New England Patriots: 5 observations from week 7 win over Falcons

The New England Patriots handed the Atlanta Falcons their 3rd loss of the season last night, defeating them by a score of 23-7.

Finally. Everything clicked at the right time last night for the New England Patriots. Tom Brady’s throws were precise, the run game was strong, and the defense played with a reckless abandon.

The Super Bowl LI rematch proved what we already knew, that the Patriots are the supreme power in the NFL. Coming into this week, there was a lot of skepticism about the Patriots defense and how they would perform against a prolific offensive unit.

To prove the naysayers wrong, Matt Patricia’s defense was stout and allowed the Falcons virtually no free passes. It was a good night for the Patriots and a worse night for the Falcons.

Amidst the fog were flags and signs commemorating the Patriots’ historic Super Bowl LI comeback. Matt Ryan can claim to have moved on all he wants, but looking around and seeing nothing but 28-3 posters has got to sting a little bit.

Welcome back to my weekly column, where I give 5 observations I made which I considered notable enough to write about. They could be anything about the game, the Patriots, the referees, or even something funny I saw in the stands. Let’s get to it.

Finally, a fantastic defensive performance

Swiss cheese? More like a cheddar cheese, because the Patriots defense was sharp and had no holes last night. Man I crack myself up.

In all seriousness, the Patriots defense was solid last night, holding the Falcons to just 353 yards of total offense, which is considerably lower than their NFL worst 440 yards allowed per game. They also held Matt Ryan to just 233 yards passing, which is the fewest passing yards they’ve allowed all season.

On the ground, the Falcons gained 120 yards with Devonta Freeman leading the way with 71. If not for a few big gains towards the end of the game and some long gains from Matt Ryan, these totals could have been significantly lower.

The front seven looked strong, often breaking through the offensive line and making tackles near the line of scrimmage. Kyle Van Noy lead the team with 7 total tackles, including two tackles for loss. In addition, Adam Butler recorded the only sack of the night and the first of his young career. With two rushes making up over 25% of the Falcons rushing yards for the night, the stats don’t do justice to how little running room the Patriots gave the Falcons.

The secondary, which has been a liability all season, contained the Falcons’ receivers and didn’t allow any big gains. The longest gain of the night was 22 yards. Not too shabby.

The defense played particularly well on third downs, forcing many punts, field goals (which were missed), and two aggressive attempts at fourth down conversions. They forced the Falcons offense off the field and gave our offense time to work.

My only critique, and it’s more of a personal vendetta, is towards Cassius Marsh. Why is this guy still on the field? Sure, he blocked a field goal last night, but he also lost edge containment on an early 4th down, allowing Matt Ryan to scramble for over 10 yards. Maybe if he spent more time studying cross-blitzes and less time drawing crosses on his face he’d produce more on defense. At least make a single tackle… which he didn’t last night.

Overall, it was a great night for theNew England Patriots defense. It was only a matter of time before they got it together, now let’s see if they can keep it together. Oh, and let’s see if we can get Stephon Gilmore on the same page when he’s healthy.

Flags on flags on flags

Folks, there were so many flags last night you’d think the game was played at the United Nations. Seriously, it seemed like a flag was thrown every other play.

Overall, there were 14 flags thrown for a total of 105 yards last night. The Falcons committed 6 penalties for 40 yards, while the New England Patriots committed 8 for 65. There were also offsetting penalties that resulted in no yards in either direction.

I appreciate what NFL referees do. Honestly. It’s amazing that NFL refs see as much as they do. I think they receive an unfair amount of criticism for missed calls, because they see just about everything. Lineman touched the DE’s facemask for a split second? Flag. Gronk locked out his arm while his hand was on the CB’s chest? Flag. They’re only human, so they’ll miss calls here and there, but overall I think they do an incredible job.

THAT SAID, nothing gets on my nerves more that stoppage of play every 10 seconds. It’s why I could never sit through more than 5 minutes of my high school field hockey games. Juelz Santana number of whistles.

That’s how I felt last night watching the game. Particularly in the first half, it seemed like a flag was thrown every play. Holding, offensive pass interference, false start, neutral zone infraction, 12 men on the field, you name it. Yeah yeah, none of these penalties shouldn’t be called, but it started grinding my gears. Teams, clean it up. Refs, let the boys play.

What The Fog?

