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Patriots vs. Bills All 22 Thoughts: Offense Edition

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We learned a lot about the New England Patriots offense against the Bills. Are they perfectly unstoppable yet? Nope. But they have a resiliency about them that was shown multiple times in this game. 

The protection continues to improve, as does Rob Gronkowski. Along with Edelman and Brandon LaFell the Pats’ attack is looking more and more diverse with each game and that’s a great thing.

While the questions swirl around how they’ll replace Stevan Ridley, there are plenty of other things to feel good about with this offense.

Here’s what stood out on the All 22 film re-watch, offense edition.

Communication on the offensive line stood out on the first third down of the day. Adjusting and passing guys off in perfect sync. This is what takes time to build and the better results are obvious.

Just overall the pocket is much cleaner now as well. No longer is it total chaos with guys flailing all over the place.

Josh Kline whiffs on Dareus on the second drive but Brady already got the ball out. Still, Kline fights pretty hard. Not sure how he wasn’t in the mix early in the year, perhaps injury?

Not sure why we’re running into this front…

Kinda strange to throw a WR screen to Brandon LaFell with Amendola and Edelman blocking for him, but I guess that’s the unexpected.

Ah, the fullback dive… I have a bad feeling we’ll be seeing Develin with more of these. And I like Develin, but the OL just doesn’t seem to be explosive enough off the ball to open those quick seams up front.

It’s really amazing how the Pats neutralized Brandon Spikes in this one. Spikes is a devastating run blocker but the Pats’ game plan completely took him out of the equation.

Not sure what Nate Solder was doing on the sack he gave up in the second quarter. He looked down on the snap and opened the door for Hughes. If he just squares up there’s no sack. Might’ve been a communication thing.

Give Buffalo’s D some credit they swarmed the ball in the running game. Their secondary just couldn’t disrupt Brady’s timing in the pass game.

The next pressure Solder gave up on the next possession was all him though, Hughes just got under him and flew around the corner to flush Brady out. That was the one that got him a seat on the bench the next possession.

If Brady wasn’t pulling it down after looking at Gronk (in middle) he might’ve had Amendola on the out up top.

Ridley’s best run of the day came off a quick snap that the Bills weren’t ready for. Guess you have to get them any way you can.

Spikes gets stuck covering LaFell on a third quarter third down and totally misses the jam allowing a free release. LaFell finds the open zone in the middle of the field and takes it for a first down. 

Still just so impressed with Tyms’ touchdown catch. I really hope this is just the beginning with him, he has real deep ball talent. Still, if I’m an opposing defense and I see him come on the field there’s one route I’m bailing and covering downfield.

Gronk did a lot of damage on the outside matched up against cornerbacks. Such a tough assignment for a guy six feet or under.

Total whiff by Josh Kline pulling for Ridley in the third quarter, okay maybe that’s why he was stuck on the bench. BTW – how have I not noticed Jordan Devey yet?

 For a guy known for his blocking, LaFell didn’t get anything of his man on the play Ridley got injured. Tough to see again…

Still wondering where the hard-charging-downhill Brandon Spikes was this game. Not that I’m complaining.

Pretty impressive how in sync Edelman and Brady are. He just continues to make it look like Wes Welker never left.

There wasn’t much there for him, but Brandon Bolden sure ain’t generating anything on his own. Is he really about to be the lead early-down back?

 This is what it has to look like for Bolden to pick up a chunk of yardage:

Wow, just saw Devey make an open field block to spring Gronk late in the fourth. I don’t know, maybe he isn’t a total loss?

Such a perfect play on LaFell’s touchdown for so many reasons. Offense showing “finish”. Brady showing faith in a new receiver. Love it.

Bolden is not turning this into anything but a loss:

The third-and-long conversion to Gronkowski was one of the best plays of the day. Protection was strong and Brady stood tall and waited for Gronk to get open.

The second LaFell touchdown to close it out was just the icing on the cake.

Patriots vs. Bills All 22 Thoughts: Defense Edition

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Simply put, this was a game won by the Patriots defensive line in the trenches. Buffalo clearly wanted to attack the Pats’ run defense but they couldn’t get by Vince Wilfork, Casey Walker, Chris Jones, Rob Ninkovich and Chandler Jones. 

