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Pats Posits: An Epic Game to Spark an Epic Playoff Run?

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Where do I begin? I guess by saying that this was one of the best football games I’ve ever watched and really, it was a lot closer than I thought it was going to be. Tip of the cap to the Ravens, who, despite being a different team than they were in 2009-2012, played the same way – fearless – and had a great gameplan to attack the Pats’ weaknesses.

But the Patriots did what they do, fought for 60 minutes and used every trick in the book to get the victory. There’s so much to break down, let’s get to it.

I never expected the Pats to come out so tight and get so dominated on defense. Thank Hoodie they recovered their two fumbles early in the game or this one would’ve started out even worse than 2009’s playoff game, as if any of us ever thought that would be possible.

Flacco went back to what worked in 2012 – attacking the middle of the field. Even when they stopped those passes, the run defense remained a problem. Most concerning is that even with their heavy front of Wilfork-Siliga-Branch, they were still getting pushed around by a patchwork Ravens offensive line. That is not good and will have to fixed immediately. 

We talked about it all year, the Pats short yardage run defense on third and fourth down was near the bottom of the NFL, as they were stopping runs for a loss or no gain. Those problems continued yesterday and the Ravens knew to attack them there. 

Early in the year when the run defense was struggling it was more about simple fundamentals, this time I’m not so sure. I need to take a better look once the All-22 comes out. But I think overall, without looking back yet, the entire defense was often just out-physicaled across the board and that’s a bit surprising/disheartening when I thought they had a chance to really set the tone.

Chandler Jones was not nearly as dominant as we were all hoping he would (and needed) to be. The pass rush with the bigger nickel front (with SIliga instead of Chris Jones) was non-existent. This is troubling, but it’s also part of what makes the Ravens so tough for the Patriots. The Pats can’t sell out for the pass by putting a DPR like Ayers in there so they get stuck in a middle ground where they had to force coverage sacks. And even with multiple defensive backs on the field, they still weren’t buying enough time for the rush to get there.

But this matchup is done with and the Pats coverage/rush will match up better with their next opponent. Still, the defensive ends have to be better.

Perhaps most interesting with the defense was that they flipped the script on their strengths and weaknesses. Red Zone defense, the hallmark of the defense in the second half of the season made just one stop (albeit a critical one that saved the game), going 4-5 on the day.

Meanwhile, their third down defense, a weakness for them this year, held the Ravens to 1-9. Some of that was mitigated by their 3-3 on fourth downs, but still, these two major statistical areas were anomalies when it comes to what we thought we knew about this Patriots defense.

Despite their up-and-down game, they came through in the clutch, almost with a nod to the shitty Patriots defenses of the past few years by sealing the game with a timely interception. The double 14-0 holes and game-saving turnovers felt like an uncomfortable tribute to 2009-2012.

Let’s turn to the offensive side of the ball, where outside of the awful interception, Brady had maybe his best playoff game against a tough opponent in some time. The fact that the game-winning touchdown came on a 20-plus pass, Brady’s greatest area of criticism, was nice. That was an absolute pinpoint pass.

The trick play and four offensive linemen wrinkle were classic touches from a coaching staff that is always looking for an edge. Great execution on both as Belichick and McDaniels broke out the chess board on the checkers players once again.

This game showed what the Pats lacked in past years to get the job done – multiple weapons. Every receiver – Edelman, Gronk, Amendola, LaFell, Vereen and even Hooman – came through with big catches. In years past, there was never that kind of depth and clutch play. That bodes well going forward.

Those who were calling for the Pats to “spread them out” certainly got their wish and the multiple point deficits certainly reinforced that. I’d have never thought the Pats could win a game where they could not and did not run, but that just shows how good Brady and the passing offense was.

The offensive line wasn’t perfect, but they did enough within the scheme to get the job done. Losing Stork (not expecting to see him again this season based on the reports) is a blow, but the Pats have the pieces to make it work. Now we have to be happy that Josh Kline got some playing time at the end of the regular season. Wendell knows what he’s doing at center, but a potential re-match with Terrence Knighton and the Broncos could be concerning.

