While Sunday was far from a banner day for the New England Patriots, it was a shining moment for those of Polish heritage as all 25 points in the game were scored by people with the last name “Kowski”. That’s right, Oakland’s Sebastian JaniKOWSKI notched three field goals, Rob GronKOWSKI caught the game’s only touchdown, and Stephen GostKOWSI finished things off with three field goals of his own, plus an extra point.
That’s really about all the humor one can muster from the Patriots’ performance on Sunday. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a part of me that actually enjoyed watching a close-fought defensive battle for a change. Still, after a three game sample, it’s hard to feel optimistic about the New England offense. They got blanked in the second half against Miami, looked underwhelming despite scoring 30 points in Minnesota, and then failed to string together more than one convincing drive against a genuinely awful Oakland squad. Overall, things just seem out of sync. The offensive line is breaking down on a repeated basis and Brady is bearing the brunt of it. #12 is getting snot kicked out of him and it’s clearly affecting his accuracy. The penalties this team is racking up are out of control. Outside of Julian Edelman, it appears that the team lacks any kind of reliable target.
Yet a W is a W, and in the NFL, that’s all that ultimately matters. Survive the game and move on to the next one. The Patriots have eight days to get things figured out before they head to Arrow Head. Let’s thank the NFL schedulers for sending some cream puff teams New England’s way early on and hope that the cracks get fixed before Cincy and Denver come to town.
Risers:
Julian Edelman (WR) – He just shows up and makes plays, game after game, even though the opposing defenses clearly know that he’s the only receiver that they really need to cover. He’s the Patriots MVP so far in 2014.
Chandler Jones (DE) – Jones was disruptive in the passing game, creating pressure and batting balls. After a shaky first game, he’s come on strong.
Vince Wilfork (DT) – Vince’s third career interception was a game winner. It came off of a lucky ping-pong bounce, but his ready hands were there to seal the deal.
Fallers:
The Offensive Line (All of them) – Are we sensing a trend here?
Tom Brady (QB) – Brady was under pressure for a lot of the day. Still, if here were a bit more accurate on two end zone throws to Gronkowski and Amendola, then perhaps the Patriots’ lack of offensive execution isn’t the main headline the day after a victory.
Logan Ryan (DB) – Got burned on several occasions on Sunday, the most notable being the pass interference penalty that put Oakland in position to tie the game in the final minute.
Danny Amendola/Brandon LaFell (WR’s) – The duo was essentially non-existent, except for their weekly offensive pass interference penalty for running yet another pick play.
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