We'll get into all the positional ratings and reviews, gamecharts, 3 up/3 down and nine video breakdowns in a minute, but we need to start by giving some love to the unit that actually deserved to be talked about after the 27-13 win over Jets...
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- The Patriots accumulated 23 total quarterback pressures (Trey Flowers had a team-high eight). That's more than all but two players (Flowers, Deatrich Wise) had all last year. The previous season high was 18 against the Colts. In 2017, the top mark was 16 against the Bills in Week 15.
- The Patriots generated pressure against Josh McCown on 45.1 percent of his dropbacks — almost half. New England hasn't come close to the 40 percent pressure mark this season, and the high in '17 was 40 percent against the Panthers.
- The Patriots blitzed McCown on a season-high 14 dropbacks (27.5 percent). These are real blitzes — where five or more rushers are in the play. Some outfits (like StatsPass) count rushers who come from off the line, even if they're zone exchanges. I do not. The Patriots even had four all-out, zero blitzes. This is highly out of character for them.
Here are the positional ratings against the Jets:
Quarterback (3.5 out of 5)
Upon further review, this was a solid game by Tom Brady, who had more good plays (seven plus-throws) than poor (four). Was it perfect? No. Are Brady and the passing game still a work in progress, even at this late stage in the game? Yes. But anyone questioning fortitude in the pocket ... just watch the exquisite 11-yard throw to the sidelines to Julian Edelman, and the touchdown to Gronkowski.
Receivers (4.5 out of 5)
Outside of a few minor penalties and Cordarrelle Patterson, this group was flawless and did a great job blocking (that's how you get 200-plus yards). ... Rob Gronkowski had the touchdown and had a handful of good blocks, but he no longer possesses the type of agility down the field that made him the best in the game, and it showed up on some clunky red-zone targets. Both Gronk and Brady need to adjust to the New Gronk and stop waiting for the other guy. ... Edelman is just excellent. ... Josh Gordon's improvement within the system was probably the most pleasant surprise. Showed great awareness continuing to work to find an opening on his 23-yard reception vs. zone coverage. His third-down catch off the turf showed his potential but also his room for growth. The route was not great, and he needs to realize he has to run every route like he's going to get the ball. You're never not a viable target with Brady on the field. A better finish to the route and Gordon probably catches it easier and gets more yards after the catch.
Offensive line (5 out of 5)
DEFENSE
[table id=196 /]
Defensive line (4.5 out of 5)
As we already outlined, some terrific pressure out of this group. Wise had the penalty and poor spy of McCown (so did Adam Butler on a crucial third down), but the group did a great job stopping the run (the Jets should have run more in any event) and the pressure was outstanding. ... Continue to really like what John Simon is adding. Adrian Clayborn continues to improve. ... Malcom Brown and Danny Shelton continue to be invisible.
Linebackers (3 out of 5)
Roberts is a good, solid player. Has been just about week in and week out. Don't hear too many people clamoring for his head and they'd be in trouble if he went down because Dont'a Hightower can only rush and (occasionally) stop the run. ... Patriots are going to have a big issue when the better teams get into heavy 12 personnel (one back, two tight ends) and throw out of it. Because it causes Hightower to have to cover and he can't.
Secondary (3.5 out of 5)
Overall the coverage was very good in this game and some of the Jets' big plays were just mistakes or nice play design. ... Jason McCourty is tough to read. Often he's been very good, but he'll also have blown coverages. He also got run over setting the edge on a third-and-1 play. ... The Patriots used a lot of different coverages — I think they viewed this game as one in which they could try some different things and see how they look — but it led to some confusion in the secondary. After a handful of plays, defenders were looking around at each other. Communication could be better. ... Newcomer Obi Melifonwu was an early matchup against multiple TEs (Hightower help).
THREE UP
THREE DOWN
