, it got nowhere, allowing Plummer time draw Hawkins in while freezing Samuel to hit Putzier in an open pocket of the zone defense. Samuel also slipped when cutting to Putzier on the throw, but he would have been late anyway.

1st and 10 NE 12

Result: Run, Bell, left tackle, 8 yds.
Offense: 2 WR left, TE down off RT, FB strong side, RB Bell.
Defense: 3-4, DL crunched inside, McGinest tight on the TE right edge, Colvin showing blitz left edge, Hobbs pressure coverage slot WR, Samuel a few yards off.
Blocking: McGinest isn’t bothered with on the other side of the field from the play
Warrenisn’t blocked either but follows the play from behind, dodging traffic, and eventually helps out on the tackle
Wilfork can’t get any angle on a pivoting RG
Seymour slides laterally with the LG towards the run, but as soon as he starts to break loose, the LG grabs him around the waist, drives him downfield, and tackles him into the turf
Colvin engages with the LT and slides to far outside and doesn’t break off in time, allowing Bell to burst through the hole and into the second-level
Bruschi is engaged by the C and gets caught up in traffic with the LT away from the run
Vrabel is engaged by the FB to the right of the run but overpursues, driving himself into the ground behind the run
Hobbs engages in a block with the slot WR Smith but is able to force Bell to bounce outside, and then slips his block to start the tackle that was aided by Warren from behind
Samuel is engaged by the other WR Lelie and almost driven out of bounds, ahead of the run
Wilson aggressively pursues the run but gets caught with the WR Smith after Hobbs breaks off

Analysis: Colvin was unable to bounce the run outside, almost losing track of his position as well as Bell’s. Consequently, Bell was able to run through territory unoccupied by either Seymour, who had been tackled downfield, Vrabel, who lowered his shoulder into the FB a bit too much to stumble/get pushed into the ground, or Bruschi, who was engaged in a block. Only Wilson and Hawkins would have stood in the way of the endzone for Bell if Hobbs hadn’t made a great play to squeeze the play towards the sideline and then make the tackle, with a hustling Warren (as opposed to McGinest, who saw the direction of the play and just stopped) assisting on the stop.

 

[pats1]

2nd and 2 NE 4

Result: Run, Bell, left tackle, 1 yd.
Offense: 2 WR right, slot WR comes in motion to right wing, TE down off LT, FB in I-formation with Bell at RB.
Defense: 3-4, McGinest tight right edge, Colvin tight left edge, Hawkins up as a MLB next to Bruschi and Vrabel at the goal line, with Wilson just behind them.
Blocking: McGinest is roadblocked by a cut-block by the slot WR Smith in front of his feet
Warrenloses his angle almost immediately on the RT Foster, who jumps out and secures Warren on the edge perpendicular to the goal line
Wilfork is kept away from the run by the RG and C, who eventually succumbs to Wilfork’s pushing and falls onto the pile after the play
Seymour doesn’t lose his angle to the LT and is able to plant his right foot and push off the LT with his right arm, slipping the block and wrapping up Bell’s legs short of the first
Colvin jostles with the TE Alexander on the edge
Bruschi meets the LG and then the FB in the hole, engaging in the block but clogging the hole enough for Seymour to make the tackle
Vrabel slides over into the hole to help on the tackle

Analysis: Great job here by Seymour to force the run inside and break off his block and Bruschi and the rest of the second-level players to stuff the hole and the run along with it.

3rd and 1 NE 3

Result: Sneak, Plummer, up the middle, 0 yds.
Offense: 2 WR right, TE down off LT, FB weak side, RB Anderson.
Defense: 5-4-2, Seymour-Warren-Wilfork-Hill-Green line, Vrabel and McGinest tight on the edges, Beisel WILB with Bruschi SILB in the endzone, Hobbs and Samuel pressure coverage.
Blocking: Green has the TE dive into his feet, but retains his footing
Hill gets pushed initially by the LT’s dive forward but keeps afoot and pushes back the pile
Wilfork gets low and pushes the C back into Plummer
Warren pushes a kneeling RG back into Plummer
Seymour cuts into the center of the line, in front of the RT, pushing the pile back
Bruschi and Beisel come up and dive onto Plummer

Analysis: Warren and Wilfork were quickly able to give a hastily-diving Plummer no room to maneuver himself for the necessary inches for the first down. No ground was given by the Patriots.

4th and 1 NE 3

Result: Timeout, Denver – 2 remaining in first half.
Offense: 2 WR left, TE and FB.
Defense: 5-4-2.

Analaysis: Plummer huddled, started to walk up to the line but saw the playclock down to 3 seconds and called the timeout.

4th and 1 NE 3

Result: Pass, Incomplete, Lelie, 5 yard corner endzone fade.
Offense: 2 WR left, slot WR Smith goes in motion to wide right, TE down off RT, FB strong side, RB Anderson.
Defense: 4-5-2, Seymour-Warren-Wilfork-Hill line, Colvin tight left edge, McGinest and Vrabel tight right edge, Bruschi SILB and Beisel ILB in endzone, Samuel and Hobbs pressure coverage.
Blocking: Seymouris doubled by the RT and TE
Warrengoes low into the RG’s legs
Wilfork drives the C almost into Plummer, appearing to make the throw come a bit off the back foot
Hill engages with the LG
Colvin engages with the LT wide
McGinest engages with the FB on the edge
Coverage: Vrabel follows the RB into the flat
Beisel starts to blitz half-heartedly before stopping to turn around and watch the throw
Samuel opens himself up the QB off the snap, and will follow the quickly lobbed ball in the air with his head while turning around, back to Lelie. From there, both will start to advance more into the endzone as the ball begins to come down, with Samuel acting as a pick to keep Lelie from reaching to make the catch on the ball, which landed slightly deep and wide.

Analysis: An an eerily similar play to what would be called pass interference on Samuel later in the quarter, Samuel did a great job of following the ball with his head while still shielding Lelie from the ball. If it wasn’t for Lelie trying to climb on Samuel’s back an in attempt to make the catch and then continuing his momemtum to push Samuel to the ground after failing, Samuel probably would have even intercepted this pass for a touchback.

 

[pats1]

Offensive Series #4 Punt

Contributor: Pats1
Time: 10:43 remaining in the second quarter
Statistics: 3 plays (3 run, 0 pass), 6 yards (9 run, 0 pass, -3 penalty), time of possession was 2:28
Breakdown: 3 red plays (3 run, 0 pass) for 9 yds.., 3 penalty yds. lost for the Patriots.

1st and 10 NE 3

Result: Run, Dillon, right tackle, 2 yds.
Offense: Branch WR right, 3 TE, Graham down off RT, Fauria down off LT, Watson down left wing, Dillon lone RB.
Defense: 4-3, Bailey 5 yards off Branch, CB Foxworth a few yard off left edge.
Blocking: Watson and Fauria double the DE Pryce before Fauria breaks off and knocks around the CB Foxworth in the second level
Ashworth and Mankins double the DT Veal
Hochstein gets the angle on the DT Myers
Neal and Gorin double the blitzing WLB Gold, allowing the MLB Wilson and SLB Williams to make the stop on Dillon
Graham slides the DE Brown wide of the play

Analysis: By the time Dillon got the ball, two of the double-team blocks were breaking down, leaving downed rushers and blockers – junk – in his holes, which quickly filled up with second-level defenders to drag Dillon down. I’m thinking that either Neal or Gorin was taken off guard by the sudden blitz of the WLB, and they both went to block him, leaving the holes open for attack by the other 2 LBs. Probable miscommunication leaving Dillon absolutely nowhere to run.

