Content Post Idle Thoughts: The "why do I feel so bad about a 23 pt. victory" edition.

[Nellie]

OK, let me explain about the title of this week's missive.

I'm a New Englander, born and bred. Dorchestah Ken, raised in the shadow of the Franklin Field Projects and imbued with the torture of being a life long Boston sports fan. A sports fan who was taught (for the first 57 years of his life), that the Yankees would steal your dessert and break your heart EVERY season. A sports fan who could ignore all the success of the Celtics the occasional success of the Bruins. A fan who had it beaten in him that no matter how good it looked right now, the WORST was right around the corner. Over 20 years of unprecedented success of the Pats and ALL the championships that have come these past 2 decades we CANNOT overcome the joy of those 12 Championships SHOULD have brought and instead focused and agonized about the 3 Super bowl loses and what might have been. I'm a guy who would actually trade 2 of those banners for the one "Perfect Season". In other words, I'm another seriously F#cked up New Englander who worries about a harsh winter in August. We are a tough hard nosed people. The kind you want at your back in a bar fight, but not at your wedding, if you know what I mean. I can't help it.

So while watching this game the slowly increasing margin on the scoreboard didn't seem to register while Tennessee ripped off long run after long run, that never seamed to stop. I mean it was 270 FREAKIN'yards. SEVEN ypc for God's sake! When had that EVER happened, . I was pulling my hair out most of the game waiting for it to stop (and I don't have any to spare)....and it never did. So here we are with another double digit win (23 points) and I'm wondering HOW will we manage another win, especially one in Buffalo. Pretty sick right? So before I revert to type, lets start this break down with the positive things about this game/

1. Mac Jones - Yeah, he was wildly inaccurate, ONLY throwing for a 72% completion rate. and 310 yds. IIRC that's only his 2nd 300 yd game. Each game, it seems that Josh expands the playbook just a bit more and his YPC grows. Today it was a VERY healthy 9.7 yds per catch. The dink and dunk label will quickly fade if this progression continues. In 2001 Tom Brady threw for 2845 yds with 18 TD and 12 picks.. Today with 5 games left, Mac inched past that mark currently at 2850 with 16 TD's and 8 picks. Admittedly the game HAS changed and 3000+ yds is no longer a good season for an NFL QB, but given all the Brady comparisons that will to continue to come his way, I couldn't help myself with this one. Bottom line the Pats had 10 drives and 9 of them ended in scores. Red zone issues aside, that's a hell of a good outcome.

On the negative side, there were the 2 obvious misses of wide open targets and the 2 sacks he took, that I believe, down the road, he would have evaded. Neither were blind side types. He needs to learn to avoid those at least some of the times. He HAS the athletic ability to make it happen. I also wished his play action pass fakes were a little more realistic. But that aside it was another positive step into his career

2. The RB's - When your Running game is THE key element in your offense and you can't seem to run the ball, you SHOULD be in a lot of trouble. For most of this game the Pats RB's were STONED at the LOS. The only run of the day that had an obvious hole was Smith's 9 yd scamper early in the game. It was bad. Even when they did finally break through late in the 4th quarter 90% of those good runs were all about the RB's and not about any holes that were created. That one long run by Stevenson should be on a highlight reel.. Still that late surge left the RB's with an acceptable 4 ypc on 19 carries. Seemed like a lot less while you were watching.

3. The OL - Mac claimed in his presser that he only got hit 2 times aside for the 2 sacks; The reality was a bit higher with ESPN counting 7 QB hits (btw-does that number count the sacks as hits? Anyone know?) Not too bad against a very good DL. BTW - IIRC Harold Landry will become a FA after this season. With a 4.6 forty and a 6.8 three cone and over 20 sacks through his first 3 seasons, the former BC grad might just want to come home. Just sayin'...
.
On the negative side, Karras is hoping he never has to face Jeffery Simmonds again this season. His stats are NOT going to look good. I thought Wynn played fairly well, but he took another holding penalty this week that marred his overall performance. ouch!

4. The TE's The Pats tried to get Smith going early and he wound up with 3 catches in 4 targets. Henry OTOH, caught only 2 in 5 targets, not that he didn't get open. Here's hoping that Smith's 50 yds is just a taste of what he can bring to the offense. Had Mac hit Hunter those 2 times, it would have been a much better day for the TE's.

