Some Praise for the Defense

[ivanvamp]

Look, they got off to a horrendous start. And overall, the numbers aren't terribly pretty. But a closer look might give us a little different spin on things.

First, the horrific start. Baltimore's first two drives, 16 plays, 150 yards, two touchdowns. Good grief. So at the 4:44 mark of the first quarter, 11:16 had been played and the Ravens' offense was *dominating* the Patriots' defense.

But after that, the Patriots allowed, over the next 49:44 of game time, just 283 yards of offense (not counting a few penalties, which we'll get to). After Flacco went 9-10 for 99 yards, 2 td, 0 int in those first two drives, he went 19-35 (54.3%), 193 yds, 2 td, 2 int after that. HUGE, HUGE difference.

Over the last 49:44, the Patriots allowed just 17 points and those 283 yards of offense. Of those 17, 7 came largely thanks to a terrible Patriots' turnover (the Brady INT) and a very, very sketchy pass interference call against Revis.

Moreover, the Pats' D made at least five HUGE plays over that stretch:

- Chung knocking the ball away from Daniels in the end zone, forcing a Ravens FG instead of a TD.
- McCourty's interception of Flacco.
- Harmon's interception of Flacco at the end.
- Collins' strip sack of Flacco. That one got called back because of the holding call on Revis, but still, the Pats' defense did make a huge play.
- The Hail Mary knock away, especially the part where Ryan knocked Torrey Smith to the ground, preventing him from getting the rebound (not sure he would have gotten to it anyway, but still, great play by Ryan).

I know over the entire game this wasn't the defense's best effort, but maybe rust was a huge factor early, and after that, they really came to play.

All in all, I think the defense played better than it sure felt like they did.

Baltimore's last 4 drives of the game (not counting the Hail Mary):

- 3 plays, -1 yards, punt
- 2 plays, 2 yards, interception
- 16 plays, 73 yards, field goal
- 9 plays, 53 yards, interception

While the Ravens, over the last 25:22, were mustering 3 points, the Patriots scored 21, taking them from a 28-14 deficit to a 35-31 victory.

The defense, when it mattered most, came up big.


*Note, on the two key penalties on Revis. First, the PI. I think it was a very tough call on him. He *clearly* earned the inside position, having run the route better than the receiver did. And Smith more pushed Revis than Revis pushed him. A very tough call on Revis that I think could have gone either way but which he gets 99% of the time, as he should. Second, on the holding that negated the huge Collins strip sack of Flacco…definitely held him. But what pisses me off about that call is that they didn't call the holding or PI on Moseley when he grabbed *both* of Gronk's arms preventing him from catching the ball in the 3rd quarter, NOR did they call Webb for any penalty at all when LaFell ran a route to the right and Webb literally wrapped both arms around him in a hug. So yes, Revis held, but when they call that but don't call the others, it's a lot harder to take.

Take away those two penalties (like when they swallowed the flags on the Moseley and Webb plays), and the Pats' defense not only doesn't give up points at the end of the first half, they also deny the Ravens the field goal in the fourth quarter (that's 10 points), AND they basically give the Pats' offense a touchdown, since the ball would have been at the 3 yard line (+7 for the Pats). So those two penalties - neither of which could have been called based on the non-flags on Ravens' defenders on far more egregious plays - cost the Patriots 17 points yesterday.

 

[RayClay]

Look, they got off to a horrendous start. And overall, the numbers aren't terribly pretty. But a closer look might give us a little different spin on things.

First, the horrific start. Baltimore's first two drives, 16 plays, 150 yards, two touchdowns. Good grief. So at the 4:44 mark of the first quarter, 11:16 had been played and the Ravens' offense was *dominating* the Patriots' defense.

But after that, the Patriots allowed, over the next 49:44 of game time, just 283 yards of offense (not counting a few penalties, which we'll get to). After Flacco went 9-10 for 99 yards, 2 td, 0 int in those first two drives, he went 19-35 (54.3%), 193 yds, 2 td, 2 int after that. HUGE, HUGE difference.

Over the last 49:44, the Patriots allowed just 17 points and those 283 yards of offense. Of those 17, 7 came largely thanks to a terrible Patriots' turnover (the Brady INT) and a very, very sketchy pass interference call against Revis.

Moreover, the Pats' D made at least five HUGE plays over that stretch:

- Chung knocking the ball away from Daniels in the end zone, forcing a Ravens FG instead of a TD.
- McCourty's interception of Flacco.
- Harmon's interception of Flacco at the end.
- Collins' strip sack of Flacco. That one got called back because of the holding call on Revis, but still, the Pats' defense did make a huge play.
- The Hail Mary knock away, especially the part where Ryan knocked Torrey Smith to the ground, preventing him from getting the rebound (not sure he would have gotten to it anyway, but still, great play by Ryan).

I know over the entire game this wasn't the defense's best effort, but maybe rust was a huge factor early, and after that, they really came to play.

All in all, I think the defense played better than it sure felt like they did.

