Knee Jerk Reactions to Week 15: Patriots vs. Bengals
Things to consider while being grateful the Patriots were able to gain a huge competitive advantage with this revealing and highly detailed video they got through their nefarious spying operation:
–Take everything I say here with a grain of salt if you must, because the Bengals are the worst team since the 0-16 Browns. Use all the air quotes you want. Throw asterisks at this game like they’re ninja stars if it brings you satisfaction. And I’ll acknowledge it was far from perfect. The Patriots offense is still having misfires and the defense is showing a troubling habit of letting people escape the backfield for big plays. But I’m choosing optimism. I’m harnessing the power of the audacity of hope. It’s been a while since they’ve outplayed an opponent in all three phases. They got people involved that they’ve been ignoring. They took advantage of good field position and finished drives. Ran the ball exceptionally well. They played better as the game went on. And in doing so, looked like they’re ready to solve some of their biggest problems as they head into the playoffs for the 11th consecutive year. You can dismiss this as nothing, but I’m looking on the bright side of life.
–And that starts with Stephon Gilmore. If you’re not fully appreciating what we’re witnessing with him playing one of the toughest positions in all of organized sports, then the whole “enjoying” thing is simply not for you.
–Over the last eight games, Gilmore’s coverage assignments have been targeted 40 times. He’s given up 18 receptions and has four interceptions in that span, and quarterbacks are averaging just 4.4 yards per target. Plus there’s the little matter of him not allowing a touchdown on the season. If he doesn’t win Defensive Player of the Year, the award is a sham and whoever wins it should put the trophy on eBay. The way he’s playing, Johnny Cash driving a ’67 Mustang with a License to Kill and sleeping with Kate Beckinsale wouldn’t be as cool as Stephon Gilmore.
–And the best part is, Gilmore realizes it:
–I’m not going to pretend Tyler Boyd is 2012 Calvin Johnson. But he’s a legit No. 1 receiver and is in the Top 15 in receptions. And Gilmore played with him like a dog does a chew toy. He locked onto Boyd’s hip to mirror his movements. He ran Boyd’s routes like he’d been practicing with the Cincinnati receivers since summer. On that Pick 6 above, he absolutely baited Andy Dalton into throwing it with off coverage, and as soon as soon as the Red Rifle took aim and committed to the throw, Gilmore was driving to the ball with timing that was perfect to the nanosecond. His other pick was a one-hander while fighting off Boyd with his other hand:
Advertisement
… the kind of catch that would be dropping jaws and being run on continuous loop on every highlight show if, say, Odell Beckham Jr. made it. Then mix in the odd pass break up, like the one he had on Alex Erickson on 3rd & 8 late in the 1st, forcing Cincy to settle for a field goal. Or the one where he had yet another pass in his hands but Boyd knocked it down (give him credit for the IBU, Interception Broken Up), and Gilmore was pretty much Dalton’s best receiver all game.
–Which is a nice segue to introduce Dalton’s second best receiver, JC Jackson. The thing I appreciate most about Jackson is his innate ability to stay with his man while still tracking the ball, in all different types of coverage. His first came when he was playing inside leverage on Erickson, staying on his upfield shoulder and using the boundary as an extra defender. And had the ball all the way:
–And on Jackson’s second INT, he was in trail technique with safety help, and again stayed with his man while never losing sight of the ball:
–For those of us who are still scarred by the memory of guys like Darius Butler, superhumanly gifted, agile athletes who couldn’t never once get their heads around as completion after completion whistled past their earholes, watching Jackson play is a gift from Santa. One that keeps on giving to everyone but the college scouts who all somehow decided he wasn’t draft-worthy. Missing on him is only going to look worse in two years when he’s signing a $50 million deal someplace.