2nd and 8 NE 5

Result: Run, Dillon, up the middle, 2 yds.
Offense: 2 WR, Branch wide right, Givens wide left, 2 TE, Graham down off LT, Watson down left wing, Dillon lone RB.
Defense: 4-3, SLB showing blitz right edge, both CBs 5 yards off the line.
Blocking: Watson and Graham double the DE Coleman
Ashworth turns the DT Myers out
Mankins and Hochstein drive the DT Veal out of the hole to the left
Neal pulls left but finds himself behind all of the above blocks with no linebackers to block. They all came around to the right, where Dillon was running.
Gorin pushes the DE Brown left towards the rest of the blocks

Analysis: This one I simply don’t get. Watson and Graham took care of one DE, Ashworth took care of one DT, Mankins and Hochstein took care of the other DT, and Gorin took care of the other DE. All of these blocks were pushing to the left. Neal also pulled left, but just found himself in no-man’s land behind these blocks, with Dillon mysteriously running to the right, into the hands of the SLB on the edge. All it would have taken was for Dillon to run behind Neal’s pull and then go off-left tackle, around the mass of blocks on the left side. Something had to be miscommunicated here or Dillon really, as the rumors had it, wasn’t able to cut left at all, because he just ran unblocked into a tackler upon getting the ball.

3rd and 6 NE 7

Result: PENALTY on NE-L.Mankins, False Start, 3 yards, enforced at NE 7 - No Play.
Offense: Shotgun 4 WR, Givens wide left, Watson left wing, Brown right slot, Branch wide right, Faulk RB to right of Brady in shotgun.
Defense: 4-2-5 nickel, FS and WLB showing bitz left edge, MLB and SS showing blitz right edge, all 3 CBs 5 yards off the line.

Analysis: Just as with the prior possession when Brady had the miscommunication with Givens, the Broncos had 8 men up on the line showing blitz. When Brady walked up to the line with about 7 seconds left on the clock, he saw the blitz and did the same adjustment into the shotgun (Watson stood up). When Brady got set in the shotgun there was all of 3 seconds left on the clock. With 1 second left, Mankins started out of his stance just a half second early, the cause of the penalty. The MLB Wilson would come in free between Neal and Gorin and pound Brady to the ground after Brady tossed it across the middle, well short of Branch. None of it would matter because of the false start.

3rd and 9 NE 4

Result: Run, Faulk, right then cutback left, 5 yds.
Offense: 3 WR, Givens wide left, Brown right slot, Branch wide right, Watson TE down off LT, Faulk lone RB.
Defense: 3-3-5 nickel, SLB showing blitz left edge, WLB later showing blitz over C, FS in the box behind the SLB, NB showing blitz right edge, both CBs 5 yards off.
Blocking: Watson sees the SLB drop off and the DE attack Ashworth, so goes into the second level and tries to engage with the FS just in front of Faulk’s run, but can’t loses control and that FS helps stop Faulk a second later
Ashworth gets body slammed right off the snap into the ground by the DE Brown to the left of Faulk’s hole, but Brown gets up and drags down Faulk from behind with the FS’ help
Mankins slides with the WLB Gold towards the run which had a bit of a cut back left
Hochstein drives the NT Warren right, away from the run
Neal drags the DE Ekuban off the right edge
Gorin acts as if the run is going right, pulling the MLB Wilson away from the run

Analysis: Not too bad of a play here. If Brown hadn’t literally tackled Ashworth – a move of questionable legality – this run may have sprung maybe even for a first down. Watson’s inability to get a block on the FS didn’t help, either.

4th and 4 NE 9

Result: Punt, Miller, to the Den 44, Adams has only one blocker with Izzo, Chatham, and Stone all coming his way and calls for the fair catch, 47 yd. punt, 0 yd. return.

 

[pats1]

Defensive Series #4 Interception

Contributor: Pats1
Time: 8:15 remaining in the second quarter
Statistics: 4 plays (1 run, 3 pass), 26 yards (1 run, 25 pass), time of possession was 2:05.
Breakdown: 2 green plays (1 run, 1 pass) for 1 yd (1 run, 0 pass)., 2 red plays (0 run, 2 pass) for 25 yds.

1st and 10 Den 44

Result: Pass, Anderson, underneath, 14 yds.
Offense: 2 WR right, TE down off LT, FB strong side, Anderson RB.
Defense: 3-4, McGinest showing blitz right edge, Samuel a few yards off, Hobbs 5 yards off the slot WR.
Blocking: Warrenbull rushes the RG almost into Plummer
Wilfork is doubled by the C and LG but does get some penetration
Seymour can’t get around the LT on the edge
Coverage: McGinest drops back and follows the slot WR Lelie towards the sidelines, and chases Anderson after his catch underneath and is just barely able to trip him up
Bruschi and Vrabel both drop back behind Anderson’s underneath route, but Vrabel dives and misses at Anderson’s feet after the catch and can’t get around Vrabel on the ground
Colvin follows the FB tightly into the left flat
Hobbs drops back into a zone and trips over Anderson and McGinest on the ground after McGinest trips up Anderson

Analysis: We’re talking Mike Anderson here, not Reggie Bush. McGinest was fortunate that Anderson saw Hobbs coming to his left and pretty much went down himself, with McGinest just helping him down with the trip. Bruschi and Vrabel, who were supposed to stop any short stuff underneath from getting any more yards than necessary were useless on this play. Bruschi took a bad angle towards the play and Vrabel was left in the dust trying to make the tackle. Simply unacceptable.

1st and 10 NE 42

Result: Pass, R. Smith, quick slant, 11 yds.
Offense: 4 WR, Anderson in motion to right slot, TE down off RT.
Defense: 3-4, Colvin and McGinest tight on the edges, Bruschi a few yards off Anderson right slot, Hobbs pressure coverage left slot, Samuel and Hawkins 5 yards off other 2 WRs.
Blocking: Warrencan’t get anything on the RT
Wilfork drives the RG back
Seymour is cut down by the LG
McGinest engages with the TE just off the line – wasn’t a blitz
Colvin starts on a blitz but backs off on the pass release
Coverage: Bruschi follows the RB Anderson’s quick slant inside
Vrabel reads follows Plummer’s eyes in a zone and makes the stop on Smith’s quick slant across the middle after the catch
Hobbsdoesn’t jam at the line and is a tad late to break on the quick slant, allowing Smith to catch the pass right inside the void between Hobbs and Vrabel

Analysis: It probably would have been better to have Bruschi inside and Vrabel on the slot RB, as Vrabel, in addition to Hobbs being negated on the quick slant, was unable to break up the throw ahead of time from the catch.

1st and 10 NE 31

Result: Run, Anderson, left tackle, 1 yd.
Offense: 2 WR right, TE down off LT, FB strong side.
Defense: 3-4, McGinest showing blitz right edge, Hobbs 5 yards off slot, Samuel pressure coverage.
Blocking: McGinest meanders in edge containment away from the run, in part forcing Anderson back into the pressure after he attempted to cut out of it towards McGinest
Warrenhas the RT cut in front of him at his feet, but from there is free to pick through the tackle pile
Wilfork drags the C towards the run before putting his shoulder down in an attempt to make the tackle but can’t get enough push and topples to the ground
Seymour is stood up by the LG but is able to keep his ground and eventually throw the LG aside and help make the tackle on Anderson
Colvin gets some good push on the TE on the edge and is also eventually able to break free and help on the tackle
Vrabel slides with the run until he engages with the C in the second-level, but is able to shed that block and hop onto the tackle pile for insurance
Bruschi engages the LT near the edge but comes back towards the run and makes the primary stop on Anderson

Analysis: Shedding blocks all across the field, containment on the run came quickly and harshly for Anderson, who was engulfed by numberous Patriot defenders.

2nd and 9 NE 30

Result: Pass, Lelie, 20 yard out, pass thrown under pressure, INTERCEPTED at NE 11 by NE – Samuel, 0 yd. return.
Offense: 3 WR, 2 left, 1 right (TE Putzier), TE Alexander down off RT, lone RB Anderson.
Defense: 3-4, Colvin showing blitz left edge, NB Hobbs pressure coverage, Samuel and Hawkins 5 yards off.
Blocking: Warrencuts inside on the RG and then tries back outside, but is knocked in the side by the LT which allows the RG to regain control
Wilfork uses the swim move on the C but can’t get too far
Seymour bull rushes the LG and works his way towards Plummer, eventually shedding the LG and forcing Plummer to throw off his back foot with Seymour at his side
Colvin tries stunting behind Seymour but the LT follows and prevents the additional pressure on Plummer
Coverage: McGinest jostles with the TE Alexander with his drag underneath before releasing him
Vrabel takes Alexander from McGinest and follows him into the left flat
Bruschi follows the RB’s route out of the backfield
Hobbs follows R. Smith’s slant across the field
Samuel looks to bait Plummer into throwing to Lelie on the out, and takes advantage of the throw off the back foot, slightly overthrown, to step right in front and pick it off

Analysis: Finally with some pressure on Plummer, a mediocre throw gave Samuel the opportunity to make a big play for the defense.

