Jax: Abbreviated Break Down

[pats1]

2nd and 8 NE 38

Result: Run, Dillon, up the middle, 2 yds.
Offense: 3 WR, Davis wide left, Brown left slot, Branch wide right, Watson TE down off LT, Dillon lone RB.
Defense: 3-3-5 nickel, DL shifted weak side, LOLB pressure coverage on Watson, ROLB closer to line than Peterson, over RG, all 3 CBs pressure coverage.
Blocking: Watson can’t get control of Daryl Smith, the LOLB, and allows Smith to make the tackle on Dillon
Kaczur pulls right and slams into the ROLB Ayodele behind the line, but can’t retain the block and Ayodele was subsequently unblocked, albeit Dillon is already being tackled
Mankins drives a DE left and out of the hole
Hochstein helps Neal drive the NT Meier downfield, ahead of the run, but Neal breaks off and Hochstein loses control, allowing Meier to help out on the tackle
Neal initially helps Hochstein with the NT Meier before breaking off seeing Peterson coming in, but Neal can’t reach Peterson in time and instead helps drag the NB off the pile
Gorin brings his head down in a block to the outside hip of the DE, allowing that DE to step inside and easily shed Gorin’s block and help push Dillon back on the tackle

Analysis: Watson was unable to sustain any type of block on the LOLB in coverage over him, of whom started the tackle. Hochstein was also unable to control the NT after Neal broke off and he himself unable to stop Peterson in time, and along with Gorin’s mishap on the edge, the 4 Jaguars tacklers were able to finish off the tackle Daryl Smith started.

3rd and 6 NE 40

Result: Pass, Watson, 10 yard post, 16 yds.
Offense: Shotgun 3 WR, Davis left slot (in motion from wide left), Brown right slot, Branch wide right, Watson TE down off LT, Faulk lone RB to the left of Brady in the shotgun.
Defense: 3-3-5 nickel, LBs shaded strong side, LOLB pressure coverage over Watson left wing, MLB over LT, ROLB showing blitz over RG, all 3 CBs pressure coverage.
Blocking: Kaczur and Mankins double team the NT Stroud, who was chipped their way by Hochstein, without penetration
Hochstein chips the NT Stroud towards Kaczur and Mankins before picking up the stunting DE Meier, riding the block a few yards in front of Brady
Neal picks up the blitz from the ROLB Daryl Smith, not allowing an inch of penetration with a few shoves
Gorin rides a DE dangerously close at about 2 o’clock to Brady
Faulk picks up the blitz by the LOLB on the edge, riding it behind Brady, losing control fortunately just as the throw is made
Coverage: Davisdoes about a 10 yard in with MLB and CB coverage tight
Watson does a 10 yard post across the field, drawing coverage from the rookie SS Sensabaugh and catching the ball past the right hash, the throw to the chest and the tackle quick
Brown draws NB into the open left side of the field in about a 15 yard slant route, and was also open
Branch breaks it inside and then deep, drawing CB and FS coverage

Analysis: Watson was able to cut across a wide open middle of the field with 2 linebackers blitzing and the other drawn in by Davis’ route. The protection was more than adequate, and the throw perfect. Watson was able to use his size and speed to make the rookie SS’s coverage a non-factor, with Sensabaugh trailing a bit after Watson’s post-cut action, and Watson’s size and strength not allowing Sensabaugh to disrupt the actual catch.

1st and 10 Jax 45

Result: Run, Faulk, right guard, 6 yds.
Offense: 3 WR, Davis wide left, Brown right slot, Branch wide right, Watson TE down off LT, Faulk lone RB.
Defense: 3-3-5 nickel, LOLB pressure coverage over Watson left wing, ROLB closer to line than MLB Peterson, all 3 CBs pressure coverage.
Blocking: Watson can’t get downfield enough to block the LOLB Daryl Smith, with Kaczur in his way as Smith already has Faulk in his grasp
Kaczur holds the edge of the hole just long enough against a DE
Mankins helps Hochstein drive the NT out of the hole right before holding the edge of the hole against the MLB Peterson
Hochstein drives the NT to the right, out of the hole, and to the ground
Neal attempts to block the ROLB but is knocked to the ground before he can get there by the NT, who was pushed down by Hochstein
Gorin holds the edge against a DE
Brown can’t reach the NB in time to get a block, that NB right in front of the tackle if Faulk were to break free. Sensabaugh was ready out of the defensive backfield

Analysis: Great blocking by the offensive line here, with Watson the rotten apple. Nice 6 yard gain on 2nd down to open things up.

