PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

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Tom Brady’s Facebook page might just be the best addition of the 2014 season. It’s down to that or Revis.

https://www.patspropaganda.com/tom-bradys-facebook-page-might-just-be-the-best/

What are your thoughts on the Pats’ pass rush? Although Chandler Jones has been out, I think Chris Jones has definitely stepped up from an interior spot. Additionally, people were picking on the pass rush against Green Bay but I think more credit has to be given to Aaron Rodgers and his ability to escape pressure and throw on the run and the Patriots respect for his game.

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Well you can always have more pass rush, that’s for sure and I didn’t think it was good enough against the Packers. But I also think the people flipping out at the Pats only rushing three on some downs don’t really get it. Good quarterbacks pick blitzes apart. We’ve seen plenty of times teams have come at Brady with similar gameplans, most notably the Jets in the 2010 playoff game.

It’s about creativity, with defensive ends and even tackles dropping into coverage and linebackers/defensive backs blitzing, trying to confuse the offensive line to get at the quarterback. You can’t just send the house every down and think that that will be effective.

These kind of gameplans against good quarterbacks are also very dependent on your front four winning when they have one on one matchups, and that’s something the Pats front four were not doing against the Packers.

So in the playoffs it will be critical that when guys like Chandler (hopefully), Easley, Chris Jones, Ayers and Ninkovich have only one offensive lineman blocking them, that they beat that guy and force the quarterback off the spot.

But again, it’s even more complicated against a guy like Rodgers than even Peyton. Rodgers has that escapability, so even if guys win their single matchup, they can’t lose contain or let him get to an alley. We saw that a couple times and Rodgers ran easily for a first down.

This is what happens when two great teams play. They are going to make plays, and there are no easy answers to getting pressure and stopping them, but the key is to get off the field on third down, get stops in the red zone and hopefully remain within striking distance until the end. Then make that one critical play and you will set yourself up to win.

The Pats pretty much did that despite the lack of great QB pressure. I mean, the Packers had 3 points in the second half!

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Week 13 DVOA Ratings

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FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Week 13 DVOA Ratings

Patriots are sitting at #2 overall (#3 offense, #12 defense, #3 ST) and have faced seven of the other top 11 teams in the NFL. If that doesn’t tell you how battle-tested this team will be once the playoff comes I don’t know what will. And they still have to see #6 Miami again and a better-than 16th Chargers team in San Diego.

As for the more specific breakdowns, the Pats defense is 16th both in pass defense and against the run. The pass defense further breaks down into 6th vs #1 WR, 7th vs #2 WR, 9th vs Other WRs, 31st vs. TEs and 16th vs. RBs.

Yes, that 31st vs. TEs sticks out, though part of it is a function of teams having to go somewhere with the football. Perhaps next offseason it’s worth looking closer at closing the gap at that coverage liability with a strong safety who can cover.

Other weaknesses elsewhere that stand out are on the defensive line where they’re worst in the league in Power Rank (short yardage situations on third/fourth down) and Stuffed Rank (tackles of the RBs at or behind the LOS).