Denver Breakdown (Divisional Playoffs)

[pats1]

3rd and 5 Den 32

Result: Pass, Branch, quick slant, 10 yds.
Offense: Shotgun 4 WR, Brown wide left, Branch left slot (in motion to LT and back), Watson right wing, Givens wide right, Faulk RB to left of Brady in shotgun.
Defense: 3-3-5 nickel, MLB showing blitz over LG, WLB and SLB showing blitz right wing, S Lynch showing blitz left wing, S Brandon showing blitz over C, NB 10 yards off Branch in motion, both CBs 5 yards off.
Blocking: Ashworth stands up the DE Ekuban
Mankins gets too low and allows the blitzing MLB Wilson to shed Mankins and get a hand up in Brady’s face
Hochstein stands up the DT Warren
Neal has the blitzing S Brandon try to curl around behind the MLB before backing off on the throw, so helps out Hochstein with Warren
Gorin stands up the DE Pryce
Watson blocks the outside SLB Williams on the edge before quickly breaking off into a short route underneath
Faulk is ready to engage the blitzing S Lynch on the edge before Lynch notices the throw and backs off
Coverage: Givens takes a downfield route, dragging the CB Bailey away from the quick slant by Branch
Branch takes a quick slant underneath the man-off coverage from the NB Williams, and is quickly dragged down after the bullet from Brady and catch
Brown takes short in route underneath the coverage from the CB Foxworth

Analysis: Branch going in motion and the NB Foxworth following him meant that the Broncos weren’t going to sit back in a short zone or back out of the blitz into a zone. This allowed Branch to take a quick slant, Brady to take a short drop, and the blitz pickup team to finish off the job. The two open Bronco blitzers, Ferguson and D.J. Williams weren’t even able to get to Brady, and Lynch backed off just after starting his blitz with Faulk ready to engage. The Mankins slip-up was the only blemish, but Brady was able to get the pass off before Wilson clogged up his passing lane. As with the other blitz looks from the Broncos, the Patriots started out with Brady under center and Watson down but shifted into the shotgun set with Watson standing up on the wing.

1st and 10 Den 22

Result: Run, Faulk, up the middle, 2 yds.
Offense: 2 WR, Givens wide left, Branch wide right, 2 TE, Graham down off LT, Watson down left wing, Faulk lone RB.
Defense: 4-3, WLB tight left wing over both TEs, both CBs 5 yards off the line.
Blocking: Watson holds the WLB off on the left edge
Graham stands up the DE Coleman but is dragged in towards the run and falls on top of Faulk after the tackle
Ashworth trips a bit on a way, but is still able to get into the second level and hold off the MLB Wilson ahead of the run
Mankins turns the aggressive SLB Williams away from the run, to the right
Neal pulls left and engages with the DT Warren but is overpowered and pushed back into Faulk’s way in the backlfield and then on top of his dive
Gorin holds the DE Ekuban off on the edge

Analysis: Generally fair blocking on this play, with the main culprit being Neal. He did a good job of pulling in front of Faulk and trapping Warren in time, but was quickly returned to sender. Toppling backwards, he forced Faulk to dodge his presence in the backfield, shortly before Faulk faced Graham losing ground to his left and Lynch ready to eat him alive upfield, so Faulk chose to just dive forward and take what he could get. Although, it’s tough to tell if Faulk simply got tripped up trying to dodge the junk in his running lane.

2nd and 8 Den 20

Result: Pass, Givens, drag underneath, 6 yds.
Offense: 3 WR, Branch wide left, Watson left slot (in motion from wide left), Givens wide right, TE Graham down off RT, Dillon lone RB.
Defense: 4-3, SLB showing blitz over left edge, CB Bailey on Branch moves into pressure coverage when Watson motions, CB on Givens a few yards off.
Blocking: Ashworth rides the DE Ekuban outside
Mankins has his DT Myers stunt outside, so helps out with the DT Warren to his right
Hochstein slides left to cover the DT Myers before Myers stunts towards Gorin and the DT Warren crashes into Hochsteins’ side, where Mankins helps out
Neal slides with the DT Warren left into Hochstein before breaking off and picking up the stunting DT Myers
Gorin gets bullrushed by the DE Coleman but is, for the most part, able to keep his ground
Coverage: Dillon dodges Ashworth riding the DE Ekuban and continues his route, curling around the left edge and underneath
Watson drags undneath the zones of the MLB Wilson and then WLB Gold
Branch beats the jam from the CB Bailey inside and continues into a downfield route
Graham takes a wheel route, drawing the CB Foxworth downfield and away from Givens just as Givens cuts underneath
Givens cuts underneath the zones of all 3 LBs, with Givens having to stop to make the catch before being thrown to the ground by the zoned SLB Williams

Anaylsis: A complicated scheming of routes was designed to stretch the zones of the LBs, an act that was only partly successful. Branch was able to draw the CB Bailey and downfield safety coverage away from the underneath routes, while Graham cut off the CB Foxworth from Givens’ drag before stretching the zone of the MLB Wilson downfield with a drag. Watson’s route mirrored Givens’ but wasn’t successful in overloading the SLB’s zone, but instead just handing off the pressure to the WLB on the other side of the field. Brady was unable to hit Givens in stride with the throw coming slightly high and behind the crossing Givens. There was very little pocket pressure to force this. When Givens landed awkwardly off a similarly awkward catch, the SLB had no other responsibilities in his zone to preoccupy him and was able to come right down on Givens even before a run-after-catch could be started.