2nd and 4 Jax 39

Result: Run, Faulk, right tackle, 5 yds.
Offense: 3 WR, Davis wide left, Brown right slot, Branch wide right, Watson TE down off LT, Faulk lone RB.
Defense: 3-3-5 nickel, LOLB pressure coverage over Watson left wing, ROLB closer to line than MLB Peterson, all 3 CBs pressure coverage.
Blocking: Watson drives the LOLB downfield, ahead of the play, but will lose control as the tackle was made, with the LOLB ready if Faulk was to beak free
Kaczur holds his ground just long enough on the edge against the DE for Faulk not to be disrupted by any means
Mankins helps Hochstein drive the NT right, out of the hole, before trying to engage the MLB but not succeeding for the most part, but the MLB is too off balance and ahead of the run
Hochstein will drive the NT to the right off the snap before pivoting to hold the left edge of the narrow hole
Neal will drive the ROLB Ayodele downfield and to the right of the hole, but will lose control as Faulk goes by, with Ayodele, on his knees, making the shoulder-to-knee lead tackle on Faulk, who has lowered his shoulders with no large hole available
Gorin holds the edge against a DE before losing control and the DE diving on the back edge of the pile
Brown is able to get just enough inside position on the NB, keeping him away from the play
Branch overpursues downfield on the RCB but recovers nicely, holding his ground until the tackle is made, about 5 yards to the right of the run

Analysis: Hochstein’s inability to drive the NT wide enough to create any hole presented the need for Faulk to lower his shoulder in order to gain the necessary yardage for the first down, which he did barely despite Neal’s loss of control on the ROLB Ayodele, who made the lead tackle. The left side of the hole also started to collapse with Kaczur’s block dragging inside, and the DE eventually falling on top of Faulk for security. Still a first down due to the gritty running of Kevin Faulk.

 

[pats1]

1st and 10 Jax 34

Result: Pass, Watson, Incomplete, 2 yard drag into flat, pass overthrown under pressure.
Offense: 4 WR, Brown left slot (in motion from wide left), Davis and Watson left wing stacked, Branch wide right, Dillon lone RB.
Defense: 3-3-5 nickel, LOLB showing blitz over LG, ROLB over RT, closer to line than Peterson, over RG, NB 5 yards off Davis left wing, CBs pressure coverage.
Blocking: Kaczur rides a DE outside without penetration
Mankins holds the blitz from the LOLB Smith without penetration
Hochstein chips the NT Neal’s way before noticing the blitz by the MLB Peterson, which Hochstein slides left to pick up, but he is too late, although Dillon will pick it up
Neal holds the rush from the NT Stroud without penetration
Gorin rides a DE outside without penetration
Dillon picks up the blitz from the MLB Peterson between Kaczur and Mankins, with Dillon stepping up behind C first, then having to dive left to chop down Peterson - a successful move, however one that occurred right in front of Brady, and with Peterson quickly getting up, Brady was forced to throw quickly left, the throw sailing very high
Coverage: Watson takes a short drag route towards the far sideline, wide open with only the NB still 5 yards away even after the throw sailed high, far out of Watson’s reach
Brown, Davis, and Branch take 5-15 yard routes, drawing the ROLB, 2 CBs, 2 S’s and the NB long enough for Watson to be wide open in the flat

Analysis: Horrible short throw by Brady here with no near pass coverage to force it. Dillon bought Brady enough time with the chop-down of Peterson to throw an at least decent throw, and a Brady normally unfazed by immenent pressure seemed to prematurely panic here. I’m thinking he didn’t want to scramble to free more time as Watson would only be wide open for a few seconds longer, but there was definitely time to set and make a better throw to a wide open Watson.

2nd and 10 Jax 34

Result: Run, Davis, direct snap to Faulk and reverse to Davis, left-to-right behind line, 13 yds.
Offense: Shotgun 4 WR, Givens (in motion from right wing), Davis, Fauria stack left wing, Branch right slot, Faulk RB to right of Brady in shotgun.
Defense: 3-3-5 nickel, ROLB showing blitz over RG, all 3 CBs pressure coverage (2 on stack, 1 on Branch).
Blocking: Fauria holds a DE away from the play
Kaczur comes out and blocks the LOLB following the reverse
Mankins comes out and blocks the MLB following the reverse
Hochstein keeps the NT away from the run
Neal chips the NT into Hochstein before coming out and blocking ahead of the run
Gorin blocks the ROLB following the reverse
Brady tries to speed up ahead of Davis enough to block the DE Wiley, only giving a push to get Wiley close enough to knock Davis out of bounds
Branch is either blocking the FS or his CB about 15 yards ahead of the run

Analysis: Nice bout of trickery by Belichick here, with the direct snap to Faulk already catching the defense scrambling off-guard, but the Davis reverse allowed the offensive linemen more time to get in position to get stopping blocks on the linebackers and defensive linemen. If Brady had a ½ second better 40 speed, maybe, just maybe he would have gotten to Wiley on this play, which might have sprung Davis, depending on if Neal could plow the final path.

