Week 5: New England Patriots vs Cincinnati Bengals Game Analysis
In Bill Belichick we trust.
Yesterday, we saw an ever-desperate New England Patriots team come out with a big win against the previously undefeated Cincinnati Bengals, ending their 3 game win streak, and further restoring faith in Patriot doubters. This big 42-17 win over the Bengals will give the Patriots the huge confidence booster they need going forward after a shaky start to the season.
Leading up to yesterday’s game, many questioned the Patriot way; wondering if one of the greatest dynasty’s the NFL had ever seen, was finally beginning to show signs of demise. More then anything, many critics questioned Tom Brady’s abilities, figuring he was destined to retire in another uniform. Brady sure made a point of showing them what he’s all about – winning and thus proving them wrong.
On the Patriots opening drive, you could smell confidence in the air; a certain swagger we’ve been missing since last season.
The Patriots offensive line faced their biggest challenge of the season, against a very talented Bengals front 7 and to pleasant surprise, saw some much needed improvement as Ryan Wendell was moved to right guard and Bryan Stork started at center. This is very encouraging, and I hope this change proves to be a long term fix, but it’s something we’ll have to keep a close eye on it as the weeks go by.
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Overall, I’m very happy with the performance the Patriots put on, they’re finally living up to the hype of the Super Bowl contending team that we all anticipated this off season. Tom Brady looked much calmer and collected in the pocket, and it was interesting to see him keep the defense on edge with a few scrambling efforts, which we’re all so unused to seeing from him.
In regards to Tight Ends, with the mediocre performances we saw out of Gronkowski for the past 4 weeks, it was great to see him have a break out game, reminding us what a big cornerstone he is in the Patriots offense. I was also pleased to see the Patriots finally utilize Tim Wright in the 2 tight end sets, which we all know the Patriots love to run. When Tim Wright was brought in as part of the Logan Mankins trade, everyone questioned his abilities and branded him “just another guy”, however, now he’s starting to make a name for himself. He might not be on par with former Tight End Aaron Hernandez talent-wise, but being a Wide Receiver convert, he has great catching ability and will be very effective in the red zone as Gronkowski will be a menacing distraction for opposing defenses. We will start to see Tim Wright involved in some of the same offensive schemes that the Patriots ran with Aaron Hernandez, however, Tim Wright does not have the same abilities that Hernandez did; He might
just be the smallest Tight End to play in the league (6’4″), and struggles in blocking schemes because of his smaller size. I think we can expect to see great things out of him this year.
One thing to keep an eye on is Free Safety Devin McCourty, who went down in the second quarter with a rib injury and did not return to the game. His return was questionable. McCourty really makes the Patriots defense tick, and is probably the best
cover safety in the league. If the Patriots have any hopes of making a Super Bowl run this season, McCourty needs to stay healthy as he aids in taking away the deep ball threat. Darelle Revis also went down with a hamstring injury in the second quarter, but returned later in the game. I can’t stress it enough how important the presence of both those players are to the defense, it’s absolutely vital that they stay healthy.
Next weeks match up with the Buffalo Bills won’t be as challenging, but the Bills do have an improved roster this year, and it will be terrific to see how Brandon Browner goes to work on them. I’m also looking forward to seeing what performance Brian Tyms puts on, as he adds an element of size on the outside that the Patriots need in their ariel attack. If the Patriots can continue to improve and put up performances like they did yesterday, as well as stay healthy, then they will be every bit as good as we all expected them to be.
Shall I say it one more time? In Bill Belichick we trust.