Note: Play was originally ruled an incompletion because Samuel allegedly only had one foot inbounds. It would be reversed and ruled an interception.

 

[pats1]

Offensive Series #5 Field Goal

Contributor: Pats1
Time: 6:10 remaining in the second quarter
Statistics: 6 plays (1 run, 5 pass), 67 yards (3 run, 64 pass), time of possession was 2:22
Breakdown: 2 green plays (0 run, 2 pass) for 64 yds., 1 black play (1 run, 0 pass) for 3 yds., 3 red plays (0 run, 3 pass) for 0 yds.

1st and 10 NE 11

Result: Pass, Davis, pocket moved left, deep seam pattern, 51 yds.
Offense: 3 WR, Givens wide left, Branch left slot, Watson left wing, Davis right slot, Dillon RB offset behind RT.
Defense: 4-2-5 nickel, NB pressure coverage on Branch left slot, both CBs 5-7 yards off the line, SS Lynch comes up to the line next to Bailey just before the snap
Blocking: Watson, Ashworth, and Mankins slide left and knock around the DE Coleman and the DT Warren
Hochstein and Neal double a swimming DT Veal
Gorin and Dillon double the DE Pryce
Coverage: Branch takes a wheel route up and around the NB
Givens takes about a 20 yard in, towards the zoned LBs
Davis first cuts inside of Lynch, who had ran up to the line on the snap and motioned for Bailey to drop back. From there, Lynch breaks off and starts to point at Davis to be picked up, as Davis turns up the heat and starts to take it upfield. Bailey is reluctant to take Davis until the throw, when he catches up to Davis and follows the ball down, with the FS Ferguson coming in from the other direction. Davis has to slow down to catch the slightly underthrown pass, with Bailey stopping behind Davis and then grabbing his facemask, then the ball while the two tumble to the ground

Analysis: Lynch definitely knew something was up when he came up to the line over Davis just before the snap. Off the snap, Lynch thought Bailey had Davis taken care of deep so he stayed shallow, while Bailey was caught between Givens cutting behind the LBs across the field towards him with the two rookie corners on the other side of the field meandering, and Davis’ deep route coming past him. Once Bailey saw the deep throw, negating the Givens option, he did a good job of catching up and getting in position, but Davis slowed himself to take advantage of the short throw and get position on Bailey. This was a textbook route designed to beat the zone with the deep-middle soft area. Davis’ seam route was able to slip right between Bailey and Ferguson, and then keep his body between the ball and Bailey.

1st and 10 Den 38

Result: Pass, Dillon, Incomplete, play action, pass thrown away under pressure towards Dillon.
Offense: 3 WR, Branch wide left, Brown right slot, Givens wide right, Watson TE down off RT, Dillon lone RB.
Defense: 4-2-5 nickel, LBs shaded over left side, NB pressure coverage, both CBs 5 yard off the line.
Blocking: Ashworth bounces the DE Ekuban, who then drops back, before engaging with the stunting DT Veal
Mankins has his DT Veal stunt, so Mankins slides back and helps Neal with the stunting DT Warren
Hochstein chases after the stunting DT before turning back around and grabbing the shirt of Warren but quickly releasing it with Mankins and Neal in control
Neal slides left with his stunting DT Warren where Mankins helps out
Gorin keeps his ground against the DE Coleman
Watson engages with the blitzing NB on the edge, allowing the MLB Wilson to come in untouched to Watson’s left and Gorin’s right on a delayed blitz to force Brady to essentially throw it away
Coverage: Branch goes on a deep seam
Brown has the NB covering him blitz, but a safety comes up on his route
Dillon curls into the right flat and is open with the WLB Gold still coming across the field when Brady releases, but Brady is forced to throw it early on the blitz, knew Dillon had yet to complete his route and wasn’t looking for the ball, and just threw it in his vicinity to evade the intentional grounding call

Analysis: While this will count in the statbook a pass attempt to Dillon, it was clearly just a throw-away by a hurried Brady. Denver brought a textbook zone blitz with some stunting action with the defensive line. Ekuban dropped back into a zone almost right off the snap, Veal and Warren executed the stunt to occupy 4/5 of the Pats’ offensive line, and Coleman dragged Gorin away from the blitz area. Watson picked up the blitz from the NB, whose coverage zone was filled by the WLB Gold, leaving the MLB Wilson to come in free to pressure Brady. Wilson had actually started to show a blitz just before the snap, but stopped – the Pats couldn’t really make any adjustments. With intermediate-to-deep routes from all of Brown, Branch, and Givens, Brady’s only viable option under pressure would have been Dillon, who was still in the process of his route and had his back turned when Brady needed to get the throw off.

2nd and 10 Den 38

Result: Pass, Branch, play action, screen left, 13 yds.
Offense: 3 WR, Branch wide left, Brown right slot, Givens wide right, TE Watson down off RT, Dillon lone RB.
Defense: 4-2-5 nickel, both LBs up on the line showing blitz, NB showing blitz right edge, S Lynch showing blitz left edge, S Brandon on line showing blitz, both CBs 5 yards off.
Blocking: Ashworth starts with an aggressive step to his right, drawing Ekuban towards the play fake, but then circles around the confused DE and heads out and drives Lynch all the way towards the sidelines to clear a path for Branch on the screen
Mankins engages with the DT Veal on the play action but also comes out and cuts down the WLB Gold just ahead of Branch running after the screen
Hochstein sets himself to go along with the play fake but never has any defender to engage with for the duration of the play
Neal drives the DT Warren right before breaking off and following Branch’s run
Gorin and Watson engage with the DE Coleman on the right edge, the direction of Dillon’s play fake
Coverage: Branch sets up in his screen, which wasn’t contested by the rookie CB Foxworth, who dropped into a zone and waited for Branch, squirting around blocks and dodging a few tacklers to come to him, where at that point, with the help of the MLB Wilson, Branch was finally taken down

Analysis: This wasn’t a sight adjust play between Brady and Branch, as one might expect with a blitz followed by a screen. The entire Patriot offense had Denver going here, with the blitz all but negated by the effects of the play fake and backdoor screen pass. Once Branch got it, he made some nifty moves and had a few great blocks to spring him for the first down.

 

[pats1]

1st and 10 Den 25

Result: Run, Faulk, up the middle, 3 yds.
Offense: 2 WR, Branch wide left, Givens wide right, 2 TE, Graham down off RT, Watson down right wing, Faulk lone RB.
Defense: 4-3, LBs shaded over right wing, CB on Givens pressure coverage, CB on Branch 5 yards off.
Blocking: Ashworth contains the DE Pryce on the edge
Mankins drives the DT Myers upfield and wide of the run
Hochstein turns the DT Waren right
Neal sldes over to block the DE Brown
Gorin ships the DE Brown before coming out, but too late to stop the LBs taking down Faulk
Graham bulldozes the WLB Gold downfield
Watson strarts a motion towards center right before the snap, but then just meanders out towards Ashworth, letting the MLB Wilson and SLB Williams take Faulk down

Analysis: About a second before the snap, Brady started Watson in motion towards center, but it was ineffective. Instead of stepping up through the hole and engaging with an oncoming LB, he trotted right past the hole and ended up behind Ashworth, half-heartedly trying a double team as Faulk was being tackled right to Watson’s right.