Ahh, an age old Belichick trick. Turning on the ol’ fog machine. Really screws with the opposing team. Little do the Falcons know, the Patriots practice in fog at least once a week to prepare for this exact kind of game. Just another reason why he’s the greatest coach of all time.

The fog made it so you couldn’t see the field from the normal TV camera angle, so it was switched to a quarterback POV angle. It was pretty cool. You could see plays developing, holes being created, and routes being run.

The only negative to this point of view is that I felt like I actually knew what I was doing. “Hogan’s wide open! Why are you throwing to… oh good call you’re right Tom”. “Run to the left there’s a huge hole! Don’t run — ahh a new hole opened up great job getting the first down”. I felt like I was reading coverage and could see where the ball should have gone. I kind of felt like a QB.

Not to brag, but I did see Chris Hogan wide open before Brady hit him in stride for a 30 yard gain. No big deal, just basically completed a 30 yard pass in the NFL.

Overall, I liked the camera angle and the fog added something to the game. I could have done without NBC zooming out every 10 minutes to show the same foggy image of Gillette, but it was a unique sight to see. A little warning from God to the NFL, don’t come into the Patriots house and expect to leave happy.

Hold On To That Ball, Gillislee

Mike Gillislee fumbled last week. As a New England Patriots fan, that’s call for concern. You worry about never seeing your running back again. Gillislee briefly entered Bill Belichick’s fabled doghouse, but survived and advanced.

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What I thought was hysterical but understandable is that Gillislee was clutching onto the football like it was a newborn baby whenever he got a carry.

Two hands, elbows tight. Can’t risk another fumble that could cost you your job. I don’t blame him one bit.

As the game went on, Gillislee loosened up. Not his grip on the ball, mind you, but the way he was running. He ran with the ball in one hand and covered up whenever he entered a pile. He was sure to switch to his sideline hand, ensuring a fumble would go out of bounds. He channeled his inner BenJarvus Green-Ellis and wouldn’t allow himself to lose the football.

Gillislee ran the ball 8 times today, second to only Dion Lewis. In my personal opinion, Lewis should continue to get the majority of the carries, as he’s the most explosive runner and and receiving running back the Patriots have.

It would appear as though Gillislee’s stint in Belichick’s doghouse was short lived. If he continues to cover up like he did tonight, he won’t be returning there.

Quick thoughts before we prepare for Week 8

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Color Rush jerseys on a Sunday? What’s up with that? Not only that, but they were hideous. I’m not a fan of the blue jerseys with the thick red stripes on the shoulder pads, and I never will be. That’s a promise. Let’s save color rush for Thursdays.

The Clay Matthews pistachio commercials were hilarious. They were stupid, but funny nonetheless. Each subsequent insult to those guys sitting in the chair with an empty stare on their faces landed, and it got a chuckle out of me every time.

Speaking of commercials, what’s up with that commercial where the Dan Bilzerian lookalike offers champagne to a dog with majestic blond hair? I’ll admit I don’t blame Mr. Bilzerian for offering a fancy drink to who he thinks is an eligible bachelorette, but I don’t think I needed to watch it 10 times.

Rob Gronkowski is unstoppable as a receiver, but he made it clear today that he’s equally as dominant as a lead blocker. On Brandin Cooks’ touchdown, Gronk cleared a path for Cooks, who held onto Gronk’s jersey and followed him directly into the endzone. Reminds me of the scumbags who tailgate an ambulance in traffic, except I love Brandin Cooks.

Lastly, I may have been the only person in the world who noticed this, but one of the referees threw the ball to another referee and his arm action couldn’t have been worse. He made Uncle Rico look like Vince Young.

Moving Forward

Another week, another win. I hope you gained some insight from my observations. Maybe you laughed, maybe you smiled, or maybe you gained a burning hatred for me. Whatever way you internalize this blog is perfectly acceptable.

In Week 8, the Patriots welcome the San Diego Chargers to New England, where the two teams will face off in a 1:00pm game. It will be a test for the Patriots, who have set a new defensive standard for themselves.

If the Patriots can keep their defense on track, the future looks extremely bright. If not, this roller coaster of a season will get back on the tracks and we’ll all be along for the ride. I hope it’s an enjoyable one.

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As long as the New England Patriots are doing well, I can sleep at night. When I say doing well, I mean playing good football. Wins will come, but I’d prefer wins like tonight’s as opposed to last weeks win against the Jets. If we keep building up steam, this team will be an unstoppable force come playoff time.