This past week I had a conversation about how I thought the 2014 Patriots were going to run the table. My logic was this: The Patriots’ offense is extremely versatile and explosive and will be nearly impossible for any defense to contain. The Patriots’ defense is able to take away the opposing offense’s strengths to the point where a team is going to have a very difficult time stringing together enough touchdown drives to keep up with the Patriots’ offense. The verdict was that, barring injury, this Patriots team was either going to play a rather subpar game or their opponent was going to have to play out of their minds in order to throw a “3” in the loss column.
It turns out, I was right.
First, let’s give credit where credit is due. Aaron Rodgers played the best quarterback game against the Patriots that I can remember. This wasn’t Eli Manning lucking out with a helmet catch. Rodgers made plays with pure, unadulterated skill. He was threading needles and making his 4th and 5th option receivers look like the 1st and 2nd options. Being so Patriots focused, I’ll admit that I probably haven’t watched enough of the NFC-based Aaron Rodgers in the past to truly appreciate him. Consider him officially appreciated now. (But please come back with at least one more Super Bowl ring before we start any “best ever” comparisons with Tom Brady.)
Second, let’s admit that while the Patriots hung around and had a chance to win the game in the end, this was far from their best performance. The team seemed flat to start the game, almost as if they were so used to rolling over teams that they were caught off guard when faced with competency. The game plan/play calling was questionable, as the team seemed to shy away from the power running game and forced too many passes. Even on some occasions when they did run, they questionably ran Shane Vereen up the middle instead of Blount or Gray. (By the way, is Jonas Gray really still in Belichick’s dog house after two weeks?) The team failed to complete too many third downs (often on short yardage), which killed several of their early drives and kept points off the board. And finally, the offensive line appeared to devolve, failing to protect Brady and aid in the running game. We weren’t anywhere close to Monday Night in Kansas City incompetency, but it was not a good performance for the O-line overall.
However, there is some good to be gained, even from a loss.
– The Patriots faced a red-hot team in a tough road environment and were in position for a come-from-behind, go-ahead score in the final three minutes of the game.
– The Patriots defense showed it can hold in the toughest of circumstances, forcing the Packers to 0-4 in the red zone.
– If the Patriots do meet the Packers in the Super Bowl, on a neutral field, I like New England’s chances. A LOT went right for the Packers on Sunday. I can’t say the same for the Patriots. Even with the lopsided karma, the Patriots hung in there and almost won.
– I had visions of a 2003 repeat, with the Patriots reeling off 15 straight after a 2-2 start to win it all. That would have been nice, no doubt. However, if there is such thing as a “good loss”, this was it. Belichick clearly does a good job of keeping his team grounded, but even the most disciplined team could have found themselves feeling a little too good about themselves after the previous seven games. This loss was a snap back to reality. Better to have it happen now than in the Divisional round of the playoffs. Also, every game counts now for home field advantage. The Patriots have no option but to come out sharp and take care of business the next four weeks. That’s good prep for the playoffs.
– I would have taken the win any day of the week, but I also can appreciate the entertainment value that will be produced as a result of losing this game. There is nothing overly daunting about these final four games for New England. Every single one of them is losable, but the Patriots should be the heavy favorites across the board. If the Patriots were riding an eight-game win streak with a loss to give, there would not have been much drama. Now, each week will bring a must-win contest to keep the AFC Championship in Foxboro instead of Denver.
Risers:
Darrelle Revis (CB) – It wasn’t perfect, but Revis managed to ride out the Jordy Nelson storm, getting the better of the red hot receiver for most of the day.
Brandon LaFell (WR) – His back shoulder catch was a thing of beauty. He continues to be a reliable option for Tom Brady.
Rob Gronkowski (TE) – Continues to bounce off defenders like a ping pong ball.
Fallers:
Offensive Line – Clearly, the biggest point of concern as the season draws near a close. If anything can sink this Patriots team it is poor play by this unit.
Devin McCourty (S) – Was out of position on the Jordy Nelson TD run at the end of the first half. It was a critical play that changed the nature of the 2nd half.
Stephen Gostkowski (K) – His rare late-game miss may not have ultimately mattered, but had the Patriots gotten the ball back, those three lost points would have forced them to score a touch down for the win instead of a field goal.
Referees – The Patriots didn’t lose this game because of the refs, but there were a plethora of bad calls. They couldn’t count the number of men on the field. They extended an early Packers drive on a meaningless penalty on Brandon Browner on a play where Aaron Rodgers was sacked after two seconds. They missed Jordy Nelson pushing off on Darrelle Revis in order to break free on his touchdown play and missed that Nelson’s left foot clearly was out of bounds prior to him touching the pylon on replay. Overall, it was a sloppy performance that did the Patriots no favors, but wasn’t the core reason behind the loss.
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