Baltimore's last 4 drives of the game (not counting the Hail Mary):

- 3 plays, -1 yards, punt
- 2 plays, 2 yards, interception
- 16 plays, 73 yards, field goal
- 9 plays, 53 yards, interception

While the Ravens, over the last 25:22, were mustering 3 points, the Patriots scored 21, taking them from a 28-14 deficit to a 35-31 victory.

The defense, when it mattered most, came up big.


*Note, on the two key penalties on Revis. First, the PI. I think it was a very tough call on him. He *clearly* earned the inside position, having run the route better than the receiver did. And Smith more pushed Revis than Revis pushed him. A very tough call on Revis that I think could have gone either way but which he gets 99% of the time, as he should. Second, on the holding that negated the huge Collins strip sack of Flacco…definitely held him. But what pisses me off about that call is that they didn't call the holding or PI on Moseley when he grabbed *both* of Gronk's arms preventing him from catching the ball in the 3rd quarter, NOR did they call Webb for any penalty at all when LaFell ran a route to the right and Webb literally wrapped both arms around him in a hug. So yes, Revis held, but when they call that but don't call the others, it's a lot harder to take.

Take away those two penalties (like when they swallowed the flags on the Moseley and Webb plays), and the Pats' defense not only doesn't give up points at the end of the first half, they also deny the Ravens the field goal in the fourth quarter (that's 10 points), AND they basically give the Pats' offense a touchdown, since the ball would have been at the 3 yard line (+7 for the Pats). So those two penalties - neither of which could have been called based on the non-flags on Ravens' defenders on far more egregious plays - cost the Patriots 17 points yesterday.

I've decided to wait 30 minutes, then get some coffee before I give praise, OK? Hope I'm not too far behind by then.

 

[patsfaninpa]

I thought our defense stunk. And, we're lucky Flacco got greedy on their last drive. Which he has a tendency to do. So, I'll give Patricia credit for having help over the top. Got mauled in the running game. No pass rush. Receivers not covered all over. And for all the fantasy football players who think we need a NUMBER ONE WR, who the heck were the Ravens throwing to? A bunch of Jags and the Smiths.

 

[manxman2601]

Some observations:

1. The defence seemed terribly unprepared to start the game.
2. I've said it a number of times before but i'll repeat it. Good things happen when Collins and/or Hightower blitz the A gaps. They have to do it more often.
3. I said this in the draft forum but watching the Patriots and Seahawks back to back, it struck me that Collins is our Kam Chancellor albeit more versatile.
4. Every single game I get really cross with Browner's dumb dumb penalties and yet by the end of the gam I have to acknowledge that overall he played pretty well. But seriously running into a WR on 4th down? Christ that's dumb.
5. It's great to see that Harmon and Tavon Wilson have found a niche and are helping the team. Those 2nd and 3rd round picks at least have given us solid depth at the safety position. Now it's your turn Jake Bequette
6. Akeem Ayers has had 30 snaps in the last three games, a number skewed by the 24 he had against the Bills. Starting to wonder how valuable BB will think him on the return of Michael Buchanan. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see Ayers sign long-term i'm just much less sure that he will after yesterday.
7. The DL were poor yesterday. That needs to be watched. Marshawn Lynch eek!
8. Chung, on the other hand, played really well.

 

[Darrone]

The defense, when it mattered most, came up big.

Our defense also stopped the ravens 8 out of 9 times on third down, while they did give us a lot of 10-12 yard gains on the first two downs, they managed to really galvanize on third..

And the half-time adjustment to shut down Forsett was pretty impressive, they managed to slow him way way down in the second half, and force Flacco to make some poor throws.

I'll admit my view from the nosebleeds wasn't perfect, but it felt like the defense slowly improved and adjusted to the Ravens style, and that is what made the difference.

 

[SunsOutGunsOut]

How about J.Collins ... ?? That boy is special man .. Revis penalty was a back breaker for his spectacular play .. How about when he broke up that play with the fullback 30 plus yards downfield .. ? Woah .. Chandler Jones was a no-show, no matter how you dice it .. One trick pony man .. Undrafted Rookie Tackle took his lunch ..

 

[Kdo5]

Hmm, I'm not so sure about giving much praise to the defense last night. On the plus side there were a few big plays that we needed and were made. Both INTs, the 3rd down stop w/Chung, and had Revis not held...a really great play by Collins with the strip sack.

But the bottom line is that they surrendered 31 points. They might have improved somewhat in the second half but they still let up a lot of points. I think the most since the KC debacle.

They got gashed in the run game consistently. Flacco was rarely under significant pressure (hurried two or three times but that was the extent of it). The penalties by Revis really hurt us, even though the PI was very ticky tacky. The holding penalty was a total kick in the nuts considering the outcome of the play had he not grabbed Smith.

The defense made a few key plays but overall we were in such dire straits throughout the game because of the defense.

 

[patsinthesnow]

428 yards and 31 points. I'll pass. This was a defensive choke job.

Make no mistake, this game was all about a legend willing his team to victory with no running game, a mediocre at best defensive performance, and a shaky OL. Brady bailed out BB big time.