Just a very solid defensive showing up front from the Pats where everyone did their job and there weren’t many missed tackles or blown assignments. 

Here are things that stood out on the All-22 film review, defense edition.

Chandler Jones showed strong edge awareness early in this one. This is something he wasn’t doing consistently , especially against the Chiefs.

As much as I wanted to see Deontae Skinner pop on the film, he’s still very much a rookie, reacting a moment later to everything than Mayo. He’s not ready to get thrown into the fire with Mayo gone. Last year with Vellano and Chris Jones was one thing, but a linebacker who is involved in so much of the run and pass game is another.

So tough watching Mayo ball out early in this one. He flew into the backfield and blew up this run:

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Just very solid team defense all around in the first quarter. Even when tackles were broken the next guy was there to fill, especially the corners and safeties. This is Patriots football. Everyone doing their job. Bills got a couple passes on them, but those were pinpoint throws that are almost impossible to stop.

There were quite a few defenders who couldn’t cover Scott Chandler, and it was Skinner’s turn on the last play of the first quarter. You can see how much Skinner is thinking out there and it’s slowing him down. Looks like his pursuit speed is actually pretty decent.

Here’s Collins’ interception, this is not a pass you want to throw.

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Can’t say how much I like Dennard enough. He allows a completion on third-and-three and still instantly makes the tackle short of the first down. Solid, aggressive corner play.

Gronk getting a lot of love for being “back”, but Wilfork is “back” too. Great game from him, just so strong at the point of attack and able to quickly get off blocks inside.

When big running back Bobbie Dixon came in, the Pats were responding with more of a 3-4 front. This makes sense, this is their best run-stopping package. With Casey Walker playing well at nose they’re able to use more 3-4 fronts again.

Even when Dixon gets the edge here, Revis comes up off his block and makes the tackle. Team defense.

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Now it’s Patrick Chung’s turn to give up a completion to Chandler, but not really his fault, Revis is in man on Watkins and just picks him. Still, not a great matchup having Chung on a big tight end.

Big whiff by Dennard on Woods’ first touchdown, just couldn’t get a hand on the receiver to disrupt the timing. Nice fake by Woods.

On Spiller’s long run before he fumbled it at the end of the first half it was a good example of Jamie Collins doesn’t have the physicality to be a great run-stopping linebacker. He gets totally blocked by an offensive tackle and can’t disengage. This could be a focal problem going forward without Mayo.

Vince Wilfork singlehandedly just blew up a run and made the tackle. Impressive game from him continues into the third quarter.

Casey Walker splits the double team and makes the tackle. When Siliga gets back the Pats are going to have some options up front. This is good long-term Wilfork insurance as well developing three solid interior DL.

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Scott Chandler is about to make this catch with one hand but it’s actually okay position by Tavon Wilson, he just doesn’t look for the ball or get a hand up in time. Did I mention I wanted the Pats to sign Chandler this offseason?image

 Revis bailed to off-man coverage on the long reception he gave up to Watkins, not sure why the adjustment came but it allowed a free release and Watkins shook Revis near the goalline.

It’s clear how badly the Bills wanted to run on the Patriots but the Patriots defensive line did not allow that to happen. Really it covered up Skinner and Collins’ weaknesses in that area of the game, because just about every play that hit the second level would hit the third level as well. But not many got past the first level.

I really want to find something on Skinner to give us some hope but even his sack was more of a coverage sack. He hesitates again (rookie thing) but that paid off because it opened a lane to Orton. At least he had the speed to go and finish it. I guess that’s a silver lining.

Not sure how Chandler Jones ended up in coverage on Chandler on his catch in the third quarter, but it wasn’t even close once Chandler had to turn and run to cover Chandler. Lot of Chandler going on in that play.

Workman-like effort from Ninkovich as usual as he picks up his third sack of the game. Not flashy, but does his job and if the rest of the defense follows his lead, they’re pretty solid.