1st and 10 Jax 21

Result: Run, Dillon, left tackle, 1 yd.
Offense: 3 WR, Branch wide left, Brown left slot, Davis wide right, Watson TE down off RT, Dillon lone RB.
Defense: 3-3-5 nickel, ROLB pressure coverage over Watson right wing, all 3 CBs pressure coverage.
Blocking: Kaczur overpursues downfield and allows the DE Spicer to shed his block and beat Kaczur outside, where Spicer dives for Dillon in the backfield, but bites the dust with somewhat of a stiff arm, but slowing down Dillon nonetheless
Mankins comes up and engages the LOLB Peterson, eventually pushing him to the ground behind the run
Hochstein will get position on Hendesron but can’t hold it, with the NT Henderson shedding the block and helping out on the tackle
Neal pushes left but overpursues on the MLB Ayodele, having to turn around and chase Ayodele from behind, who sort of helps out on the tackle
Gorin drives the DE Wiley downfield but then loses control and has to drag the block towards the run, but Wiley doesn’t factor in on the tackle with Gorin’s retention adequate
Watson chips Gorin’s DE before laying a block on the ROLB Smith
Branch, after a few shoves with his CB, loses control of his block and allows his CB Wright to make the lead tackle on Dillon
Brown just can’t hold his tackle long enough, with the NB breaking loose right at the last second, with Dillon tripped up by Wright, to help out on the tackle

Analysis: Kaczur’s missed blocked doomed this play from the start, but poor WR blocking and very mediocre OL blocking finished it off.

2nd and 9 Jax 20

Result: Pass, Watson, 5 yard hook, 12 yard gain, FUMBLES at Jax 12, forced by Jax – Peterson, recovered by NE - Davis at Jax 3, no further gain, 17 yds.
Offense: Shotgun 5 WR, Dillon wide left (in motion from the right of Brady), Brach left slot, Watson right wing, Brown right slot, Davis wide right.
Defense: 3-3-5 nickel, LOLB pressure coverage on Branch left slot, ROLB pressure coverage on Watson right wing, CB on Dillon 5 yards off the line, NB on Brown 3 yards off, CB on Davis press.
Blocking: Kaczur rides a DE outside without penetration
Mankins holds the NT without penetration
Hochstein and Neal hold the blitzing ROLB without penetration
Gorin rides a DE outside without penetration
Coverage: Dillon takes it down the far sideline, drawing a CB
Branch is jostled around by the LOLB while trying to execute a short out route
Watson takes a short hook with the MLB Peterson dropping back in coverage, with Watson catching the bullet, turning, and while he gets hit from behind by Peterson, the ball pops loose with a left-handed punch to it and subsequently bounces downfield
Brown slants across the middle, drawing a NB
Davisdoes a 5 yard out with his CB dropping off once Watson gets it, where Davis notices the fumble and chases it down (his CB will trip over Watson) despite having Sensabaugh, who overpursued the fumble, on top of Davis’ back during the recovery

Analysis: The ROLB blitz allowed Watson to be open long enough for Brady to get it to him quickly, where Peterson made a great strip. Davis was the quickest to the ball, and thus the rescuer of the fumble.

 

[pats1]

1st and 3 Jax 3

Result: Pass, Givens, 5 yard seam, play action, 3 yds., caught in back-center of endzone, TOUCHDOWN.
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, NB pressure coverage on Brown, CBs playing on the goal line, FS 5 yards off the line over left wing.
Blocking: Kaczur holds a DE on the edge
Mankins pulls right as if Dillon’s play action was real
Hochstein holds his ground against the DT Henderson
Neal and Gorin double team the DT Stroud without penetration
Watson holds the edge against a DE
Dillon receives the play action, drawing both LBs, the SS, and Givens’ CB away just long enough for Brady to fire it for Givens
Coverage: Givens takes a little 5 yard straight route towards the back of the endzone, wide open for Brady’s pass after the play action had his CB and the SS biting
Branch and Brown draw a CB, the NB, and the FS in endzone routes on the other side of the field

Analysis: This perfectly executed play action had the aggressive Jaguars biting and Givens wide open in the back of the endzone. Perfect timing, perfect protection, perfect pass.

Extra Point

Result: Converted

Score: New England 14 – Jacksonville 3

 

[pats1]

Defensive Series #7 Punt

Contributor: Pats1
Time: 7:13 remaining in the third quarter
Statistics: 3 plays (0 run, 3 pass), 1 yard (0 run, 1 pass), time of possession was 1:17
Breakdown: 3 green plays (0 run, 3 pass) for 1 yd. (0 run, 1 pass), 0 black plays for 0 yds., 0 red plays for 0 yds.

Kickoff: Wimbush 23 yd. return from the Jax 8 to the Jax 31
Wimbush brings it up to the wedge’s point before being taken down by C. Brown.

1st and 10 Jax 31

Result: Pass, R. Williams, Incomplete, 5 yard hook, pass underthrown.
Offense: Shotgun 3 WR, 2 left, 1 right, TE hands-on-knees right wing, RB Pearman to the right of Leftwich in the shotgun.
Defense: 4-2-5 nickel, Colvin-Seymour-Green-McGinest line, Hobbs 5 yards off the RWR, Poteat 5 yards off the left slot WR, Samuel M.I.A.
Blocking: Colvin rides the LT outside and tries to spin towards Leftwich but spins into Seymour
Seymourbeats the LG outside but the C comes around the LG and knocks Seymour down from behind
Green doesn’t get penetration on the RG
McGinest is double teamed on the edge by the RT and TE
Coverage: Vrabel drops into a short zone on the right side of the field
C. Brown drops into a short zone on the left side of the field, and is playing inside coverage on Williams’ hook, but is about 5 yards away when the ball is whistled dead
Poteat drops back behind Williams’ almost fake-in route which turns back outside, and is about at 10:00 to Williams, 3 yards away, when the ball is whistled dead

Analysis: Plain and simple, this was a horrible throw by Leftwich, bouncing off Williams’ feet with no pocket pressure to force it, nor any immediate coverage.