2nd and 7 Den 22

Result: Pass, Watson, Incomplete, play action, quick slant, pass underthrown while being hit.
Offense: 3 WR, Branch wide left, Watson left slot in motion from wide left, Givens wide right, Graham TE down off RT, Dillon lone RB.
Defense: 4-2-5 nickel, both LBs shaded over right wing showing blitz, S Brandon pressure coverage on Graham, CB Foxworth 5 yards off Branch, CB Bailey 5 yards off Givens, S Ferguson showing blitz right edge.
Blocking: Ashworth is ridden outside by the DE Brown, with the DT Warren tugging at Ashworth’s shirt from behind the entire time unnoticed, with Brown almost getting to Brady
Mankins rides the DT Warren outside and almost roadblocks Ashworth from Brown
Hochstein and Neal stand up and double the DT Myers
Gorin easily gets beat wide by the DE Pryce, who wrabs around Brady and drags him down in the process of the throw, making it wobble and fall well short of Watson
Graham rides the S Ferguson wide and prevents the cutback with a virtual bearhug
Coverage: Dillon steps up and under the MLB Wilson, who hit traffic and backed off his blitz, and the WLB Gold, who takes Dillon’s route
Watson cuts underneath the third S Brandon and across the field in a slant, but Brady’s pressured pass fell wide and short
Givens takes a post into the endzone
Branch takes a 10 yard square-in

Analysis: Simply inexcusable blocking by Gorin. I don’t know whether Gorin was fazed before the snap by the 2 LBs at the line over him and then was confused when they didn’t come on the blitz or if he was just plain-out beat by Pryce. Gorin stayed inside initially off the snap, allowing Pryce to beat Gorin on his first step outside. Brady couldn’t find a receiver right away on the pressure so stepped up to buy time, but when Brady found Watson streaking across the middle, Pryce knocked Brady down during the throw, causing it to fall short.

3rd and 7 Den 22

Result: Timeout, New England – 1 remaining in first half.
Offense: 4 WR, Branch wide left, Davis left slot, Watson right wing, Givens wide right, Faulk lone RB offset behind LT.
Defense: 4-2-5 nickel, both LBs up on line showing blitz, S Lynch and S Ferguson showing blitz right edge, all 3 CBs 5 yards off the line.

Analysis: Brady had made the usual blitz adjustment by standing up Watson, but then didn’t even have time to backup into the shotgun himself as the play clock reached 1 and time was called.

3rd and 7 Den 22

Result: Pass, Branch, Incomplete, 20 yard flag, pass overthrown under pressure.
Offense: 3 WR, Davis wide left, Branch left slot in motion from wide left, Givens wide right, Watson TE down off RT, Faulk lone RB.
Defense: 3-3-5 nickel, SLB showing blitz right edge, NB comes in showing blitz left edge just before snap, both CBs 5 yards off the line.
Blocking: Ashworth slides outside and almost gets beat by the blitzing NB D. Williams, but is able to push him wide enough to prevent the sack but not to prevent Williams from swatting at Brady’s arm/back/shoulder from behind on the throw
Mankins and Hochstein double and stand up the DE Ekuban
Neal and Gorin slide inside and double the DE Coleman
Watson contains the blitzing SLB D.J. Williams on the right edge
Faulk steps up to pick up the delayed blitz from the MLB Wilson, who drops off instead
Coverage: Givens takes a 10 yard in
Davistakes a 10 yard hook on the S Ferguson, who came up to the line when the NB came in on a blitz
Branch is able to turn the CB Foxworth around and has him beat by a step in the endzone on the flag route, but Brady’s pass sails high and wide

Analysis: Another zone blitz from Denver here, with the NT Warren dropping back and the NB Darrent Williams and SLB D.J. Williams coming on on opposite sides to pinch-in Brady. Darrent was successful for the most part, and his swat on Brady’s back probably had something to do with the inaccurate pass. Ashworth was like an elephant trying to slide wide and block the quick little mouse in Williams. Watson, however, did do a good job of containing D.J.’s blitz.

4th and 7 Den 22

Result: Field Goal, Vinatieri, 40 yds.

Score: New England 3 – Denver 0

 

[pats1]

Defensive Series #5 Punt

Contributor: Pats1
Time: 3:48 remaining in the second quarter
Statistics: 3 plays (0 run, 3 pass), 13 yards (0 run, 8 pass, 5 penalty), time of possession was 1:07
Breakdown: 2 green plays (0 run, 2 pass) for 0 yds., 1 red play (0 run, 1 pass) for 8 yds., 5 penalty yards lost for the Patriots.

Kickoff: Adams from Den 4, 29 yd return, Adams is forced towards the sideline with Izzo, Stone, and Chatham breaking through before he’s tripped up.
PENALTY on NE-J.Sanders, Offside on Free Kick, 5 yards, enforced at DEN 33.

1st and 10 Den 38

Result: Pass, Lelie, Incomplete, 20 yard post, pass knocked down by Samuel.
Offense: 4 WR, RB Bell in motion to right slot, TE Putzier wide right, TE down off RT.
Defense: 3-4, McGinest and Colvin pressure coverage on slots, Hobbs a few yards behind Colvin, Samuel pressure coverage WR wide left, Hawkins 10 yards off Putzier wide right.
Blocking: Warrenrides the LT outside, with the TE Alexander trying to cut Warren from the side but misses
Wilfork bull rushes the RG back towards Plummer
Vrabel bull rushes the C and LG to collapse the pocket a bit
Seymour can’t get penetration on the LT
Coverage: Bruschi drops into a short zone
McGinest follows Bell into the right flat
Hobbs follows Rod Smith into the left flat
Colvin breaks off Smith and drops into a zone in front of Lelie
Samuel drops behind Lelie’s post but steps in front on the throw and drops the interception

Analysis: A nice bait-job by Samuel here to draw the throw from Plummer then step in front of the route. Should have caught it for his second interception of the game, though.

2nd and 10 Den 38

Result: Pass, Putzier, drag underneath, 8 yds.
Offense: 3 WR, TE down off LT, Bell lone RB.
Defense: 3-4, Hawkins and Hobbs 5 yards off 2 WR right, Samuel a few yards off WR left.
Blocking: McGinest nearly knocks the RT off his feet on McGinest’s initial charge before wrapping around the edge and pressuring Plummer from behind to force the hurry
Warrencan’t get around the RG
Wilfork is doubled by the C and LG
Seymour can’t get around the LT
Coverage: Colvin slides into a left flat zone
Bruschi shadows Rod Smith’s drag underneath from behind
Vrabel shadows Putzier’s drag underneath from behind, coming up quickly to make the tackle right after the catch
Hawkins sits in a zone once his slot WR Smith cuts across the middle, and will eventually help Vrabel on the tackle

Analysis: Vrabel and Bruschi were simply sitting 10 yards back, keeping everything in front of them and then smothering it to prevent a first down. McGinest got some nice pressure to force Plummer to slide, hurry, and look short.

3rd and 2 Den 46

Result: Pass, R. Smith, Incomplete, 5 yard hook, pass thrown wide.
Offense: 4 WR, Lelie, Alexander, and Adams (in motion from right slot) left, R. Smtih right, Bell lone RB.
Defense: 3-3-5 nickel, McGinest and Colvin showing blitz, Poteat pressure coverage on Adams, Hawkins pressure coverage on Alexander, Hobbs and Samuel pressure coverage on Lelie and Smith.
Blocking: McGinest blitzes but can’t get around the RT, so doubles back and gets his hands up to help force Plummer’s pass wide
Warrenrides the RG outside, crossing across Plummer’s face just before the throw
Wilfork forces the C back towards Plummer before getting stood up and stopped, but is able to force an early throw off the back foot
Seymour gets stood up by the LG
Colvin blitzes but has to dodge a cut attempt from the LT
Coverage: Vrabel floats behind the RB’s circle route underneath
Poteat follows the WR Adams into the left flat
Hawkins follows the TE Alexander into the left flat
Samuel jams the WR Smith at the line, and sticks right with the hook route as Smith makes his turn just to see the early pass fly out of bounds 3 yards back upfield

Analysis: This would be a typical Denver running situation. However, with so little success on the ground for the entire first half, they had to abandon the running game and try their much less reliable passing attack. Didn’t work out here. With a 5-man rush, enough pressure, while not forcing a scramble, was able to make Plummer throw it before Rod Smith had even completed his route. Chances are, it would have been complete anyway with the timings off because of Samuel’s jam and then the proximity of Samuel to the receiver (tight coverage).

