Content Post Idle Thoughts: Step one checked off a 4 item checklist.

[KCSVEN]

You nailed it on the coaching. We saw the Chargers substitute and slowed down their own hurry up offense. The 49ers were bumbling around and screwing up the end of the half calling hurry up plays that took forever to line up. Saw teams wasting timeouts. Teams going for it on 4th down when it made no sense, teams not going for it on 4th when it made sense.
Vrabel and his staff have these guys prepared and the decision making all year (outside the fake punt) has been spot on. The playoff games seem too big for some coaches but not Vrabel.

 

[ViperGTS]

The lack of 4 man pressure if you look at it had a lot to do with keeping Herbie in the pocket. It was a lot of mush rush kinda things. Are they great? Nope, but with Williams, Barmore and if they get Tonga back...they will generate pressure if thats the game plan.

It shifted later on in the game and you saw Herbie run a bit more. But they also go some more pressure, with blitzes and other stunts.

 

[jal]

Posted this on the post-game thread but probably better belongs here (and I generally with Ken as usual on his assessment):

Some next day thoughts:

Defense
Interestingly, despite all the talk of the offensive line, it was really our great coverage that created the opportunities to heat up Herbert. We finally said hey we have 3 great corners and we matched up (even in zone) by down and distance which smothered the Chargers receivers and that allowed our coaches to dial up the pressure bigtime. Obviously late in the game once the game script ensured the Chargers would be passing our line was getting pressure even without blitzes but in quarters 1-3 (esp. Q3) it was really the blitz that created disruption.

Needless to say, really have to pray Gonzalez can clear concussion protocol for the next game as he was phenomenal in this game. Seems like the coaches have finally realized how to best utilize the strength of our defense which is our 3 top corners who match up pretty well with anyone we will see.

Thought the run defense was pretty stout for the most part. Chargers couldn't rely on gashing us and were forced into resorting to the pass often. We didn't completely stonewall them but multiple times on short yardage the defense plugged it up and got off the field or forced 4th down. Much much improved over recent weeks (guess Williams and Spillane really do make that much of a difference huh)

Offense
I was disappointed in the first half that we didn't stick with the run more. Stephenson in particular was very effective, as he was running through the first tackle pretty often and getting those 5-10+ yard runs consistently. His re-emergence in recent weeks continued in this game and I wish they leaned on it more in the first half.

Drake was definitely struggling to diagnose things in the first half and made a big adjustment in the second half, where I thought he played much better down-to-down. Not surprising given the Chargers are known for their disguised zone looks. The big thing he really needs to work on is when to just give up on a play - on all of his strip sacks he got contacted initially, fought it off, and still tried to get a pass off under duress and got stripped. That cost us 3 points and a chance to ice the game with 5 min left. Other than that, he missed the pass to Hooper for a TD which was unusual - perhaps the wind was a factor or maybe he just missed. Outside of those plays in the second half he was great.

The wide receivers didn't do a ton outside of Boutte with a couple of big plays but we know that they are a solid group that is more schemed open than physically dominating. Hunter Henry was the one who had the more favorable matchup and he generally delivered on that giving us most of our big plays through the air.

The offensive line was pretty bad frankly, esp. on the left side. I thought we played better with Ben Brown rather than Jared Wilson in and I honestly wish we stuck with that. We will need much better going forward. Wilson was getting both beat by his guy and having trouble picking up stunts from what I could see on the TV. Campbell had some issues too but mainly on getting bull rushed and at least he didn't let guys just bust through free unlike Wilson.

Overall the offense probably should have put up ~23 points (hit that pass to Hooper +4 pts, don't get strip sacked in FG range +3 pts) which is a respectable output against a very stout Chargers D.

Next week
Texans (who I assume we will be playing)

Our O vs. their D: they are less known for disguised coverage on the back end - they just physically whip you with their defense both in front 7 and in their coverage. We are going to have to be patient with the run game and try our best to get more linebackers on the field and throw at those linebackers. Our receivers will not be a big factor against those corners. We do NOT want to play a straight dropback game against that defense. Go jumbo, run at them, try to wear them down, and hit play action trying to get our TE matched up on their linebackers. Some trickeration may be in order (remember the Bills hook and ladder play to pick up 4th and 26?) as that defense plays super aggressive which can occasionally put them out of position - Josh better go to his bag a few times, we will likely need it. It will be a struggle to score 20 points.