2nd and 10 Jax 31

Result: Pass, K. Brady, 2 yard drag into the flat, 1 yd., pass thrown under pressure from Green and Seymour.
Offense: Shotgun 3 WR, 2 right, 1 left, TE down off RT, RB Pearman to left of Leftwich in the shotgun.
Defense: 4-2-5 nickel, Colvin-Seymour-Green-McGinest line, Samuel 5 yards off the line, Poteat pressure coverage, Hobbs 7 yards off the line.
Blocking: Colvin rides the LT outside and spins back, pinching the pocket in more before getting pushed to the ground from behind by the C
Seymourbounces into the LG, drops back momentarily, beats the C inside, is unfazed by the LG’s second-shove and pushes through into Leftwich’s face, forcing the step left from Leftwich and the hasty throw
Green works his way outside of the RG, forcing Leftwich to step up and eventually, after Seymour’s subsequent pressure, throw to the TE in the flat
McGinest rides the RT outside before sliding back shadowing Leftwich’s stepup, and will break off from there and follow the pass
Coverage: Vrabel drops back into a short zone behind the short underneath route of the RB
C. Brown drops back into a short zone behind the short drag route of the TE, with Brown dragging the TE out of bounds just after the catch to ensure the single yard gain
Samuel drops back behind the 5 yard sideline hook of the right WR
Hobbs follows his man downfield, far past Brady’s route into the left flat

Analysis: Leftwich held the ball for over 4 seconds on this play, despite the Patriots giving his receivers room to catch it with coverage about 4 yards behind 3 short routes that left receivers standing still or shifting to get open as the 4-man rush slowly collapsed the pocket. Most of the 4 seconds were spent by Leftwich just trying to navigate through the mess of a pocket that was left, eventually firing an off-balance throw into the flat, where the Patriot soft coverage paid off and the pass went for virtually nothing.

3rd and 9 Jax 32

Result: Pass, J. Smith, Incomplete, 15 yard out, pass thrown under pressure from McGinest and Colvin.
Offense: Shotgun 3 WR, 2 right, 1 left, TE hands-on-knees right wing, RB Pearman to left of Leftwich in shotgun.
Defense: 4-2-5 nickel, Colvin-Green-Seymour-McGinest line, Hobbs and Samuel 10 yards off the line, Poteat pressure coverage in slot.
Blocking: Colvin will ride the LT outside and eventually half-shed the block when Leftwich steps up from McGinest’s pressure, with Colvin getting an arm in the face of Leftwich
Green can’t get around the LG, C, or RG, sliding laterally along the line and trying each hole without success
Seymour can’t get around the the RG or LG, doing the same sliding as Green
McGinest is chipped by the TE before breaking outside of the RT and doubling back, causing Leftwich to step up before the RT reacquires his block on McGinest
Coverage: Vrabel drops back into a zone behind the RB’s and TE’s short routes into the right flat
C. Brown drops back into a short zone in the middle of the field
Hawkins comes up and helps Samuel, but doesn’t follow Smith’s out route
Hobbs drops back with Smith for 15 yards before Smith takes a few steps inside, drawing both Hobbs and Hawkins with him, before Smith turns and takes it towards the sideline, and with Samuel not able to catch up in time, Smith had the coverage behind him and the throw high and towards the sideline. The throw might have been a tad too high, but Smith flat out drops it during a short leap, the ball just bouncing right off his chest.

Analysis: Hobbs’ coverage breakdown pretty much explains it all, with an open Jimmy Smith having a ball bounce off his chest that would of resulted in a first down.

4th and 9 Jax 32

Result: Punt, Hanson, to the NE 25, Dwight gets the punt and tries to repeatedly turn it upfield only to find himself running laterally before he’s finally taken down, 43 yd. punt, 4 yd. return.

Score: New England 14 – Jacksonville 3

 

[pats1]

Offensive Series #8 Touchdown

Contributor: Pats1
Time: 5:56 remaining in the third quarter
Statistics: 5 plays (2 run, 3 pass), 71 yards (11 run, 70 pass, -10 penalty), time of possession was 2:53
Breakdown: 4 green plays (2 run, 2 pass) for 81 yds (11 run, 70 pass)., 0 black plays for 0 yds., 1 red play (0 run, 1 pass) for 0 yds (0 run, 0 pass)., 10 penalty yards lost by the Patriots.