This game had so many momentum shifts – it was back and forth all game long and we were all on the edge of our seats the entire time I’m sure. It was the most stressful non-Super Bowl game I can ever recall.

Most of the close playoff games of the Patriots dynasty have had much longer sustained momentum on both sides of the ball, but this one was back-and-forth almost from snap to snap.

While it wasn’t their best game, the playoffs are only about winning and hopefully it will be a wake up call at just the right time. The defense can and will play a lot better, and there is plenty to build off coming out of this one. But also plenty to correct.

When was the last time the Pats had a huge win like this in the divisional round? Indy in 2004. Otherwise, beating the Jaguars, Jets, Broncos, Texans, and Colts have felt more obligatory than tough wins that could be built off of. Certainly none of those had the same effect this game should have on the team.

Confidence, not only in their own resiliency, but in that they can play much better, should be sky high.

Next week will be another stiff test, especially if it’s Peyton and the Broncos, and the Pats are well aware that this kind of performance, especially on defense, will not cut it.

But for the moment we can enjoy the best playoff win in Gillette Stadium playoff history. The crazy epicness of the Bill Belichick’s Patriots lives on for another game.

Pats Posits: Bring On The Ravens

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In Bill Belichick’s episode of A Football Life, which had inside access to the Patriots’ 2009 season, he told his team before their regular season matchup with the Ravens that this was a team that was “in it for the long haul. I know it. You know it. They know it”.

Belichick probably didn’t realize how true his words were. This will be the fourth time the Ravens have come to Foxboro in the last six playoff seasons, and really, they’ve outplayed the Patriots in all of them despite having lost the 2011 AFC Championship.

In 2009, the Ravens hit the Patriots in the mouth on the first play, as Ray Rice went 80-plus yards for a touchdown on a carry right up the middle. 

In 2012, the Patriots simply had no answer for Joe Flacco in the second half as he marched right down the field on them, outscoring the home team 21-0 in the last two quarters.

The Patriots broke up a potential Ravens game-winning touchdown in the end zone in 2011, and got a huge break when the game-tying field goal was missed. That was New England’s only win and it was far from convincing that the Pats were the better team.

This is what has a lot of Patriots fans skittish about the Ravens coming to Gillette this Saturday. The main points of concern are Elvis Dumervil and Terrell Suggs matching up with the Patriots’ tackles – Nate Solder, who has regressed in his fourth season, and Sebastian Vollmer, who recovered after a rough start to have a solid season.

The Patriots’ offensive line is always a huge focus of a playoff run, because let’s face it, every time New England has bowed out of the playoffs, it’s been a leaky line, usually in the middle, that is the culprit.

The way I see it, Solder and Vollmer are going to have to have great games at some point if the Pats are going to win the Super Bowl. Whether it’s this week against the Ravens or next week against the Broncos (hopefully), there will be no free passes.

Otherwise, this playoff matchup really flips the script on what we saw from 2009-2012 when these two teams played. 

The biggest difference for Tom Brady is Ed Reed and Ray Lewis are no longer around. I think a lot of Baltimore’s “fearlessness” we hear being talked about with them coming to Foxboro, was from Reed and Lewis.

Reed was the best free safety in the history of the game in Belichick’s view. A player he and Brady would dedicate entire meetings to. The lack of that kind of player, and the time needed to focus on him, is an immediate bonus for New England.

Baltimore has a good defense, led by their front seven, but it’s not the kind of Hall of Fame defense we saw two years ago that was ready to meet Brady head on. Pats O vs. Ravens D was a push back then, now the advantage is on the Patriots side.

We saw a taste of this in 2013’s Patriots blowout of the Ravens in Baltimore. And that was with Logan Mankins playing left tackle and no Rob Gronkowski, not to mention Brandon LaFell or Tim Wright.

On the other side of the ball, there is no comparison to this Patriots defense now and the patchwork squad they were putting on the field from 2009-2012. This is now a defense with one of the best secondaries in the game and a front seven that is just hitting its prime.

Can anyone really argue that the Ravens’ offense now is better than it was with Ray Rice, Anquan Bolden and even Dennis Pita in their prime?