Our D vs. their O: we really need Gonzalez back and frankly we can try to roll out the same type of gameplan vs. the Texans as we did for the Chargers. Texans have better receivers (Nico Collins is a stud, Kirk is a capable slot receiver, and they found a good rookie in Higgins) but similarly have an averagish rungame and the weakness is the offensive line. Their line is definitely better than the Chargers but both lines really struggle with blitz protections and stunts/pass rush games. We need to match up and lock their receivers and heat up the quarterback with a variety of blitzes and stunts to stretch the protection scheme. Stroud is a very similar player to Herbert in that he's got a strong and accurate arm, can be mobile, but has had to deal with relatively poor protection all year so he can get jittery if you start to heat him up (as he's kind of expecting it at this point so mentally will bail even when protection does hold up).

Texans are basically just a better version of the Chargers, on both sides of the ball. It will be a close one, and our offense will have to execute much better than this week. First team to 20 wins that game - I like our chances better than theirs but it's like 55/45.

 

[jal]

thanks, that thought was a late night assumption. If Davis' primary was Allen then the numbers are even better and MORE impressive. Allen wound up with 3 catches and just 25 yds on EIGHT targets, so essentially Davis made him irrelevant. But usually results on defense are more team or group gotten. When I go over the game again, I'll have a much better idea of who did what, even though I know that given the fact it's the TV version, it will still be mostly guessing. Just more educated guesses.

I thought I saw them mix it up. On early downs, it was Gonzalez on Johnson (their vertical threat), Davis played whoever the other outside receiver was (usually Allen), Jones on whoever was in the slot (usually McConkey). On third down I saw Gonzalez move to Allen a number of times. If they played it that way then it was very smart as Allen is their third down go-to.

 

[Hyped]

I saw Tonga on the sidelines last night. I think that if he suits up...we will be able to get more pressure up the middle and have our ends run unblocked stunts.

 

[VJCPatriot]

2. Gonzo - There were bunch of people here wondering if he truly WAS an elite CB. Where were the picks? Where were the stats? "I saw a play where someone caught a ball and Gonzo was close to the ball." or some such **** like that. Well tonight, although he didn't have any picks, or "stats", etc, The man SHUT DOWN Quentin Johnson, a key receiver and the big "deep threat" down to 3 catches for 20 yds, and 2 of those catches came AFTER Gonzo went out. Gonzo covers and is not just a 'willing tackler', but an aggressive one, like the rest of our secondary and the Pats should pay him a fair, but market price for his next contract with a smile on their faces. The guy is a defense changer.

We absolutely need to extend Gonzo in the offseason. Do not let him get to free agency because he will command a super salary. He's a really important piece to our defensive jigsaw puzzle. Shutdown corners do not grow on trees. Even in round 1 you're not guaranteed to land a replacement for a player the caliber of Christian Gonzalez.

4. Christian Ellis and Craig Woodson - 2 guys people have been calling for their upgrades for almost the entire season. Meet the 2 leading tacklers for this great defensive effort. Woodson had 11 (7 solo) and has played pretty much every defensive snap of the 18 game (so far) season... as a freakin' ROOKIE. Think he might be even better next season?

Remember when safety was considered one of our biggest needs heading into the trade deadline? Looks like Woodson was the answer all along. It's pretty crazy that a rookie safety has made that position his own and played like a veteran in the postseason.

Ellis, another punching bag for the masses, has also been improving his game the last month of the season, had 8 tackles, and spent the night chasing down Herbert all over the field, Herbert had 57 yds, but on 10 carries. Justin got his yds, but few impactful like Maye's were, and Ellis as the spy was responsible. And he along with all his LB buddies shut the rest of the LA running attack to 29 yds on 12 carries. And since the LB's always get beat up when a TE has a good day, it should be noted that the LA TE's had 3 catches for 30 yds on 3 targets, one of which was on their last gasp drive where a TD would have given them a onside kicks chance of POSSIBLY getting shot at a win. So I would infer from that sparse target number that the LB's and Safeties did an excellent job tonight..

I never singled out any particular linebacker as lacking however they weren't exactly an inspiring group overall.

Ellis really put himself on my radar starting with the Giants game. His huge and clean hit on Jaxson Dart was a tone setter. And his physicality has been inspirational ever since. Maybe it took him a while to adjust to the system but Vrabel's coaching has clearly taken him to another level.



