The New England Patriots are 5-0 coming off another win over the Indianapolis Colts, but I’m sure if I were to tune into the Boston media this morning there’d be much complaining that the Pats didn’t score 100 points like everyone thought they would because REVENGE!
I never really bought into this being an easy Pats blow out because the Colts needed this game and were at home and their talent level is a lot higher than they’ve been playing. Seemed to me like a perfect time for the Colts to turn in their first solid performance against the Pats during the Andrew Luck era and guess what? They did.
The Colts did pretty much everything you need to do to beat the Patriots, at least in the first quarter. They didn’t turn the ball over. They had long sustained drives. They tried some trick plays. But it still was not enough. The Patriots were still just a little more prepared and made just a few more plays that ended up being the difference.
The win comes as more injuries continue to hit New England hard. It’s crazy to think just a couple weeks ago the Pats had near-perfect health and everyone was considering 16-0. Now I think we can put that talk on the backburner, even if it is still technically possible.
Maybe yesterday’s win wasn’t as satisfying as we hoped it might, but a win is a win, and the Colts embarrassing themselves with that fake punt will certainly provide enough comical attention at their expense that a 50-points blowout would’ve.
What matters now are the two divisional games in the next 10 days, where really the season will be cemented or put into some uncertainty. The Jets will provide plenty of challenges, but first here are my Posits from the win over the Colts.
Sometimes I feel like the sign of a good opposing gameplan is when Danny Amendola has a bunch of catches like he did yesterday. Amendola is the kind of guy who doesn’t get much credit but just keeps coming through when his number is called. He’s probably gone next season and I think losing him will be harder to overcome than many realize at this point.
Can’t tell for sure until I take a look at the All-22 but it seems like in the first half there was a lot of mixing coverage going on, and it seemed to skew a little more heavily toward zone. Might’ve been why they gave up a couple long drives. But in the second they seemed to switch to more man and that made a lot of difference. Man defense continues to be a necessity and this week against the Jets will really put that to the test.
But great adjustments all around at halftime for the defense. They forced 4 punts and 2 turnover-on-downs in the second half before the 8-play, 85-yard touchdown drive that made things interesting at the end. Only four drives the entire game lasted longer than 6 plays. All things considered, that’s impressive.
Gostkowski is so reliable – he’s now hit 21 straight field goals. With the new kicking rules throwing a lot of kickers in the league off, it’s nice to know we have one who is the model of consistency.
Dion Lewis fell back to earth a little bit, at least on the stat sheet. Probably should’ve expected that at some point. I’m curious to look what kind of attention the Colts game him, but there was not much space out there for him to work his magic.
Jeff Howe mentioned this morning that Edelman’s finger that NBC kept harping on, has been a thing for a while now. But it was a convenient talking point after Edelman had a couple drops and the bobble that led to an interception. Edelman remains one of those bulletproof guys though. Yeah, he’s had some strange brainfart moments this season, but he still keeps coming through with tough catches in big spots – including that huge 4th down run with the game still in question.
Really thought the defense missed Hightower because he and Collins work so well together. When the Colts saw the Pats in man coverage and Collins on the RB, they’d run him out to the boundary, taking Collins out of the box and minimizing his effect, especially taking away his threat of blitzing. They can’t do that when Hightower is in there because they’re both so good attacking downhill.
The developments on Mayo continue to show that he’s not ready for a major role and I wonder why he didn’t start the year on PUP. Might be one of those rare instances it’s mostly a leadership thing? Because he doesn’t seem to be progressing or making any plays. Freeny is a stopgap at best, making me think Dane Fletcher could be a valuable addition if Hightower has to miss extended time.
Vollmer flipping to LT and Fleming coming in at RT when Cannon went down shows why it’s so important to have experienced depth at the tackle spots.
Speaking of injuries, Ian Rapoport reports neither Cannon nor Sheard’s dings are serious. That’s critically good news, especially for Sheard who also seemed to have a quiet game before going out.
However the early signs are not good for Matthew Slater who had to be helped off. That would be a big blow to the special teams and in the leadership department.
Speaking of special teams, that Colts fake punt thing was obviously a highlight. But it just shows how well-prepared New England was. The fact that the Patriots didn’t panic, didn’t call a timeout, just adjusted and waiting for the Colts to do something, that’s what played a big part in forcing them to snap the ball. Can’t believe they snapped it.
Two onsides kicks and the Pats recovered both. These kind of plays don’t get headlines but if they had gone the other way so could’ve the game.
Why is it that Scott Chandler can’t see to make the plays for us that he always seemed to make against us. He had his moments last night, good and bad, but I’m still waiting for him to really round into the potent threat we all thought he could be in the red zone when paired with Gronk.
The thing about the Patriots’ offense is that it’s just a matter of time. You get that inevitable feeling that even when they have to punt, they’ll be right back the next drive with a strong effort. The only problem was they went to sleep in the second half when they should’ve put one more scoring drive together to ice things. That’s a bit concerning and surprising considering I didn’t think they’d hesitate to step on the Colts’ throat at the end.
Logan Ryan deserves some credit now that he’s everyone’s favorite cornerback to complain about. In the grand history of Belichick’s Patriots corners Ryan is one of the better ones and seems to be really be taking some positive strides now that he’s been elevated on the depth chart. He’s going to get all he can handle this weekend against the Jets.
Dominique Easley had maybe his best pass rushing game of his career in this one. PFF had him for eight pressures in 21 pass rush snaps. Easley’s emergence had a big part to do with the second half turnaround for the defense and it shows why they needed a player like him so badly.
I do think it’s clear that the offense needs LaFell. Keshawn Martin isn’t a threat and when teams key on Edelman and Gronk, they need more than just Amendola to counter. All signs are pointing toward LaFell hopping right into things (no pun intended about his foot injury), and his downfield blocking and physical presence will instantly give the Pats a new dimension.
Chandler Jones is another guy who really stepped up in second half, getting consistent pressure. That was huge without Sheard to spell him and Nink. It was strange to see the ‘13/’14 throwback of Chandler/Nink playing near every snap.
Finally Jamie Collins’ blocked PAT was just the latest freak play we’ve seen him make and let’s remember how big that could’ve ended up being if the Colts had gotten the onsides kick back. Instead of going for a touchdown to win, they would’ve needed to go for two to win after Collins’ big play.