I love that the Patriots will get a shot at ending the Ravens season and putting an end to the Ravens’ dominance over them of late in the playoffs. There’s something about the Ravens that will immediately get the Patriots attention and that’s a good thing.

Not that the Pats wouldn’t be locked in on another opponent, but with the Ravens there’s just a little something extra.

As much as some might want an easier first playoff game, it’s going to take three great games from the Patriots, regardless of their opponent. They’ve been up for every challenge the last two months and this game will be no different.

It will be a fun week of hype, but remember, this isn’t 2009-2012.

Pats Posits: I’ll Miss Rex (Kind of, but not really)

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Waking up to another vacation day, with the Pats locking up homefield advantage and the best overall record in the NFL once again, well, it doesn’t get much better than this. In a way, the season is over and it’s been a successful one, on the level with the best seasons of Bill Belichick’s tenure.

 I truly feel the Patriots have as good a shot at the Super Bowl this year as they’ve had. That excites me and scares me.

There will be plenty of time to worry though. For now, let’s wrap up some remaining thoughts from the Jets game. I expected that to be a tough game, but I didn’t think the Pats’ offense would look quite as bad as it did. 

Sure, Rex has almost always given Brady problems and the Jets front four are definitely good and Dan Connolly was out, but still… it’s a little unnerving to see them be so ineffective. Their 231 yards was the lowest output of the season. 

More on that and all the other takeaways in the Posits:

It was a pretty solid day for the defense, at least when it mattered. They seemed to be playing a little more zone as they’ve done the past two weeks, and without much pass rush, Geno was picking us apart for a good deal of the game.

But the Pats’ defense came through in the clutch, with another great performance (0-3) in the red zone. The Pats are 6th overall in opponent red zone TD percentage, and the best team in the league over the last three games.

They’re 16th overall in third down defense, but 5th in the last three games. So yes, it would seem the Pats’ defense is playing its best ball at the right time of year in the critical situations.

As for the offense, it’s understandable that there are some concerns but the offensive line isn’t a bigger problem to me now than it’s been all this season. 

The struggles against the Jets were mostly communication, which is somewhat understandable with the Jets’ complicated blitzes and the inexperience at  left guard and center. Connolly hasn’t been great physically, but he does ensure everyone will be on the same page and that is worth a lot.

This season has been a turning point for me, because I’ve ignored special teams too much. They’ve been one of the Patriots’ biggest strengths but I haven’t written enough about them. You look at the games the Pats have won by a thin margin and almost always it was a big special teams play, or even just consistency in the kicking game, that has made a big difference.

There’s no question – the Patriots are incredibly hard to beat at home, and their excellent road play this year has only helped prepare them to win the only road game they could possibly still play – the Super Bowl in Arizona.

I can’t quite wrap my brain around returning to the site of Super Bowl 42. The memory of that game is still burned in my brain and I can’t see that stadium without flashing to David Tyree. While it would be nice to have a shot to rewrite those memories, it’s a little scary too.

After last night, I sure don’t feel as scared of the Broncos as I once was. I don’t want to jump on the “Manning’s lost it” bandwagon, but I think Denver could struggle to get out of the first round, especially if the weather is bad.

We know the Pats can beat any time in the AFC at Gillette Stadium. As for the NFC, let’s just hope it’s a bloodbath.

Look for the Pats to do some resting of players this week against Buffalo. But I’d like to see the offensive line get their house in order against one of the best DLs in the NFL in the Bills.

Here’s to a great regular season! If you only determine your football satisfaction by how the team does in the playoffs you’re almost never going to be satisfied. But this regular season was incredibly satisfying. There were ups and downs, but as the season progressed we saw some of the best all-around football we’ve ever seen in New England. 

There doesn’t seem to be that one critical flaw this year like in recent years past – the one thing the Pats were able to hide all year that could come back to bite them in January or February. They have their weaknesses in small specific areas, but this is a balanced team that can beat you any number of ways.

As a defense guy, just getting to watch a defense that can win games again was incredibly satisfying. They’ll have to keep it up in the playoffs, but for now we can relish another superlative season.