 

[pats1]

3rd and 2 Den 14

Result: Pass, Branch, Incomplete, screen left, pass underthrown.
Offense: 2 WR, Branch wide left, Givens wide right, 2 TE, Graham down off RT, Watson down right wing, Dillon lone RB.
Defense: 4-3, WLB showing blitz over right wing, MLB showing blitz over C, SLB showing blitz over left wing, S Ferguson tight over right wing, both CBs a few yards off the line.
Blocking: Ashworth slides outside to pickup the blitzing SLB Williams when the DE Pryce stunts, but Williams is right in Brady’s face on the short drop and screen with arms up
Mankins pulls right, but instead of trapping the DT Warren who beat Gorin inside, he misses and shoves Gorin instead
Hochstein turns outside to chip the penetrating DT Myers into Ashworth
Neal pursues the MLB Wilson who read the screen and backed off his blitz, but is taken out by a stunting DE Pryce in the process
Gorin is pushed into the backfield by the DT Warren, who evades a Mankins trap but can’t reach Brady before the pass
Graham can’t catch up to the DE Ekuban who stunted inside behind Warren, but Ekuban can’t reach Brady in time
Watson picks up the blitz from the WLB Gold on the edge
Coverage: Branch turns inside while taking a step back to set up for the screen, but the pass falls short at his feet

Anaylsis: Considering the blocking scheme on this play, it is likely that Brady decided Branch had enough room to make a first down after a catch and motioned to Branch a pass would be coming his way. With the quick drop for the screen pass, Brady was right in the thick of less-than-stellar blocking. Off-balance and with a blitzer (SLB Williams) with an arm in his face, Brady was unable to accurately deliver the pass to Branch. Even if it was caught, the CB Foxworth read the screen quickly and would have been on top of Branch in a split second. It’s also possible that the ball was tipped by D.J. Williams, but the graphical evidence is inconclusive.

4th and 2 Den 14

Result: Field Goal, Vinatieri, 32 yds.

Score: New England 6 – Denver 10

 

[pats1]

Defensive Series #9 Punt

Contributor: Pats1
Time: 7:49 remaining in the third quarter
Statistics: 6 plays (2 run, 4 pass), 16 yards (4 run, 12 pass), time of possession was 3:10
Breakdown: 5 green plays (2 run, 3 pass) for -3 yds. (4 run, -7 pass), 1 red play (0 run, 1 pass) for 19 yds.

Kickoff: Darrent Williams from the Den 1, 19 yard return, Da. Williams is forced towards the sideline by an unblocked Sanders, and then meets a free, set-up Izzo, who knocks Williams out.

Note: Banta-Cain was pursuing Williams with Sanders, but got absolutely leveled from his blindside by backup LB Keith Burns, who was sprinting back upfield towards the return.

1st and 10 Den 20

Result: Pass, Putzier, Incomplete, play action, deep sideline fly, pass overthrown.
Offense: 3 WR, 2 left, TE Putzier wide right, TE Alexander down off RT, Bell lone RB.
Defense: 3-4, McGinest tight over TE, Vrabel comes up just before snap showing blitz, Colvin pressure coverage left slot WR, Samuel backs off other left WR, Hawkins 5 yards off Putzier.
Blocking: Seymourtries riding the LT outside before turning back inside, where he’s stood up
Wilfork is meet quickly by the C, but is able to gradually work his way outside and towards Plummer
Warren is doubled by the RG and RT
Vrabel blitzes and meets the LG at the line, works him into the backfield and is able to break free from the LG, but not in time to get any serious pressure on Plummer
Coverage: Bruschi shadows the RB Bell’s underneath route from a zone
McGinest jams and jostles with the TE Alexander within 5 yards for the duration of the play
Colvin gives the outside of the field to Rod Smith, who is picked up deep by Hobbs
Samuel continues to back off Lelie, who takes some type of sideline route
Hawkins gives Putzier the inside of the field before giving tight chase when Putzier goes into a fly route and drifts back towards the sideline, with Hawkins staying in-stride, alone, as the sky-scraping pass comes down just out of reach for Putzier, who is immediately smashed to the ground by Hawkins
Wilson is kept shallow by the pump-fake and towards the middle of the field by his zone responsibilities between Hawkins on one sideline and Samuel on another

Analysis: With Plummer having plenty of time to throw even after the pump fake, he reared back and launched this one up into the ol’ thin air. With the TE Putzier split wide, Hawkins was brought up towards the line in coverage, leaving only Wilson as a deep safety. Hawkins was able to stick with Putzier the entire way, limiting Putzier’s space to sprawl out for the falling moon shot about 40 yards downfield.

2nd and 10 Den 20

Result: Pass, Lelie, Incomplete, play action, bootleg, 25 yard sideline comeback pattern, pass broken up by Samuel.
Offense: 2 WR, 1 left, 1 right (in motion from left slot), TE down off RT, I-form backfield with Bell at RB.
Defense: 3-4, Colvin showing blitz left wing, McGinest tight over TE, Hobbs follows R. Smith in motion, Samuel backs off Lelie.
Blocking: Seymouris stood up by the LT inside on the play action, but breaks free into the flat where he shadows Plummer with arms extended on the throw
Wilfork is doubled by the LG and C
Warren is doubled by the RG and RT
Colvin meets the FB in the backfield, but the FB is able to pivot and keep enough of an angle on Colvin to give Plummer plenty of room on the bootleg
Coverage: Vrabel is able to read and break away from the play action early, floating towards the sideline while spying Plummer
Bruschi follows the RB Bell out of his play action and into the right flat
McGinest jams the TE Alexander at the line before dropping into a zone
Hawkins comes down to pick up the TE’s drag across the field, staying in-stride as they enter Vrabel’s area
Hobbs follows R. Smith’s deep crossing pattern with Wilson assistance
Samuel sticks like glue to Lelie’s route, perfectly timing his hit from behind when Lelie jumps to gain separation, causing the ball to jolt right off Lelie’s chest

Anaylsis: The Denver sideline would argue that this was pass interference, but it appears Samuel did a great job of both mingling a hand out in front with Lelie’s while giving a knock to his back to send the ball ricocheting off Lelie’s shoulder pads. Both Hawkins and Samuel did a great job of sticking tight on their assignements while Vrabel sat in a zone to add traffic on Plummer’s boot side. While Seymour was able to break off his block and add some pressure on Plummer, Colvin was unable to shake the FB as Plummer looped around to Colvin’s left on the bootleg.