1st and 10 NE 29

Result: Run, Dillon, left tackle, 6 yds.
Offense: 3 WR, Davis wide left, Brown right slot, Branch wide right, Watson TE down off LT, Dillon lone RB.
Defense: 4-2-5 nickel, both CBs pressure coverage, NB showing blitz right wing.
Blocking: Watson forcefully drives the DE left and out of the hole
Kaczur comes up through the hole and pushes the LLB left and out of the hole, but could have been called for a holding penalty just before Dillon came past, as the LLB Daryl Smith got inside Kaczur for a moment and tried to get Dillon coming his way, but Kaczur grabbed the back of his jersey and tugged him back for a second or two
Mankins gets help from Hochstein off the snap in blocking Henderson, which gives Mankins enough time to work his way outside of Henderson and form the right side of the hole, where Mankins holds his ground for the duration of the run, but Henderson will eventually break free and help push Dillon to the ground after first contact
Hochstein will drive Henderson left on the snap for about 2 seconds before quickly turning around and blocking the RLB Peterson trying to sneak behind the run. Peterson would, however, break off and help get a stubborn Dillon to the ground along with Henderson
Neal holds Stroud just long enough that Stroud can’t get to the run in time, but Neal is dragged towards the run and eventually pushed to the ground, as Neal was trying to keep his feet set in one position, but Stroud kept dragging the block towards the run, and eventually that, along with Hochstein’s block on Peterson literally on Neal’s leg caused the fall.
Gorin has a nice block at first but puts very little effort into it, allowing the DE Wiley to disengage and use Neal/Stroud as a roadblock, trapping Gorin on the other side of the line and allowing Wiley to get over to the run and drag Dillon down after FS Deon Grant comes up and stops Dillon’s momentum
Davis will at first give the CB a few pushes and knocks to get him about 5 yards downfield of the run before Davis fully engages in a block, at which the CB breaks free and help Peterson push the tackle pile to the ground
T. Brown can’t catch up the NB in time and the NB will help Davis’ CB and Peterson finish off a Dillon tackle that FS Deon Grant and DE Wiley started

Analysis: Pretty decent blocking sprang this one 6 yards, but this play could have definitely gone a few more yards. The blame for such will fall on Gorin, who let Wiley pursue the play. When Dillon came through the well-formed hole (albeit partly due to Kaczur’s uncalled holding), only FS Deon Grant should have been standing in his way. That would have probably lead to Dillon being more aggressive insofar as trucking over Grant. Instead, both Grant and Wiley were standing in his way, so Dillon turned and lowered his shoulder just to try and get another yard or two. Other blockers need to learn how to hold blocks longer, because there were 6 Jaguars defenders helping on the tackle, 4 of which were previously blocked earlier on the play.
Dillon’s injury has been part of the drop in performance this year, but this play is just an example of how just one or two blocks can make a difference in changing the philoshopy of a run. Say, if this was 2004, and Gorin had made the block, Dillon likely would have gone 9 or 10 yards on this one, possibly even much more. Instead, the safer and essentially only choice is to just dive into the tacklers, simply because of a single missed block. Hopefully some stability in both the OL and RB corps, both of which were decimated by injuries, can bring back this running game to its 2004 glory in 2006.

 

[pats1]

2nd and 4 NE 35

Result: Run, Dillon, right guard, 5 yds.
Offense: 3 WR, Branch wide left, Brown right slot, Davis wide right, Graham TE down off RT, Dillon lone RB.
Defense: 4-2-5 nickel, CB on Branch 5 yards off, CB on Davis and NB on Brown pressure coverage.
Blocking: Kaczur slides inside of the DE too much, allowing that DE to easily turn Kaczur around and follow the play from behind, eventually helping out on the tackle on the other side of the line
Mankins also gets too far inside/downfield of a DT, allowing that DT to turn Mankins around, but this time, the DT trips while trying to turn the corner and falls to the ground
Hochstein and Neal drive the DT Stroud downfield, with Stroud eventually pushed to his knees
Gorin drives a DE downfield slightly and eventually to the ground
Graham chips a DE inside before taking on the RLB and giving repetative shoves downfield. Also, Graham stuttered between the RLB and LLB before taking on the RLB, stalling the LLB enough to keep him away from the play
T. Brown holds a block on the NB until Dillon gets first contact into the SS, but loses control once Dillon spins off that attempted tackle, with the NB helping Kaczur’s DE on the take-down of Dillon shortly thereafter.
Davis did the exact same thing as Troy, with Davis holding a good block on the CB until Dillon’s first contact, but the CB worked his way inside of Davis after that and helped the NB and Kaczur’s DE stop Dillon’s second effort

Analysis: This exemplifies what I said above. On this run, Dillon had only the SS Sensabaugh to take on, and broke the tackle, stumbling ahead for the 2-3 yards for the first down. Davis and Troy seemed to either quit or coincidentally simulataniously lose control of their blockers after is looked like the SS had Dillon wrapped up. Kaczur simply missed off the snap. It definitely took all 3 of those blockers (2 were small DBs) to take Dillon down after first contact. Gritty run for the first down.

