Patriots hold on in Philly to down Eagles

New England’s defense has been the show-stealer all season. Dont’a Hightower, Stephon Gilmore, and company once again got the job done in an extremely hostile environment Sunday afternoon.

The Philly crowd was into it for a good portion of the game until hope seemed to be waning. The Pats eventually closed out the evening with a second half shutout in a 17-10 victory to improve to 9-1.

Photo: patspulpit.com

“Patriots soaring in Philly” would have been the optimal headline for this story, but it was not meant to be. The offense once again sputtered, failing to convert in the redzone on three drives that saw the Pats use Nick Folk to kick three field goals.

The only time New England scored a touchdown was when wide receiver Julian Edelman threw the ball on a trick play to Phillip Dorsett in the endzone on the second half’s first drive. That’s saying something. Nothing good mind you.

The struggles of opening up the field this season have been notable. Without playing a certain big tight end in the middle of the field, the offense has called upon its wide receivers to answer the bell. The problem?

Guys like Demaryius Thomas, Antonio Brown, and Josh Gordon are being spat out as the revolving door at the position continues for Belichick.

On paper, Edelman and the rest of his current crew at receiver have a real shot to gel and have a good final six games of 2019. But some things need to happen first.

The offensive line needs to find its stride, and a big part of that has to be getting Isaiah Wynn back at left tackle. The rush has gotten to Brady too many times. The 42-year old in his 20th season just doesn’t have enough time to stand in the pocket and scan the field. He’s taking hits, which is something no New England fan should be happy about.

Getting the offensive line back and getting that run game that was so instrumental late last season is key. This will open up the run fake for the offense, allowing them to be less one dimensional. Implementing some more hurry-up may also continue to prove to be useful.

Outside of that, the chemistry between Brady and Sanu, Harry, Meyers, etc. needs to get better. With no time to throw, Brady is going for his old reliable Edelman. That’s great. But it can get predictable. Again though, chemistry comes with better protection.

The issues for New England’s offense really all trace back to the offensive line. It has to be better. Otherwise this team will suffer a terrible postseason fate, that nobody wants to see in Foxborough.

On a good note, this defense can carry the team and Tom Brady is still Tom Brady. People will bash him and the offense all day, but he can still be safe and effective with the football as witnessed yesterday.

Photo: phillyvoice.com

The Patriots defense forced Carson Wentz into bad throws and made plays when it had too – a seemingly sweet tune that has been sung all season. To that point though, the Ravens are looking like an elite team and New England’s defense could not keep up with them in Baltimore. So what happens when another elite force like Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs or Dak Prescott and the Cowboys come to town? We’ll find out.

The Cowboys have been hot and cold this season at times but nobody can look past Prescott, Zeke Elliott, Amari Cooper, and dem’ boys. They are playmakers. Not to mention their defense has played pretty well of late. This Patriots defense will have its second toughest test to date. Playing under the lights at Gillette just seems like a good time for this Patriots offense to come together more…but will it?

Sunday should be another good indicator of where this team stands. It’s tough to imagine a Patriots team without an offensive identity at Week 12 in the season, but here we are. And none yet.

YET.

Experts and fans can call this team a defensive powerhouse if they want, but the belief in the air is that the Patriots offense will break out at some point. But when? It’s getting later in the year and Brady’s stat line (14 touchdowns and 5 interceptions) hasn’t been seen like this since the likes of 2013 during the Aaron Dobson/Kenbrell Thompkins time (25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions that year).

All eyes will shift to Sunday at Gillette for what should be another playoff type atmosphere game. For the Patriots, it’s on to Dallas…

Stats from Sunday –

QB Tom Brady – 26 of 47 for 216 yards

WR Julian Edelman – 5 catches for 53 yards

RB Sony Michel – 10 carries for 33 yards

TE Ben Watson – 3 catches for 52 yards

New England defense – 255 yards allowed and 1 fumble recovery

Pats bully the Browns at Gillette to improve to 8-0; Tuesday 10/29 updates

Photo: oregonlive.com

On Sunday, Bill Belichick got win number 300 of his career by beating the team that originally gave him a shot back in 1991. Belichick’s then Browns actually beat the Patriots in his first win that year.

Now Belichick’s Patriots beat the Browns to earn the head coach his mark and improve to a perfect first half of the season.

This is just the third time New England has started 8-0 under Belichick and Brady. The other two years were the infamous 2007 season which ended with a loss to the Giants in Super Bowl XLII, and 2015 which ended with a heart-breaking AFC Championship loss to the Peyton Manning-led Broncos after the team suffered numerous injuries that season.

The Patriots defense got the job done yet again as they forced three turnovers on three consecutive snaps. This led to a 17-7 lead at the half.