3rd and 10 Den 20

Result: Pass, R. Smith, 15 yard in, 19 yds.
Offense: 3 WR, Rod Smith and Adams (in motion from right slot) left, Lelie right, TE down off RT, Anderson lone RB.
Defense: 4-2-5 nickel, Colvin-Seymour-Green-McGinest line, C. Brown and Vrabel at LB, Poteat follows Adams in motion, playing 5 yards off, Samuel and Hobbs pressure coverage.
Blocking: Colvin bull rushes the the LT, but can’t break off when Plummer has plenty of room and time to slide up in the pocket
Seymour is doubled and stood up by the LG and C
Green is doubled by the RG and RT
McGinest engages with the TE before picking up the RB coming through the line, at which point the TE releases into the flat
Coverage: Vrabel drops into a shallow zone
C. Brown comes up to receive the RB underneath from McGinest
Poteat stays with the slot WR Adams’ whip route towards the left flat
Hobbs forces the WR Smith to the outside, but when Smith begins to cut on his route, Hobbs initially reads it as a cut towards the sideline, giving Smith the precious step when he actually takes the crossing route inside
Hawkins was set in a deep zone beyond Hobbs

Analysis: With the only pressure Plummer receiving from the Colvin bullrush, Plummer had plenty of room and time to step up in the pocket with a clear throwing lane to hit Smith streaking across the middle. Attacking a soft spot in the 2-deep zone, all Smith had to do was shake Hobbs to enter into open territory underneath the deep zone of Hawkins, but beyond the short zone of Vrabel. With Poteat occupied with a whip route and Brown/McGinest with the RB/TE, Hobbs was alone on an island with the responsibility of corralling an all-pro WR. All it took was for Hobbs to slightly misread Smith’s cut and lose a step on the square-in to decide the fate of the play.

 

[pats1]

1st and 10 Den 39

Result: Run, Anderson, left guard, 2 yds.
Offense: 2 WR, Adams wide right, Devoe in motion from right slot to wide left, TE down off LT, FB storng side, Anderson RB.
Defense: 3-4, McGinest and Colvin showing blitz on the wings, Hobbs follows Devoe in motion, both Samuel and Hobbs playing 5 yards off.
Blocking: Colvin easily sheds the TE on one quick move before penetrating the backfield and taking down Anderson before he even has a chance to react
Seymourthrows a cut-block attempting LT to the ground before meeting Anderson head-on as he tries to break away from Colvin
Wilfork is angled off from the run by the LG
Warren tries to backdoor the run but is cut off by the C
Bruschi gets on a knee and lowers a shoulder into the oncoming FB in the hole ahead of the run, sending the FB flying over Bruschi’s back
Vrabel was set to the engage the RG pulling up through the hole, but the RG is trampled by the tackling party before he can reach Vrabel

Analysis: Colvin was able to execute his customary shedding technique before even being engaged. The cut block against Seymour was completely ineffective, leaving two free bodies to easily stop and take down Anderson. Bruschi did a great job of coming up into the hole and taking out the FB as if he was a mounted horseman.

2nd and 8 Den 41

Result: Scramble, Plummer, up the middle, 2 yds.
Offense: 4 WR, 2 right, RB Bell left slot (in motion from backfield), TE Putzier wide left, TE Alexander down off LT.
Defense: 3-4, McGinest showing blitz right wing, Bruschi 5 yards off Bell, Hawkins 10 yards off Putzier, Hobbs and Samuel a few yards off.
Blocking: Seymouris doubled initially by the TE and LT, but the TE breaks off on the scramble, but the LT keeps Seymour away from Plummer
Wilfork is doubled by the LG and C, but is shaded towards the RG, opening the hole for Plummer to scramble through
Warren bull rushes the RG back into Plummer, forcing him to step up and scramble, with Warren breaking free and securing Plummer on the ground, who slid to avoid Vrabel
Colvin stays put on the snap spying Plummer, but is engaged by the TE Alexander before he can react on the scramble
Vrabel fades into a zone towards the left flat, but comes back up to force Plummer to slide early on the scramble
McGinest is tripped up by the RT’s cut block wide, but recovers to turn the corner and help pressure Plummer into the scramble
Bruschi follows the RB in a crossing route, keeping an eye on Plummer
Hawkins comes up as the TE Putzier, split wide, takes a quick hitch route
Hobbs follows his WR Smith in a short crossing route
Samuel comes up on the WR Adams’ quick hitch route

Analysis: With the only auxillary pressure coming from McGinest, the Patriots were able to blanket the quartet of short routes from the Broncos, while using the 4-man rush to force Plummer into a scramble early. The lone ILB with Bruschi brought out wide with the motion from Bell, Vrabel was able to come up from his short zone to stop Plummer before any damage could be done. Warren chipped in with a shed of his RG blocker and then helped Plummer on his way down from behind.

3rd and 6 Den 43

Result: Pass, SACKED, Plummer by Vrabel, -7 yds.
Offense: Shotgun 3 WR, 2 right (Lelie in motion from left slot to wide right), TE down off RT, Bell R to left of Plummer in shotgun.
Defense: 3-3-5 nickel, Seymour-Green-McGinest line, C. Brown at MLB, Vrabel showing blitz over RG, Colvin showing blitz left wing, Hobbs pressure coverage left, Poteat comes in motion and into pressure coverage on right slot WR, Samuel takes WR Lelie in motion and plays a few yards off.
Blocking: Colvin blitzes but can’t get penetration on the LT
Seymourengages with the LG briefly before stunting behind Green and converging with other elements of the constricting pocket to force Plummer down
Green beats the C outside and pressures Plummer from behind, allowing Seymour to stunt behind him
Vrabel fakes coverage on the snap before coming in on the blitz and beating a diving RG outside to bring down Plummer after Seymour has forced Plummer to his knees
McGinest beats the RT outside to add the final element of pressure on Plummer
Coverage: C. Brown picks up the RB Bell’s wheel route out of the backfield

Analysis: Leaving no RB or TE in pass protection here came back to bite the Broncos, as the offensive line broke down quickly and easily to the blitz. By the time Plummer caught the snap, Seymour had stunted free and was bearing down from the front while other Patriot rushers were squeezing the pocket in to Plummer’s sides. With no time nor room nor sight to even attempt a throw, his best option was to just go down. Plummer was able to avoid a direct hit from Seymour with a duck, but was brought down by Vrabel shortly thereafter.