In the fourth quarter the Pats put Chandler Jones to press Scott Chandler and Tavon Wilson to cover him. Makes sense finally.

Not a great fourth quarter for Dennard, a missed tackle, then he gets lost in the wash covering on 4th down and gives up a big gainer.

Arrington too had a rough one, giving up the next two completions after Dennard’s long one. Still, tight plays and he’s right there. Sometimes that happens.

3 GIFs That Defined Patriots Win Over Bills

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There were a lot of great plays to pick from this week, a nice problem I’m not used to having this season, so I just went ahead and picked five because I make the rules here on the Prop.

Players stepped up despite major injuries and made plays at the critical moments to get the Pats the victory. Despite the final score this was a closely-fought football game with the game on the line well into the fourth quarter. The Pats showed a ton of grit and their trademark cold-bloodedness that we’ve come to expect.

Here are the five plays that stood out the most to me…

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After going back-and-forth for much of the first half, each scoring touchdowns, this play really got the Pats kick started for the rest of the game. Chandler Jones continued his great season and showed remarkable athleticism to corral the ball. The Pats would get six points just before the half and set them up for the opening drive of the third quarter.

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What a play this long touchdown pass was to Brian Tyms for a bunch of reasons. First, it came on the opening drive of the third quarter, a spot the Pats often struggle on the road, and for all the talk that Tom Brady had no more deep accuracy, this one play showed there just might be some hope. This play should serve as a message to any teams who want to load the box and short zones.

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The Bills had just put together a touchdown-scoring drive and closed to within six points but the Pats came right back out firing with this play immediately moving them across midfield. Not only is this just one of many examples that I could’ve chosen to illustrate that Gronk is back, but it also shows the kind of steely resolve the Pats had as the Bills continued to stick around.

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With a nine-point lead this was the play that effectively put the game away, and the fact that it came on third-and-12 and Brady found Brandon LaFell is just the icing on the cake. This game also proves that the Patriots are a lot more than just the Edelman and Gronk show. The offense didn’t show this kind of development last year until much later. LaFell is developing into the big receiving threat the Pats have lacked for what seems like an eternity.

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Still the Bills kept fighting but this was the final dagger, converting a third-and-long and not giving them the ball back with plenty of time and just an eight-point lead. Brady stands strong in a tight pocket and delivers a strike to Gronk.

If the Pats can maintain this kind of execution, they will be very hard to stop. 

Previous Three GIFs:

Cincinnati Bengals

Kansas City Chiefs

Oakland Raiders

@ Minnesota Vikings

@ Miami Dolphins

Pats Posits: Gritty but Costly Victory

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After letting this win over the Bills marinate for the last 20 hours or so I went back to take a look at the condensed game film as I usually do on Mondays. A lot to be excited about, unfortunately it’s hard to be too happy when it looks like Jerod Mayo and Stevan Ridley are likely done for the season.

There’s no way to find a silver lining in either of these injuries. The Pats never replaced LeGarrette Blount, Brandon Spikes or Dane Fletcher this offseason and now those decisions are going to seriously test the Pats’ depth once again.

For Ridley, the obvious personnel adjustment is using Brandon Bolden as the early-down back, but he certainly doesn’t have the ability to break tackles or power through in short yardage situations. He’ll get what is there and likely not a yard more. Maybe Jonas Grey from the practice squad is the answer, or free agent Benjarvus Green-Ellis (I’d be all for giving him a look). But if we’re riding with Bolden as the guy, I’m a little worried.

Mayo was the quarterback of the defense but luckily Hightower got good experience last year and once healthy, he should be able to fill the communication void. The problem is that Jamie Collins is not stout against the run in the base defense and now he must find a way to fix that. Deontae Skinner looked like a rookie despite picking up a sack against the Bills. 

What other options do they have? Promote Darius Fleming from the practice squad, but he still doesn’t give you the kind of coverage Mayo had (obviously). Fleming is more an end of line player. So now Hightower might be headed to Mike and really, he should be named a replacement captain.

With Hightower and Collins in sub-packages the problems are manageable, though the Pats were shredded by Scott Chandler once again and it leaves me wondering how they will deal with Julius Thomas. 