1st and 10 NE 40

Result: Pass, Branch, Incomplete, 10 yard hook, pass deflected at line.
Offense: Shotgun 5 WR, Davis wide left, Brown left slot, Watson left wing, Branch right slot, Dillon wide right (in motion from the left of Brady).
Defense: 4-2-5 nickel, RLB showing blitz over RG, CB over Dillon 5 yards off the line, NB over Brown 5 yards off the line, other 3 DBs 5+ yards off.
Blocking: Kaczur holds a half-heartedly rushing DT on the edge
Mankins has no rusher to block, as the DE over Kaczur dropped back in coverage and the DT over Mankins stunted over to Kaczur, but Mankins will slide behind Hochstein and secure the blitzing LLB on the ground after Neal chops him down
Hochstein turns left off the snap but notices the RLB blitzing his way and picks that up
Neal was the prey on the blitz here, with the DT Stroud coming on the outside of Neal, drawing him that way, but then the LLB came in behind the RLB’s blitz to Neal’s left. Neal decided to let Stroud go and quickly chop down the blitzing RLB, which happened. Unfortunately, Stroud, now unblocked, barreled towards Brady and deflected the throw, sending it 5 yards short of Brady’s target, Branch, on a hook route right.
Gorin doesn’t slide quickly enough with the DE, turning Gorin around, and Brady would have likely gotten sacked by the DE Wiley if Stroud hadn’t forced the throw

Analysis: Just before the snap, with the playclock nearing zero, Brady pointed out the blitz look on the right side of the line. Since Jacksonville was lined up in the 4-3, the OL started out thinking Kaczur and Gorin would get the DEs, Mankins, Hochstein, and Neal the DTs and the single LB in a blitz look. Instead, the DE over Kaczur dropped into pass coverage on Watson, but Mankins was still thinking the DT was going to be his own before that DT slid over and was picked up by Kaczur. Mankins was thus free on the left side of the line, but Neal had the other DT and the unexpected blitzing LB to cover. That was the overload, but, Neal didn’t know that Mankins was free to get the LB (which was a definite possibility), so Neal chopped down that LB. Now the DT Stroud was free to get in Brady’s face. Hochstein was forced to take the expected blitzing LB, and Gorin got the expected DE on the edge.
After the play, the camera picked up Brady angrily yelling at Neal, and the microphone picked it up as “LET’S GO!!!” He’s right. It was a complicated blitz scheme, but there should have been better communication on the part of the OL.

 

[pats1]

2nd and 10 NE 40

Result: Run, Faulk, left tackle, 0 yds.
PENALTY on NE-N.Kaczur, Offensive Holding, 10 yards, enforced at NE 40 - No Play.
Offense: 3 WR, Branch wide left, Brown left slot, Davis wide right, Watson TE down off RT, Faulk lone RB.
Defense: 4-2-5 nickel, all 3 CBs pressure coverage.
Blocking: Kaczur takes the DE on the edge and there doesn’t look to be any hold, with the run coming behind and around Kaczur, who loses control of the DE once Faulk gets outside of Kaczur, with the DE making the tackle. There was a lot of shifty hands going on with Kaczur, but none of it looked like a hold from here.
Mankins takes care of Henderson, shoving him to the ground after Mankins loses control and Henderson penetrates the backfield, causing Faulk to sidestep and take the corner instead
Hochstein helps Mankins at first before diving on top of Troy, who pushed the NB to the ground, for whatever reason
Neal pushed Stroud to the ground on the other side of the line
Gorin can’t even engage in a block with the DE Wiley on the edge, who gave Gorin a few swim moves before following the run
Watson drives the RLB downfield
T. Brown gets position on the NB, his man, on this play as the NB quickly shot to the center of the line, just to have Faulk go to the outside instead, with Troy in his way with a block
Branch takes a route inside of the CB, looking like it’s deep, with the CB seeing the run and just letting Branch keep running, the CB helping out on the tackle

Analysis: The tackle was made by Kaczur’s DE on this play, along with the unblocked LLB and FS. Faulk had no lanes to run inside, so busted it outside where he was stuffed. The penalty was questionable but seemingly incidental considering the outcome of the play.

2nd and 20 NE 30

Result: Pass, Faulk, play action to Faulk, fake end-around to Branch, left-to-right behind line, screen left to Faulk, 7 yds.
Offense: 3 WR, Davis wide left, Branch left slot, coming in motion towards line on the snap, Givens wide right, Watson TE down off RT, Faulk lone RB.
Defense: 3-3-5 nickel, LBs shaded strong side, all 3 CBs pressure coverage.
Blocking: Kaczur is beaten inside by a DE, of whom barrels towards Brady, but the unfazed QB simply tosses it accurately to Faulk in the left flat
Mankins chips Kaczur’s DE before coming out ahead of Faulk’s catch, planting, but when the LOLB Peterson comes towards Faulk catching it, Mankins suddenly slips to his knees but is able to catch Peterson’s feet as he tries to turn the corner to chase Faulk upfield
Hochstein helps Neal hold Henderson before Hochstein drops off ahead of Faulk’s catch and drives the NB, who was trying to get to Faulk, into the ground
Neal has Hochstein’s help in holding Henderson, but once Hochstein drops off, Henderson breaks free and makes the tackle on Faulk once the CB gets his feet
Gorin holds a DE away from the play
Watson comes inside to check on Gorin before shadowing the ROLB on the other side of the field from Faulk’s catch
Davis takes a deep route up the sidelines, allowing his CB to come up and trip Faulk up after the catch

Analysis: The double fake here didn’t noticeably send any defenders off-guard enough to remove them from the play, but it gave Brady enough time to get it to Faulk on the edge, where he was wrapped up by defenders that were momentarily faked by the play actions, but were able to recover once Faulk actually got the ball to make the tackle. Kaczur was the rotten apple again, almost getting Brady sacked 10 yards behind the line after the fake end-around.