4th and 13 Den 36

Result: Punt, Sauerbrun, to the NE 8, Dwight is able to avoid the first wave but turns right into more free Broncos – with missed blocks, notably Hobbs, all around, 56 yd. punt, 14 yd. return.

 

[pats1]

Offensive Series #10 Interception

Contributor: Pats1
Time: 4:39 remaining in the third quarter
Statistics: 7 plays (1 run, 6 pass), 73 yards (5 run, 73 pass. -5 penalty … -100 interception), time of possession was 3:52
Breakdown: 5 green plays (1 run, 4 pass) for 53 yds. (5 run, 73 pass), 2 red plays (0 run, 2 pass) for 0 yds. (0 pass … -100 interception).

1st and 10 NE 22

Result: Pass, T. Brown, play action, 15 yard post, 33 yds., pass thrown under pressure.
Offense: 3 WR, Branch wide left, Brown left slot, Givens wide right, Watson TE down off RT, Dillon lone RB.
Defense: 4-2-5 nickel, WLB pressure coverage on Watson, Lynch in box behind WLB, all 3 CBs 5 yards off the line.
Blocking: Ashworth rides the DT Myers outside after the DE Coleman drops back into a zone
Mankins picks up the DT Veal from Hochstein and stands him up
Hochstein lets the DT Veal slant towards Mankins before helping Neal
Neal has his DE Ekuban slant towards Hochstein
Gorin engages with the blitzing WLB Gold briefly before the WLB breaks off and then beats Gorin inside, forcing Brady slide and get the throw off
Watson rides the blitzing S Lynch wide
Dillon picks up the blitz wide from the MLB Wilson, allowing Brady enough room to step up
Coverage: Branch takes a deep post behind Brown
Givens cuts underneath Brown
Brown has plenty of room across the middle to beat the NB Darrent Williams on his inside cut on the post, and catches Brady’s pressured pass in-stride with the FS Ferguson forced high because of Branch’s deep post

Analysis: With the Broncos bringing in 6 on the rush, with the DE Coleman dropping back into a short zone, they were left with a single deep zone, man under. Without any short zones or a safety in the vicinity to take watch of, Brady was able to watch Brown beat the man coverage and enter into free space. With the exception of Gorin likely forgetting he had Dillon right behind him to pick up one of the two blitzers Gorin faced, which allowed Brady to be pressured, the blitz pick-up was clean. Slide-stepping and then stepping-up to throw deep, Brady’s throw was hurried, but still hit Brown in-stride near the sideline, where all that the FS could do was come up from Branch’s deep route and jump over an already-tackled Brown.

1st and 10 Den 45

Result: Pass, Branch, flea-flicker to Dillon, 15 yard hook, 26 yds.
Offense: 2 WR, Givens wide left, Branch wide right, 2 TE, Graham down off LT, Watson down off RT, Dillon lone RB.
Defense: 4-3, both CBs pressure coverage.
Blocking: Graham gives the WLB Gold a good smash after Gold starts to come in but stops to watch the flea flicker
Ashworth doubles the DE Coleman with Mankins until the stunting DT Veal comes around the edge and knocks Ashworth the ground
Mankins stands up the DE Coleman and retains the block when Ashworth is taken out
Hochstein is driven back initially by the DT Myers until Neal slides over to help on a double team
Neal engages the DT Veal until Veal drops off and stunts left, where Neal turns to help Hochstein
Gorin doubles the DE Ekuban with Watson until the SLB Williams comes in on a delayed blitz inside, where Gorin picks him up but is driven into the backfield and around Brady
Watson loses control of the DE Ekuban inside just as Gorin breaks off to pick up the blitz, but Dillon is right there after the flea flicker to put a shoulder into Ekuban
Coverage: Givens gives a deep look inside on the zoned CB before cutting across the middle, wide open
Branch jostles with the CB at the line inside, but is able to break free and start to go deep, turning Lynch around in his zone, but then hooks far enough away from Wilson to cleanly catch the ball from Brady wide open, break away from the CB Bailey who read the pass, and gain an extra 10 from there

Analysis: Perfect use of the flea-flicker. With Denver in a cover-2 zone, the Pats knew a flea-flicker would draw in the linebackers and open up some soft spots across the middle of the defense, underneath the safeties. After Branch exited Bailey’s zone, the SLB had come in on the flea-flicker, leaving Branch some open space, where he started into what looked like a deep route. This turned around the S Lynch playing up above, and combined with the lone zoned LB in Wilson, who was stretched between Givens and Branch, gave Branch plenty of room to sit in a hook route and wait for the pass. With plenty of time in the pocket, despite some more woes from Gorin, all Brady had to do was sell-out the flea-flicker and chose between Givens or Branch, both wide-open. Even though Bailey read the pass and came downfield quickly to get a hit on Branch right after the catch, Branch gave him a stiff-arm and headed upfield for some more yards.

1st and 10 Den 19

Result: Pass, Givens, quick slant, 9 yds.
Offense: 3 WR, Givens wide left, Watson left slot, Branch wide right, TE Graham down off LT, Dillon lone RB.
Defense: 4-3, WLB a few yards off Watson in the slot, both CBs playing about 5 yards off.
Blocking: Ashworth stands up the DE Coleman
Mankins stands up the DT Myers
Hochstein and Neal double the DT Veal
Gorin loses ground quickly to the swimming and slapping DE Ekuban, but Brady got it off before Ekuban could fully beat Gorin inside
Coverage: Dillon comes around Gorin and into the flat
Graham avoids the DE Coleman at the line and starts into a deep route, drawing the WLB Gold away from the short routes
Watson cuts across underneath to draw the MLB Wilson briefly and then the SLB Williams down
Givens has enough room for his short cut-in route with his CB dropping off into a deep zone, but just after catching it, the MLB Wilson will drag him down

Anaylsis: Great protection on the 4-man rush, even as Gorin’s troubles continue. Brady’s first read was to Branch’s route, before he looked across the middle to Watson, and then finally Givens who had an open pocket in a likely cover-3 coverage. Graham drew the WLB deep while Watson drew the MLB short and wide, further allowing enough room for Givens to work.

