The Patriots are one game away from the halfway point of the 2015 season as they prepare to get back to work and face Washington this weekend and looking at the numbers there’s plenty of reason to believe their early season success is only going to get better.
One of the biggest things that stands out is the comparison to last year’s totals at this time when looking at Tom Brady’s stats, with the veteran quarterback looking like a completely different player than he did at this time last season.
THROUGH 7 GAMES LAST SEASON & THIS SEASON:
2015: 199/289 (69%) 2410yds 18 sacks, 20 TDs 1 INT
2014: 151/246 (61%) 1705yds 13 sacks 13 TDs 2 INTs
So far his completion percentage is nearly 10% higher than it was last year, with Brady completing almost 70% of his passes as well as passing for over 700 yards more than he had at this point in 2014, as well as seven more touchdowns and one fewer interception. Given the context of the fact the pick went off Julian Edelman’s hands during the Colts game, it only makes what he’s done so far that much more impressive.
3RD DOWN PASSING THROUGH 7 GAMES IN 2014 & 2015:
2015: 38/55 (69%) 440yds 10 sacks 4 TDs 0 INTs
2014: 37/65 (57%) 435yds 4 sacks 4 TDs 1 INT
Brady’s accuracy has also greatly improved on third down compared to last season, with Brady again completing almost 70% of his throws compared to under 60% at this point last season. However, the interesting note is the fact the team had 28 passing first downs at this point on third down in 2014, and they have 28 again this year as well. Brady actually had his worst 3rd down performance of 2015 Thursday night against Miami, completing just 3/8 passing (38%) including a touchdown.
Here’s a breakdown of Brady’s third down passing each week:
Week 1 vs PIT: 4/6 (67%) 38yds 2 sacks 1TD
Week 2 at BUF: 5/9 (56%) 60yds 1 TD
Week 3 vs JAX: 7/8 (88%) 82yds 1 sack
Week 4 at DAL: 4/5 (80%) 46yds 2 sacks
Week 5 at IND: 5/7 (71%) 45yds 1 sack
Week 6 vs NYJ: 10/12 (83%) 130yds 3 sacks 1TD
Week 7 vs MIA: 3/8 (38%) 39yds 1 sack 1TD
Red zone passing has been about the same, with Brady completing 61% of his throws compared to 62% in 2014. However, last year at this time he had attempted just 29 passes (with 18 completions) compared to 49 at this point this season. Obviously that tells you New England’s offense is getting into scoring territory much more frequently this season, with Brady so far amassing 16 red zone touchdown passes compared to 9 at this point last season.
RED ZONE PASSING:
2015: 30/49 (61%) 234yds 3 sacks 16 TDs 0 INTs
2014: 18/29 (62%) 152yds 1 sack 9 TDs 0 INTs
There’s no question he’s got plenty of motivation this season given everything he had to endure during the offseason, with the quarterback still facing a battle after the league officially filed their appeal paperwork this week as they continue trying to suspend him. But for now Brady’s taking care of the one thing he can control and that’s his performance on the field, which so far has been terrific and have him on pace for quite a memorable season.
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