6. WR's - Myers continues to expand his range as he averaged over 19 ypc today and was tantalizingly close to his first 100 yd game (98 yds) Jacobi came into the league with UDFA grades at the combine just barely running a 4.6 forty and a 7.10 3-cone. I can't help but wonder if he was timed today if those times were significantly faster. The OTHER former QB who transitioned to WR didn't break on to the scene until his 5 year in the system and look how that one turned out. Bill might not be able to DRAFT WR's, but he CAN develop them.

Kendrick Bourne is looking more and more like the WR we all hoped he would be when he was signed. Easy to see why the Niners were loathe to see him go. He has a very infectious energy. Reiss rightly commented that it was interesting to see how everyone of his teammates "light up" when they talk about him. He's looking more and more comfortable in the offense and very happy to be here. Remember he's on a very team friendly 3 year contract at about 5-6MM per year.

For a team that didn't know who as going to an effective receiving target before the season, and LOST the only consistent target from the past in White, The Pats currently can look to 5 guys, beyond the RB's, Josh is going to get his ideal. lots of guys to target, with no one individual that teams can target.

7. Defense - Has a Bill Bellichick defense EVER given up 270 yds on the ground during his time in NE, or anywhere else for that matter. It was really awful. I guess it only shows how different game to game the results can be. IIRC the Pats did a GREAT job stopping the run last week and pretty much all through this winning streak. Today....not so much. A 5 yd gain felt like a win. It is literally shocking that you can give up THAT many rushing yds and only allow 13 points. Of course 4 TO's can cure a LOT of defensive deficiencies.

But here's the thing, you cannot COUNT on TO's to bail you out EVERY week, because the next deflection will hit the ground like most do. The next time there is is a fumble the kicked ball doesn't wind in YOUR arms, or the punched out ball rolls out of bounds. In other words, some games the ball doesn't bounce your way. IIRC in the 2010 superbowl the Pats D created 4 Giant fumbles and only recovered one. If just ONE more ball bounced the Pats way, there would have been a 7th pelt on the wall. BUT you can't count on your opponent to turn the ball over to win games. About the only thing you can do about TO's is not create them for the other team. THAT to some extent you can control. But counting of 4 TO's per game or the like is NOT sustainable. We are on a great TO run during this streak, but BELIEVE me, it will not last.

a. front -7 - They did a fair job putting pressure on Tannehill, but not like last week. 2 sacks, 5 QB hits was OK. They only passed the ball 21 times. Why would they throw given how effective the run game was. Clearly there WAS some kind of structural issue that needs to be fixed and I'm sure it will be addressed and it won't be as bad next week. My concern was that in the past when we were being gashed like that it would be addressed THAT game. Whatever changes they tried this game just wasn't working. 270 yds is 270 yds.

A good playoff team (and this isn't one yet, you need 9 wins just be be better than .500 and it takes 11 to ensure a playoff appearance) can make adjustments week to week to shore up weaknesses. Lets see if a bad running team like Buffalo can crack this front 7 agaiin.

b Secondary - Tannehill started out this game 8 for 8 and wound up 11 for 21. So the secondary, at least, stopped an early bleed.

Eye test only, but doesn't it seem like Jalen Mills has been much more consistent in his coverage the last few games. I mean, he's a guy that going to be targeted with JC on the other side, but he made play after play on the ball in this one.

I would have liked to see Devon make that tackle at the end of the first half. It would have been a tough one in the open field, but still.

ST's - Hard to say enough superlatives about Nick Folk again and again. I liked the idea that Steven Gotskowski was in the stands for this game and watched as Folk broke his record with his 5th 50+ yarder of the season. What a season.

Gunner is a GREAT punt returner again with an 11 yd average in this game and as fearless as ever. I still have hope for him as a receiver when I realized that Julian didn't break out until his FIFTH season, and this is Gunner's 3rd. Just sayin'

8. And its on to Buffalo. I wish I knew what to say. It will be a wild one for sure. The Bills fans know how to welcome the Pats to their home. There will be a run on those long tables this week in preparation, not to mention bildos. Mac will have to go back to his Auburn memories to compare this kind of hostile environment. My mind is blank as to any analysis. Just that the Bills loss was just a blip on their season. the kind of anomaly that should be completely discarded. Talent wise, I think they will be the best team the Pats have faced thus far and the biggest test of the season. This WILL NOT be a double digit win and the six wins in a row Patriots will likely be underdogs going in. I'm REALLY looking forward to it.