 

[pats1]

2nd and 1 Den 10

Result: Run, Dillon, left tackle, 5 yds.
Offense: 2 WR, Givens wide left, Branch wide right, 2 TE, Watson down off LT, Graham down off RT, Dillon lone RB.
Defense: 4-3, SLB up on Watson left wing showing blitz, both CBs 5 yards off.
Blocking: Watson is beat inside on the first step from the SLB Williams, forcing Dillon to make a cut early and bounce the run outside
Ashworth takes an immediate lunge forward to cut down the MLB Wilson ahead of the original hole before Dillon was forced to go outside
Mankins turns the DE Pryce inside and to the ground
Hochstein and Neal double the DT Myers, but Hochstein takes too aggressive of a turn inside and falls to his face
Gorin has the DE Brown drop off and the DT Warren stunt outside, so he turns inside to help with the DT Myers
Graham has his eyes on the DE Brown when the DT Warren stunts right into Graham, although neither Warren or Brown will be involved in the play

Analysis: Dillon was slowed immediately off the snap when Watson was beat, forcing Dillon to make his cut early and away from the intended hole. With Lynch reading run all the way and jumping on the play, he was waiting right at the line when Dillon cut outside, along with the WLB who had quickly come over from the other side of the line. Because Branch was on Bailey, Dillon had no blockers to work off of, and just plowed forward, dragging Lynch and Gold with him for the 5 yards gained on the play.

1st and 5 Den 5

Result: PENALTY on NE-D.Branch, False Start, 5 yards, enforced at DEN 5 - No Play.
Offense: 2 WR, Branch wide left, Givens wide right, 2 TE, Graham down off RT, Watson down right wing, Dillon lone RB.
Defense: 4-3, LBs shaded over right wing, both CBs playing 5 yards off.

Analysis: Watson would come in motion to block for Dillon, who received the handoff, but he would be stuffed early as the whistles blew. When Brady kicked out his leg to send Watson in motion, Branch made a subtle flinch to warrant the false start penalty.

1st and 10 Den 10

Result: Pass, Branch, quick slant, 5 yds.
Offense: Shotgun 5 WR, Branch wide left, Watson left wing, Fauria right wing, Givens right slot, Dillon wide right (in motion from backfield).
Defense: 4-2-5 nickel, WLB showing blitz over LG, NB pressure coverage on Givens, both CBs 5 yards off.
Blocking: Ashworth lets the DE Brown slide wide to evade Watson at the line before Ashworth cuts him down
Mankins rides the DT Warren outside
Hochstein and Neal double the DT Veal
Gorin attempts the cut the DE Pryce, who is able to stay just wide enough for he can regain his footing quickly and start towards Brady, already starting his throw
Coverage: Fauria takes a short hook to draw the MLB Wilson
Watson pulls the WLB Gold up into the endzone with a route
Branch takes a quick slant underneath Watson going for the endzone and his CB Foxworth playing off

Analysis: Good blocking overall, allowing Brady to hit Branch in-stride across the middle, but the CB Foxworth diagnosed the play quickly and was on Branch in a flash, and Lynch came down just as quickly from the deeper routes to prevent Branch from running wild with yards after the catch.

2nd and 5 Den 5

Result: Pass, Givens, Incomplete, screen right, pass dropped.
Offense: 2 WR, Branch wide left, Givens wide right, 2 TE, Graham down off RT, Watson down right wing, Dillon lone RB.
Defense: 4-2-5 nickel, DTs pinch in over C, S Lynch showing blitz left wing, MLB showing blitz over LG, S Ferguson showing blitz over RG, WLB Gold showing blitz over RT, S Brandon showing blitz over right wing, both CBs playing a few yards off.
Blocking: Ashworth is turned outside by the DE Pryce
Mankins and Hochstein double the DT Myers as the MLB Wilson backs off after a quick engagement with Mankins
Neal drives the DT Warren left, giving Brady enough room to turn and fire on the screen
Gorin turns the blitzing S Ferguson outside
Graham holds his ground against the DE Brown
Watson drives the stagnant S Brandon off the edge
Coverage: Givens sets up square to Brady’s screen pass, which is led slightly downfield, but lets it slip right through as he turns to catch it

Analysis: I’d like to make a conclusion here, but I simply can’t. On one hand, Brady might have led Givens too far downfield with the throw, forcing Givens to make the catch away from his body and also away from his chest, which would have stopped the ball from slipping right through Givens’ hands. On the other hand, Givens could have seen Bailey coming up quickly on him and was thinking a step ahead of his body, concentrating not on the catch but on his first move to evade Bailey. Even with Bailey coming on strong, this play was very similar to that run in the 2005 AFC Championship, where Givens beat the CB to the pylon for the touchdown.