Dont’a Hightower scored on a fumble recovery and an interception by Lawrence Guy deep in Cleveland territory set up the Pats with perfect field position to go ahead and score on a Tom Brady to Julian Edelman connection.

The defense also added another five sacks to the resume. This game was actually much closer than people might think though despite the 27-13 final score.

The Browns put together a drive halfway through the second quarter that led to just the second passing touchdown against New England’s defense all season. The play saw Baker Mayfield fire a 21-yard strike to Demetrius Harris for the score.

After New England did not put up points in the second quarter, the Browns put together a long opening second half drive. But the defense held strong forcing a field goal by rookie kicker Austin Seibert.

Brady and the Pats offense then went on a seven play, 84-yard drive in two minutes and 26 seconds that saw him find Edelman for his second touchdown of the day. This one was a 14-yard strike.

Both teams exchanged field goals in the fourth. The game was a coaching mismatch from the start. Freddie Kitchens has been sub-par to start the year, with his team proving time and again that they are an undisciplined group. The Browns have the talent to be the best team in the AFC North but can’t seem to get out of there own way. They do have a favorable schedule coming up but it may be too little too late.

The Patriots are in much better shape. The defense continued its historic pace on Sunday though there are concerns after Nick Chubb gashed the defense for 131 yards on 20 carries. Playing the run will have to be more of a focal point with teams like the Ravens, Cowboys, and Bills still on the schedule.

The offense is clearly still a work in progress which has been the case for some time now with all the turnover at receiver and along the offensive line. Mohamed Sanu had just two catches for 23 yards in his debut but conditions were messy and he may have been playing with limited playbook knowledge.

Marshall Newhouse let up another sack of Brady on Sunday and continues to struggle in pass protection. James Ferentz subbed in for Shaq Mason admirably after Mason rested that ankle injury he was dealing with last week.

Getting Isaiah Wynn back after the bye or trading for some O-line help might be more of a priority then adding another pass catcher at this point. Historically, bad offensive lines have been the Pats undoing in big games in the postseason. Addressing that area is a huge need.

The Patriots should be adding N’Keal Harry to the 53-man roster this week. This will add another target for Brady which is much needed following the IR designation to Josh Gordon. Ryan Izzo and Matt LaCosse are also working there way back to health as the Pats top two receiving options at the position.

If the Patriots only get healthier from here on out then they’ll be in good shape down the stretch. Addressing the offensive line is the key and it will be interesting to see what New England does at the position before the trade deadline.

The Patriots will now take on their biggest test of the season so far under the bright lights of Sunday Night Football in Baltimore. After the showdown with the 5-2 Ravens, New England will head on bye in Week 10.

Photo: dawgsbynature.com

Stats from Sunday:

QB Tom Brady – 20 of 36 for 259 yards and 2 touchdowns

WR Julian Edelman – 8 catches for 78 yards and 2 touchdowns

RB Sony Michel – 21 carries for 74 yards

RB James White – 4 catches for 75 yards; 2 carries for 4 yards

 

 

Patriots dismantle Darnold and the Jets on MNF

Photo: abc7ny.com

Mayday! Mayday! WE ARE GOING DOWN CAPTAIN!

Sam Darnold and the Jets, fresh off their first victory of 2019 versus the NFC East leading Dallas Cowboys, looked to play the role of triumphant underdog last night versus the vaunted defending Super Bowl champion Patriots.

But this fairytale story was not to be. Alas, the Jets were pummeled 33-0 by the dominant New England squad that moved to 7-0 on the year, despite some offensive struggles.

Tom Brady and company looked to be in a New York state of mind early against Gang Green, taking the first possession all the way down the field for an opening drive Sony Michel rushing touchdown.

On the ensuing Jets possession, Sam Darnold threw a ghastly pick to safety Devin McCourty with pressure coming at him. That would be the story all night for Darnold.

During the broadcast, Darnold was mic’ed up which may actually not have been a good thing. For him.

At one point in the game, the second-year quarterback admitted to seeing ghosts as the Patriots defense and their linebacking core, accurately self-dubbed ‘The Boogeymen”, stifled the Jets offense all night long.

Bill Belichick’s defense pitched it’s second shutout of the season and the largest ever recorded against the Jets. McCourty’s interception started the fun and games but surely did not end it. Duron Harmon, Stephon Gilmore, and Terrence Brooks all got in on the action as New England racked up four picks against the Jets and said goodnight to New York.

A bad snap also resulted in a safety with 7:41 remaining in the third quarter which at the time made it 26-0 after Brady and company took a 24-0 lead into the half. Darnold also fumbled the football on a John Simon strip-sack which was recovered by none other than Kyle Van Noy. Add in a muffed punt recovery for Matt Slater too.

