offense

Remember how the Patriots’ single-game DVOA against Houston was surprisingly high? Well, it turns out it wasn’t just very high. It was “top ten of all-time high,” at least on the offensive side of the ball. Eighth, to be exact. The Patriots had a lot of mid-range gains rather than depending on a couple of big plays, plus they had very few plays that lost yardage and no turnovers. They did this against the defense that ranked No. 3 in DVOA this season.

Great must-read article for any X-and-O heads out there like me…

For many years, the Erhardt-Perkins offense was known as the original ground-and-pound, a conservative, run-first offense summed up by Erhardt’s mantra, “You throw to score and run to win.” With the help of his assistants, Belichick’s primary innovation was to go from an Erhardt-Perkins offense to an Erhardt-Perkins system, built on its method of organizing and naming plays. The offense itself would be philosophically neutral. This is how, using the terminology and framework of what was once thought to be the league’s least progressive offensive system, Brady and Belichick built one of the most consistently dynamic and explosive offenses in NFL history. From conservative to spread to blistering no-huddle, the tactics — and players — have changed while the underlying approach has not.2

Great breakdown of the Pats offense from Bucky Brooks.

Great play by play breakdown of the Patriots offense finishing off the AFC East in dominating fashion.

What the Patriots did in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game against the Dolphins was impose their will on a Miami run defense considered to be one of the best in the league. The 16-play, 77-yard drive consumed 7:18 and changed the nature of the game: It made it a two-possession contest with 1:10 remaining, and helped secure the AFC East title for the fourth straight year.

It’s a situation, the four-minute offense, in which running the clock and putting points on the board would give the Patriots a two-score lead and put the game away. It’s a situation in which they have been successful just five times in 18 chances since the start of the 2010 season. They had been 0 for 6 this season with the return of offense coordinator Josh McDaniels. Failures led to losses against the Cardinals, Ravens, and Seahawks. The defense had to bail out the offense against the Broncos, Jets, and Bills (a successful drive that yielded a field goal when a touchdown would have made it a two-score lead). This time, the result was different.

Great offensive strategy breakdown from Matt Chatham, illustrating why the Pats are so hard to defend.

Run when it looks like pass. Go short when they think long. Up is down. Left is right. Tracking tendencies of opposing teams is a big deal in the NFL for coordinators. This Patriots team is extremely skilled on offense but also unafraid to be a toothless gum-lover at times you least expect. That’s a scary combination.