 

[pats1]

3rd and 5 Den 5

Result: Pass, Brown, 10 yard out, INTERCEPTED at Den -1 by Den – Bailey, Bailey FUMBLES at NE 1, ball out of bounds at NE 1, 100 yd. return.
Offense: Shotgun 4 WR, Branch wide left, Watson left wing, Brown right slot, Givens wide right, Faulk RB to right of Brady in shotgun.
Defense: 4-2-5 nickel, S Brandon showing blitz over LG, MLB Wilson showing blitz over RG, S Lynch showing blitz right wing, WLB Gold a few yards off Watson left wing, all 3 CBs 5 yards off.
Blocking: Watson and Ashworth both take a step left on the snap following the DE Ekuban, who then drops off, allowing the S Brandon to come in free on his blitz to Ashworth’s right
Mankins drives the DT Myers right
Hochstein rides the DT Warren outside
Neal comes forward to stop the blitzing MLB Wilson
Gorin gets driven back by the DE Pryce but Brady has already been forced to roll out of the way from the blitz
Faulk steps up on the right edge to cause Lynch to back off from his blitz.
Coverage: Branch fades into the far endzone corner with his body open to the play, but Brady has already rolled right, dragging the CB Foxworth off Branch too
Givens drags underneath Brown cutting outside, but the NB Da. Williams is waiting in his zone and picks Givens up tightly across the middle
Brown makes his cut on the route just shy of the zoned Bailey right when Brady feels the pressure,and has to come back inside for the ball but Bailey holds the position and intercepts it

Analysis: The reason for the interception? A poor throw. The reason for the poor throw? A speedy blitzer coming right at Brady off the snap. The reason for that? Tom Ashworth not picking up the blitz. The reason for that? A probable miscommunication at the line when Denver showed the blitz. Instead of Ashworth coming inside to pick up Brandon and Watson going outside to pick up Ekuban, both Ashworth and Watson went outside as if the WLB Gold playing off the line was coming in on a blitz next to Ekuban’s rush. Still, Brandon is closer to center and thus closer to the QB and is the first priority in the blitz pickup.

This the exact dynamic of how the blitz works. It’s a numbers and mind game. The key for the defense is to hold an advantage in numbers but draw one blocker to a blitzer who will instead drop off. This triggers a hole some place else in the line, despite the numbers then being equal, as the defense gains one more pass defender. What this meant for Denver was that Gold’s threat drew Ashworth away from picking up Brandon. Brandon got pressure on Brady from the get-go, and with slower-developing routes against the zone, all Brady could do was buy time and try to make the best of the situation. Throwing off his back foot and leaning away to avoid the blitzer, his only option was to Brown going towards the sideline. Without the chance to get enough behind the ball, Brown had to turn back inside for the ball, but Bailey, being the player that he is, stepped in front of Brown and took things from there.

What made this play even more memorable was the full-field run by TE Ben Watson to knock Bailey out of bounds at the NE 1, and in the process, launch the ball out of Bailey’s hand and in a flight path still argued to this day.

Note: Play was challenged by New England, but was not reversed. At question was whether Bailey’s fumble exited through the endzone or in-play. If through the endzone, it would have been a touchback and Patriots ball at the NE 20. If through the field of play, the original ruling, the result of the play would remain the same and Denver would have the ball at the NE 1. Since there were no camera angles sufficient for the play, there was simply nothing conclusive to overturn the play.

Note: As a result of the unsuccessful challenge attempt, New England is assessed a timeout – 2 remaining in the second half.

 

[pats1]

Defensive Series #10 Touchdown

Contributor: Pats1
Time: 0:47 remaining in the third quarter
Statistics: 1 plays (1 run, 0 pass), 1 yards, time of possession was 0:04
Breakdown: 1 red play (1 run, 0 pass) for 1 yds.

1st and 1 NE 1

Result: Run, Anderson, stretch play left, 1 yd., TOUCHDOWN.
Offense: 3 TE, WR R. Smith down left wing, TE Alexander down off LT, TE Duke down off RT, FB weak side (in motion from I-Form), Anderson lone RB.
Defense: 6-4-1 goal line, Green-Hill-Wilfork-Warren-Seymour-McGinest line, Izzo tight left edge, Vrabel tight right edge, Hobbs playing a few yards behind Izzo, Bruschi (w) and Beisel (s) at ILB.
Blocking: Green gets initial penetration on the TE Alexander forcing Anderson wide but then Alexander pushes Green back into the endzone
Hill holds his ground against the LT
Wilfork dives forward into the C
Warren has the RG cut into his legs
Seymour dives over the RT’s cut, landing on his chest
McGinest beats the TE Duke outside with one move, also sending the TE into a collision with the FB, but McGinest can only watch the play from behind
Vrabel is on the other side of the line from the run
Bruschi watches the FB come up and collide with the TE before following Anderson across the field but can’t beat him to the endzone
Beisel is able to break off the attempted block from a stumbling-forward LG, but Anderson has already turned the corner towards the endzone
Izzo is driven back into the endzone by the WR R. Smith, who started in a 3-point stance, but has the angle when Anderson is stretched outside by a penetrating Hobbs to Izzo’s left, and breaks free, only to trip and fall flat on his face as Anderson walks into the corner of the endzone
Hobbs comes in free on Anderson but can only chase him outside as Izzo isn’t there to force the run back inside

Analysis: On almost every running play, the job of an OLB is to act as outside containment, forcing the run back inside and not allowing it to stretch into the open field. Izzo simply failed to execute this job. If Izzo was there, Hobbs could have easily wrapped up Anderson for a loss of yardage. Izzo was able to redeem himself temporaily when he broke free from his block, but immediately tripped and fell flat on his face. He would have probably been too late anyway. This play goes to show how one defensive mistake can sometimes spell disaster for a play.

Extra Point

Result: Converted

Score: New England 6 – Denver 17

 

[pats1]

Offensive Series #11 Missed Field Goal

Contributor: Pats1
Time: 0:43 remaining in the third quarter
Statistics: 8 plays (3 run, 5 pass), 46 yards (18 run, 28 pass), time of possession was 2:55
Breakdown: 4 green plays (1 run, 3 pass) for 45 yds. (17 run, 28 pass), 4 red plays (2 run, 2 pass) for 1 yds. (1 run, 0 pass).

Kickoff: Hobbs from the NE 0, 29 yard return, Hobbs works around a good Warren block before he’s taken down. Pass may have held Denver S Brandon for a second behind the play.