They made it work without Mayo last year but they’re an additional experienced cover linebacker short this year. It’s definitely a big question mark how they fill the void this year.

Alright, with the injuries out of the way let’s talk the rest of the team, because this was a performance that showed the 2014 Patriots have the kind of perseverance the 2013 had in spades.

I really believed the Pats would come out of the locker room and lay an egg. We’ve seen it too many times in recent years on the road, especially when getting hit with adversity. I wasn’t sure if this team, with all the injuries adding up, had enough gas in the tank, but the offense was almost unstoppable in the second half.

Credit that to some major developments – the protection was good, Gronk is back and LaFell is developing into a real threat. All good signs that this offense could be ready to take a major step forward. Not to mention the Moss-like deep ball catch by Tyms.

Overall, it feels like this is still the Belichick/Brady Patriots, who fight to the end. It’s the first time this year I’ve felt safe saying that.

If Connolly and Stork are back for Thursday night, it’s hard not to feel really good about the direction of this offense. But they’ll need Gronk to stay healthy, he’s the straw stirring the drink.

He might take some penalties but Alfonzo Dennard is really a key piece of this secondary. He and Arrington are excellent companions to Revis, with McCourty cleaning up the back end. Still very curious how Browner fits in, but I think we’ll be seeing plenty of Dennard even when he’s ready to go.

Not a lot to love about the ground game, but they stuck with it and that kept the linebackers and pass rush somewhat honest. I worry about someone like Bolden being able to create something out of nothing if the OL blocking isn’t better. Though with Connolly/Stork back it should be.

Tyms essentially played the old Matthew Slater WR role of limited snaps where he just runs down the field really fast. Clearly Tyms has a special skillset catching the deep ball. It was just so refreshing to see Brady complete that long pass (among others). Really feels like it’s been since 2010 to Moss that we saw those kind of completions.

Thank Hoodie for Chandler and Nink. We can make it work without Mayo, not sure we could make it work without one of them. Though the sprinkling of Zach Moore in the game is a positive sign. Curious to see if he gets more time.

Wilfork and Chung – two veterans who might get lost in the shuffle of praise this week, but both have been big factors this year. Chris Jones had another solid game while Casey Walker also did well subbing in.

Tavon Wilson and Duron Harmon could be more involved with Mayo out, but I don’t have much confidence in either yet.

Pats just have to tough out this Thursday night against the Jets, who are sure to present plenty of problems, especially for the offensive line. If you think they’re just going to roll over I’ve got bad news for you.

A win on Thursday would be so huge and then give the Pats some badly needed time to get healthy. Get ready, another football game in just three days…

3 GIFs coming later this afternoon.

New England Patriots Gameplan: Week 6 at Buffalo Bills

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The New England Patriots got back on track last week with an impressive win over the previously undefeated Cincinnati Bengals. But there’s little time to enjoy that victory, as the Buffalo Bills welcome the Pats for their second divisional game this season.

Despite New England’s 22-2 record against the Bills since 2001, the early season games, especially those in Buffalo are always close. With first place in the AFC East on the line, the Patriots will need to build on the success they had against the Bengals.

The 3-2 Bills will be looking to make a statement and the Patriots know what they’re walking into –  a hungry team that wants to prove they’re a true contender.

Here’s the gameplan.

Offensive Gameplan

Continuity is the name of the game this week, building on the solid play of last weekend without regressing is a daunting task in a tough environment like Buffalo. Bill Belichick calls it “stacking success” and that’s something the 2014 Patriots haven’t been able to do yet.

It starts with the offensive line, which may have some questions with Bryan Stork showing up on the injury report on Thursday with a “head injury”. If Stork can go, there’s no reason to change up what worked last week on the line, and really, they don’t have many other options.

The offense cannot continue to progress if Brady doesn’t have the time he needs.

Incorporating pieces like Aaron Dobson and Tim Wright are also important, as they add two completely new elements to the Patriots offense, elements they lacked last year – an athletic “F” tight end and a tall, speedy receiver on the outside.