9. The rest of the NFL comments

a. The Jets might have won today, but Wilson is still a mess and didn't contribute to the win.

b. Miami is on a bit of a hot streak of its own. It's offense is slowly becoming competent, while it's defense is rounding into one of the best in the league during this run. Keep that in mind come late December down there.

c. Colts Buc's was a GREAT game. I only saw bits of it during commercials, but Brady looked up and down with only 224 yds and a pick, but in the end with 2 minutes left and 75 yds to go, Brady guided the Bucs to the winning score. Did you expect anything else.
The Colts are a very good team right now and probably should have won the game if they had taken better care of the ball. But lets focus on one game at a time.

d. The Rams Packer game was evidently a good one as well. I only mention it because I NEEDED the Pack to win so I could salvage a 3-2 week for my pool. I'm now in 40th place (out of 148) and only 2.5 games out of the money. I can't believe the Eagles took a dump in NY, and I can't believe I listened to "smart guys" to touted the Steelers and not gone with my gut chose of the Bengals. Oh what COULD have been.

OK that should get things rolling. Meanwhile I'm going to revisit the 86 World series and increase my misery index all these wins are threatening me to break out into a smile. Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy,......AND comment.


"

Ken, I really enjoy your idle thoughts game analyses.

With the way Miami has been playing and the way the Pat's typically play in Miami, the Pat's may have 4 (not 3) tough games left. I'm concerned about Allen and his running ability and of course Taylor and his quick burst through the line.

Prior to the season I would have considered a playoff appearance a successful season. Getting to the second round might be the benchmark, I'll reserve the right to readjust after the Bills game Monday night

But who really knows what is possible now?

 

[borg]

Disconnected thoughts....

Bourne is fantastic...Mr. Energy...easy guy to root for
What a downfield pick set by Meyers to liberate Bourne the Tightropist
Folk is dominating the NFL in FGs (31)....+7 vs next closest kicker
BB needs to extend the Kicking Whisperer's contract....Joe Houston has the magic touch.
Mac was lucky as shyte yesterday not getting his multiple floaters picked off.
I used to call Chad Pennington 'Noodle Arm' ...and shamefully that same disparagement was lobbed toward my classic plasma screen yesterday.
Yet Mac was 70% again ( a lucky 70% IMHO)
Still waiting for Mac to throw the ball away instead of taking sacks

Dear Josh,
Throw the ball on 1st down more. Second and longs make me sad and angry.
Sincerely,
Keyboard GMs of the Eastern Seaboard

Titans' are stout as shyte on both lines....but the rest of yesterday's Titans team was plain shyte.
BB's emphasis on depth compared to other NFL teams is Real and Spectacular.....and often the difference down the stretch.

Lack of depth of recent Patriots' opponents and their subsequent drubbings once again shows why BB the Economist has the winning formula most of the time
Certainly helps how NE's roster has healed nicely for the stretch run (knock on wood)

Dolphins have righted their leaking ship and week 18 will be no push over

What's the consensus on Barmore's game yesterday?

 

[sb1]

I don't know about 270+, but I read that the Patriots under BB have given up 250+ yards rushing 5 times.

Their record in the 5 games?

4-1.

I always enjoy your postgame analysis, Ken. Thanks agian!

I saw they gave up 280 yards rushing in that Broncos comeback at home in 2013 although 66 of those yards were in OT.

 

[Rob0729]

I understand Ken’s thoughts. It felt like Mac was inaccurate and left a lot of yards and points on the field. Yet, he completed 70% of his passes for 310 and we won easily. I think the biggest takeaway is that we played poorly and still blew out the 8-3 Titans with plenty of room for improvement while sitting near the top of the conference and in control of our destiny with a 6 game winning streak. That’s a great place to be.

I heard someone say it best. The fact that Jones is so accurate, his misses seem magnified in people's minds. Some of his off passes were bad like missing a wide open Henry, but overall he wasn't awful.

One promising thing was that the Pats were able to easily move the ball passing in chunks in the open field. And the Pats seemed to shoot themselves in the foot in the red zone than the Titans stopping them. That is a promising sign for the Pats if they need to get into a shootout in the playoffs.

 

[Rob0729]

Inaccuracy? He missed Henry for a TD. He had one ball slip out of his hands (the swing pass to Bourne that hit the turf). He had one undercut by a defender that could have been picked.

Otherwise he was damned good and highly accurate. You're nitpicking ball placement on completed passes. I don't know what you expect from him if 71% completion for 310 yards, 2 TD and 0 int doesn't do it for you. He also hit a bunch of guys in perfect spots for big YAC.

Dude wasn't perfect but he was GREAT yesterday. The Pats scored on virtually every possession and put up 36 points without a defensive or special teams score.