3rd and 13 NE 37

Result: Pass, Watson, 5 yard out, 63 yds., TOUCHDOWN.
Offense: Shotgun 4 WR, Davis wide left, Watson right wing, Branch right slot, Givens wide right, Faulk RB to left of Brady in shotgun.
Defense: 3-3-5 nickel, ROLB over pressure coverage on Watson right wing, NB 5 yards off Branch in the slot, CB on Givens 7 yards off the line, CB on Davis 7+ yards off the line.
Blocking: Kaczur rides a DE outside
Mankins picks up Henderson
Hochstein and Neal take care of the other DE, before Neal breaks off to get an arm on the blitzing ROLB as Brady is throwing
Gorin gets a blitz from the NB, and simply gets turned inside, but the NB can’t get to Brady in time. It’s shameful for a 300-pound OT to be almost knocked off his feet by a 185-pound NB, and it’s been a trend for Gorin lately
Faulk comes up and picks up the LOLB’s blitz
Coverage: Davis takes some type of deep route, his CB nowhere near Watson’s run
Watson takes a 5 yard out route underneath the floating MLB Peterson, breaks Peterson’s tackle at the NE 45, is knocked off-balance by the FS just after breaking free from Peterson’s tackle, stumbles to the sideline where his momentum breaks free from the SS’s tackle at midfield. From there, he takes it down the sideline and turns inside at the Jax 35, where he out-runs LB #51, CB #25, DE #93, CB #27, and DE #97.
Givens laid a block on CB #27 Mathis but lost it as Watson ran by
Branch couldn’t even catch up to Watson’s run to make any blocks

Analysis: This was simply all Watson here. There were virtually no blocks to help him out, only a 7-man rush from the defense that was either picked up or ineffective due to the fairly quick throw from Brady. Watson broke 3 tackles before outrunning 5 defenders. ‘Nuf ced.

Extra Point

Result: Converted

Score: New England 21 – Jacksonville 3

 

[pats1]

Defensive Series #8 Interception/Touchdown

Contributor: Pats1
Time: 3:03 remaining in the third quarter
Statistics: 6 plays (3 run, 3 pass), 30 yards (29 run, 1 pass … -73 interception), time of possession was 3:17
Breakdown: 2 green plays (0 run, 2 pass) for -5 yds. (0 run, -5 pass … -73 interception), 1 black play (1 run, 0 pass) for 4 yds. (4 run, 0 pass), 3 red plays (2 run, 1 pass) for 31 yds. (25 run, 6 pass)

Kickoff: Wimbush 28 yd. return from the Jax 10 to the Jax 38
Wimbush breaks it through the wedge before Chatham finally brings him down.

1st and 10 Jax 38

Result: Run, Taylor, left tackle, 7 yds.
Offense: Shotgun 3 WR, 2 right, 1 left, TE down off LT, Taylor RB to right of Leftwich in shotgun
Defense: 4-2-5 nickel, Colvin--Green--Seymour--Banta-Cain line, Poteat is at NB in pressure coverage, Hobbs and Samuel pressure coverage.
Blocking: Colvin rides the TE before noticing the run and spinning back, but can’t get around the TE after another spin
Green is driven right and away from the run by the LT and LG before getting pushed to the ground
Seymour is kept away from the run by the C and RG, but comes over and finishes off the tackle
Banta-Cain rides the RT outside and spins back, beating the RT to the run and was ready to tackle Taylor if Hawkins hadn’t
Vrabel engages with the LG when Taylor takes a step right before coming back left and shooting the wide hole between Colvin and Green, Vrabel spins off and catches Taylor’s feet
C. Brown follows the run from behind the line and gets caught up in the lines when he tries to pursue Taylor running left
Hawkins comes down and gets a textbook head-on tackle on Taylor after Vrabel trips up Taylor’s feet

Analysis: When Taylor got the ball, he started off going straight towards the center of the line despite a massive hole present just to his left, a move that engaged both Vrabel and C. Brown in blocks. Taylor then quickly shot the hole, and Vrabel was lucky to get Taylor’s ankles. Hawkins made the saving open field tackle here. You could see a big smile on the guy’s face afterwards.

2nd and 3 Jax 45

Result: Scramble, Leftwich, up the middle, 18 yds.
Offense: Shotgun 3 WR, 2 right, 1 left, TE hands-on-knees right wing, Taylor RB to left of Leftwich in shotgun
Defense: 4-2-5 nickel, Colvin--Green--Seymour--Banta-Cain line, Poteat and Samuel pressure coverage, Hobbs 7 yards off the line
Blocking: Colvin rides the LT all the way behind Leftwich, but spins once Leftwich scrambles but can’t catch up to the run
Green beats the LG outside and helps force the Leftwich scramble
Seymour beats the RG outside and almost gets Leftwich by the ankles, starting the scramble
Banta-Cain spins around the RT eventually but can’t catch up to Leftwich from behind
Vrabel drops back into a zone on the right side of the field, and is blocked by WR M. Jones when he tries to get towards Leftwich
C. Brown drops back into a deep zone in the middle of the field and is blocked by Leftwich’s lead blocker, Taylor, just before Samuel scares Leftwich to the ground
Samuel is unblocked ahead of Leftwich, therefore causing the QB to slide down, but not after an 18-yard gain

Analysis: The Pats knew the Jaguars weren’t going to win the game with Leftwich scrambling for the final quarter, and they were mainly protecting against the deep ball with only a 4-man rush. It was an effective one in causing the scramble, just not turning it into a sack.