4th and 2 Den 46

Result: Punt, Sauerbrun, to the NE 6, Dwight calls for the fair catch after Hobs can’t catch up to cover the Broncos’ gunner going right for Dwight, 48 yd. punt, 0 yd. return.

 

[pats1]

Offensive Series #6 Fumble

Contributor: Pats1
Time: 2:41 remaining in the second quarter
Statistics: 3 plays (2 run, 1 pass), 32 yards (11 run, 21 pass), time of possession was 0:50
Breakdown: 2 green plays (1 run, 1 pass) for 29 yds., 1 red play (1 run, 0 pass) for 3 yds.

1st and 10 NE 7

Result: Pass, Givens, seam pattern, 21 yds.
Offense: Shotgun 4 WR, Branch wide left, Watson left slot and Graham right wing (stand up on adjustment), Givens wide right, Dillon to left of Brady in shotgun
Defense: 4-3, MLB, SLB, and S Brandon on line showing blitz, WLB pressure coverage on Graham right wing, Lynch 5 yards off Watson left slot, both CBs 5 yards off Branch and Givens.
Blocking: Ashworth has his DE Pryce drop off into a zone, so keeps his stance next to Mankins
Mankins jams the DT Myers inside into Hochstein and other traffic to smother his quick rush
Hochstein smashes around the blitzing MLB Wilson
Neal and Gorin double the DT Warren
Coverage: Dillon releases into the left flat
Graham stays in blitz coverage but the WLB drops off and Graham releases into the right flat
Watson takes a seam in and around Lynch, Brandon, and Pryce coverage
Branch drags underneath
Givens takes the seam route inside of Bailey’s zone but behind that of the DEs, LBs, and S Brandon who all showed blitz/rush but dropped off on the snap.

Analysis: With Denver’s blitz look now familiar to the Patriots, they were able to make the same shotgun adjustment as usual, but also execute on a play that took advantage of the blitz with a quick throw behind and within, in this play’s case, another zone blitz. As soon as Givens catches the textbook zone-beater seam route, he’ll be wrapped up at the legs by Bailey and then smashed to the ground by the S Brandon, but still holds on to the ball.

1st and 10 NE 28

Result: Run, Dillon, stretch play left, 8 yds.
Offense: 2 WR, Givens wide left, Branch wide right, 2 TE, Graham down off LT, Watson down left wing, Dillon lone RB.
Defense: 4-3, WLB pressure coverage Watson left wing, both CBs pressure coverage on Givens and Branch.
Blocking: Watson seals off the WLB on the edge and then releases to prevent a holding call as Dillon stretches it outside
Graham chips the DE Brown inside before coming into the second level and starting but losing a block on the SLB, who’ll help the CB Foxworth on the tackle
Ashworth and Mankins bulldoze the DT Warren downfield
Hochstein turns the DT Myers away from the run
Neal pulls left and tracks down the MLB Wilson, eventually driving him into the turf to the right of Dillon’s run
Gorin walks the fine line between a hold and block as the DE Pryce drags him across the line towards the run
Givens gets the intial blocking angle on his CB Foxworth, but once Dillon runs by he loses that angle and control with Foxworth sliding off to make the first hit on Dillon

Analysis: With some solid blocking and a well-designed stretch play, the Dillon of 2004 seemingly returns. Both Graham and Givens were the only blemishes to a play which, if Graham and Givens had successfully executed their blocks, would have gotten Dillon into the secondary and almost a sure-bet first down.

Note: 2-minute warning.

2nd and 2 NE 36

Result: Run, Faulk, up the middle, 3 yds., FUMBLES at NE 39, forced by Den – Brown, recovered by Den – Gold at NE 40, no further gain.
Offense: 3 WR, Givens wide left, Brown right slot, Branch wide right, Watson TE down off LT, Faulk lone RB.
Defense: 3-3-5 nickel, SLB pressure coverage on Watson, all 3 CBs pressure coverage.
Blocking: Watson can only get a slight knock on the SLB
Ashworth can’t get an angle on the DE Brown, allowing him to dive and strip the ball from Faulk
Mankins meets the WLB Gold ahead of Faulk’s run but Gold sees the fumble and quickly dives on it
Hochstein takes a step back on the snap before chipping the DT Warren to his right but noticing the fumble and diving towards it in vein
Neal engages with the DT Warren before Warren dives towards the fumble and Neal tries to hold Warren by his arm before releasing
Gorin knocks around the DE Ekuban

Analysis: While it’s easy, and certainly justifiable to pin the blame on Faulk for not securing the ball, one simply can’t neglect the fact that Ashworth was completely unable to contain Brown. Ashworth’s initial engagement was great, but Brown quickly shed the block and got his hand in Faulk’s chest to strip the ball and trip up Faulk on the follow-through with the arm. Mankins can’t be blamed for letting the man he was blocking, Gold, pounce on the stripped ball as Mankins made a nice block in the second-level and therefore had his back to the run.

 

[pats1]

Defensive Series #6 Touchdown

Contributor: Pats1
Time: 1:51 remaining in the second quarter
Statistics: 1 play (1 run, 0 pass), 40 yards (1 run, 0 pass, 39 penalty), time of possession was 0:09
Breakdown: 1 green play (1 run, 0 pass) for 1 yds., 39 penalty yards lost for the Patriots.

1st and 10 NE 40

Result: Pass, Lelie, Incomplete, play action, deep go pattern, pass overthrown.
PENALTY on NE-A.Samuel, Defensive Pass Interference, 39 yards, enforced at NE 40 - No Play.
Offense: 2 WR, Lelie wide left, Smith wide right (in motion from left slot), TE Alexander down off RT, FB strong side, Anderson lone RB.
Defense: 3-4, Bruschi showing blitz right side, Hobbs pressure coverage on motioning Smith, Samuel backs off Lelie just before the snap.
Blocking: Warrenis able to swim around the TE but rides wide only to meet the RB
Wilfork can’t get any penetration on the RG and C
Seymour is stood up by the LG and LT
Bruschi comes in on a blitz but is stopped in his tracks by the RT
Coverage: McGinest takes a shoulder from an aggresive FB on the right edge in coverage
Vrabel drops into a short zone
Colvin drops off into the right flat
Wilson runs to cover the deep pass but is still a good 10 yards away when the pass comes down
Samuel turns around and follows the WR Lelie downfield, into the endzone, where Samuel keeps great position without hindering Lelie’s route while keeping his head trained on the pass

Analysis: To quote Phil Simms shortly after the play, “I’ve always said there’s no such thing as a late flag, but I was wrong. That took a long time to happen.” The nearest official and the official designated to call on pass interference penalties was the side judge. It would be the back judge who threw the flag, from halfway across the field and with a job description not including pass interference watch duties. Simms would also say “They’ll probably say that Samuel cut off Lelie, but not really! Samuel beat him to the spot!” Lelie actually had his arm on Samuel’s shoulder and pushed off right at the end to gain separation from Samuel, but it still wasn’t enough as the pass itself was overthrown, raising questions on whether it was even a catchable ball as well.

