Okay, this is EXACTLY what John Harbaugh and Ozzie don’t want to hear right now…
All that really matters to them is getting a big “W” Monday night against a desperate Jacksonville Jaguars team which features a great running back in Maurice Jones Drew and a promising rookie QB in Blaine Gabbert…
But if form follows function, and the Ravens prevail to make the AFC playoffs yet again, it looks like the New England Patriots are on course to eventually clash with Joe Flacco and company (hopefully in Baltimore) as the ultimate block to advancement to the AFC Championship title…
I know, it’s a little early to be talking about these things. But at the one-third mark in the season, it seems to be shaping up that way.
Keeping fingers crossed, let’s take a quick preemptive scouting look at what the Patriots did to the Dallas Cowboys last weekend.
Going into the game at Foxboro, here’s what Cowboys Nation.com sportsblogger “Dallas Darren” had to say:
“Here are a few of the things I will be watching this week:
Welker vs Cowboys Secondary:
“I covered how great Welker has been and I am always amazed at how well Brady understands where Welker is going to be. Scandrick is one of the Cowboys best cover men and hopefully he watched some tape this week to see what Revis (of the Jets) did against Welker.
The Weakness in the Patriots O-line:
“That would be RT Nate Solder. He’s a rookie and he struggles to stop the rush. Hopefully Rob Ryan will throw things at the Patriots that confuse them a little. The Jets got to Brady four times last week and I personally think the Cowboys have a little more talent on their line than the Jets, so if the Pats haven’t fixed this problem, Brady could see a lot of pressure.
Cowboys O vs Patriots D:
“There are two things that seem to benefit Tony Romo going into this game. One, the Patriots secondary gives up entirely too much space when the opposing receivers run their routes. Two, the Patriots pass rush is less than desirable so Romo should get plenty of time to make the right decisions. The Patriots run-defense, well that doesn’t look to be doing us any favors.”
“The only thing I fear about this game is trying to beat the Patriots at home. If this game were in Cowboys Stadium, I would be a lot more confident, but the Pats aren’t easy to beat at home.”
Well, here were the tragic results for Dallas: The Patriots are now 4-1… The Cowboys now sit at 2-3….
“There were 3 drives made by the Cowboys during the 4th quarter where the game was lost. Had they been successful on just one of those drives, I believe we’d be sitting at 3-2. The first drive was the one that ended up tying the game at 13. The problem wasn’t that they got points but that they had a 1st and goal and couldn’t come away with 6. The second drive which was a problem was a mirror image of the first drive. Again, 1st and goal and again they come away with only 3 points to give them a 16-13 lead. They left the chance to be up 24 -13. That drive really angered me because Romo decided to try a quick shovel pass on 3rd down instead of throwing it to Bryant, who had single man coverage in the end zone. The defense did a great job holding the Patriots to a 3 and out but it was the final Cowboys drive that takes the blame for the loss. How do you go 3 and out when you know that a first down will run a lot more time off the clock and make it really difficult for the Patriots? I’m losing confidence in the Cowboys’ offense because when you need it most, it disappears.”
The Patriots seem to have that effect on people late in the game. The ultimate bend-but-don’t-break defensive effect…
Going into that game, Darren and his fellow Cowboys fans had high hopes to knock the then 3-1 Pats down a notch. Here he interviews Derek Hanson of Foxboro Blog to get an assessment of the Patriots’ strengths..
Q. Which new addition has made the biggest impact for the Pats so far this season?
– Honestly, its between two under the radar signings on the defensive line with Andre Carter and Mark Anderson. Carter came from the Washington Redskins and unlike Albert Haynesworth, he has made an accomplishment. He has 12 tackles and even .5 sacks. He plays a huge part in stopping the run, which the Pats had a top ten run defense a year ago after the Peyton Hillis debacle.My favorite move so far has been Mark Anderson. Out of New England’s eight sacks, he has nearly four sacks! He played the 4-3 in Chicago and has become a good contributing tool to fix a third down defense that was the worst in the NFL last season. I would like to see him get more playing time, but this defense still is a work in progress.
Q. New England is viewed by many as a team with a good shot of playing in Indianapolis come February, but their Defense ranks 32 in Total Yards Allowed. What’s the problem there and do you fear a point where Tom Brady won’t be able to overcome what the Defense is allowing?
– The problem is a lack of a pass rush. The Patriots do have decent cover cornerbacks, but when you give the quarterback so much time to throw the football, they will eventually find a way to exploit the defense. Tom Brady can overcome it for now with his balanced offensive attack, but they need this defense to build off the positive stride that they made last week. True, the Jets have not a great offense lately, but the Pats still actually contained them for three quarters and kept the offense in the game for a time. The Patriots continue to put up thirty points per game, so all the defense has to do till December is not give up the big play. They can bend, but they rarely break and they are still one of the top teams in forcing turnovers.
Q. The Pats are 3-1. What exactly did Buffalo do right that the other three opponents failed to do?
– The Bills were able to do two things right in that 34-31 come from behind win. They were able to take away the run game, which takes the balance away from the offense. In the last two weeks, BenJarvus Green-Ellis is starting to turn back into the 1,000 yard rusher he was last year after just eighteen yards against the Bills. The emerging running back has also shined in Steven Ridley. Ridley had a good game against Oakland and only had six carries for 42 yards. If you make Tom Brady throw it 45-50 times, you will force turnovers. The Bills have a good defensive line and they were able to get pressure on Brady. If Dallas is going to win the game, they need to take away the Pats’ running game and get pressure from DeMarcus Ware.
Q. In my opinion, the Cowboys v. Patriots doesn’t have a lot of flair to it since they don’t play each other very often, but what is the one matchup you are looking forward to seeing this weekend?
– On the field, I am looking to see if the Cowboys’ defense, especially DeMarcus Ware and Jay Ratliff can get after Tom Brady. Sebastian Vollmer is still out for the Patriots and although Nate Solder has played well at right tackle, he is still only a rookie. While the Cowboys have an average secondary, the pass rush is a strength. Off the field. I look at their new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. He has more success against Brady than his brother Rex has. Rob was the last defensive mind to hold Brady to under 30 points. He dials up schemes that just flat out confuse Tom Terrific and that is tough to do. If Brady can’t solve this complex system Sunday, Dallas will pull the upset.
Obviously, Brady solved the complex system!
Ravens fans take heed… Baltimore may very well find itself in the same quandary as Dallas was last Sunday if events continue to take their course…
And we can’t end this hypothesis without also mentioning Wes Welker. Can the Ravens LB’s and corners cover this guy?
Through five games, Wes Welker has proved to the Patriots how valuable his services are because he leads the NFL in receiving yards. In fact, his 740 yards so far this season is the most accrued through five NFL games ever. To think Miami gave up Welker for a second and seventh round pick in 2007 (Samson Satele and Abraham Wright)… You’re probably saying “who?” right about now, I know I did when I looked up the guys they got in return.
Welker has made himself a household name and his numbers over the last few years have been good, but this year, they are off the charts. He’s averaging 16 yards a reception and already has 5 Touchdowns to go along with his 740 yards. As “Dallas Darren” said, “To put that in perspective, Jason Witten leads the Cowboys in most yards received with 366 and Miles Austin leads the team in Touchdowns with 4.” Does shutting down Wes Welker mean putting a huge dent in the Patriots’ abilities on offense? Is it possible to shut down Wes Welker?
These are all questions and issues that probably await the Ravens and Chuck Pagano’s defense come January. And Ravens fans can only hope they will be questions that will be answered from a home-field advantage in Baltimore when the time comes…
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