New England Patriots: 5 observations from stomping of the Giants
1. Tom Brady is the team’s best short-yardage rusher
Blame the New England Patriots offensive line, but a recurring problem seems to be the team’s inability to convert on short-yardage situations.
It seems like both Sony Michel and James White are consistently stopped when the team is trying to convert on short third down or fourth down plays via the run.
Now, some of that is due to the absence of fullback James Develin and some of it is play calling, but perhaps the highest percentage play for the team on those short yardage plays that are less than a yard is to have Tom Brady do his almost unstoppable quarterback sneaks.
On Thursday night, it appears New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels got on the same page as Brady had two quarterback sneaks for touchdowns. It’s not something you want a 42-year-old quarterback doing a lot, but it’s good to know Mr. Brady is just as good as ever when it comes to those quarterback sneaks.
It’s also a good sign that he threw for over 300 yards despite having a limitation in offensive playmakers after Josh Gordon went down.