Pats Posits: Primed Pats Seal Another AFC East

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Maybe we should’ve expected the Pats to come out flat yesterday given the roller coaster of cross-country flights and big games over the last two weeks. Settling back in against the Dolphins should’ve been motivating after the Week 1 loss, but it’s understandable that the team didn’t have that same fire right out of the gate.

Still, they found their game in the locker room at half time and never looked back, turning what looked like a divisional game that would go down to the wire into a hat-and-t-shirt clinching domination.

The 2014 Patriots are AFC East champions and now there are just two games left to stay healthy and maintain the top seed in the AFC. 

Here are my thoughts on yesterday’s win…

Chandler Jones cam back and played a surprising 55 of 78 snaps. As I thought might happen, the Pats used both Chandler and Ayers in a pass rush front, with Chandler shifting inside. I never thought Chandler would be so dominating after an extended injury break, but he showed that while Ayers was a solid fill-in, Chandler is capable of wrecking a game on his own. The rest should put him in position to cause havoc in the playoffs.

Jonas Gray once again sparked the team with his running, showing a burst out of the backfield that neither Blount or Vereen were showing. Still don’t love the run blocking right now, but Gray has an unmistakable ability to get something out of nothing and that’s just what the Pats needed yesterday. Let’s hope we see plenty more of him the next two weeks.

Once again it was the Edelman, Gronk and LaFell show, the best trio of weapons the Pats have had at once since Hernandez/Gronk/Welker in 2011 and 2012. But this group feels even tougher to defense because they challenge a defense on all levels. I continue to hope Wright/Vereen/Amendola can take advantage of the lessened attention, there should be a chance to get those guys a little more involved the next couple weeks.

I don’t know how else to put it – the defense looks primed for a Super Bowl run. The only key is to avoid a major injury in the next two games. Yes, this scares the crap out of me, especially with Rex Ryan facing the Pats for the last time. I don’t want him to give us one last parting “gift” on his way out in the form of an injury. Fingers crossed, but with our luck at the end of the season with injuries the last few years, I’m trying to not think about it.

The defense has given up just 3 points in the second halves of the last three games combined. I think that tells you everything you need to know – that this defense is “elite”. Once they see what is being thrown at them, they adjust and shut it down. This is the best defense since 2004. Period.

The versatility and dynamic use of Hightower/Collins/Ayers/Chandler/Ninkovich has taken the Pats pass rush to the next level. In the old days of the 34, the advantage was you never knew who would blitz. That advantage is back, but now it can come from anywhere, from anyone. The front seven is dripping with a combination of size, strength and athleticism. They will give every offense in the NFL problems.

The Boston Herald reported that Arrington’s injury doesn’t appear to be serious. That’s good. I’m not sure why Malcolm Butler/Logan Ryan/Alfonzo Dennard keep getting sudden starts at the nickel spot, but Arrington is clearly the best and needs to be in there full time for the playoffs.

On to the Jets…

Pats Posits: A Resolve-Hardening Loss

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Back in the blogging saddle today after my Thanksgiving weekend was ruined by a stomach bug that killed my appetite for the past four days. Perfect timing for that.

Anyway, I can’t remember feeling better about a loss than I do about the Pats’ third one of the season in Green Bay.

Those trying to rush to judgement about anything we “learned” in this one are fooling themselves.  The Packers are one of the best teams in the NFL and just as unbeatable at home as the Patriots are. 

Still, the Pats took them down to the wire and showed they’re not the pretenders they might’ve been in years past. It would’ve taken a perfect game yesterday and the Pats did not have a perfect game. 

Really, if you take back Devin McCourty’s poor angle on Jordy Nelson’s long touchdown near halftime, a play he’s made every time this year, and this one would’ve been even closer. 

But most important is the lesson the Patriots should’ve learned yesterday – what it takes to beat the best teams and the kind of effort they’ll need in the playoffs. Even better is that the Pats will stick together as they head directly to San Diego.

That kind of trip, especially after a loss, can really forge a team’s resolve. Now they’ll get a chance to regroup together and they should be a better team for it.

