I watched the Patriots lose to the Dolphins, so you didn't have to. Then I watched it again and got annoyed. This is not an uncommon state for me, but some things were and weren't being done Sunday night that confused me regarding the grand plan. Developing opinion alert! Psychologically, it felt like the Pats' home game against the Bills last year, i.e., 'Just don't embarrass us.' And then, because the final score looks competitive, we believe the team is closer to their intended target than they are.
Do you remember that night against the Bills? The Pats had been run out of the building by Buffalo in the regular season finale the year before and the playoff game. Josh Allen and company had gone 23 straight drives against New England without punting. It still boggles the mind to think of a Bill Belichick team getting abused like that, but it was there for everyone to see. So that evening, Belichick had his defense play soft, keeping the likes of Stefon Diggs and Isaiah freakin McKenzie, and Dawson Knox in front of them. Allen too. Death by a thousand cuts is better than allowing explosives.
Flash forward to Sunday night. The Pats started in 3 deep coverage lest Tyreek Hill go for 215 yards, catch touchdowns, and wave at the fans. As the Fins sliced them up on the outskirts of the D, and Marcus Jones was injured, the brain trust adapted, although the objective remained the same: keep Hill from beating them. The Pats succeeded, at least on that front. You know the numbers - 5 catches, 40 yards, and the one TD. But Raheem Mostert, Jaylen Waddle, and someone named River Cracraft picked up the slack. Sure, it was "close," another one-possession game. But what of the thought process to get there? This defense has dawgs. They have spent money and draft capital on it. There are loads of talent in the room - how often have we said it? - and they showed it by keeping the game reasonable. But eventually, they have to let those dawgs loose. Be the aggressor. Dictate the terms and the tempo, as opposed to how the Dolphins game went. Zach Wilson's the easy place to start, but the question will genuinely be answered the week after that in Dallas. Until then, watch what annoyed me and at least one thing I'd like to see more of.
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