Getting Danny Amendola more touches wouldn’t be a bad thing either. He had his best game as a Patriot last year in Buffalo, despite tearing his groin in the process. Amendola has been getting open, Brady just hasn’t been finding him.

Balance between the run and pass is critical as always. Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley had great patience last week and if they get that kind of blocking again, they should be able to expose the Bills run defense. But there will likely have to be some misdirection and screens involved to avoid Brandon Spikes in the middle of the Bills defense. He’s a downhill, impact linebacker if you run it right at him.

Defensive Gameplan

Injuries are adding up on the defensive side of the ball. Dominique Easley separated his shoulder last weekend and could be out. Chandler Jones is battling a shoulder injury of his own as well. With Michael Buchanan on IR now and Dont’a Hightower missing last weekend with a knee injury, the Pats are scary thin at defensive end right now (and Hightower isn’t even a defensive end!). Even their emergency options are being thinned out.

This is not good for the edges of the defense. The Pats could really use Hightower back to reinforce the edge from his strongside linebacker spot. The options for pass rushers have been thinned out as well. Vince Wilfork and Rob Ninkovich might have to play out of their minds.

Devin McCourty was in a red “no contact” jersey in practice. If he’s out this week Duron Harmon steps into the primary free safety role, something that could be a bit a scary.

But Buffalo should rely on their quick passing game primarily around Fred Jackson and CJ Spiller, so it will likely come down to linebackers Jerod Mayo and Jamie Collins making plays.

Five Points of Emphasis

1. Wrap and Tackle: In the two road losses this year a recurring theme was poor tackling and that cannot happen with talented running backs Fred Jackson and CJ Spiller. Winning on the road, to borrow a phrase from the late great Maine hockey coach Shaun Walsh, is about being “quietly efficient”.  Make the plays you’re in position to make. Don’t do too much. Just DO YOU JOB. If they do that, the Pats defense should be in good position with their talented secondary. But it must start with sound play up front.

2. Two Tight Ends, One Personnel Package: We saw just a glimpse of what last year’s leading receiver for rookie tight ends Tim Wright could do and this week he needs to be worked in even more. As Rob Gronkowski returns to his old self, Wright is the perfect compliment to him –  a move tight end who can stretch the seam but also go up on jump balls. The two tight end set is the most versatile in football and allows the offense to dictate the matchups they want. The sooner the Pats can run Wright and Gronk with a combination of any other weapons, the harder they will be to stop.

3. Make Spikes Cover: Brandon Spikes has certainly had this game circled since the schedule was released and he’ll make his presence felt in the run game. But Spikes’ weaknesses in pass coverage are well-documented and the Pats have a knack for turning a player’s overaggressiveness against them. That should be the case with Spikes as the Pats have plenty of options to exploit him in space. Whether it’s Shane Vereen, Rob Gronkowski or Tim Wright, the Pats will look to get Spikes in space and take him out of his specialty. Play action should come early and often.

4. Block Four With Five: There’s little surprise that maintaining the kind of offensive line play that we saw against the Bengals is of paramount importance. This week, with a Bills team more than capable of generating pressure with just four talented rushers, the Patriots must find a way to give Brady the extra time to find open receivers with seven defenders in coverage. Kyle Williams should test the interior of the Pats line while Jerry Hughes and Mario Williams will be attacking the edges. Stopping those three players especially might just be the biggest key to the entire game.

5. Win: The Pats are already in a 0-1 hole in the AFC East and dropping to 0-2 would put real pressure on them. Divisional games are of paramount importance in Foxboro – they’re the most direct route to the playoffs of course, so Bill Belichick and co. know what is at stake. Stepping into sole possession of first place in the AFC East would be a nice statement to make in early October, but the road only gets harder from here. 

Patriots vs. Bengals All 22 Thoughts: Offense Edition

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On to the offensive side of the ball where I found a lot to be encouraged about. Most specifically the team-wide commitment to blocking downfield. The linemen and receivers were blocking with gusto and that finally got the explosive plays in the ground game going.

Rob Gronkowski and Shane Vereen showed they were rounding into form finally as the elite weapons we think they should be.

