Game Day Thread Official Postgame Thread: Patriots fall to Texans 22-28

[Run DMC]

Here's one to get your panties in a bunch, we could have drafted Lamar Jackson, aka the QB of the future, instead we drafted JAG Sony Michel.

 

[Quest4SevenHomie]

Years past we had Gronk. Gronks not here. Years past Brady had targets he had built trust with like Hogan and Amendola- both are gone. This year he has two rookies who can’t get on the same page on him and run the wrong routes.

Years past we also had a healthy offensive line. Edelman used to be able to get separation from his defenders, no matter who it was. If Edelman wasn't able to get open for some reason, the next man stepped up whether Rob Gronkowski, Chris Hogan, Malcolm Mitchell, James White or Danny Amendola.

It’s a completely different team this year. We continue to struggle without any improvements.

 

[luuked]

Slept over it.

Not really much to say.

STs returned to form mostly and almost set in motion a potential highway robbery if Bolden had brought in that ball. I mean he wouldn't have been allowed to advance it and score so it would have left the offense with about 50 seconds and no timeouts close to midfield but it could have made for an epic way to steal one.


The defense was better than the points make it appear. I think the Texans got away with a pretty blatant block on KVN before the TD pass over JJones. They exploited the good old mismatches of RBs on LBs in the first half and then had the trick play on the Watson TD.

But the Pats looked actually pretty solid against the run, often putting the Texans into 3rd and longer routinely and seemingly only really got beat by Hopkins/Fuller when they were ultra aggressive with the cov-0 blitz. I wonder if playcalling there would be as risky if the offense were able to score points consistently. But I am not sure we will find that out any time soon.

The sickness going around most probably also didn't help conditioning during the long drives. Am still pretty confident into this unit. They are carrying the team.


The only positive I can say about the offense is that Wynn comes as advertised. He stabilized the OL to the point where Brady now at least has the time to realize that on many plays nobody is open. But my disappointment with the offense goes way beyond separation issues.

Not getting open is one thing but dropping balls, undisciplined penalties, not being on the same page with your QB on routes, running your cuts lazy to the point where you miss stick depth by half a yard or let defenders play through for an INT is just not acceptable and just digs you a deeper grave.

After getting essentially benched for his lazy route hopefully Harry stops giving interviews about "turning it up" and just focuses on himself. Him not being on the field in the redzone and third downs is another major disappointment.

Yes, it was unfortunate that the refs missed the illegal contact on Sanu before he dropped the fourth down. By his own words the blatant hit threw off his vision. But this is the risk you take if you throw it on fourth down. And as much as McDaniels is to blame for the call it is also on Brady for not switching to a run.

Was the run and the sneak off menu because they were not sure how much to trust Ferentz ? Maybe. Bottomline is that if you don't have enough confidence to run it on 4th and inches you will have problems in all kinds of situations.

What it boils down to is that with the exception of Wynn for every good step the offense seemingly made against the Cowboys they took 2 back today. I was expecting a lot more from the offense against a lesser defense but it seems like with Sanu clearly hobbled by the high ankle sprain we are back in the same situation we were before the trade.

They need someone else to step up inside and be a consistent target and chain mover. It can't all be White and Edelman because those you can take away with double coverages/blitz looks. Unfortunately I am not sure we will see a healthy Sanu until the playoffs.

I am sure the noise about AB will get even louder this week but as others are saying even if Kraft would sign off on it and "accept his apology" there is a pretty good chance AB is on the exempt list just hours after signing. Just for pragmatic reasons I don't think the solution will come from the outside.


It sucks to lose HFA but at the same time the monkey is somewhat off our back and maybe the team feels now a bit more free to experiment on offense for the last 4-5 games. Because as we hit December they still have no identity and time is running out.

And this year there is no power running game to hang your hat on.

 

[luuked]

That’s what happens when you foolishly cut your other two receivers that are capable of winning one on one.

Who was the second receiver who was able to beat 1v1 ? Because in this season I don't remember Gordon doing jackshit apart from catching 50/50 balls and the odd slant now and then.

