3-Up, 3-Down for the Patriots
Three Up:
Gary Guyton – With Brandon Spikes serving his suspension, Gary Guyton came to play. He had a phenomenal game and was flying around the field. He recorded an interception, fumble recovery, touchdown, and two tackles.
Deion Branch – Deion Branch stepped up yet again, finishing with a career high 151 receiving yards and a touchdown. He continues to stretch the defense and make big plays every week.
Tom Brady – Brady continued playing at his MVP level on Sunday. He finished with 367 yards, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. He also tied the late Don Meredith with 6 consecutive games with 2+ Touchdowns & 0 interceptions for most in NFL history.
Three Down:
Brandon Meriweather – Seems to have disappeared in the snow flurries. His reps have been severely limited by Jarrad Page, James Sanders, and Patrick Chung rotating in the defensive backfield. He continues to take poor angles against the run and pass. His lack of field awareness and questionable decisions are masked by his ball skills. He did come up with an interception but there is a reason he has had his playing time decrease.
Kickoff Coverage Unit – One of the few negatives for the Pats to take in the film room was the kickoff coverage. Devin Hester had a few solid returns and the tackling was poor. Ironically, I thought the defensive tackling was great, it was on the returns where the Bears seemed to break tackles.
Devin McCourty’s Injury – The story line to watch in the next few days; Is Devin McCourty healthy? McCourty left in the second quarter with a rib injury and did not return. The way the rookie has been playing, the Pats cannot afford to lose him. The last few weeks he has been playing at a pro-bowl level and is a contender for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
