When there are relatively few runs (20 out of 64 plays from scrimmage), it's fair to look at the one outlier that drives the average up.
We'll just have to disagree on the rest. It's my view that if you pass 2x as often as you run, your plan was to de-emphasize the run, especially when you ran more than you passed the week before against a weak run defense.
The only drive during which the Pats ran more often than they passed was on the drive right before the two minute warning in the fourth quarter: seven of their 20 runs for the entire game came during that drive.
In the entire rest of the game, they only ran the ball 13 times but passed it 43 times. There is just no way that it can be argued that the Pats were not staying away from the run game yesterday.
They went with what worked. in terms of cutting out the "one outlier" lets look at Each run.
Blount
run #1: 3 yards for a TD. thats going to hurt the average a bit, but he got every possible yard he could.
run #2: 2 yards, Suh is a monster.
run #3: 23 yards, I'm sure this was a mistake right, this is the outlier
run #4: 1 yard, The lions are batting 50% on blount so far
run #5: 33 yards, is this one the outlier? I feel like this one is probably the outlier
run #6: 1 yard, back to 50%
run #7: 7 yards, only 7 might as well be a tackle for a lost, am i right fellas?
run #8: -1 yards, first tackle for a loss on blount happens 4:10 til the end of the game
run #9: 2 yards killing clock at the end of the game
run#10: 2 yards, still killing clock
run #11: 4yards kill that clock with some blount force trauma
run #12: 1 yard, touchdoooooooooooooooown
78/12 = 6.5 ypc his big runs came exactly when we needed them. nothing hurts a defense's "drive" more then a long run on a vaunted run defense.
Vereen
run#1 -5 yards Suh is a monster
run#2 4 yards
run #3 4 yards
run #4 -3 yards monster Suh again
run #5 9 yards
run #6 no gain
run #7 3 yards
run #8 no gain
12/8 1.5 ypc. Vereen had one decent run sandwhiched between a whole lot of garbage, but he was a force in the passing game.
the lions had the number one rushing defense, and they lived up to that, it's no surprise the patriots passed more then ran. you don't play into your opponents strength... at least not unless you are the raiders, jets, or jags.