1st and 10 NE 1

Result: Run, Anderson, left guard, 1 yd., TOUCHDOWN.
Offense: 1 WR left wing in motion from right wing, 2 TE, 1 down off LT, 1 down off RT, FB in I-form with Anderson at RB.
Defense: 6-4-1, McGinest-Seymour-Warren-Wilfork-Hill-Green line, Izzo tight left edge, Vrabel tight right edge, Hobbs-Beisel-Bruschi in endzone
Blocking: McGinest sets containment on the right edge against the TE Duke
Seymourdrives across the RT Foster towards the run
Warren is stood up by the C
Wilfork drives the LG to his knees
Hill gets penetration on the LT but eventually falls to his knees while Anderson dives into the endzone to Hill’s left
Green has the TE Alexander cut into his legs
Izzo sheds the WR Smith’s block on the edge but can’t get over to Anderson in time
Hobbs followed Smith in motion and on the run dove on Anderson in the endzone
Beisel meets Anderson in the hole but is driven back at first by the pulling RG and then by Anderson into the endzone

Analysis: Beisel did a good job of getting up into the hole, but the RG was able to just knock him off enough for Anderson to slip through across the goal line. Bruschi was shadowing the FB on the other side of the line and not involved in the play. The Broncos attacked the weaker side of the Patriots line, where Hill and Wilfork were unable to shed blocks and get in Anderson’s way.

Extra Point

Result: Converted

Score: New England 3 – Denver 7


Offensive Series #7 Fumble

Contributor: Pats1
Time: 1:42 remaining in the second quarter
Statistics: Time of possession was 0:09

Kickoff: Hobbs from NE 4, 32 yd return, Hobbs FUMBLES at NE 36, forced by Den – Sauerbrun, recovered by Den – Sapp at NE 39, no further gain. Hobbs runs past a Beisel block with the man who Beisel was blocking turning around and grabbing Hobbs’ legs, setting up Sauerbrun to spear Hobbs in the chest to knock the ball out.

 

[pats1]

Defensive Series #7 Field Goal

Contributor: Pats1
Time: 1:33 remaining in the second quarter
Statistics: 3 plays (1 run, 2 pass), 7 yards (2 run, 7 pass), time of possession was 0:50
Breakdown: 2 green plays (1 run, 1 pass) for 2 yds. (2 run, 0 pass), 1 red play (0 run, 1 pass) for 5 yds.

1st and 10 NE 39

Result: Timeout, New England – 0 remaining in first half.
Offense: 4 WR, 2 left, RB Anderson in motion to right slot, TE Alexander wide right, TE Putzier down off RT.
Defense: 3-3-5 nickel, Colvin and McGinest showing blitz on the edges, Vrabel pressure coverage on Anderson, Samuel a few yards off Alexander, Hobbs and Poteat 5 yards off 2 left WRs.

Analysis: Once Belichick saw the Broncos shifting into a 4 WR set, he knew the they were probably looking to pounce on a demoralized Pats team. He huddled the entire defense on the sideline in an effort to calm them down.

1st and 10 NE 39

Result: Pass, Putzier, drag underneath, 5 yds.
Offense: 4 WR, 2 left, RB Anderson in motion to right slot, TE Alexander wide right, TE Putzier down off RT.
Defense: 3-3-5 nickel, Colvin showing blitz left edge, Vrabel pressure coverage on Anderson, Samuel a few yards off Alexander, Poteat pressure coverage on left slot, Hobbs 5 yards off wide left.
Blocking: McGinest rides the RT outside
Warrenrides the RG outside
Wilfork is stood up by the C
Seymouris stood up by the LG but is able to get some penetration and almost gets a hand on the pass
Colvin rides the LT outside
Coverage: Vrabel jams Anderson on his whip route (hook then out) towards the right flat
Hawkins was about 10 yards off Putzier and follows his drag across the field, making the tackle immediately after the catch in the open field

Anaylsis: Anderson lining up wide and then keeping Vrabel occupied with a whip route prevented Vrabel from jamming Putzier at the line. Hawkins was playing back on the play but followed the route nicely to make a solid open field tackle in the left flat. The 5-man rush was only able to yield a tight pocket but no pressure.
2nd and 5 NE 34

Result: Run, Bell, left tackle, 2 yds.
Offense: 3 WR, 2 right, TE Alexander wide left, TE down off LT, Bell lone RB.
Defense: 3-3-5 nickel, Poteat and Samuel pressure coverage 2 WR right, Hawkins 5 yards off TE wide left, Hobbs 5 yards off TE off LT.
Blocking: McGinest meanders in containment to the right of the run
Warrenbeats the DE outside before following the run from behind and helping to drag down Bell
Wilfork is stood up at first by the C and RG before the C goes into the second level and the RG prevents Wilfork from getting to the run until it’s been slowed
Seymour gets pushed off the line by the LG but is able to shed his block once Bell comes along and make the initial stop, with Wilfork and Warren helping take Bell down
Colvin gets chipped by the LT before the TE engages on the edge but Colvin is able to shed the block quickly to watch Bell be dragged down
Vrabel dodges the C and helps push Bell down
Hobbs is knocked at first by the LT and then by the wide TE Alexander

Analysis: Seymour made another great play by shedding his LG blocker right in Bell’s hole to begin a tackle that got a lot of help from Warren, Wilfork, and Vrabel.

3rd and 3 NE 32

Result: Pass, Lelie, Incomplete, deep post, pass overthrown under pressure.
Offense: 3 WR, 2 left, TE Alexander right, TE Putzier down off RT, Anderson lone RB.
Defense: 3-3-5 nickel, Seymour-Warren-Green line, all 3 CBs pressure coverage.
Blocking: McGinest blitzes but can’t get around the RT
Seymourbeats the RG outside and forces Plummer to throw it early with Seymour taking out Plummer’s ankles right after the throw
Warren rides the C outside behind Seymour
Green gets stood up by the LG
Colvin bull rushes the LT back towards Plummer, with Colvin getting a hand in Plummer’s face on the throw
Coverage: Vrabel follows the RB Anderson into the right flat
Hawkins follows the TE Putzier in a drag route into the left flat
Hobbs runs stride-for-stride with Lelie in a deep post but slowed down dangerously early with the pass indeed overthrown but with Lelie sprawling and almost catching it in the endzone

Analysis: Great pressure on Plummer by Seymour and Colvin had Plummer squeezed in a pocket and attempting to toss it up deep to a single-covered Lelie. On 3rd and 3, the better option would have been to Putzier in the left flat with Hawkins coming down from 10 yards off to cover the quick route. Hobbs did a good job of sticking with Lelie down the field, but he must have thought the pass was uncatchable and started to slow just as the ball came down. Lelie extemded an arm and dove into the endzone but couldn’t bring it in.

4th and 3 NE 32

Result: Field Goal, Elam, 50 yds.

Note: RT George Foster jumped up early before the snap, but no false start penalty was called.

Score: New England 3 – Denver 10

 

[pats1]

Offensive Series #8 End of Half

Contributor: Pats1
Time: 0:43 remaining in the second quarter
Statistics: 1 play (1 run, 0 pass), -11 yards (-1 run, 0 pass, -10 penalty), time of possession was 0:43
Breakdown: 1 red play (1 run, 0 pass) for -1 yds, 10 penalty yards lost for the Patriots.

Kickoff: Davis from the NE 2, 19 yard return, Davis takes the line drive kick swerves around a missed block by Evans and Chatham before Banta-Cain loses his block and Davis is tackled.
PENALTY on NE-T.Warren, Offensive Holding, 10 yards, enforced at NE 21.

1st and 10 NE 11

Result: Kneeldown, Brady, -1 yds.
Offense: Kneeldown formation.
Defense: 3-3-5 nickel.

 

[pats1]

Second Half

Kickoff: Adams from the Den 10, 12 yd return, Adams slides to the ground as D. Davis, Evans, and A. Davis all converge unblocked on him.


Defensive Series #8 Punt

Contributor: Pats1
Time: 15:00 remaining in the third quarter
Statistics: 3 plays (2 run, 1 pass), 5 yards (5 run, 0 pass), time of possession was 1:39
Breakdown: 2 green plays (1 run, 1 pass) for 2 yds. (2 run, 0 pass), 1 black play (1 run, 0 pass) for 3 yds.