–If I was capable of feeling human emotions for any Cincinnati Bengal, I’d feel bad for Dalton. CBS showed that graphic that he holds the franchise record for touchdown passes. But they’re already hanging Joe Burrow signs in the stadium. Pre-ordered Joe Burrow shirts are probably the most popular Christmas gift in Cincy this year. He’s the sheriff in a Western where the undertaker is already measuring him for a coffin before the shootout. And after Jackson’s first interception, some Bengals fan near the parabolic mic put the punctuation mark at the end of Dalton’s Cincinnati career with “You suck, you redheaded prick!!!” That’s not how they drew it up when they used the 35th pick on him in 2011. Joe Burrow, the future awaits.
–Defensively, the Patriots went in with one of those gameplans where they came out in their plain, low-fat, non-dairy, gluten-free, 4-2-5 Nickel to see how the Bengals would attack them and then adjust accordingly. Which I am fine with in general. I feel like they feel there is always time to change it up, even if it means giving up a first possession touchdown to a team for whom a first possession touchdown is like hitting a million dollar scratchy. But boy howdy, did they take their sweet ass time getting around to adjusting to what the Bengals were doing. Zac Taylor went big as the firm of Belichick, Mayo & Belichick went small, pounding a defense designed to take away the pass with tosses, cracks and inside zones and gashing them with chunk plays.
–It didn’t help at all that on that first possession, the Pats were missing tackles in bunches and clusters. On one, Jamie Collins had Joe Mixon dead in his crosshairs with John Simon coming in to finish him off for a loss on the play, but Mixon managed to find a secret passage out of the backfield for 29 yards. Then Giovani Bernard followed a nice combo block by Michael Jordan, first on Simon then on Pat Chung for 17 to set up the 1st & goal and eventual score.
–By the way, congrats to James Lofton for making it all the way to 1:15 Eastern time before making his first joke about Michael Jordan having the same name as Michael Jordan. Which is something I’m sure the man has never heard before in his life. There’s nothing like having the bottom of the broadcast team depth chart doing your game. Unless it’s having the analyst guy working on his tight five for Open Mike Night. Still, he’s better than Dan Fouts.
–From my all-knowing, all-seeing position of sitting on my couch peering over a pint beer can, it looked to me like the situation was screaming out for the fat guys. But so as not to body shame, since we’re almost to 2020, I’ll call them the zaftig, Rubenesque, plus-sized persons. A 3-4 with all the two-gap tackle and run-stuffing linebackers to force Mixon and Bernard to go East-West or dare Dalton to try to beat your man coverage. They sort of transitioned on that second drive that ended with a field goal, going with Danny Shelton, Lawrence Guy and Deatrich Wise, Jr. in a sort of 3-3 Stack in front of Nickel. But by the third Cincinnati possession, it was a straight up, conventional 3-4. And it worked as well as I’d hoped, with the highlights being those stops on 3rd & 4th & a yard, thanks to Shelton controlling the interior and Ju’Whaun Bentley making both stops (while playing his best game of the season). And a nice play by Simon where he penetrated, had a bead on Dalton, but read the screen to Mixon, reversed his field and made the tackle from behind to snuff out a potentially big play.
Advertisement
–By the end of the half, the Patriots Front 7 was dominating. They’d completely become the thing the Bengals couldn’t out-physical and took over the game. Adam Butler made stuffs of Mixon on 1st and 2nd down, followed by a four-man rush pressuring Dalton into a checkdown for the first 3 & out of the game. It was a testament to this unit’s ability to morph into whatever it takes to beat you. And hopefully between now and the end of January they can figure out how to transmogrify into that thing that stops the Ravens’ Zone Read attack. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Besides, first then need to figure out how to sneak a video camera into the Baltimore press box.
–Before we get to the other side of the ball, let’s first address the other, other side of the ball. About seven seasons or so ago, I declared that Matthew Slater was the best Special Teams player the Patriots have ever had. And I caught mountain ranges of Hell from angry Larry Izzo and Troy Brown loyalists, outraged that I’d slander their memories with such an insult. Well, I take a backseat to no man when it comes to my appreciation for Izzo and Brown. But I was right then and I’m seven years righter at the moment. And that forced fumble yesterday is just another line item on Slater’s already massive resume. I’m gracious and magnanimous enough to accept the apologies of everyone who defamed me. But you’ll have to make it quick because I have to get working on Slater’s Hall of Fame nomination. I am not joking.