The pass to Agholor was high, but that was the only completion I remember that was off target.

 

[sb1]

7 plays in the passing game of 15+ yards, and 5 of 20+ yards. Nice to see the chunk plays start to happen and that was a good defense yesterday.

 

[Wozzy]

I wouldn't linger too long on the Titan's rushing stats. They rushed the ball forty times. When the Pat's D worked them into a 3rd and long and loaded the field with DB's the Titans ran a draw play and ran anyway.

BB would rather you attempt to beat him running the ball, because you can't. The Titans with Derrick Henry ran for 201 yards in the 2019 playoffs and the Pat's D only gave up 14 points with zero allowed in the second half. You have to pass to win in the playoffs and the Pats can stop the run anytime they want if they apply themselves.

It was smart by Vrabel, it was the only thing that kept the game close. The Titans lead the NFL in rushing attempts, they weren't going to change who they were. The Pat's D made opportunistic plays forcing turnovers, they won a nip/tuck game, the offense had zero turnovers... they did what they were supposed to do.

 

[BTTA]

Inaccuracy? He missed Henry for a TD. He had one ball slip out of his hands (the swing pass to Bourne that hit the turf). He had one undercut by a defender that could have been picked.

Far too many drives ended in FG attempts because of something the QB did poorly.
I'm not down on him. I do think the stats significantly overstate the quality of his play yesterday, because of his misses, misreads, and the high YAC.
The only thing I'm concerned about his his ability to throw a football well when it is cold and wet. That's a "show me" thing, not a conceptual thing. Odds are in his favor that he'll figure it out. But until he does, I remain concerned.

 

[40yrpatsfan]

A few other tidbits:

- we haven't really missed James White too much because of Bolden, who had 4 receptions for 54 yards yesterday. He's been a great 3rd down back, which I didn't really think he had in him.

- Harris hits the hole hard and depends on last second change of direction. Stevenson pauses in the backfield before deciding where to go, and ends up outside quite a bit. Harris' approach didn't work against a big rugged run D like Tennessee's, but in general defenses have trouble adapting to these 2 different styles.

- a huge play yesterday was Judon's flying tackle of Tannehill along the Pats' sideline, keeping him short of the 1st down. Tannehill makes that first down 9x out of 10

- Tannehill's a good QB, and you have to worry about TN when they start getting their depth back, even without Henry. They now have the bye and a pretty easy schedule, and should finish 12-5.

 

[maust]

I'm a New Englander, born and bred. Dorchestah Ken, raised in the shadow of the Franklin Field Projects and imbued with the torture of being a life long Boston sports fan. A sports fan who was taught (for the first 57 years of his life), that the Yankees would steal your dessert and break your heart EVERY season. A sports fan who could ignore all the success of the Celtics the occasional success of the Bruins. A fan who had it beaten in him that no matter how good it looked right now, the WORST was right around the corner. Over 20 years of unprecedented success of the Pats and ALL the championships that have come these past 2 decades we CANNOT overcome the joy of those 12 Championships SHOULD have brought and instead focused and agonized about the 3 Super bowl loses and what might have been. I'm a guy who would actually trade 2 of those banners for the one "Perfect Season". In other words, I'm another seriously F#cked up New Englander who worries about a harsh winter in August. We are a tough hard nosed people. The kind you want at your back in a bar fight, but not at your wedding, if you know what I mean. I can't help it.

I'm a Townie by both birth and inclination and while I have left The Town, it hasn't left me. When I think of The Big Bad Bruins it isn't of Orr flying through the air after capturing The Cup but of him bent over his stick drenched in blood, sweat and frustration when some friggin' rookie named Dryden and the bleepin' Habs STOLE it from us the next year. To this day I despise the Canadiens with the heat of a thousand Suns. I still can't mention Ben F'n Dreith or Bucky Bleepin' Dent without getting all kinds of pi$$ed off. I bring that up only to illustrate I damn right well know where you are coming from as regards your perspective. I would however submit that times have indeed changed for us. To other fan bases our Pats, the one time punch line of the league, pretty much ARE the Canadiens. They win going away in spite of numbers to the contrary.

Which leads me to address this:

So while watching this game the slowly increasing margin on the scoreboard didn't seem to register while Tennessee ripped off long run after long run, that never seamed to stop. I mean it was 270 FREAKIN'yards. SEVEN ypc for God's sake! When had that EVER happened, . I was pulling my hair out most of the game waiting for it to stop (and I don't have any to spare)....and it never did. So here we are with another double digit win (23 points) and I'm wondering HOW will we manage another win, especially one in Buffalo. Pretty sick right?