1st and 10 NE 29

Result: Pass, Branch, play action, hot screen on CB blitz, 8 yds, pass thrown under pressure.
Offense: 2 WR, Givens wide left (in motion to LT and back), Branch wide right, 2 TE, Graham down off LT, Watson down left wing, Dillon lone RB.
Defense: 4-3, a few yards off Watson, both CBs pressure coverage, CB Bailey starts coming in on the blitz just before the snap.
Blocking: Graham slides outside to meet the blitzing CB Foxworth
Ashworth is turned inside by the gap rush from the DE Coleman but Ashworth holds his ground
Mankins turns outside to double the DE Coleman with Ashworth
Hochstein and Neal double the DT Veal, as the RDT Myers drops off into a zone
Gorin goes inside to squeeze the rush of the DE Ekuban into Neal
Coverage: Dillon steps up through the line after the pseudo-play action
Watson cuts underneath, through multiple zones
Givens is free off the snap when his CB blitzes, but the WLB is close in a zone
Branch signals for the hot route when he sees the blitz from Bailey, and will just turn inside on a screen, catch the bullet from Brady, and head upfield where Lynch is waiting

Analysis: The fatal move for the Broncos came when Bailey took a step inside to start on his blitz when there was movement in the Pats’ offense. However, this was only Brady sending Givens in motion, so Bailey had to take a step back into his regular position, but not before Branch had put his arm up as a signal to Brady of the blitz. Shortly thereafter, Bailey started in again, this time not stopping as the ball was snapped. Branch would put up the signal again before turning inside and waiting for the pass from Brady. Brady turned around as if it was a play action, but didn’t use the ball fake and instead looked for Branch immediately. He had to throw off his back foot with Bailey coming in hard, but the throw was on-target. With that area of the field not covered by the Denver zone-blitz, Branch had plenty of running room after the catch.

2nd and 2 NE 37

Result: Run, Dillon, left tackle, 1 yd.
Offense: 2 WR, Branch wide left, Givens wide right, 2 TE, Watson down off LT, Graham down off RT, Dillon lone RB.
Defense: 4-3, both CBs 5 yards off.
Blocking: Watson kicks out the DE Coleman
Ashworth initially doubles Coleman, clearing out the hole, but Dillon is forced to cut outside into the WLB Gold, who Ashworth couldn’t chase around Watson in time
Mankins stands up the DT Veal, dragging him left
Hochstein takes a step forward to pick up the MLB Wilson, but Wilson lowers a shoulder into Hochstein and charges him into the backfield, where Dillon has to cut left to evade
Neal can’t get an angle on the DT Myers and has to follow him across the line, where Myers helps on the Dillon stop
Gorin has a similar experience to Hochstein’s with the charging SLB Williams, but his backfield blunder was away from Dillon’s run
Graham keeps a good block on the DE Ekuban as they slide across the line towards the run

Analysis: If Hochstein (and Gorin, for that matter), were able to hold the charges from the MLB and SLB at the line, then Dillon would have been able to hit the assigned hole which was cleared out by Ashworth. Instead of doing that and avoiding the outside containment from the WLB Gold, Dillon had to make his first cut 2 yards behind the line just to avoid hitting Hochstein, sending him straight into the path of the WLB and away from the help of Ashworth. Mankins also could have done a better job of keeping his DT out of the original hole.

Note: End of 3rd Quarter.

 

[pats1]

3rd and 1 NE 38

Result: Run, Dillon, right tackle, 17 yds.
Offense: 2 WR, Branch wide left, Givens wide right, 2 TE, Graham down off RT, Watson down right wing, Dillon lone RB.
Defense: 4-3, SLB pressure coverage on Watson, SLB showing blitz left wing, S Lynch comes down behind the SLB, CB on Branch pressure coverage, CB on Givens 5 yards off.
Blocking: Ashworth rides the blitz from the SLB Williams outside
Mankins pulls right but is trambled by Neal from behind, only able to lay a hand on the MLB Wilson to his left
Hochstein turns left to engage with the DE Pryce, but somehow falls to his knees at Coleman’s feet in the process
Neal stands up the DT Myers but loses control right has Mankins pulls by to his right, sending the trio tumbling to the ground
Gorin is beat outside quickly by the DT Warren, but turns and stands up Warren to hold the backside of the running lane
Graham kicks the DE Ekuban out
Watson drives the WLB Gold forward enough for Dillon has some room to get away from the line and then cut outside into open field before Watson loses control of Gold
Givens sets a half-hearted block on his CB Bailey right next to Watson, also helping Dillon find room, but Bailey quickly breaks free and gives chase with Gold, Wilson, and others

Anaylsis: The Denver blitz on the non-play side drew the SLB away from the play, and also brought Lynch down to fill that hole. With 2 TEs, 1 WR, and 1 pulling G to playside, the Pats brought it at the Broncos straight forward. A good kick out block from Watson took the playside DE out of the play, while Watson and Givens drove the WLB and CB downfield to give Dillon room to bring the run towards the sidelines and away from traffic. It would take the FS Brandon to come down and force Dillon out of bounds 17 yards later.

Note: After this play, CBS would show that short clip of McGinest shoving Izzo on the sidelines, after the Anderson touchdown a few plays prior. Vrabel and Mangini would break it up.

1st and 10 Den 45

Result: Pass, Davis, Incomplete, play action, 15 yard wheel, pass dropped.
Offense: 4 WR, Branch wide left, Watson left wing, Davis and Givens right wing bunch, Faulk lone RB.
Defense: 4-2-5 nickel, CB on Branch pressure coverage, WLB 5 yards off Watson, NB pressure coverage on Davis, CB 5 yards off Givens.
Blocking: Ashworth slides inside to pick up the slanting DE Brown, but is bull rushed back into Brady’s face
Mankins slides right with the DT Warren where Hochstein doubles, but is knocked backwards when Ashworth is driven back
Hochstein slides right before he turns back left to double the DT Warren with Mankins
Neal and Gorin ride the DE Pryce outside
Watson takes a step inside where he picks up the stunting DT Myers
Coverage: Faulk comes through the line and towards the right flat uncovered as Brady looks deep
Branch beats his CB inside with a quick arm move but must have entered into a safety zone because Brady looks off Branch and goes to his secondary target
Givens beats the NB inside but is picked up by both the MLB and WLB, with the WLB ending up on his back after the play somehow
Davis crosses behind Givens’ route to beat the NB deep before continuing with his wheel route, cutting underneath both Bailey and Ferguson, where Davis is open, but has to stop and come back towards the sideline for the ball, where Davis falls to his knees and drops it

Analysis: The throw might not have been in-stride from Brady, but it was by all means catchable. Davis had to stop and go to his knees for the ball, but it still hit his chest – only to bounce out.