–OK, I’ve avoided it this long, and can go no further. You want me to say it, I’ll say it: Tom Brady was off yesterday. A lot. Maybe it was his throwing elbow, which took a direct hit with a facemask in the Dallas game. Maybe it was the need to avoid negative plays by getting the ball out fast. Or maybe my worst fears are being realized and he’s been thrown off his game by feeling the icy cold hand of Professional Death wrapped around the throat of his greatness. I’m going to keep doubting that last one like I always have because it’s my personal policy that, whenever faced with varying possibilities, I always believe what I want to believe. (i.e., Kate Beckinsale never talks to me. And since it’s either because she doesn’t know I exist or because she wants to sleep with me and it’s all part of her seduction dance, I choose to believe the latter. See how simple it is?) Yes, there were plenty of key drops that were not his fault. But there’s no polishing the turds that were some of his misfires.
–The most egregious of which could’ve been touchdowns, like the one where Mohamed Sanu had gotten separation on a seam route with the middle of the field open (MOFO) and Brady flat out sailed the ball too high. (Which was a repeat of what happened on a Sanu Dig route on the first play of the game.) Then there was the 1st & goal rollout where he had James White all alone in the flat and hit him in the back of the calf. I’ll agree to disagree with the people bitching about him throwing an armor-piercing round to Sanu on 4th & 4 because he’s a strong receiver with good hands who should have that. But there’s no arguing the fact his aim and touch were off.
–Wow, am I glad that part’s over. I feel like I just handed in my term paper and I’m finally free from having to worry about it. Now I get to enjoy the holiday and just focus on the fun stuff. Like N’Keal Harry. Josh McDaniels vowed he was going to find a way to get him more involved, and by crackee, he’s a man of his word. Funny that a substantial part of that “way,” he found simply involved letting the kid run routes and pass the ball to him. Yes, there were other ways as well. Two jet sweeps that took advantage of his size and strength to break tackles. Both went for 1st downs. I also thought he blocked really well, particularly on the first drive when he took out Carlos Dunlap on two big plays, the Wheel route to White that went for 22 and Sony Michel’s 11 yard run. And he showed up on a hustle play that didn’t make the box score but will light up the film sesh:
–But Harry’s touchdown was vintage Patriots wide receiver. A scramble drill in which Brady was trying to buy time and Harry ran a Pivot from the corner of the end zone across the back line to shake free from BW Webb. It’s exactly the kind of move we’ve seen down through the Dynasty years from David Patten to Wes Welker to Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola. On a 3rd & goal, no less. And when we’ve seen so much miscommunication lately, with Phillip Dorsett and Jakobi Meyers suffering from Tom Brady’s Eyes Illiteracy, it’s encouraging as all hell to see Harry be exactly where Brady wants him to be.
–I also don’t want to get through this KJR without mentioning the most encouraging play that never happened, thanks to a penalty. Harry’s diving catch on a sideline route that was negated by Edelman’s false start. That was just a flat out Man beater Go route, where he shook the defender with a burst off the line and raced past him. For a guy who dropped in the draft solely because of his straight line foot speed, being able to make that play has got to be a gigantic confidence boost. And not at all bad for the quarterback that hasn’t gotten the chance to believe in him yet.
Advertisement
–And there were other signs of hope. For instance the way the McOffense was able to screen the Bengals to death. So many time what looked like a Popeye’s Chicken Sandwich Riot across the line of scrimmage turned out to be well-crafted play design and execution. White’s touchdown was perfection. On a 3rd & 10 facing Cincy’s dime defense, Isaiah Wynn let Carl Lawson get around him to his play side shoulder. The inside defenders all penetrated. Leaving the Patriots entire interior line upfield against smaller defenders. Joe Thuney wiped out Jesse Bates III. White set up Ted Karras’ block on Greg Mabin. And Shaq Mason was 20 yards beyond the line, wiping Shawn Williams off the map for an easy score.