Once again, as we learned in 2007, it’s not about going undefeated in November/December, it’s about putting together three near-perfect games in January/February. 

Of course, the one rub is that they are now clinging to a tie-breaker lead over the Broncos for the top seed in the AFC. With the final quarter of the season to go, their margin for error is zero.

My Pats Posits after the jump…

Posits

The defense was so inconsistent in the two most important areas, in the red zone they stopped the Packers all four times in the red zone, but on third down they gave up first down 10 of 17 times. They had been on a third down tear the last three games, not surprising they fell back to earth against that offense.

So it was just those quick-scoring drives in the first half that were the difference that included big-plays of 45, 32, 28 and 45 yards. Those four plays really won the game for the Packers.

Let’s not forget scoring in the second half was Patriots 7, Packers 3.

The Pats offense was not clicking like they usually do. Some of the problems stem from the interior of the offensive line, who once again played less than their best on a big stage. There’s no quicker way to give Tom Brady and the running game problems that when the guards and center are struggling.

Dan Connolly received a team-worst -5.0 pass blocking grade from PFF. Wendell had a -1.5.

Unfortunately with the way the game unfolded, with the Pats getting behind early, they were never in position to really get their ground game going.

I just don’t know how or why Brandon Bolden was suddenly getting carries again, though he did look good on his touchdown run.

Same thing with Logan Ryan, I don’t know how he continues to see time over Kyle Arrington. Not that either of them, nor Dennard were particularly good.

Once again this game came down to their #3 and #4 receiving options against our #3 and #4 coverage options and they beat us. Specifically Ryan/Arrington on Davante Adams and Patrick Chung on Quarless.

Hard to write a much worse season story for Aaron Dobson who finally got in a game, promptly hurt his hamstring and left the game. Maybe it’s the curse of #17. 

Edelman is really taking a pounding the last couple weeks. I hope the cumulative effect doesn’t add up to something more significant. He could use a break, but he won’t get one until the playoff bye week.

Jamie Collins continues to impress me with how physical he’s playing. He’s taking on blockers with force, especially when blitzing, while he used to try to duck around everyone with his athleticism.

Another solid showing from Hightower, who picked up a sack on a strong blitz.

More credit for the Pats run defense who bottled Eddie Lacy up after the first drive for the most part. Seemed like Hightower/Collins/Chung were in on every run tackle, swarming the ball.

As I kind of expected, this was the game that made everyone realize we need a player like Chandler Jones who can get pressure by himself. Ayers has been solid but he’s not the force Chandler can be. If they can get to a three-man rotation with Ninkovich for the playoffs, it should really benefit the pass rush.

Don’t really understand those complaining about the Pats not blitzing enough. I thought they did a good job picking their spots, but against a great quarterback you can’t just send 5 and 6 rushers every down. The problem was the three they sent couldn’t win the individual matchup to finish Rodgers after the secondary took away his initial reads.

Felt like the offense was a little too top-heavy, and as the Packers did with Adams, they needed someone like Wright, Amendola or Vereen to have a big game. None of those matchups were exploitable it seems.

If the Pats had gotten a lead I shudder at the thought of what Blount would’ve done to the Packers run defense.

Overall it was just nice to enjoy a game of two really good teams going hard at each other. You have to adjust your expectations against a good team and not read too much into the stats. They’re going to make plays and put up points, but it’s about holding them to field goals and getting off the field on third down. The Pats did one of those things consistently.

It’s also nice to not have a “What does it all mean” day today. The Patriots are still a very good team capable of beating anyone in the NFL in any location. 

But I’m glad we won’t have to go through Lambeau again to get to Arizona, that’s for sure.

Pats Posits: The Most Balanced Patriots Team Ever?

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It’s not often that I make predictions, but this weekend I had a feeling the Pats would beat the Lions pretty easily. I didn’t think it would quite be the domination that it was, but it seemed clear he Lions didn’t really want to win the game that bad – they packed it in early.

After the Jets game in Week 7, the Pats had lost Chandler Jones and were facing a gauntlet of legit quarterbacks. But the Patriots haven’t blinked. They’ve gone 4-0 since then and been dominant in all three phases of the game.

