Maybe it was daylight savings, but probably it was the 55 points the Pats put up, because I feel great today! Haven’t had a chance to go back and look at the game again, will do so tonight and then all-22 tomorrow, but went back into the stats a bit to confirm some of what I thought I saw yesterday.
Some thoughts…
– This was the game I’ve been waiting for and had a feeling that it would happen either against the Phins or the Steelers. When everyone was all over Brady last week it just made it even more likely. As I’ve been saying for weeks, once Gronk and Amendola are healthy and the line plays like the way they’re capable of, it would be a whole new ballgame.
– Was glad to see Ridley stay in there after his fumble. Hard to really fault him on that, he had no time to tuck the ball away and Brady really shouldn’t have even thrown it to him. What a game for him and proof that what most of us saw was true, Ridley deserved a game where he shouldered the load and he proved how good he really can be.
– Excited about Dobson’s development, he’s literally gotten better and better the last three weeks. This is why you stick with rookie receivers through the first couple months of their careers. Wish the Pats had done so sooner with other receivers in the late-00’s and then the Pats wouldn’t have had such a harsh transition this season, but hey, we’re 7-2 so it’s all relative.
– I know the run defense is a concern but I am somewhat encouraged because of the 20 Steelers rushing plays 11 went for four yards or less. It was just the 30 and 25 yarders that were the big problem. Otherwise their next longest rush was 10 yards. They might not be as good as last year’s Pats run defense, but they can be good enough. Just eliminate those big plays and they’ll be fine.
– The Gregory injury is one where I’m actually kind of excited to see Duron Harmon get a shot. I just really like how athletic and instinctive he’s looked in limited duty so far. Hopefully Gregory isn’t done for the season, he was playing solid. But I’m curious to see how Harmon does.
– Logan Ryan was moved to the money role after Gregory went out, showing how far Tavon Wilson has fallen down the depth chart.
– The problems with the long gains in the passing game were apparent, but it was as much bad tackling as it was bad coverage on many of them. The Steelers had 14 plays of 15-or-more yards. 2 were runs, 8 were short passes and four were deep passes (including two that went for touchdowns).
– This points to two things… one, they need Talib back. Not just for him to shut one guy down, but because of the trickle-down effect. Two, is tackling. Thought they tackled pretty badly in this one. That is something that can be quickly fixed.
– Now the Pats get a break at a great time. It seems like they’ve found what will work for them going forward on offense. That is an undermentioned part of the Pats’ philosophy – the early parts of the year are always about experimentation and finding what works best. Now that they’ve figured it out, expect the roles to become even more clearly defined and the offense to start clicking with more and more consistency.