The 2019 NFL season didn’t end will for the New England Patriots, but here is a look at the top 5 individual game performances of 2019.
The 2019 NFL season didn’t end well for the New England Patriots as they lost their Wee 17 matchup to the Miami Dolphins followed by an NFL Wildcard loss to the Tennessee Titans.
Still, in finishing the season at 12-4, Patriots players still delivered some memorable moments throughout the season.
With an offense that struggled around Tom Brady pretty much after Week 2 and a defense that played at a historic level through most of the 2019 NFL season, it took some individual performances to lead the team to victory.
Other than coaching players up in key positions, the team-first mentality led to some of these key performances.
As everyone from John Simon to N’Keal Harry to Elandon Roberts stepped up with performances that helped the team win, here are the top 5 individual game performances that really stood out for the New England Patriots in 2019.
5. Julian Edelman Week 5 vs. Washington Redskins
What made Julian Edelman’s Week 5 performance against the Washington Redskins so memorable is that he was questionable prior to the game due to a chest injury suffered in the team’s Week 3 victory over the New York Jets.
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While the New England Patriots didn’t need much firepower to beat the Redskins in this Week 5 matchup, Tom Brady made the most of his most trusted receiver by connecting with Edelman for eight receptions on nine targets for 110 yards and a touchdown in the 33-7 win that extended the Patriots record at the time to 5-0.
Again, displaying his toughness and relentlessness on the field, Julian Edelman was a tough cover for the Redskins’ secondary, especially cornerback Josh Norman who watched while Edelman made a nice, toe-tapping layout catch along the sideline for a first down.
In all, it was probably one of the last games in which the Patriots’ offense was effective. Tom Brady threw for over 300 yards, Josh Gordon added 59 yards on five catches and running back Sony Michel finally got going with 91 yards rushing along with three catches for 32 yards.
But, again, it was Julian Edelman that keep the chains moving and the offense rocking as the New England Patriots ran away with the win in the second half after falling down quickly to the Redskins 7-0.
4. Kyle Van Noy Week 4 vs. Buffalo Bills
The New England Patriots don’t win this first matchup against the Buffalo Bills without the frightening play of the “Boogeymen” linebackers, particularly Kyle Van Noy.
In this 16-10 AFC East slugfest, Van Noy had himself a game with 8 combined tackles, 2 sacks and 3 QB hits that led to the game-sealing interception off the arm of Bills backup quarterback Matt Barkley.
Van Noy also had two forced fumbles that earned him AFC Defensive Player of the Week for the outstanding performance against the Bills in a game where Tom Brady and the offense really struggled.
It was also a game that showed the team was capable of winning ugly behind a defense that was setting all kinds of records at the time. The outstanding performance by Kyle Van Noy was also highlighted due to the absence of Dont’a Hightower who was out due to a shoulder injury.
Van Noy as he has consistently done during his tenure with the New England Patriots stepped up and made big plays when necessary, including that quarterback hit that sealed the win and catapulted the then-defending Super Bowl champions to a 4-0 record.
3. Jamie Collins Week 8 vs. Cleveland Browns
What better way to get back at your former team than to do all your talking on the field?
That’s exactly what Jamie Collins did in the New England Patriots’ 27-13 victory over the Cleveland Browns in Week 8 of the 2019 NFL season.
In racking up 13 tackles and 1.5 sacks, Collins made a soggy afternoon in Foxborough even more miserable for Baker Mayfield and the Browns’ offense. Although Collins did allow five catches on five targets for 42 yards, the strength of his game came out when rushing the quarterback and simply being around the ball all over the field.
With key defensive plays by cornerback Jonathan Jones, Lawrence Guy and Dont’a Hightower, Jamie Collins was the silent star in this particular game, but his stat line showed he was very active and in the right places at the right times to make things happen for a New England Patriots defense that led the team to an 8-0 record at the time.
2. Tom Brady Week 1 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
The first game of the 2019 regular season ended up being Tom Brady’s best game as he torched the Pittsburgh Steelers for 341 passing yards and three touchdowns in the New Patriots’ 33-3 victory over Mike Tomlin’s Steelers.
It really was business as usual against the Steelers’ defense on a night that saw the Patriots raise their sixth Super Bowl championship.
Brady looked more like the 32-year-old version of himself as he threw a 20-yard strike to Josh Gordon for a touchdown and two touchdowns to Phillip Dorsett, including a 25-yard strike to give the New England Patriots a 17-0 lead in the second quarter.
From there, the Patriots eased rolled to victory as the defense stymied Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers offense sending a message to the rest of the NFL that the dynasty was not over, and Tom Brady was not slowing down.
What that first game also showed is how effective Brady can still be when he has weapons around him and is throwing behind a stable offensive line. Also remember, it was prior to that Week 1 matchup that the team announced the signing of Antonio Brown.
1. Stephon Gilmore Week 15 vs. Bengals
If there was any doubt that Stephon Gilmore was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year, he put that to rest with his Week 15 performance against the Cincinnati Bengals.
With two interceptions, one of which going for a pick six, Gilmore propelled the New England Patriots to a 34-13 victory in a game that was closer than it should’ve been until Gilmore forced Andy Dalton into his first mistake by throwing in the All-Pro cornerback’s direction.
The second time Dalton dared to throw Gilmore’s way, he knew it would be a score as he jumped the pass and ran it back 64 yards to break the game open.
"“As soon as (Dalton) threw it, I knew I was gone,” Gilmore said, via the Boston Herald. “Just had to catch it.”"
Both times, Stephon Gilmore said he knew the route as he helped lead the New England Patriot to an 11-3 record at the time and clenching a playoff spot.
In fact, Gilmore was so good in that game that he had Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd in denial as the receiver claimed he won the “majority” of matchups against Stephon Gilmore.
If three catches on seven targets for 26 yards is winning a matchup, then perhaps Mohamed Sanu was a much better receiver for the Patriots than we all thought.