Only their playoff finish will determine how the 2014 Patriots stack up compared to previous teams, but right now this looks like the most balanced Patriots team we’ve seen since Bill Belichick took over, capable of breaking a game on any side of the ball.

Early in the 2000s the Pats were loaded on defense and had an offense that wasn’t exactly explosive, but made all the clutch plays. The script slowly flipped as the defensive core got old and departed, while Brady and offense hit a historic level of explosiveness, then efficiency and pace.

They met in the middle in 2007, where the offense’s prolific scoring hid the quickly declining defense. In 2010, the defense hit a low point with a dearth of talent giving up tons of yards. Since then the defense has been on a slow track of marginal improvement, but now in 2014, the defense is back to the levels we saw in the early-2000’s.

And I must mention special teams, as they’ve been solid throughout Belichick’s coaching reign, but they’ve seemed to hit a new level this year. It was on display yesterday after a big punt by Ryan Allen and big return from Danny Amendola jump started an offense that started the game with two three-and-outs.

Right now it seems like the only thing standing between the Patriots and Glendale in February will be injuries. If they stay healthy and keep homefield advantage for the playoffs, they’ll be extremely tough to knock off. The Broncos might be the only team who could have a chance in the AFC, and that would depend on non-January-like conditions in Foxboro on gameday.

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Pats Posits

We can talk all about the superlative play of the secondary yesterday, but the tangible effect has been on third down. This is an area I’ve talked about ad nauseum the last five years. The Pats third-down defense has been amongst the worst in the NFL over the time, but over the last three games they’re the third-best third down defense in the NFL.

For the season they’re now 13th overall, they’re highest ranking since 2009.

In recent years, the Pats would have occasional good games on third down, but never did they have the kind of consistency we’ve seen the last month or so.

Yesterday’s game was a head-nodder for me because a lot of things I’ve been waiting for finally happened. Tim Wright became more involved. Danny Amendola showed up again. The team is rounding out and getting contributions all over the place.

It’s nothing short of amazing how much better the Patriots run defense has been compared to earlier in the season. They’re not just good against the run right now, they’re dominant.

In the last three games, they’re giving up an NFL-best 51.0 yards-per-game. Jamie Collins and Akeem Ayers are two guys who are expectedly doing a great job. I expect Ninkovich/Wilfork/Hightower to be good and they’ve been great.

I’m getting 2007 flashbacks a bit for the first time since then, where I just hope the team can still play this well in January and February. We’re used to the Patriots looking good this time of year, but in most years since 2007 there’s always been a weakness that they’ve been able to cover up – an Achilles Heel that we knew could come back to bite them against the good teams.

Not this year. I don’t t know what the weakness of this Patriots team is right now. Before the bye I might’ve questioned their run defense, if their offensive line could get it done against good interior rushers and their ability to win when Gronk and/or Edelman were taken away.

I don’t question either of those things anymore. We’ll see if the Packers can expose something.

I’ve said it before and I’ll continue to say it – Where have you been the last five years, Brandon LaFell?

Games like yesterday’s were what I was looking forward to when the Patriots signed Revis. It’s been so long since we’ve had a playmaker like him in the secondary. And he makes it look so easy. I really hope this isn’t the only year we get to cheer him on. This offseason will be intense.

It’s somewhat cathartic to see Kyle Arrington and Patrick Chung being key players on this defense after they were such whipping boys for the 2010/2011 defensive problems.

It once again goes to experience, one of the most underrated aspects of team-building that gets no credit in the offseason.

Now we turn the page to what will be hyped as a Super Bowl preview. Win or lose the next two weeks will be good Super Bowl prep for the Pats. They’ll have two tough road games, but they’ll also be on the road the entire time for both (they’re heading straight out west after Green Bay).

That kind of experience is a good chance for the team to bond a bit before the stretch run and should get them ready to play in hostile environments against good teams.

Pats Posits: The Merciless Patriots are Back

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There was plenty of talk last week about how the Patriots hadn’t beaten a playoff opponent on the road since 2011, and even then it was the Tebow-led Broncos. So there’s no question, this was the biggest road win since 2010’s 39-26 demolition of the Steelers.