 

[stelfans]

Unbelievable how bad the chemistry between brady and the receivers is. Not having TE's is also unbelievable. How on earth do you go into the season, look at that TE corps and say "yea, we alright"?

 

[slash83]

Who was the second receiver who was able to beat 1v1 ? Because in this season I don't remember Gordon doing jackshit apart from catching 50/50 balls and the odd slant now and then.

I mean I agree with you but he was still better than the crap that’s out there now

 

[luuked]

I mean I agree with you but he was still better than the crap that’s out there now

Was he a better option before his injury than a hobbled Sanu ? Yes.

Could Brady have thrown some 50/50 balls to a healthy Gordon on the outside ? I guess but being a low percentage offense is clearly not the direction the coaches wanted to go because that is not a way to use Brady to his strengths.

How many crossing routes or slants did Gordon get this year ? There is a good chance you can count them on one hand. The reality is he had approximately the same yardage and YPA as Meyers for the year so it is not like he was a trusted option. People were roasting Hogan for far better seasons for 2 years straight.

Sanu demonstrated a better fit for the kind of offense they wanna run in his one healthy game than Gordon did in however many games he ended up played for us. It sucks he suffered that injury.

 

[Mack Herron]

Except Edelman, WRs And TEs are spare parts and duct tape.

 

[shmessy]

 

[NE_Zealot]

Here's one to get your panties in a bunch, we could have drafted Lamar Jackson, aka the QB of the future, instead we drafted JAG Sony Michel.

That JAG was a key cog in adding Lombardi #6 to the collection. Lamar Jackson has yet to win anything of consequence.

 

[NE_Zealot]

Avoiding media, the Ravens’ ballwashing is going to be intolerable. The praise is justified but they are still the ratbirds!

 

[Teej]

The lack of overall speed has been exposed by good teams on both sides of the ball.

 

[NYCPATS4LIFE]

The lack of overall speed has been exposed by good teams on both sides of the ball.

I am amazed how useless dorsett is with his speed. This team could be exposed even further against the chiefs. The texans are a good football team but we made them look great. They have some good players though on the offensive side of the ball.

 

[Teej]

I am amazed how useless dorsett is with his speed. This team could be exposed even further against the chiefs. The texans are a good football team but we made them look great. They have some good players though on the offensive side of the ball.

They don't have to be sprinters but they don't have much quickness or ability to change direction and get open. Other than Edelman...

 

[condon84]

I am amazed how useless dorsett is with his speed. This team could be exposed even further against the chiefs. The texans are a good football team but we made them look great. They have some good players though on the offensive side of the ball.

Dorsett actually beat his guy a few times from what I saw last night.

He had a step on the DB covering him when Brady decided to throw him a back shoulder throw instead of leading him.

He was also wide open for a TD crossing route that Brady overthrew.

 

[Teej]

Harry was the first WR taken in the draft? Must have been a bad draft group this year.

 

[Teej]

Dorsett actually beat his guy a few times from what I saw last night.

He had a step on the DB covering him when Brady decided to throw him a back shoulder throw instead of leading him.

He was also wide open for a TD crossing route that Brady overthrew.

Brady was feeling heat and throwing the ball before he had to. I don't recall if that particular throw over Dorsett's head was off the back foot but he had quite a few of those last night.

 

[ensoul]

Harry was the first WR taken in the draft? Must have been a bad draft group this year.

Or maybe belichick continues to be awful at drafting wide receivers. Out of all the receivers he drafted over the past 20 years he hit on 2: Edelman and Branch. Every other wide receiver he has drafted has been a complete and utter bust.

 

[condon84]

That play was ****ing hideous. This offense is hideous.

If you look at that play, the CB covering Myers was on top of him. Wouldn't it make sense for him to work back to Brady because that was were the leverage was?

Seemed ridiculous to kill him when even if he turned up, he'd have to beat a CB that already had leverage in a scramble drill.

 

[Teej]

Or maybe belichick continues to be awful at drafting wide receivers. Out of all the receivers he drafted over the past 20 years he hit on 2: Edelman and Branch. Every other wide receiver he has drafted has been a complete and utter bust.

Yup and Edelman was so late it was a fluke like Brady...lol. At least Branch was a second rounder.