Consider that we could have lost Ellis to the Raiders from their RFA tender but decided to match and keep him. That looks like quite a wise decision in hindsight.

5. The Option Play - I have been waiting for that play ALL season (well actually I think we have seen it once before a few months ago, it was also moderately successful and was never seen again). Not only was it productive, it puts a lot of pressure on defenses, and even if you use it sparingly it takes a ton out of your opponent's preparation time to prepare for it. It is just one design you can use for a QB run.

Was that the play where Maye made a little pass fake to the outside and then took it himself for a 1st down run?

I do believe that Maye's athleticism still makes him one of the most dangerous QBs in the NFL today. His arm and accuracy are so good that the defenders must honor their assignments. And then something like this happens...



Wow! I really like how Maye has evolved over time. In the course of a single season he went from a guy who had blinders on when the rush came to a guy constantly looking downfield and even stepping into the pocket to deliver passes while going through as many progressions as possible.

That's what makes him even more Devastating to defenses when he does decided to take off and run. Drake is the type of QB who gives defensive coordinators headaches when they have to prepare for him.

Things I didn't like

1. Well, it's OBVIOUS we have to start with the left side of the OL. The ROOKIES. Lets start with Campbell. For the most part he was excellent with being able to stay in front of his man. What he failed to do while he stayed in front of him was ANCHOR at some point and time of his drop back. That ISN'T an armlength issue. It ISN'T an ability issue, it's a TECNIQUE issue. At a point in the drop back the OT has dip and ANCHOR and punch back enough to stop the rusher's momentum. That is a matter of strength, balance, and timing. For the most part he's been very good this season. Today he wasn't. But before you all relegate him to LG aft ONE game, remember this. He is only 21 and still is FAR from how strong or big he will be when he matures and gains experience, and an NFL rookie. I think the foundation is there to be an outstanding LT. This is not going to be an example of his finished result any more than this was Mayes.

They really need to clean up the left side of the pocket. I'm sure that will be a high priority fix for the week. Hopefully the rookies will play better. We have to remember they are both coming off recent injuries so they might not have the practice time and continuity of the other members of that OL because of that.

2. Drake Maye actually looked like a 23 year old, 2nd year QB with a year and a half of staring experience tonight. The fear of the LA rush was speeding him up and it looked like he wasn't as calm and sure of his reads as he had been the last 14 games. It was like he knew the stakes got so much higher and so were the opponents, and it took him a full half to get his swagger back. It's not like it was his fault. We forget it's natural to feel this way. And we should be comforted by the fact he has learned so well with every setback before. But the fact remained that his completion rate of 58% and 2 fumbles were not highlight of his season and will cost him a game against a better opponent.

The main thing I didn't like about Maye this week was his fumbling issues. The inaccuracy from the left side OL pressure I can understand. But he ABSOLUTELY must PROTECT that football better. I understand he wants to make plays but he has to have a timer on his head on when he needs to cradle up and prevent that rock from popping out.

He needs to have a plan in mind when the pocket breaks down, what does he do with that linebacker or edge breathing down his neck? These little plays can make or break a team in the postseason. Brady was one of the best in the business at getting rid of it and knowing when to kill a play and live to fight another day.

Maye needs to learn to do that too. He's still young and has time to figure it out but he's learning on the job. I do like that he recovered his composure and stepped up his game at critical moments, delivering the winning plays when we needed him. I mean who can forget this beautiful pass that put us in control of the game?

Let's see it again.



Wow. Beautifully drawn up and executed. You can't ask for much better than that in one of the biggest moments of Drake Maye's young playoff career and boy did he deliver the goods!

3. It is clear to me that we have ZERO edge rushers who can create immediate pressure on the rush on their own. Even Williams was pretty irregular until the end of the game. We got 6 sacks, but except for one of Williams ones, they were all the result of blitzes and stunts (Jenning's one is a good example) To me, it is our Achilles heel and will ultimately be the most immediate cause of the end of this wonderful run. We got ZERO all game from a straight 4-man rush except one play. It is our biggest off season need.

Chassion, with his motor, will give you EVENTUAL pressure, but he isn't strong enough or big enough to get it on his own. All his sacks are coverage sacks or created by schemes or offensive errors. He's NEVER done what Mack did to Campbell all night and just bull rush him back into his QB. Again, a good guy in a rotation, but not the top guy and not one you can expect to see to get that quick pressure consistently and not one you pay big money for.

