The biggest takeaway from the Patriots' offensive film against the Bengals is that, despite the opponent, the unit made major strides in terms of execution and potential. The offense looked much, much better.
I know what you're thinking ... Seriously? We had 291 total yards, 128 passing and had only one scoring drive beyond 45 yards. How is that better, you idiot?
Well, as opposed to the loss to the Texans, this time Tom Brady was mostly at fault for the sputtering offense for the first two-plus quarters. It was about as bad a first-half performance as I've seen from Brady. That resulted in the Patriots leaving a lot of yards, and potential points on the field.
We'll get to breaking that down in a second, but first, we need to get something off of our chest in terms of the health of Julian Edelman:
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FIRST HALF
1-10: Incomplete to Mohamed Sanu — Even though Sanu slowed up running the crosser and Isaiah Wynn allowed pressure, Brady had plenty of room to the sideline to lead him or he could have dumped it down to White.
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What do I think the issue is? Well, no, I don't think Brady has suddenly lost it. It must be his elbow because it's not like he's consistently bad. The diving catch by Harry that was wiped out by penalties was an excellent throw. He hummed in a few other passes, and the TD to Harry was a well-thrown rocket. And in the second half, I had Brady for four plus plays and the non-touchdown to Michel was the one down.
Brady was just really inconsistent with his accuracy, and he was a little flinchy. To me, this is the elbow. It has to be a problem from time to time. Not sure if it's tendonitis or what, but it's definitely causing him some accuracy issues.
The good news is just because Brady had a rough time for a half-plus on Sunday doesn't mean it's going to be that way going forward. And if Brady starts to feel better, then the offense just might get going.
There was improved play across the board. Wynn was vastly improved in this game. Ted Karras was back to being a huge upgrade over James Ferentz. Shaq Mason had his first 2018 Shaq Mason game of the season as Josh McDaniels got him on the move more as a puller, which plays to his strength. Sony Michel ran much better, even on runs that gained just 3 yards (twice), 6 and 7. Harry was better and needs more touches. Sanu did fine getting open, Brady just wasn't precise enough. And even LaCosse, who certainly had a lot of issues blocking, had almost as much positive impact with his blocking on other plays.
This was an encouraging game from the offense ... but can Brady be better? That's the key question. The answer has always been yes in the past.
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OFFENSE
Quarterback (1 out of 5)
While he was better in the second half, the Brady we saw in the first half was very concerning. Hopefully this isn't what 42 looks like in late December or else the Patriots are in trouble.
Running backs (4 out of 5)
Outside of Michel's half drop and fumble, this was an excellent game out of this group and it wasn't just the blocking. Michel, James White and Rex Burkhead all made something out of nothing at times and kept falling forward. Didn't have one stuffed run attributed to the backs. The Patriots need more of this.
Receivers (3.5 out of 5)
I'm taking Edelman out of the mix because he was obviously physically compromised in this game and it got worse. Everyone had some issues in this game but for the first time in a very long time, the good outweighed the bad in almost every case. ... LaCosse had seven minus blocks, including 2.5 hits on Brady and 2.5 stuffed runs, but he was asked to do a lot and blocking Carlos Dunlap is hard for tackles, let alone tight ends who are better pass catchers. LaCosse also had six really good run blocks, including one on a 10-yard run and another on a touchdown. This is important because the Patriots can't pull Thuney and Mason unless they know they'll get decent blocking from the tight end. Ben Watson is not going to give that to them. ... Would like to see a few more seam routes to him as well. However, LaCosse was limping a lot in the second half. ... Sanu had a half drop and fumble that was wiped out by a penalty. He and Brady need to keep working to get on the same page. Plays are there to be made. ... Outside of not blocking anyone on a screen and his OPI penalty, Harry looked really good and earned more touches. ... Dorsett (nine snaps) has settled into the No. 4 role, which is where he should have been all along. He's a 3/4, not a 1 as he had been playing.
Offensive line (3.5 out of 5)
If it wasn't for Marcus Cannon, this might have been a five out of five for this group. Cannon's feet just look really slow and he's getting overpowered at times. Cannon didn't block anyone on Michel's fumble. ... A revival game for Mason. Had him for 10 plus blocks in this game, which is a record for my stat keeping. Wasn't perfect, but it was pretty damn good.
Karras was great in his return to action. If the Patriots can pull Thuney and Mason more, that plays to everyone's strengths — including not needing Karras to make the big block on the second level. ... If the Patriots can get this kind of play from Thuney, Karras, and Mason, that will get the ground game going. ... Patriots need to find a way to pull Wynn more. He looked really good pulling on White's 13-yard run on 3rd-and-1. A move to left guard, should Thuney leave in free agency, could be in the cards for Wynn should a left tackle become available. That also might allow Wynn to be more durable. Inside suits his body type more.
THREE UP (Offense only)
Shaq Mason: Had a clean sheet in pass blocking and kicked some serious ass on the ground ... Shaq Is Back? Maybe?
N'Keal Harry: Was a consistent playmaker for a team desperately needing one. Can't afford any rookie step-backs. Patriots need him to start stacking success and doing more in each game.
Sony Michel: After posting the worst game of his career last week, Michel ran much harder and was more elusive in this one. I'm guessing it was the Ivan Fear(s) Of God at work.
THREE DOWN
Marcus Cannon: Is just not playing strong or confidently. Should be past his illness by now. The rest of the line is getting better but he's not.
Tom Brady: Bad first half, better in the second. Are we headed towards a pitch count?
Matt LaCosse: I almost hate to do this because he had a lot of really good plays and was asked to fight out of his weight class, but that's a lot of pressures and stuffed runs for a tight end.
Coming tomorrow: Defense.