1st and 10 Den 22

Result: Run, Anderson, up the middle, 3 yds.
Offense: 2 WR, 1 left, R. Smith wide right in motion from left slot, TE Alexander down off RT, FB strong side, Anderson RB.
Defense: 3-4, Colvin showing blitz left edge, Samuel and Hobbs 5 yards off.
Blocking: Colvin sets unblocked containment on the edge, and when the run is forced up the middle instead of right, Colvin pounces on Anderson from behind.
Seymouris driven downfield by the LT
Wilfork keeps his ground against the RG and is able to break off and help on the tackle
Warren drives the RT into the backfield before breaking off and helping on the tackle
McGinest is kept on the edge by the TE
Vrabel is spun away from the run by the LG
Bruschi is kept away from the run by the C
Hawkins is blocked downfield by the FB

Analysis: When Anderson received the handoff, he had no running room to the right side because of Wilfork’s clog, Warren’s penetration, and McGinest’s containment, and when he tried to cut it up the middle, Colvin, who was set on the opposite edge, came up from behind to stop the run short.

2nd and 7 Den 25

Result: Run, Anderson, left tackle, 2 yds.
Offense: 2 WR, 1 right, R. Smith wide left in motion from right slot, TE Alexander off LT, FB weak side, Anderson RB.
Defense: 3-4, Hobbs and Samuel 5 yards off.
Blocking: Colvin sets outside containment against the TE and is able to force the run back inside where Seymour takes care of things
Seymourdrives the LT into the backfield before breaking off and taking down Anderson
Wilfork drags the RG into the backfield and across the formation towards the run
Warren doesn’t allow the RT to engage him and sprints over to help Seymour on the stop
Bruschi is driven into the ground wide of the run by the LG
Vrabel dodges a cut block from the C away from the run
Hawkins engages with the WR Smith just ahead of the run

Analysis: This time Colvin is blocked but is still able to force the run back inside where Seymour is easily able to shed another block to make the stop.

3rd and 5 Den 27

Result: Pass, Anderson, Incomplete, seam pattern, ball underthrown under pressure.
Offense: Shotgun 3 WR, 1 left, 1 right wing, 1 wide right in motion from left slot, TE Putzier down off RT, Anderson RB to right of Plummer in shotgun.
Defense: 3-3-5 nickel, Seymour-Green-Vrabel line, Colvin and McGinest showing blitz on the edges, C. Brown at MLB, Hobbs and Poteat pressure coverage on outside WRs, Samuel 5 yards off right wing WR, Hawkins 5 yards off TE.
Blocking: Colvin rides outside, slips, and is driven into the ground behind Plummer by the LT
Seymourdrives the LG back towards Plummer but can’t shake the block
Green is able to get around the C but gets caught up with the RG, where Green keeps a bull rush to force the RG back into Plummer and make the throw come off the back foot
McGinest rides the RT outside
Coverage: Vrabel drops off towards the flat where he gives Anderosn a slight jam at the line but has to turn upfield where Vrabel slips slightly, allowing Anderson to break into a void between Vrabel and Hawkins covering a TE out a few yards downfield. However, the throw from Plummer is low and not even a slide from Anderson can aid the situation
Hobbsforces the WR Smith outside on a downfield streak
Poteat follows the WR Lelie in a downfield sideline streak
Samuel drops back behind the right wing WR Adams’ drag underneath
C. Brown meets the WR Adams coming across the middle with a hearty shove to bring the slight WR to the ground
Hawkins drops back behind the TE’s deep out route

Analysis: Both teams broke the norm of the 3-4 vs. 2 WR formations in an effort to catch the other off guard. Chad Brown did a great job of taking out the 3rd WR trying to go across the middle, while both Hobbs and Poteat took away the inside of the field on deep routes to the other WRs. While there wasn’t any significant penetration, Colvin cutting around the edge and Green driving the RG back pinched Plummer enough to make him throw off the back foot. Anderson came up and around the line, got chipped by Vrabel, but then had a thin area of free space behind Samuel and Chad Brown, underneath Hawkins who was cutting outside with the TE, and also behind Vrabel, who had slipped turning upfield in coverage. The throw was well short, and all Anderson could do was slide and pick up the bouncing throw.

4th and 5 Den 27

Result: Punt, Sauerbrun, to the NE 15, Dwight is forced out of bounds to the right early after Stone, Evans, and D. Davis can’t catch up to get good blocking angles, 58 yd. punt, 13 yd. return.

 

[pats1]

Offensive Series #9 Field Goal

Contributor: Pats1
Time: 13:21 remaining in the third quarter
Statistics: 10 plays (4 run, 6 pass), 58 yards (10 run, 48 pass), time of possession was 5:32
Breakdown: 5 green plays (1 run, 4 pass) for 53 yds. (5 run, 48 pass), 1 black play (1 run, 0 pass) for 3 yds., 4 red plays (2 run, 2 pass) for 2 yds. (2 run, 0 pass).

1st and 10 NE 28

Result: Run, Dillon, left tackle, 3 yds.
Offense: 2 WR, Branch wide right, Givens wide left, 2 TE, Graham down off LT, Watson down left wing, Dillon lone RB.
Defense: 4-3, WLB tight left wing, both CBs pressure coverage until just before snap, when they break into a blitz.
Blocking: Watson seals off the WLB downfield to the left of the run
Graham comes up and turns to seal off the penetrating SLB to the right of the run
Ashworth lets the DE Brown cut inside, where Ashworth drives him into the ground to create a pile
Mankins stands up the DT Warren before his legs are taken out from behind by the pile
Hochstein drives the DT Myers downfield but will lose control and allow Myers to pursue a tripping Dillon
Neal pulls left where he smothers a diving Wilson just downfield and to the left of the run
Gorin is dragged inside by the DE Pryce but they both tumble into the pile
Givens can’t catch up to the blitz by his CB Foxworth, so looks for a safety downfield, with Foxworth coming up to trip up Dillon
Branch can’t catch up to the blitz by his CB Bailey

Analysis: A clever little CB blitz by the Broncos certainly paid off here. When Brady made his reads, it only appeared to be press coverage by both Bailey and Foxworth. However, just when he started his snap count, they both started to take a few steps inside which seamlessly continued into the blitz on the snap. Since neither Branch nor Givens had enough time to react to the look, they just turned downfield to hunt down the safeties. Other than Dillon’s left edge being penetrated by Foxworth, he had superb blocking downfield from Neal, Watson, and Graham. Givens was presumably in persuit of either Lynch or Ferguson. However, right when Dillon cut downfield to avoid Foxworth, the speedy CB dove and was able to trip up Dillon, who stumbled forward for a few extra yards.

2nd and 7 NE 31

Result: Pass, Graham, dump-off underneath, 18 yds., pass thrown high under pressure.
Offense: Shotgun 4 WR, Givens wide left, Graham left wing, Watson right slot (in motion from wide right), Branch wide right (in motion from right slot), Dillon RB to left of Brady in shotgun.
Defense: 4-2-5 nickel, WLB showing blitz over LT, S Ferguson and MLB showing blitz over C, S Lynch showing blitz right wing, both CBs 5 yards off Branch and Givens, S Brandon 10 yards off Watson right slot.
Blocking: Ashworth stands up the DT Warren inside
Mankins stops the blitzing S Ferguson in his tracks
Hochstein rides the blitzing MLB Wilson outside
Neal kicks the DT Myers outside
Gorin loses some ground to the DE Pryce
Dillon steps up in blitz protection but is beat outside by the blitzing WLB Gold, with Dillon giving a shove to slow Gold down
Coverage: Graham takes a step back on the snap in a block look before suprising the DE Brown by curling underneath and waiting for Brady’s dump-off with blitz pressure
Branch takes a deep out pattern

Analysis: With the Broncos showing their same old blitz look again, the Pats shifted into their same old blitz protection scheme. The only chink in the armor came when Dillon misread the blitz and was unable to get any real block on the WLB Gold coming off the edge. That penetration coupled with Lynch coming in free as the 8th blitzer from the right wing, gave Brady very little time to get the ball off. The last time Denver brought out this blitz, Givens slipped into the seam and Brady nailed him for a 21-yard gain. This time, under more pressure, Graham came out in a delayed route to disoriente and turn around the rushing DE Brown while slipping behind the blitz and underneath the deep coverage commanded by Branch’s 20-yard out. From there, all Graham had to do was turn around and haul in the lobbed ball that was necessary from Brady over the two blitzers in his face. Some of the blitzers would turn around and converge with the deep coverage men to drag down Graham, but not after an 18-yard gain.

