UPs:
Tom Brady . . . QB is a mainstay on this list the past few weeks. Four touchdown throws against a defense that many people said was being underrated and they were playing so much better than NE's defense. Many pundits talked about the bookend DE's and Talib. Well, somebody forgot to tell Tom apparently. The quarterback's sole interception hit his receiver right on the hands. It wasn't all perfect, as he missed on a few throws, but he showed once again that he quite possibly is still the best QB in the NFL.
His movement in the pocket today was at an all-time and very vintage high today. He slid around masterfully, extending plays and throwing well on the run. His accuracy was off a bit early, but that changed quickly, and that's when the Offense started making plays. He found guys in tight windows for key first downs on numerous occasions. He was at his best for what seem like the fifth week in a row.
33 of 53 333 yards 4 touchdowns 1 interception (that Amendola should have caught)
Julian Edelman . . . Minitron played like Megatron in terms of impact on the game. Punt return was an early tone-setting play. However, the crucial catches on third down were more important and really hurt the Broncos. Brady's accuracy and precision was off the charts after a few misses early. Edelman shook off the stink of the past few games with clutch catches. He was focused today (as was the team).
9 catches 89 yards 1 touchdown
1 PR touchdown
Team Defense . . . People are going to talk about the yards. People are going to talk about the big plays. What they are going to overlook is how NE stopped the best offense in the game and held them to 21 points. They'll overlook three stops on fourth down, one damn near at the goalline. They'll overlook how Manning spent most of his afternoon trying to decipher the Patriots defense. The disguising was great. Each level of the unit made critical plays.
The front seven stood tough. I expected Denver to be able to run the ball up and down the field. That didn't happen. There were gains. Of course. But they kept the Denver RBs mostly contained. That made Denver one-dimensional. Then they successfully moved Manning off the spot. They made him shuffle his feet and, unlike Brady, he hates doing it. Brady flourishes here.
The LB's covered, blitzed, stopped the run. They played the perfect game. Pass catchers were tackled immediately. Running backs found few lanes. QB was moved off the spot multiple times by blitzing LB's.
The secondary covered well for most of the game. They intimidated the Denver receivers and generally brought them down right after the catch. Sanders and Thomas got off, but Julius Thomas and Welker didn't. After a shaky start, Revis' name was seldom mentioned. That's a good thing. Browner played well. Look, it's feast or famine with him. He will make plays and he will get called for some. That's just the way it is going to be.
Patrick Chung . . . Unsung hero of the defense all season. The DB was all over the field, but he especially showed up in pass coverage today. He was all over Tamme and pretty much anyone else they threw at him. It was obvious that he and Butler were identified and targeted by Manning. Chung (and Butler to a lesser extent) came up big today. I mean, I watched Tamme abuse him in Indy. Not today.
Jamie Collins . . . The linebacker had impact plays at all three levels of the defense today. He was consistently in the backfield, shooting gaps in both the run and passing game. He showed none of the struggles in pass coverage today that he has shown in weeks past. He proved to be that weapon today that everyone expecting. The hope with him is that he learns to harness all of his talent more consistently. Finished as the leader in tackles.
DOWNS:
O-Line . . . Anything in the downs is going to seem nit-picky. However, the O-Line allowed enough pressure on Brady for there to be some discomfort. Brady made quite a few plays on his own today and his pocket presence today was reminiscent of Brady during those SB years (go back and watch the Carolina game in particular). He slid around masterfully and that helped the O-Line. Ware was abusing and intimidating Solder. There was tons extra shoves after whistles. Von Miller was his usual disruptive self. Lot of max protect today, and Brady was still uncomfortable. Still, leagues and bounds better than earlier this season, OF COURSE.
They failed to open many holes in the running game. Vereen was able to gain some tough yards when the game was still being decided. Gray, not so much. Play-action was still effective, though.
Jonas Gray . . . Might be a bit unfair considering it was his second professional game against a good run D, but other than one and maybe two scampers, the RB was a non-factor. Vereen picked up more tough yards than Gray, and Vereen is not that type of back. The stage might have been a bit too big, or maybe the O-Line just failed to open holes in the run game.
Shane Vereen . . . File this under nit-picky, but he had some drops today. He had some good catches and runs. He got the TD. However, his performance was still underwhelming. He has showed none of what made him presumably better than Woodhead. He really hasn't done it save the game against Buffalo and maybe one or two more games. How can anyone argue that? He has been largely disappointing when one compares his performance to the hype coming into the season.
THE REFS . . . That is all.