2nd and 10 Den 45

Result: Pass, Faulk, dump-off underneath, 14 yds., pass thrown under pressure.
Offense: 4 WR, Brown, Givens, and Watson (in motion from down off RT) bunch left wing, Branch wide right, Faulk lone RB.
Defense: 4-2-5 nickel, MLB and S Ferguson showing blitz over C, WLB follows Watson in motion, settling a few yards off the bunch, S Lynch pressure coverage on Brown, CB 5 yards off Branch, CB Foxworth and NB 10 yards off bunch.
Blocking: Watson crashes into Lynch’s blitz on the edge before starting into a route as Lynch backs off the blitz
Ashworth holds his ground surprisingly well against both the DE Brown and the DT Myers, who was chipped Ashworth’s way by Mankins
Mankins chips the DT Myers towards Ashworth before Hochstein knocks the MLB Wilson his way, and then the DT Warren is pushed into Mankins’ back, spinning him around
Hochstein chips the blitzing MLB Wilson towards Mankins before coming out on the Faulk dump-off and attempting to chase down Bailey ahead of Faulk’s run
Neal engages with the blitzing S Ferguson but has the DT Warren beat Gorin inside and into Neal’s back before Neal spins around on the pass and tries in vain to chase down Ferguson, who will run Faulk out of bounds downfield
Gorin is beat inside by the DT Warren, also allowing the DE Pryce to come in free behind Gorin, dodge Faulk, but be quickly turned around once Brady dumps it off to Faulk
Coverage: Givens takes post route across the middle and gets a nice block on the NB Da. Williams downfield
Branch looks to get a good block initially on the CB Bailey about 10 yards downfield from Brady, but loses his angle and releases Bailey to avoid a holding penalty
Brown takes a short hook route that is picked up by the WLB Gold

Analysis: Yet another effective measure to combat the blitz. 6 Patriots were able to hold the rush from 6 of the 7 Broncos, leaving only the DE Pryce free for Brady and Faulk to play games with. Pryce thought he had Brady free when Faulk didn’t pick up his rush, but as soon as Brady felt the pressure from Pryce, he turned him right around with a dump-off to Faulk. Not surpisingly, two Patriot linemen weren’t able to chase down two Denver defensive backs downfield to block for Faulk, but a good block from Givens and an adequate one from Branch gave Faulk the room for the first down.

Note: The play clock reaching ‘0’ and the snap were simultaneous on this play.

 

[pats1]

1st and 10 Den 31

Result: Pass, Faulk, play action, crossing pattern underneath, 6 yds.
Offense: 3 WR, Davis wide left, Branch left slot, Givens wide right, TE Watson down off RT, Faulk lone RB.
Defense: 4-2-5 nickel, NB and CB on Davis pressure coverage, CB on Givens 5 yards off.
Blocking: Ashworth rides the DE Pryce outside and behind Brady
Mankins rides the DT Myers outside to open a throwing lane
Hochstein and Neal double the DT Veal
Gorin picks up the DE Brown from Watson
Watson chips the DE Brown before backpedaling into the right flat
Coverage: Givens, Branch, and Davisall go deep
Faulk comes through the line and immediately turns towards the left flat, is picked up by the MLB Wilson from behind, who brings down Faulk in the open field after the catch

Analysis: With Dillon on the sideline paying a visit to the oxygen mask, Faulk was in there for his third straight play, delivering again. This was a simple clearout, with Faulk slipping into the wide open area underneath, where he beat the man coverage from Wilson and almost Wilson’s dive tackle after the catch.

2nd and 4 Den 25

Result: Run, Dillon, right guard, 0 yds.
Offense: 2 WR, Branch wide left, Givens wide right, 2 TE, Graham down off RT, Watson in motion behind RG, Dillon lone RB.
Defense: 4-2-5, 3rd S Brandon tight right edge, S Ferguson comes up over RG, both CBs 5 yards off.
Blocking: Watson continues across the formation to cover the backside, or in this case, doubling with Ashworth
Ashworth quickly comes inside and gets the angle on the DT Veal before Watson pulls and helps double
Mankins bulldozes the DT Myers forward
Hochstein starts to double with Mankins before he slips to a knee, in the process obstructing the DE Pryce trying to cross behind the line towards the run
Neal attacks the DE Brown head-on, but Brown bulldozes right through Neal
Gorin turns inside on the DE Brown, literally falling on top of both Brown and Neal just as Brown was pushing Neal back
Graham rides the S Brandon outside

Analysis: You have to wonder what in the world Neal and Gorin were doing here. As soon as the DE Brown got penetration on Neal by way of bending him backwards, Gorin turned inside and just tackled them both to the ground in the backfield. Right when Dillon got the handoff, he had that obstruction sitting right in front of him, so he cut outside, only to meet the awaiting arms of Al Wilson. It was most likely Hochstein’s duty if he didn’t stumble to get a lick on a LB, but it would have been the trailing SLB, not the pouncing MLB. Watson pulling across was relatively useless, as the LBs just attacked straight towards the run instead of trying the backdoor. With Graham having to pick up the unexpected safety at the line, Wilson was free to take down Dillon before he even had room to make a move.

3rd and 4 Den 25

Result: Timeout, Denver – 2 remaining in the second half.
Offense: 2 WR, Branch wide left, Givens wide right, 2 TE, Graham down off RT, Watson down right wing, Dillon lone RB.

Anaylsis: The Patriots went into the hurry-up offense, catching Denver off-guard.

 

[pats1]

That's all I have. I doubt I'll ever finish the last 10:00 or so of the game.