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Patriots Super Bowl 52 Film Review: Defense Edition

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The Patriots’ defense is correctly in everyone’s crosshairs after Super Bowl 52, but don’t lose sight of the fact that the defense faced a 4th-and-1 with 5:39 left in the game from the Eagles 45-yard line with a 33-32 lead. That’s the game right there.

Trey Flowers bursts through the line but was pushed off course just enough the he couldn’t quite get the quarterback. Instead, Foles made an excellent slide to his left and made a clutch off-balance throw to pick up two yards to Zach Ertz. Conversion. Game-winning touchdown scored seven plays later.

A stop right there and the Patriots are most likely Super Bowl champs and we’re sweeping the defensive shortcomings under the rug just like the Eagles defense, who gave up 600 yards, are doing right now. Both defenses were systematically shredded for most of the game, but one clutch play determines which got blamed for the loss and which got credited for the win.

Philadelphia’s gameplan was a greatest hits of everything the Patriots defense struggled with this season. Bunch sets, toss sweeps, some run-pass options… for an inexperienced front they just had no anticipation for what the Eagles were doing. The second level and edge players were where they wanted to target but they didn’t fear the Patriots pass rush when it came time to take some deep shots as well.

Here’s what stood out to me:

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Film Review: Pats vs. Jags AFC Championship

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After a day of wonky performance by NFL Game Rewind I was finally able to get it to function long enough to take a look at the All-22 film from the AFC Championship. It’s always nice to get a clean strategic view of the game without my stomach turning after every bad Patriots play.

I came away even more impressed with how the Jags executed, especially early. But really from the start of the second half you could see the Patriots taking their game to another level while the Jags were slowly starting to fade as they got closer and closer to a potential win. It’s just remarkable how steady the Patriots are. Some of the late punts in the second half left an even bigger impression on me because most teams would’ve packed it in.

Aside from the Patriots perseverance it was clear that the flaws of the 2017 team were still very much there. And with Dion Lewis mostly ineffective until the final game-sealing carry, it’s just incredible what Brady did, almost exclusively with Danny Amendola.

Great play designs, great adjustments and an unflinching approach to the game were the hallmarks of this performance.

Here are a bunch of my quick-hit thoughts.

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Five Key Patriots For a Super Bowl Run

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As I’ve written a couple times the past week, I’m having a tough time getting an exact bead on this Patriots team. Of course, this is a 13-3 team with homefield and the greatest quarterback of all time coming off an MVP season. So maybe I’m a little silly for thinking this season is anything different than what we’ve seen over the last 17 seasons.

Still, each team is unique and if there’s anything about this team that stands out it’s that major injuries barely registered with them. In past years losing players the caliber of Julian Edelman and Dont’a Hightower would’ve at cost the team another loss or two, and they would’ve have locked up the top seed. But this team did, and that counts for a lot because we know how tough the Pats are at home in January.

Outside of the obvious Tom Brady, here are five Patriots that I think are key to the Pats’ Super Bowl hopes.

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Pregame Meal: Thoughts on Injuries, Steelers and Pats’ Battered D

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Another Sunday, another major injury that is a major blow to an NFL desperately in need of young stars. The Eagles losing MVP candidate Carson Wentz alters the landscape of the NFC and once again proves there is no greater opponent during an NFL season than attrition.

The pundits spend all offseason making projections and rankings, and then it all goes out the window as star player after star player go down to season-ending injuries. The Patriots have had it just as bad as anyone, but because they haven’t missed a beat in the win column no one really ever gives them credit. It’s not a new thing, plugging undrafted rookies like Randall Gay in when starters like Ty Law are lost has been happing for over a decade.

But for whatever reason it just seems even worse this year, across the league. Maybe it’s the turf. Maybe it’s the size and speed of the players finally reaching a literal breaking point. For a league that really needs to find their next generation of stars, there does’t really seem to be any way to curb the tide, especially for ACLs.

Yesterday was a stiff reminder how even an MVP-worthy season can be ended in an instant. No one is safe and as the Pats take the field in Miami tonight, I’ll have Suh-Kiko-induced heart palpitations.

