Death and taxes may want to make some room, because “Bill Belichick winning his season opener” is quickly becoming one of the certainties in life. On Sunday, the New England Patriots head coach extended his Week 1 record to 9-0 since the infamous Lawyer Milloy game of 2003. The Patriots handled the Tennesse Titans in their typical efficient fashion, with a quick tempo offense and opportunistic defense en route to a 34-13 victory.
Titans fans will remember this game for one of the more devastating 15 seconds in their recent memory, as their franchise quarterback and most productive wide receiver both suffered injuries on a fumble that should have been blown dead halfway through. Jake Locker and Nate Washington connected for their team’s only touchdown, but now their status for the next week’s game is in question.
As the Patriots build on yet another 1-0 record and the Titans lick their wounds, let’s take a deeper look at how the game unfolded.
New England – Three Performances of Note
Wilfork’s Wall
All-Pro defensive tackle Vince Wilfork has been a stalwart run defender for years, and now the rest of the Patriots young defense seems to be following his lead. A team effort heldChris Johnson to a career-low four rushing yards on 11 carries, as five Patriot defenders posted a run defense grade of +1.5 or better. Jerod Mayo played like the stud linebacker he’s supposed to be, tallying 12 tackles with seven stops. For as maligned as the Patriots defense was last season, this showing would suggest that they can make a lot of opposing offenses one-dimensional this year.
Rookie Defender Debuts
Only the Green Bay Packers surrendered more yards than the Patriots last season, so New England committed this past April’s draft to improving that unit. The early returns look good, as rookies Chandler Jones (+3.5), Dont’a Hightower (+5.0), and Tavon Wilson (+1.7) generated two turnovers and a defensive touchdown. Jones showed a great ability to dip and turn the corner from his defensive end position, and his swim move on his sack-fumble was particularly impressive. Hightower’s touchdown was more opportunistic than anything else, but he made his presence felt throughout the game, grading positively in all facets of the game. He pressured the QB three times on eight blitzes, including a bull rush with 8:15 left in the 2nd quarter that nearly drove right tackle David Stewart back into Locker.
Where’s Welker?
While the New England offense gradually took over, star slot receiver Wes Welker was conspicuously quiet with just three catches for 14 yards and a -1.7 grade. He was on the field for only 63% of the Patriots offensive snaps, his lowest usage in a game since the early weeks of the 2010 season when he was recovering from an ACL injury. After dropping a 3rd down pass to kill New England’s first drive, Welker was on the sidelines for New England’s next offensive series, a 67-yard march capped by an Aaron Hernandez touchdown. With his contract up at the end of this year, was this game just an anomaly, or the first step in the Patriots’ preparations for life without Wes?
Tennessee – Three Performances of Note
Running Regression
Not long ago the Titans’ ground attack was one of the most potent forces in the entire league. However in the last two years, hurt by a sub-par run blocking offensive line, this part of the Titans offense has spiraled into a sharp decline. Chris Johnson has borne the brunt of the blame for this, but the Titans offensive line continues to give him few holes to work with. Only one Tennessee in-line blocker (Leroy Harris) recorded a positive run block grade against the Patriots defensive front, and the left side in particular is a shell of its former glory.Michael Roos, once one of the better run-blocking tackles in the league, earned a -2.5 grade in this contest as he failed to control impressive rookie Chandler Jones. Off-season acquisitionSteve Hutchinson (-3.4 run blocking) may make the Hall of Fame for his work opening running lanes for Shaun Alexander and Adrian Peterson, however his debut in Tennessee didn’t hit those same heights. When running to the left side, Tennessee totalled a pitiful 17 yards on 11 carries.
Finnegan’s Wake
As we discussed in our
3 To Focus On preview, the Titans secondary had a daunting task against the Patriots tight ends without their departed All-Pro cornerback, Cortland Finnegan. They did not rise up to the challenge.
Ryan Mouton took Finnegan’s place in the slot and surrendered five receptions on seven targets for a
-2.5 pass coverage grade. The only Titans defensive back to fare worse was the maddening
Michael Griffin. For all his talent, this game was a textbook case of the safety’s inconsistency. He aggressively bit on play action fakes and over-ran tackles, continually putting Tennessee’s defense in bad positions en route to a
-6.6 overall grade.
Back to Hasselbeck?
As the game went along, the debut of the Jake Locker Era turned from promising to unsteady to uncertain. A missed pass interference call by the replacement referees derailed a good opening drive, and the second-year QB scuffled to a +0.6 grade until he was forced from the game with an injury to his non-throwing shoulder. Prior to the start of the season, there was a sentiment among some observers that the Titans should have chosen Matt Hasselbeck to lead them through their brutal September schedule. However the veteran didn’t fare so well in relief on Sunday, throwing for a 43 yards on 11 attempts for a -2.0 grade. Despite a hot start to last season, Hasselbeck finished with an average +0.7 overall mark. The 15-year veteran is undoubtedly capable of filling in when he’s needed, but if Locker is healthy enough to play this Sunday, Tennessee would be smart to go back to the youngster.
Game Notes
- Despite their offensive line’s struggles on the ground the Titans’ coaching staff trusted their offensive line to handle the Patriots’ pass rushers on their own. An extra blocker was kept in to pass protect on only 4 of the Titans’ 50 passing plays.
- Stevan Ridley‘s +2.3 grade was the highest by a Patriots running back since Week 5 of last season. For all the preseason concerns about their offensive line, New England were able to find and exploit gaps in the Tennessee run defense very efficiently.
- Rob Gronkowski is known for his ability as a receiver, but his play on the line is equally impressive. His run block grade was highest among tight ends last season, and he added a+2.6 mark in this game to go along with his 60 yards and touchdown through the air, playing a key role in springing a number of rushes off end for the Patriots.
PFF Game Ball
This could have easily gone to either of the Patriots’ first round rookies, but their 2008 first round pick deserves it most. No player was more active all game long than Jerod Mayo who was a presence in both run defense and pass coverage on his way to 12 tackles, seven of which were defensive stops.
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发表于 2012-9-12 14:41
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