By posting something from noted football philosopher Davon Godchaux when asked about giving up those 270 yards...



I had the opposite experience of yours yesterday. Sure I got ripsh!t watching them give up those yards but at the same time, I never felt the issue was in doubt.

It's a brave new world we've lived long enough to see Ken.

 

[ivanvamp]

Far too many drives ended in FG attempts because of something the QB did poorly.
I'm not down on him. I do think the stats significantly overstate the quality of his play yesterday, because of his misses, misreads, and the high YAC.
The only thing I'm concerned about his his ability to throw a football well when it is cold and wet. That's a "show me" thing, not a conceptual thing. Odds are in his favor that he'll figure it out. But until he does, I remain concerned.

They scored on 8 of 10 drives (if Folk doesn't miss the other FG, it would have been 9 of 10 drives). Mac did so many good things to consistently put them in scoring position, and the Patriots put up 36 points in just 10 possessions.

That's FANTASTIC offense. There is literally nothing wrong with kicking FGs, if you kick that many of them. Mac and the offense were great yesterday.

 

[The Brandon Five]

- the Pats seemed to move the ball with easy through air, not so much on the ground, but Titans have one of the better D#, still put 36 points up and should have at least 40
- Mac looked off on some throws and still had 300 something yards and 2 TD without a TO, thats great for a rookie in cold weather against a good opponent, he has to learn to escape this blitzers or get rid of the ball faster, on the other hand rather have him sacked with 14yards loss than throwing an INT
- Stevenson is a far better pure runner than Harris, would love to see Stevenson more when we go heavy run
- Red Zone scoring troubles are back on, McD has to get more creative there and the players have to execute better
- Run D# looked horrible yesterday, the Titans O-Line had a great game and the offensive holdings were not called once which is another frustrating storie with this refs, but glad they throw flags on the Pats O-Line every single game, **** them zebras
- I am, to be honnest, not really looking forward to meet the Titans again in January with healthy Henry and AJ Brown, offense has to score TD on each drive and win out by outscouring them
- BB has to go for Davis or another NT to help the run D# next draft, thinking back of Wilfork thats the guy we need on the D-Line
- Month of December is your Play-off month already, 3 very difficult (but must win) games and a well needed bye week to rest after a long run
- huge game against the Bills next week, Pats have to win somehow to keep the top spot and keep the momentum going into the bye week before the Colts are next up, tough games going forward as Dolphins got themselves into a winning streak as well, wouldn't count the Jags game as a gimmick as well, have to stay focused

It looked to me like the guard got away with a hold on High on that long TD.

 

[p8ryts]

Strange game. Thankfully the Pats forced some turnovers to mask their ineptitude in defending the run.

I would like to see MAC roll out as soon as he sees that deep safety blitz up the middle rather than try to stand in the pocket.

I'm not blaming Mac on that one. On TV we all saw him coming but Mac is at field level scanning the field, he didn't see him for whatever reason but Andrews didn't see him either and he was in position but committed to a double with Karras and couldn't get back. Good play by Byard.

 

[upstater1]

Between them Godchaux, Davis, Guy, Barmore and Wise had 176 snaps, which means that 3 of them will have been on the field per snap, on average. That doesn't look "light" to me. As for the idea of it being a sensible plan to stop ... Tanny throwing to Hollister and Firkser? Not exactly scary!

I must have been off because when I was watching the line when they were getting gashed bad, I was counting 2 and an edge guy (I consider Wise an edge guy). I looked for it when they were getting gashed.

As for what part of that offense was scary, NONE of it. Maybe they could have won by a fluke, and BB was like, "Not going to allow that."

Also, that was really bad on the Hilliard delay at the end of the half. I'm sure that wasn't what BB was looking for.

 

[Scotty]

I tried to watch for Barmore as much as possible. Admittedly I did not see him as much as I thought I would but.....I did see 4 plays in particular...

One he almost got to the QB and just missed a sack
One he was locked onto an OL and pushing him backwards (good for a rookie against a top NFL lineman ?)
One was partly coming off his man and assisting to make a stop on a running play (late on in the game)
One was reaching up to bat a ball down but was unsuccessful

So, I think his snaps were down on "normal" but he still seemed to contribute well when on the field. I am sure some other posters with better knowledge and younger eyes may have a different take.