Hard to remember a bigger set of back-to-back wins than the two we’ve just seen, against the other two best teams in the AFC. Yes, we’re all feeling pretty good about the Patriots today, but the hard road continues, with Detroit coming to town and then a trip to Green Bay for a potential Super Bowl preview matchup.

Here are the things that stuck out to me about last night’s win…

This game wouldn’t have even been close if Brady hadn’t been so bad in the first half. Those two interceptions were both really poor decisions, the kind of thing we don’t see out of TFB.

But the good news is that this Patriots team is unflinching. Even when they’ve had bad plays the last two games – like the poor end of the first half last night, or the interception to start the second half against the Broncos – they’ve come right back out with dominant drives. They don’t blink, in a way that isn’t as common for a Patriots team as you might think.

There’s just something about this team that plays angry, with something to prove. They are merciless in a way reminiscent of 2007, and that’s a very good sign.

The biggest questions about this team coming in were whether they could really pound the football when the power run game was required and if they were the kind of fearless team that could beat a good quarterback in his home stadium.

Both were answered with a resounding yes against the Colts.

One of the keys to the bye week was doing some self-analysis and getting the guys who have been thrust into the fire more time to get up to speed. I thought we might see a little more Jonas Grey in this one but obviously I didn’t expect him to suddenly look like LeGarrette Blount circa last year.

This of course tells you how Belichick feels about the Colts’ run defense. Spoiler – he thinks they suck.

Gray’s emergence really rounds this offense out into probably the most balanced attack since 2007. And it’s not just Gray who proved something last night, so did the offensive line, especially in the the short yardage situations where they’ve struggled all year.

The Pats ran the ball 15 times with 1-5 yards to go and picked up a first down 13 times. They hadn’t done that more than four times in a game yet this season.

Seeing what a difference healthy Gronk makes just makes me wonder what could’ve been the last three playoff runs if he had been in the lineup at full strength. He changes the entire offense, not only with his play, but with the energy he brings.

If Gronk is healthy to the final snap this season, it will be in the Super Bowl.

As for the defense, it starts with how they stopped the run. The Colts had 19 yards rushing on 17 attempts. That’s 1.1 yards-per-carry. Seriously. Not a typo. 1.1.

Run defense was the biggest concern with this defense earlier in the season. Miami gashed them for 191 yards on the ground. The Chiefs had 207.

I never thought it was time to panic. What I saw were just physical mistakes like missing tackles or losing contain. Now they’re not missing those tackles and keeping contain and the run defense is light years better.

Now we see that those who wanted to judge how good Revis is after the Bills and Jets games were a little premature. Revis’ impact the last three weeks, against very good quarterbacks has been on display and it’s time to start banging the “long-term extension” drum.

Like many Pats pundits, I thought Browner would stay as an outside corner this season, but after the last two games it’s clear the Patriots want to use him against receiving tight ends, even in the middle of the field.

Thought Alan Branch played hard in his 15 snaps and was a good compliment to Vince Wilfork inside. When Siliga gets back they can ease Wilfork’s load a bit and try to keep him fresh for the playoffs. 

Really started to see some burst and power from Dominique Easley. He’ll be one to focus on for the All-22 review. If he can get some interior pass rush going in concert with how the defensive backs are playing, look out.

Nothing against Jerod Mayo, but I just like the Dont’a Hightower Patriots defense better than the Mayo defense. Hightower moves incredibly well for his size, is a physical tackler, and really, I think he has better instincts than Mayo in the passing game.

And Jamie Collins seems to keep getting better each week. Granted these last two games play right into Collins’ style, but he’s been much better against the run than he was early in the year.

At this point it’s hard not to want to just shut it down for the season in an effort to keep everyone healthy. Because at this moment it feels like that’s the only thing that could really keep the Pats from being the favorites to represent the AFC in Glendale in February.

We know what can happen all too well – Andre Carter going down in December of 2011, losing Gronk each of the last three years… There’s a ton of football left and hopefully the Football Gods will be nice to the Patriots this year.

But for right now, in late November, the Patriots sit atop the football world and all is right.