Photo: bostonglobe.com

The New England defense is scary good as we head toward the end of October. Critics argue the opposing offenses they’ve faced haven’t been any sort of legit challenge, but this is professional football. The Pats D has 18 interceptions through seven games and have allowed just three touchdowns by the offense (2 rushing, 1 passing) all season to this point.

Belichick has crafted the defense perfectly and it will be interesting to see how the unit responds to the critical stretch coming up where they host Cleveland and travel to Baltimore before the bye. Baltimore is 5-2 and may be the best challenge to New England after they dismantled the Seahawks and MVP candidate Russell Wilson in Seattle on Sunday with the whole world watching.

After the bye, the Patriots will go to Philadelphia for a date with the Eagles for the first time since the team’s Super Bowl 52 loss. No Nick Foles this time though. Then Brady and company will host Dallas, travel to face Houston, and return back to Gillette for what’s sure to be another thriller with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Assuming no injuries play a major part during that stretch, the Patriots defense should be well-positioned to keep things rolling, even if they do experience a couple “hiccups”.

The biggest question is the offense at this point but those issues may get addressed starting after the Browns game.

Brady went 31 of 45 for 249 yards, one touchdown, and an interception last night. The offensive line has not given him enough time as injuries at left tackle and center have been more hurtful then originally anticipated. Then the lack of pass catchers has left TB12 with very little consistent threats. But that should change soon.

N’Keal Harry returned to practice last week and is slated to come off IR in his rookie season after being drafted in the first round. He is eligible to return for Week 9 against Baltimore. Josh Gordon avoided major injury and could be back as soon as this Sunday versus Cleveland. Now throw in Mohamed Sanu, who the Pats just acquired from the Falcons after shipping a second-round pick Atlanta’s way. Sanu may need a week to integrate into the offense, which means he may not play Sunday, but he is an experienced veteran receiver who is signed this year and next.

Photo: heavy.com

Sanu will provide another reliable threat for Brady as suddenly, in a few weeks time, it could be Edelman, Gordon Sanu, Harry, and Phillip Dorsett as Brady’s top five options. That ain’t bad.

Jakobi Meyers has potential but New England has those five guys above him. Olszewski is clearly just there for punt return duties. Then throw in LaCosse, Izzo, and Watson at tight end with some James White, Michel, Brandon Bolden, and Rex Burkhead at running back. Damien Harris, the talented back out of Alabama, is stuck at the bottom of a loaded backfield for the foreseeable future.

So the weapons could be there. Now the offensive line. Getting Isaiah Wynn back for the Eagles game following the bye will be key. He is clearly an upgrade over Marshall Newhouse. That would at least shore up the tackle spots. Ted Karras has struggled but continues to fill in for David Andrews admirably. Those are big shoes to fill so give the man credit for holding up there.

That’s the outline for success offensively. Now it’s just about having it all come together. Injuries are the only thing that could continue to slow this group down. But with healthy bodies coming in, it may help guys get right quicker with less pressure to have to perform.

New England will play Cleveland this Sunday @ 4:25 PM in Foxborough. Here are some other top performers from Monday night:

WR Julian Edelman – 7 catches for 47 yards; 3 rushes for 20 yards

WR Phillip Dorsett – 3 catches for 46 yards and a touchdown

RB James White – 7 catches for 59 yards: 5 carries for 0 yards

RB Sony Michel – 19 carries for 42 yards and three touchdowns

 

Giants go down at Gillette as Pats improve to 6-0

Photo: patspulpit.com

On a cold and windy night in Foxborough, the Patriots came away with a 35-14 victory over their old rival the New York Football Giants on Thursday Night Football. But the game wasn’t as lopsided as you might think.

The Giants kept the affair close till about nine minutes left in the fourth quarter. After being down just 21-14 at the half and neither team scoring in the third, Giants running back Jonathan Hilliman had the ball knocked loose by Jamie Collins which led to a Kyle Van Noy scoop and score for the Patriots fourth touchdown of the evening.

Tom Brady would add another score with his second quarterback sneak for a touchdown on the night with just 3:49 remaining. Brady went 31 of 41 for 334 yards and one interception, but most will say it was a down night for Brady because of the pick, a lost fumble that was recovered for a touchdown, and his 10 incompletions.

The big story, however, was the injuries that were accumulated on a short week. Many players in the NFL and fans alike dislike TNF for the fact that players don’t have the time to recover from a game played Sunday the same week. That fact reared it’s ugly head once again last night.