 

[Bill Lee]

1. Mac Jones - Yeah, he was wildly inaccurate, ONLY throwing for a 72% completion rate. and 310 yds.

Meanwhile, Cam Newton went 5/12 for 98 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT, 5.8 (!) QBR. We could be doing that again this year in some altered universe. Thank our lucky stars we have Mac! Guess an off year and lots of workouts didn't fix Cam after all.

till that late surge left the RB's with an acceptable 4 ypc on 19 carries.

Enabled by the early determination to stick with the run even when it wasn't working. Also explains why we didn't run up the score, we were trying to stay balanced.

Had Mac hit Hunter those 2 times, it would have been a much better day for the TE's.

Yep, those were pretty inexplicable, but I did watch Tampa on my DVR and even the GOAT misses some.

Remember he's on a very team friendly 3 year contract at about 5-6MM per year.

Naw, all we remember is how much the TEs are being paid, never the bargains we have with Bourne and Judon.

I agree with Josh, they are still working their way into the offense. The thing you see is they do get open, and often it's not scheme getting them open, it's them winning one on one battles. This is what we paid for, and sooner or later it will pay off.

For a team that didn't know who as going to an effective receiving target before the season, and LOST the only consistent target from the past in White, The Pats currently can look to 5 guys, beyond the RB's, Josh is going to get his ideal. lots of guys to target, with no one individual that teams can target.

Good point on White. It did seem that Mac/Josh was relying on him a lot before he went out. Maybe him going down forced a re-think. Bolden has been better than I expected. Hope he stays healthy. Real shame James could not be in the field for this win streak, I love him as a player.

7. Defense - Has a Bill Bellichick defense EVER given up 270 yds on the ground during his time in NE, or anywhere else for that matter. It was really awful. I guess it only shows how different game to game the results can be. IIRC the Pats did a GREAT job stopping the run last week and pretty much all through this winning streak. Today....not so much. A 5 yd gain felt like a win. It is literally shocking that you can give up THAT many rushing yds and only allow 13 points.

You should take note of how much draft capital TEN has spent on their OL. They are a very strong group, regardless of who the RB is. In turn this means they haven't put a lot of draft capital in other places and end up making FA moves like spending on an oft-injured Julio Jones.

The Colts are a very good team right now and probably should have won the game if they had taken better care of the ball. But lets focus on one game at a time.

I agree, one thing I personally learned last weekend was that BUF is not as good as I thought (though still good) and IND is better than I thought. Carson Wentz is very streaky. The Colts have also put a lot of draft resources into their OL and Johnathan Taylor is quite good. Should be a similar challenge to TEN, if Wentz is on his game.

 

[DaBruinz]

@patfanken - As usual, I love your posting..

2- RBs - The RBs ended up with 20 rushes for 86 yards according to the NFL Scorebook on NFL.com. So 4.3 YPC. Stevenson was the better of the 2 with 46 yards on 9 carries.

7- Run Defense - The Run Defense was not nearly as bad as it seemed. Why? Because they did no make a single holding call against the Titans all game long. There were many posters who don't complain about the refs normally pointing this out in the GDT. The most egregious one was on Hilliard's 68 yard run where Hightower was held and wasn't allowed to make the tackle on Hilliard despite Hilliard going right by HT. As also pointed out, after the initial series, the Pats went almost exclusively to Nickle and Dime packages. The game plan really looked like the Pats were content on letting the Titans beat themselves by taking away the passing game and letting them run the ball (and the clock). Godchaux even mentioned that the Pats KNEW that the Titans were going to run the ball. ALOT.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

- a huge play yesterday was Judon's flying tackle of Tannehill along the Pats' sideline, keeping him short of the 1st down. Tannehill makes that first down 9x out of 10

What was amazing to me is that Judon was initally covering the RB and he completely took away the screen pass option, and then he still had the speed and angle to stop Tannehill after he kept the ball.

 

[Patriot Missile]

Was surprised a bit by the play action comment by Ken. “Being more realistic?” He went 11/11 in playaction passes so I’m not sure how much better you can get?

Other than that, great writeup as usual. Like Brady and the rings. Always looking forward to the next one Ken

 

[DaBruinz]

Overall, it was a pretty good performance. Their D-Line and O-Line both bullied ours. McCourty and Hightower are really showing their age in the open field now, it's going to be a big draft for us in 2022, because we'll need to find successors to those two legends.

There's a very good chance that they are already here in McGrone and Bledsoe. Contrary to certain self-appointed "captains", McGrone is a very highly regarded ILB and Bledsoe is supposed to be a decent safety.. They may never be McCourty and Hightower, but don't write them off yet.