–As a matter of fact, while the offensive line had their bad moments, no question (for instance, Marcus Cannon giving up sacks to Sam Hubbard and then Dunlap to end consecutive 2nd quarter drives), overall I thought it was a huge upgrade. Especially as the game went on. On Harry’s touchdown, rather than keep someone in to block, they stayed with 50 (5-man) protection, in which Thuney was in an all out Bull & Bear fight against Andrew Billings and stood him right up to give Brady plenty of room to step into the throw.
–On Rex Burkhead’s touchdown, they motioned Matt LaCosse from the fullback in an Offset I across the formation to a balanced double tight end look (I think their playbook designates that motion by the H-back across to block as “HAC” but don’t feel like looking it up; just assume I’m right and we can move this along). Thuney took care of the Mike LB Germaine Pratt and Mason pulled to obliterate Hardy Nickerson at Will. And once Burkhead got to the second level, he suddenly turned into Captain Marvel running the Infinity Gauntlet across the battlefield in “Endgame.” Which I don’t think any of us expected.
–As far as their blocking though, it pains me to say this but LaCosse is objectively terrible at it. On the second Pats possession he stayed home to block and got put on his ass by Lawson for a QB Hit. Later on a pitch to White, LaCosse actually made the tackle, as he got thrown into his own runner by Dunlap. Even though, judging by the angle TV showed us, Dunlap was being doubled.
–I’ve really tried to get this image out of my mind and move on once and for all. But watching our only tight end who’s under the age of 38 get ragdolled, I can’t stop picturing that movie trope where a member of the crew goes up to the retired guy who’s working on his boat or running his own restaurant or whatever and asks him to get back in the game. Because we NEED you. And as always the guy at first says no, this is his life now. But then finally agrees because deep down, he misses the life. “Gronk? Nobody’s called me that for a looong time …”
–This Week’s Applicable Movie Quote: “Yer a wizard, Harry!” – Hagrid, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”
–I don’t believe in much any more. My faith has been shaken by my government, my church, virtually all my cultural institutions. But the one thing I will never lose faith in is the Bengals dependably doing Bengals things when you need them most. The onside kick that rolls about as far as the practice putt across a businessman’s office carpet. Sanu’s potential game-changing fumble that’s wiped out by three flags, “All by the defense.” Dalton repeatedly forcing the ball into tight coverage. And best of all, spending the week working about web series documentary footage instead of figuring out how to draw up some plays and schemes that give them a chance to compete for four quarters. It’s like Marvin Lewis never left.
–Dorsett has vanished. But if Harry graduates to the No. 2 wideout after Edelman and Dorsett gets demoted to just their spread guy 4th option and begin winning 1-on-1 matchups again, I can live with that.
–The best play of the day was the 13 yard Toss sweep to White set up by Brady screaming “Go Jules! You gotta be quick!” and drawing the entire defense to Edelman. I’m a little disappointed McDaniels burned this one on Cincinnati and didn’t save it for the Bills. But there’s always the chance he’ll work some variation of it where Edelman does get the ball. And Brady gets a Best Actor nom.
–This was the annual game where Pats fans travel en masse. Reportedly there were charters and fan clubs all over the place, taking over the city. Personally I think Cincinnati in December is an odd choice. But “Bra-dy! Bra-dy!” chants towards the end of any game is my favorite holiday music.
Advertisement
–I was a little hacked off that Burkhead didn’t stop at the goal line to give Brady the chance to tie Peyton Manning for the all time passing touchdown record. Until I realized it’ll be better to have him to it on a Saturday afternoon against Buffalo than the worst early game of the weekend that no one’s watching. This way, the country will have a better chance to ignore the accomplishment like they did when he set the all time wins record. Looking forward to it.