 

[TBR]

Yea great play by Ryan on the hail mary. No pass interference can be called on a tipped ball.

Not so sure I can praise the D for the rest of the game though. They obviously made some plays here & there but overall it was bad.

 

[patsfan06]

Our defense is shockingly good in the 2nd half.

The one second half TD we gave up in this game was just the second 2nd half TD we have given up since the bye week.

 

[Kdo5]

428 yards and 31 points. I'll pass. This was a defensive choke job.

Make no mistake, this game was all about a legend willing his team to victory with no running game, a mediocre at best defensive performance, and a shaky OL. Brady bailed out BB big time.

Yep. And all due respect to the guys who made the plays with Brady. But Tom carried the team on his shoulders tonight when things looked at their bleakest. That was vintage playoff Brady. Best game since the divisional versus Jacksonville several years ago when he was close to perfect statistically.

Offense really bailed out the defense tonight, hopefully we straighten things out and our defense can be more of a plus and less of a liability come next Sunday.

 

[mayoclinic]

The defence seemed terribly unprepared to start the game.

Absolutely. Some of that was rust getting kicked off. But the Ravens scored 21 of their 31 points on their first 2 drives of the 1st half and their 1st drive of the 2nd half - the ones where they run their scripted plays. That seems to be a consistent problem for the defense - they tend to give up an opening drive by the opposing offense far too many times, and then tighten up. Consider:

Week 17, Buffalo: Gave up an 80 yard TD drive to start the game. Held the Bills to 10 points the rest of the way.

Week 16, @Jets: Gave up an 87 yard TD drive to start the 2nd half.

Week 15, Miami: Gave up a 57 yard drive to start the game, and were bailed out by the Collins blocked FG attempt.

I'd say the Pats need to do a better job preparing for how other teams come out of the gate.

I've said it a number of times before but i'll repeat it. Good things happen when Collins and/or Hightower blitz the A gaps. They have to do it more often.

Amen to that. Hightower and Collins are a mismatch nightmare for every team in the NFL. No one seems to have an answer for them.

 

[patsfaninpa]

Players are loosened up and ready to go at the start of the game. Makes no sense to play so passive on defense. More aggressive coverage and pressure. The defensive players are loosened up and hyped to go. My .02

 

[Fencer]

The 31 points they gave up also doesn't happen to be an inflated figure, except -- and I will say this is a significant exception -- insofar as we blame the refs for calling penalties on the defense only. They only were handed bad field position once, and it was near the border of FG range. On the other hand, the Ravens skipped a FG try late in the game because they needed to go for 7.

And the defense only had one series that they ended by giving the offense excellent field position (the McCourty INT, which the offense happened to squander). So not a lot to brag about there either.

 

[manxman2601]

Players are loosened up and ready to go at the start of the game. Makes no sense to play so passive on defense. More aggressive coverage and pressure. The defensive players are loosened up and hyped to go. My .02

Absolutely. It makes even more sense to be aggressive on these scripted early plays because you can disrupt the plan very early. I have no idea why we start off so conservatively. As @mayoclinic notes, it's not usually that successful.

 

[kennyb]

How was Wilfork doing? Did branch play? That forsett is a tricky little guy.

 

[Patriot Missile]

Besides the bad holding call that negated Collins spectacular play, Revis was lights out in the 2nd half.

Yeah the defense was bad but if you didn't like the way Collins played you weren't watching.

OT. Speaking of Collins, during the Seattle game Chancellor jumped over the line to block the fg twice, both called back. The announcers seemed like they had never seen that before. Collins just did it a few weeks ago with success and I'm betting Chancellor saw Jamie do it and decided to try it. Very effective.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Baltimore's last 4 drives of the game (not counting the Hail Mary):

- 3 plays, -1 yards, punt
- 2 plays, 2 yards, interception
- 16 plays, 73 yards, field goal
- 9 plays, 53 yards, interception

While the Ravens, over the last 25:22, were mustering 3 points, the Patriots scored 21, taking them from a 28-14 deficit to a 35-31 victory.

The defense, when it mattered most, came up big.

Overall, I thought the team came out very passive. Running, passing, etc. Its almost like they intend on letting the other team dictate play and at the end, make adjustments so late in the game that the other team doesn't have the opportunity to counter. A very dangerous tactic to use...

With all that said, once it was 28-21, Flacco was 6 for his last 16 for 61 yds with 0 TDs and 2 INTs.

At the end of the day, a very uneven performance, never quit and ultimately made the plays it had to in order to allow the offense to score.

 

[Guts]

Our defense sucked last night no sugarcoating it. The only positive thing I can say about them is they didn't let the offense down on the last drive.

 

[Tasco]

The first quarter/half was horrible, they them seemed to settle down! Especially the run defense was a nightmare, we didn't set the edge at all and also the interior guys didn't get off their blocks at all...no clue why we played so poorly and what the adjustments were, but we can't let this happen anymore, we seem to start always very slow on defense!

The second half was okay though, but still not on the level we could play on our best days imo!