1st and 10 NE 37

Result: Pass, SACKED, Leftwich by McGinest, -5 yds.
Offense: Shotgun 3 WR, 2 right, 1 left, TE down off RT, RB Taylor to the right of Leftwich in the shotgun
Defense: 4-2-5 nickel, Colvin-Green-Seymour-McGinest line, LBs unsually far off the line, Poteat pressure coverage, Hobbs and Samuel 5 yards off the line
Blocking: Colvin engages with the LT before trying the stunt, where the C picks him up
Green rides the LG outside and is able to shed the block and help McGinest on the sack when Leftwich steps up to avoid Willie’s sack
Seymour rides the RG outside before spinning off the block, getting the RG on his knees, and readying himself if Leftwich were to break free from Willie
McGinest will push the RT further and further back before making his move inside and swallowing Leftwich whole
Coverage: Vrabel follows the TE’s route upfield
C. Brown picks up the RB’s route underneath from behind
Poteat, Hobbs, and Samuel take their men deep

Analysis: Great play by Willie here, with Leftwich looking for an open receiver deep, something that didn’t exist. Seymour and Green were also able to collapse the pocket.

Note: ABC would make a goof after this play, showing a graphic of Willie’s info but misspelling his name McGinnest.

 

[pats1]

2nd and 15 NE 42

Result: Pass, R. Williams, 5 yard out, 6 yds.
Offense: Shotgun 4 WR, 2 left, 2 right, RB Pearman to the right of Leftwich in the shotgun
Defense: 4-1-6 dime, Colvin-Green-Seymour-McGinest line, T. Brown and Poteat pressure coverage in the slots, Samuel and Hobbs 7+ yards off the line
Blocking: Colvin breaks off the LT and stunts behind Green, but can’t get anywhere before the throw
Green gets penetration but is held away from the QB by the LT and LG
Seymour is double teamed by the C and RG
McGinest rides the RT outside and behind Leftwich
Coverage: Vrabel dropped back into a zone in the middle of the field
Poteat will release hit slot WR to Wilson underneath before dropping back to help out Hobbs
Hobbstakes his WR deep
T. Brown was in light coverage behind Reggie William’s 5 yard out, and made the push-out to keep the play at 6 yards.
Samuel took his man deep

Analysis: The Jags were interestingly not going for the deeper routes here, with light Patriot coverage allowing the short stuff to be executed but not expounded on.

3rd and 9 NE 36

Result: Run, Pearman, left tackle, 4 yds.
Offense: Shotgun 3 WR, 2 left, 1 right, TE down off LT, Pearman RB to the right of Leftwich in the shotgun
Defense: 4-2-5 nickel, Colvin-Green-Seymour-McGinest line, Poteat pressure coverage, Hobbs a few yards off the line, Samuel 5 yards off the line.
Blocking: Colvin engages in a block with the TE on the left edge before dropping off and helping on the tackle
Green drives the LG right before spinning off and following the run
Seymour is held away from the side of the field of the run by the C and RG
McGinest engages in a block with the RT on the other side of the field
Vrabel is initially hit by the LT coming out, but the LT has to release to block C. Brown, of when Vrabel makes the tackle on Pearman coming through
C. Brown is blocked by the LT coming out

Analysis: The LT was overmatched by both C. Brown and Vrabel ready to make the tackle on Pearman coming up from behind. Vrabel was the freed man, and therefore the tackler.

Note: End of 3rd Qtr.

4th and 5 NE 32

Result: Pass, R. Williams, 5 yard out, INTERCEPTED by NE – Samuel at NE 27, TOUCHDOWN, 73 yd. return.
Offense: Shotgun 4 WR, 2 left, 2 right, RB Pearman to the right of Leftwich in the shotgun
Defense: 4-1-6 dime, Colvin-Green-Seymour-McGinest line, all 4 CBs pressure coverage
Blocking: Colvin rides the LT outside
Green can’t get around the LG
Seymour is doubled by the C and RG
McGinest rides the RT outside
Coverage: Hobbstakes his WR deep towards the endzone
T. Brown jams his WR at the line before that WR cuts inside, where Vrabel gives him the business
Poteat drops back and follows his man’s out route, in which Samuel steps in front of to intercept it
Samuel goes with his man’s deep route before quickly dropping off and turning around, stepping in front of the slot WR’s out route, and picking it off, returning it all the way

Analysis: After Belichick gave Mangini a high-five on the sideline, it looks like this was a pre-planned exploit of Leftwich. Samuel broke off his man’s route to step in front of Poteat’s with perfect timing, making Leftwich wish he didn’t throw it the second he actually did.

Extra Point

Result: Converted

Score: New England 28 – Jacksonville 3

 

[pats1]

That's all I have. I doubt I'll ever get to the rest of the game.