Chaisson is not an alpha passrusher by any means but you need guys who stay disciplined in their assignments and get those cleanup and coverage sacks. Yes we still need to sign or draft an outstanding edge rusher but I also feel like retaining Chaisson is important this offseason as long as it doesn't break the bank.

Next week - Pittsburgh would be the clear preferred opponent for a ton of reasons, though I doubt very much it will happen, so watch what the Texans do next week, because it will be what we will be seeing next. But it IS the NFL and we've seen a lit if strange things happen. But next to the Rams game, I thought this would be the most lopsided. Now where do I go to get a "Terrible Towel"

I believe that the playoff brackets have set up just about as well as we could have hoped. We got a solid but beatable opponent in the Chargers to kick things off and we took care of our own business to advance.

Meanwhile Buffalo has to go on the road to face Denver at Mile High. That's a very tough environment to play in as we know from past history. If they win they still need to face the Patriots at the Razor and we get the home playoff game for the AFCCG.

At this point of the season whoever we face will be tough whether it's Houston or Pittsburgh. I would love for us to have the honor of sending off Rodgers with a loss. He's the most overhyped QB in NFL history imo. He has only one Superbowl victory on his resume despite the media constantly polishing his boots at every opportunity. The man becomes mediocre during the playoffs. He's barely over .500 in his postseason career at 11-10 yet he gets more accolades than Brady ever did.

But let's see what happens on Monday since that will decide our matchup.

I'm so happy that we celebrated our FIRST playoff win in years! The last time that happened we won a Superbowl, beating the Rams 13-3 on February 3rd of 2019. Does anybody else get some 2001 vibes from this Patriots team or am I getting ahead of myself here?

It's been a long time since I've felt playoff butterflies and it felt great when the day ended with a huge WIN. We are so BACK baby!

 

[n1997y]

Talking about the OL:

Clearly an area we need to improve on even if we don't perfect it by next week. Let's see what that great coaching staff can do in one week to plug a hole.

Best thing that coaching staff can do is to arrange an easier opponent for next week.

Unfortunately that’s really up to the Steelers. If they win it will greatly improve our OL next week.

If it’s the Texans hopefully coaches can better prepare our rookies to be ready to go against them. Or play better prepared veterans over our rookies.

A different game plan for the different opponent may be a big help too. Will be very interesting to see what Josh comes up with. And who it’s against may help, of course.

 

[shmessy]

Thanks Ken. To my untrained eye the concussion looked minor I was pretty surprised he got yanked in the first place. Fingers crossed he’s back soon.

That first goal-line stand was a tone-setter and just beautiful.

I dunno - - did you see the subesquent NBC camera on him after leaving the field in the corridor to the lockerroom - - looked like the dude was dancin' the Horah.

.

 

[mgteich]

There will be a lot of jumbo next week or HOU will have an easy time of it.

 

[SVN]

i would prefer the texans winning on the road tonite, going back home and coming back again east on a short rest. Our defense should handle caley and stroud better. Rodgers makes we nervous the way he can read coverages.

 

[SlowGettingUp]

Did anyone hear Landry's name last night or notice what he did? Decent number of snaps (26, 43%).

 

[neuronet]

I dunno - - did you see the subesquent NBC camera on him after leaving the field in the corridor to the lockerroom - - looked like the dude was dancin' the Horah.

.

No I missed that. Maybe worse than I thought based on the bounce in the game

 

[rkarp1]

Campbell with a PFF grade of 75 last night. He had a great run blocking grade 84.3 vs 60.8 pass blocking grade.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

2. Drake Maye actually looked like a 23 year old, 2nd year QB with a year and a half of staring experience tonight. The fear of the LA rush was speeding him up and it looked like he wasn't as calm and sure of his reads as he had been the last 14 games. It was like he knew the stakes got so much higher and so were the opponents, and it took him a full half to get his swagger back. It's not like it was his fault. We forget it's natural to feel this way. And we should be comforted by the fact he has learned so well with every setback before.

Hmmmm...Reminiscent of other 2nd year starter quarterbacks we've had before, named Grogan(age 23, same as Drake), Flutie(26), Bledsoe(22) and Brady(24)...

They weren't perfect. But it's not about perfection.

 

[reflexblue]

I saw Tonga on the sidelines last night. I think that if he suits up...we will be able to get more pressure up the middle and have our ends run unblocked stunts.

Yeah, i hope hes ready, the more the marrier