Here are my All 22 observations on the offensive side of the ball.

As I wrote this week on my Three GIFs piece, I loved the opening call, a play action 20-yard pass to LaFell.

It was apparent from the first drive that the Pats came to play, the first time that’s happened this season. Loved the balance and use of play action.

I still have some concerns about the Pats’ short yardage ability, but how was the ball spotted so badly after James Develin’s 3rd and 1 carry?

Hooman is a necessary evil for now but how I’d love to get Tim Wright more involved at Hooman’s expense. Hooman is literally zero threat, though I see improvement in his blocking.

Missed this before but Iloka was giving some extra post-whistle business to Gronk on the second drive and that’s likely why Gronk had a shove for him later that picked up a penalty. Nice job by Amendola coming to Gronk’s defense.

Tim Wright’s touchdown came out of a a tight formation that the Bengals clearly weren’t ready for. Wright found the seam perfectly and Brady didn’t hesitate to immediately throw it to him.

Gronk continuing to look more like his old self in space as he picks up a first down in the first quarter, the one that drew a penalty. He’s attacking contact now. Need to focus on his blocking more now.

Next play Pats try play action on first down, Brady has Edelman for a moment but doesn’t pull the trigger. He’s going to his second read when the sack comes. 

Brady’s missed deep throw to Edelman came off his back foot as pressure arrived. Wish we could’ve seen if he hit or missed it if he had had the time. Those are throws that need to connect when it’s all on the line and one of the biggest criticisms of this offense.

Right side of the line was unaware of the snap count on the next play, a third down. Two rushers just came flying in as Gronk and Vollmer stood there. Ugh.

Such a better job picking up defenders in space by the pulling offensive linemen. Connolly especially. Such a huge difference from previous weeks.

Here’s what you didn’t see earlier this season – DOWNFIELD BLOCKS! Vereen gets 11 yards on this one.

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Continue to see Amendola getting open. Wish Brady could find him more often.

The interesting personnel package near the goalline at the end of the first half was Dobson/LaFell/Gronk/Edelman/Vereen. Dobson gets open but Brady doesn’t see him. 

Amendola comes in for Dobson on the next play and gets open but it looks like it was a roll out play designed for Edelman who is not open.

They go to Ridley/Hooman on the third down attempt at the goalline and while he had a good burst, Ridley gets stopped cold in his tracks.

Really love how Develin has progressed and carved a role out for himself. Who doesn’t love an old school fullback with a neck roll who can catch a bit. Tom Rathman fans like me can’t get enough of that!

Said it before and I’ll say it again, Gronk is looking more and more like Gronk.

Shane Vereen hasn’t gotten much love yet but deserves some. He ran well and broke a few ankles on this day. Seems likehe’s rounding back into form. He had two big carries in the third quarter, including a long third down pickup.

How about this three tight end look? And they ran right.

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Vintage Gronk touchdown and I loved how he casually avoided contact. Can’t be easy to feel comfortable with guys diving at his knees again.

BB pointed it out today in his press conference, but great block by Dobson downfield to spring Ridley near the end of the third quarter. Those kind of plays will get him on the field more often.

I feel like once Brady’s presnap read tells him Edelman should be open he doesn’t deviate from throwing it to Edelman.

Still not impressed once by Gronk’s blocking. Once that comes back (assuming it does), look out. This Pats offense will hit high gear then because Hooman can then stay on the sidelines.

Patriots vs. Bengals All 22 Thoughts: Defense Edition

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Nice to finally get a look at the All 22 after a day’s delay. Pats seem to be finding their stride on defense and when they wrap up and make tackles, things look pretty good. They’re flashing more and more physicality in the secondary as well, which is needed.

Perhaps the biggest note is Darrelle Revis looking like Darrelle Revis, but also how well Arrington and Dennard played as well. Can’t remember having three corners playing this well since… well… ever.

The biggest concern – defensive end depth with Chandler Jones and Dominique Easley ailing while Michael Buchanan was just shut down for the season. Might be a move to come there.