Couple notes on where the Pats are now standing…

— The Steelers stole another one last night, making for their third-straight win of three points or less. What scares me about this is that it’s very similar to the 2015 Broncos who just seemed to pull game after game out of their asses despite an inept offense. Pittsburgh’s offense is far from inept, but their defense, one which Tom Brady usually tears apart even when they’re good, has struggled.

As much as I can’t look past tonight’s game in Miami, I can’t help but wonder if the Pats-Broncos narrative of 2015 could play out again. I truly felt the Patriots were better than the 2015 Broncos, but for whatever reason, things just seemed to unfold perfectly in their favor in the two meetings that season. That was a theme for the Broncos that entire season, and maybe this is the year the Steelers have a steel horse shoe up their asses.

Every time NE-PIT play, I expect the Steeler defense to finally have Brady’s number like the Broncos did in 2015. And every time he has his way with them. We’ll worry about the Steelers the moment tonight’s game is over.

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Film Review: Pats vs. Dolphins Defense Edition

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The Patriots defense continued their streak of solid play against the Dolphins, only allowing 10 points and showing more of their renowned Bend-Don’t-Break style. There isn’t a lot of flash or sizzle with this defense, instead it’s mostly role players doing their jobs, tackling well and getting off the field in critical situations.

The team is on a seven-game win streak and they haven’t given up more than 20 points in a game since losing to the Panthers back in Week 4. As we’re well aware, points are what matters most but how good is this Patriots defense really? It’s been fairly smooth sailing as the offense has broken 30 points the last three weeks and has been generally in control for most of the seven games they’ve won in a row.

I still have my questions, not that I’m skeptical, but because I like to see the true character of a defense revealed and that only comes in pressure-packed situations, which they’ve mostly been able to avoid of late. That’s helped them get their feet under them, and the next few weeks should provide some more interesting challenges, especially facing the mobile Tyrod Taylor on the road this weekend and then the vaunted Steeler offense in two weeks after a rematch with the Dolphins in Miami (which I am very much not looking forward to).

Here’s 10 hits on 10 players who stood out to me against the Dolphins, players that will be critical to the defense for a Super Bowl run.

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Pats Posits: Injury Attrition and Wins Continue

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The Patriots rolled over the Miami Dolphins as most expected, but it wasn’t quite as enjoyable as it should’ve been with some sloppy play and worse, injuries marring the contest. It’s a constant refrain here on the blog — all that really matter at this point are injuries and Sunday’s game against Miami had a significant number of casualties. Nate Ebner, Trey Flowers, LaAdrian Waddle and Kyle Van Noy were among those to leave and not return.

So yes, a win is a win, but at this point the injury scoreboard is almost more important and there the Pats got beat pretty good.

Still, the beat rolls on as Dion Lewis and Brandin Cooks continue their sensational seasons sparking the new-look Patriots offense despite the litany of injuries. The defense continued their hot streak of not giving up many points, giving up just 10 themselves while the botched snap by Ted Karras gave the Dolphins their other touchdown. The defense has now moved into 11th place allowing 20 points-per-game, just a shade above the 18.6 that the Patriots have averaged under Bill Belichick.

With the Steelers needing a last-second field goal to knock off the struggling Packers, the Patriots remain atop the AFC favorites. While initial reports on Trey Flowers and Kyle Van Noy sound like these weren’t season-enders, the bumps and bruises continue to add up. Will they be enough to alter the destiny of this Pats team? We’ll see a pretty good test next weekend in Buffalo as the Bills look like they’ve gotten back on track with a win over the fading Chiefs.

Here are all the Posits on the Dolphins win.

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Three Plays That Defined Patriots Defense vs. Chargers

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After yesterday’s Garoppolo spookstravaganza on Patshow I’m moving back to some analysis of the players on the team who have actually played a down this season. I know the trade will continue to dominate the conversation for much of the next week and a half, but it’s time to refocus on the second half of the season.

The Patriots sit at 6-2, and while we can talk about their flaws, the reality is the sports betting odds are still very much in their favor to make a strong playoff run this post season.

I thought the defense did a solid job against the Chargers, although there were just a couple notable breakdowns with Melvin Gordon‘s 87-yard touchdown run leading the way. They continue to make strides and while they certainly have some weak links in certain situations, they’ve continually bounced back and made the key spots necessary to help the Patriots on their four-game win streak.

Here are three plays that defined the defensive effort against the Chargers.

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