Thanks for all the comments and clips. After a full day to ruminate about the game, and see some of the comments, I think there is really nothing definitive about the game that we can take from the future. The defense, of course played very well until the last drive, but whatever positive looks I had about Goff in the first half were lost in his play of the 2nd (though the 66 yd pass was a nice one). The Rams defense played a decent game, but the Pats helped them out with some untimely penalties and a horrid 3rd down conversion rate. 2 additional points.
The game next Monday WILL tell us a lot about the future of the Pats. The Ravens defense has been good all season, especially against the run, and their offense suddenly looks like it found its footing, with both Perryman and Wallace availablt for Flacco to play his chuck and pray long ball offense, and Pitta back to fill the underneath voids. This will be a real tough challenge to the Pats defense. One we should discuss long and hard this week
The second point is something that comes from the clip on the Van Noy pick. I watch both Long and Sheard put great pressure on Goff to the point Sheard might have cause the errant pass. However I couldn't help but notices that BOTH Sheard and Long hesitated in their first step. When you compare their starts to say, Von Miller, you can't help but notice that critical difference. It is one of my long standing pet peeves, because getting a jump on the ball is ONE thing that can be learned and practiced. I contend if either DE had attacked the defender at ths snap of the ball, both would have gotten there. I had the same complaint with CJones when he was here. WHY the hell can't we get a DE that will explode off the snap of the ball. Check it out yourself in this clip on page one, and you will see what I mean.