Here are my notes on the defense…

Dennard might be the unsung hero of this defense. He’s feisty, shows good anticipation and seems like the key guy to allow man defense across the board. Very curious to see what happens with Browner now in the mix. Dennard seems too good to ride the pine now.

Chris Jones continuing to progress, taking on double teams better. 

Revis anticipates double moves so well, he never stops moving. His talents were on clear display right off the bat, smoothly sticking with AJ Green like glue.

Man-to-Man defense certainly has it’s plusses when Revis-Dennard-Arrington are all playing. But on third-and-long on the first drive the Pats went to Cover 4 to snuff out the underneath routes. A good example of how mixing coverages is key.

Savvy “ole” move by Ninkovich on the second Bengals possession against the tight end trying to block him. Ninkovich has been under the radar this year somewhat, but continues to show up in the run game. 

Some good stuff out of Easley playing defensive end. His power continues to flash, but he’s still developing the savvy needed to pass rush in the NFL. He’s really shown how versatile he is early in the year and as he gets more comfortable on his knee he should only get better.

Casey Walker showed up on just his second snap with the Patriots, plowing through the line to blow up a run for a loss. Might be a little early to say anything definitive but the Pats have to be happy to see this from their big body replacement of Siliga. He could be a key piece down the stretch.

Next third-and-long the Pats went to Cover 2 Man but when that play was blown dead by a penalty they went back to Cover 4 for third-and-longer.

Clear as day where Easley hurt his shoulder mid-way through the second quarter, he was just trying to extend against a block and immediately reached to it. His arm hung limp as he walked to the sideline. Doesn’t seem major and he was at practice today so that’s a good sign.

Love Jamie Collins in the passing game, but he’s not a downhill linebacker how can hammer an oncoming offensive linemen. In space against pass-heavy teams he’ll be incredibly valuable. Of course that is most of the teams in the NFL that we worry most about. But against some of the NFC teams it might be interesting with him.

Chris Jones with another great stack-and-shed in the second quarter. Solid game for him so far. Michael Buchanan entered for Easley and he looks a little lost so far. Looking for the injury that landed him on IR.

I’m sure one of the talking points you’ve heard this week is that the Pats pass rush pressure wasn’t great but against a quick-throw team like the Bengals it’s almost impossible to get to the QB consistently. The good thing I see is that the pass rush is getting there right after Dalton unloads it, forcing him to quickly throw to his first read consistently. That’s a positive and something we’ll need to do against the good QBs like Peyton.

Holy ticky tacky holding call on Dennard! 

Bengals went run-heavy at the end of the second quarter after taking a couple shots at the end zone. Pats countered with a 3-4 base defense that held up well, forcing the field goal. Good red zone stop.

On the forced fumble by Revis on AJ Green it felt like it all started with a great jam by Revis that put Green off balance. Again, Revis was everything we thought Revis is and was in this game.

Look at that, Dennard gets sent on a blitz on the first play of the second half forcing a rushed throw and incompletion. Nothing better than a three-and-out to start a half, and the Pats got on their way to one with some rare DB pressure.

Jerod Mayo bounced back again in what has been an up-and-down start to his season. It’s amazing how much better the Pats are when he plays well. And how bad they are when he doesn’t.

Pats were in base defense, Cover 4 on the 37-yard touchdown pass to Sanu. Chung jumped the underneath route leaving Dennard with no help. McCourty’s absence was felt here.

Pats got caught in an exchange on a 15-yard gain to Hill. Ninkovich dropped and Mayo blitzed off the edge. Great throw by Dalton and a tough catch. Like seeing this kind of disguise.

On AJ Green’s touchdown Logan Ryan got no jam and then ran into Mayo which opened up enough space for an easy TD throw from Dalton. Not entirely Ryan’s fault, but a better jam would’ve likely helped him avoid Mayo coming over to cover the RB.

Collins is almost better getting right up on the line of scrimmage and using his athleticism in tight space to avoid blocks. In the fourth quarter he did just that, blowing up a zone run.

Great move by Chris Jones to pick up the first sack of the season against the Bengals. Not playing every down has allowed Jones to really elevate his game. He made a handful of impact plays in this game.