The biggest injuries came to Josh Gordon and Patrick Chung. Gordon had his leg bent awkwardly trying to tackle linebacker Markus Golden who was returning the Brady fumble for the Giants second and final touchdown of the night. Normally, the play would have looked like an ACL tear for normal athletes but Gordon is a freak of nature who was able to at least come out in full uniform for the second half, albeit just to ride the stationary bike the rest of the night on the sideline.

Chung suffered a chest injury that knocked him out of his third contest this season. The Patriots are deep on defense and Duron Harmon along with Terrance Brooks were able to replace Chung admirably. Dont’a Hightower and J.C. Jackson also missed some game time but Hightower did not finish after exiting late, most likely a precautionary measure.

Tight end Matt LaCosse once again exited a game, this time with a knee injury but did return for some spots after that. He did not register a catch as Ryan Izzo has proven to be a more reliable target in recent weeks for Brady at the position and even had two catches for 31 yards but was targeted by Brady a few more times. Izzo also looked wide open on a failed fourth down conversion attempt in the fourth quarter that saw Brady pressured and in need of getting the ball out quickly. He turned to his right to fire an incompletion to Julian Edelman, but with more time might have found Izzo underneath to the left.

Fullback Jakob Johnson also exited with a shoulder injury, while receiver Phillip Dorsett and runningback Rex Burkhead were scratches for the game due to hamstring and foot injuries respectively. Johnson is James Develin’s replacement while the veteran fullback is on IR with a neck injury.

So the point of all this is, it is really, really great that the Patriots are 6-0 and now have a mini-bye as they will prepare to take on the Jets in New York on Monday Night Football on the 21st.

New England’s offense is becoming a slight issue as they have struggled to get it going early in games. Last night, Brady had just Edelman, Jakobi Meyers, Gunner Olszewski, and Ryan Izzo to throw the ball to. He did have his backs Sony Michel, James White, and Brandon Bolden as well. The offensive line also struggled somewhat again, and though Marshall Newhouse continues to fill in admirably for Isaiah Wynn, he has noticeably gotten beat at least a few times in each game he has played. Wynn looked every bit the first round pick before his injury sent him to IR with no chance to return till Week 11 against Philadelphia.

Photo: patspulpit.com

N’Keal Harry is seemingly the favored second player to come off IR after Week 8 now, as well, given the spotlight at receiver because of the recent slew of injuries. Brady and the Patriots need help at the position because going into the latter part of 2019, let alone Januray, with just those above listed targets is not ideal. If New England does not swing a trade before the deadline, I fully expect Harry and Wynn to come off IR to slide onto this roster and maybe even provide some highlight play.

Despite the injuries and occasionally breakdowns, this offense still continues to grind it out though which is a huge credit to them. They are warriors and with leaders like Brady, Edelman, White, and Thuney the Patriots should be able to fight through the mud with proper player management (snap counts, practice time, recovery time, etc.). I’ve noticed more and more how cautious Belichick is with certain players when dealing with bumps and bruises. That will of course continue.

This defense is legit. We all say it every week but another four turnovers (3 picks, 1 fumble recovery for a touchdown) and a blocked punt for a touchdown by rookie Chase Winovich showed the world how scary good this number one defense is. They held rookie quarterback Daniel Jones to under 200 yards passing and the running game to just 52 yards. Stephon Gilmore and Jonathan Jones had big pass breakups while Harmon, Gilmore, and John Simon all came away with the picks.

Golden Tate can say he scored the first passing touchdown of the season versus the Patriots but even that ball was tipped and juggled before being hauled in by Tate for the 64-yard score. Contested catches are becoming a somewhat regular occurrence but even then quarterbacks are having trouble throwing into those tight windows.

Mike Nugent made all five extra point attempts but did miss his only field goal attempt from 40 yards out. The wind did make it difficult and rookie punter Jake Bailey continues to struggle in holding duties, all of which culminated in the attempt banging off the left upright. I like Nugent and he should stick barring a disastrous game. Bailey needs to work on getting the laces out of the kicker’s foot path when holding on field goals. The rookie punter does continue to impressively boom kicks for New England.

There will be a lot of time to watch for some rumors over the coming week and a half, but for now Pats fans can enjoy a relaxing weekend of football without their team playing Sunday, along with the knowledge that New England has started 6-0 for just the fourth time in this long success story since Belichick took over in 2000.

Some other stat lines from TNF:

WR Julian Edelman – 9 catches for 113 yards

WR Jakobi Meyers – 4 catches for 54 yards

RB Sony Michel – 22 carries for 86 yards; 2 catches for 27 yards

RB James White – 9 catches for 46 yards, 2 carries for -1 yards

Next up: @ Jets at 8:15 on Monday Night Football, 10/21