1st and 10 NE 49

Result: Pass, Branch, Incomplete, possible deep ‘squirrel’ route, pass underthrown.
Offense: 4 WR, Branch left slot, Watson left wing, Fauria right wing, Givens right slot, Dillon lone RB.
Defense: 4-3, SLB showing blitz right wing, WLB shows blitz left wing but backs off when Branch motions in towards the ball and back out, both CBs 5 yards off the bunches.
Blocking: Ashworth bounces around free as a one-sided pocket forms to his right
Mankins slides with the DE Pryce right before pushing him to the ground
Hochstein slides with the DT Myers right
Neal slides with the DT Warren right before his legs are taken out by a pushed Pryce
Gorin and Fauria slide right and receive the DT Warren from Neal, while also holding off a blitzing SLB Williams
Coverage: Givens drags into the right flat where he’s followed in coverage by the DE Brown
Watson drags into the left flat where he’s followed by the WLB Gold
Dillon releases underneath where Wilson is floating downfield behind him
Branch possibly does a squirrel route with Brady pump-faking early, and is able to execute the curl part of his pattern just as the throw is coming in, but it’s well short

Analysis: With Brady yelling at Branch after the play this appears to be some type of miscommunication. The most likely form would be too deep of a route run by Branch. If this was indeed a squirrel route, and with no camera on the play and no replays it’s impossible to know for sure, Branch was successfully able to turn around the CB Foxworth and have him go deep on the final stage of the route – the curl. Right when Branch curled, the throw came in about 5 yards short and out of bounds. The closest other player besides the turned-around Foxworth was the S Ferguson crossing the field towards the play. In terms of protection, a firm vertical wall was formed to the right of Brady, who made his pump fake before sliding wider and wider outside to make the eventual underthrow. He literally had all the time in the world as all the Denver rushers were halfway across the field to his right and all the secondary had cleared out deep.

 

[pats1]

2nd and 10 NE 49

Result: Pass, Givens, QB sprint-out left, 15 yard comeback pattern, 14 yds, pass thrown under pressure.
Offense: Shotgun 4 WR, Givens wide left, Brown left slot, Watson left wing, Branch wide right, Dillon RB to right of Brady in shotgun
Defense: 4-1-6 dime, 3rd S Brandon next to MLB in box, NB pressure coverage left slot, both CBs 10 yards off the line.
Blocking: Watson takes a few steps away from the line but notices no blitz so turns inside to triple block the DE Brown, effectively turning his back to a delayed blitz from the S Brandon
Ashworth and Mankins stand up the DE Brown
Hochstein slides with the DT Myers left but can’t keep up when Myers curls around Brown and goes straight for Brady
Neal picks up the DT Warren from a Gorin chip and gets bull rushed but the play has already moved Brady away from the pressure
Gorin chips the DT Warren left before the MLB Wilson comes in on a bit of a delayed blitz, where Gorin shadows Wilson crossing across towards Brady but giving up on the blitz
Dillon rides the DE Pryce outside, loses his angle and has to chase Pryce going for Brady, but the sprint-out has Brady halfway across the field and out of range
Coverage: Branch takes about a 15-yard deep crossing pattern
Brown evades the NB Williams’ pressure coverage with an inside move, cutting up through the seam and drawing some help from the S Lynch
Givens is given a large buffer from the CB Foxworth and, despite pressure on Brady, the sideline comeback is timed perfectly with Foxworth trailing slighting coming back on the throw

Analysis: Watson had shifted out with Brady on the sprint-out to cover any blitzers, but saw no threats and turned back inside to triple team with Ashworth and Mankins. Along with Hochstein’s DT Myers stunting behind that triple team unnoticed, the dime back Brandon came in the backdoor to provide direct pressure on Brady. Even with two rushers coming in clean towards Brady, the play timing was kept intact. With recent downfield routes, Givens’ comeback pattern was able to turn Foxworth just long enough for the throw to come in without any bodies being on Givens’ back. The throw was placed perfectly to take advantage of Givens’ size, and the best Foxworth could do was bring Givens down quickly after his short leap and catch.

1st and 10 Den 37

Result: Run, Faulk, up the middle, 5 yds.
Offense: 2 WR, Branch wide left, Givens wide right, 2 TE, Graham down off RT, Watson down off LT, Faulk lone RB.
Defense: 4-3, CB on Branch pressure coverage, CB Bailey a few yards off Givens.
Blocking: Watson chips the DE Brown inside before breaking off to contain the SLB Williams on the edge
Ashworth is somewhat able to corral the DE Brown trying to get low and turn the corner on the edge
Mankins helps bulldoze the DT Myers about 4 yards downfield with Hochstein, but when Hochstein breaks off, Mankins loses the angle to Myers, who trips up Faulk
Hochstein breaks off the bulldoze with Mankins to block the MLB Wilson just ahead of the run, but also loses his angle and allows Wilson to also trip up Faulk
Neal slides with the DT Warren behind the line and to the left of the run, ahead of it
Gorin gets a good first step forward but is barely able to corral a quick move from the DE Ekuban inside towards the run, with Gorin twirling to contain Ekuban and Faulk dodging the obstruction in his running lane
Graham engages with the WLB Gold a few yards downfield and to the right of the running lane, gets somewhat of an angle, but Gold is able to shed it with an arm to Graham’s left shoulder, breaking off and wrapping up Faulk, dodging other tacklers, by the feet

Analysis: What started out as great blocking turned into a nightmare even the shifty Faulk couldn’t avoid. One second, Hochstein and Mankins were bulldozing Myers downfield to create some running room, Gorin had a nice first push on Ekuban, and Graham had an angle on Gold. Suddenly, a second later, Faulk is dodging a struggling Gorin at the line, then has to evade Myers and Wilson. In that case, Mankins and Hochstein had quickly and easily allowed both of their defenders to spin around and get in between themselves and Faulk. To seal the deal, Graham was shed by Gold, who wrapped up a squeezed Faulk by the feet.

2nd and 5 Den 32

Result: Run, Dillon, right guard, 0 yds.
Offense: 2 WR, Branch wide left, Givens wide right, 2 TE, Graham down off RT, Watson down right wing.
Defense: 4-3, SLB runs up to left wing showing blitz right before the snap, both CBs 5 yards off.
Blocking: Ashworth doubles the DE Pryce with Hochstein, notices the SLB sprinting around the edge to Ashworth’s left and breaks off, but it’s too late as the SLB already has Dillon wrapped up
Mankins pulls right and contains the DT Warren breaking away from Gorin behind the line
Hochstein takes a step forward before turning outside and engaging with the DE Pryce, and then keeping control as Pryce drags him towards the play
Neal stands up the DT Myers and drags him in out of the path of the run but Neal gets his legs taken out by a tackled Dillon
Gorin takes too much of a first step forward and gets easily beat outside by the DT Warren, but luckily Mankins is there to contain Warren to the right of the run
Graham scares the DE Ekuban off Watson’s way before breaking off to engage the WLB Gold
Watson takes the DE Ekuban, whose first step was outside towards Watson to evade Graham, and gives him a few knocks ahead of the run

Analysis: Not a very pretty play here. Even though no blocks were lost, those of Neal and Gorin/Mankins effectively clogged Dillon’s running lane and caused him to slow down to find a way around them, allowing enough time for the speedy SLB D.J. Williams to come in through the backdoor and take down Dillon from behind. Williams had ran up to the left wing just as Brady was in the snap count, so no adjustments could be made. As was dictated by Ashworth’s double on the DE Pryce, the non-playside OLB shouldn’t be a factor and blockers shouldn’t be wasted on such a player. However, since Gorin overpursued and was beat, a concerning routine, and Neal was struggling to contain the DT Myers right in Dillon’s lane, coupled with Dillon playing injured, Dillon simply wasn’t able to burst through the hole and literally get the play off and running.