Patriots Pulse Check: The Season Is Still Alive

I'm planning to do these pulse checks every other week, with obvious exceptions if need be.

I'm still regaining my breath from this game, which stole the early window show until the Cowboys/Giants went nuclear. I thought we won and lost the game at minimum five times each. There were special teams TD, penalties, another special teams TD, 25 more penalties, called back TDs, and entertainment throughout.

Boy we needed this one. There's some crazy stats about the unlikelihood of making the postseason at 0-2, but it was more of the scenario for me. Losing to Miami, who looked as lost as Sawyer and Hurley last week in Indy, to go to 0-2 after looking terrible in week 1 at home against Vegas, would be a big blow. A big enough blow to make me second guess the whole season.

But the win, and the way we looked (in some ways), has me feeling pretty good.

The Offense Looks To Be Progressing

Drake maybe played his best game as a pro. Four incompletions, 261 total yards and 3 TDs. And no turnovers! He seemed very in control against a good pass rush and shaky line, scrambled when he needed to and consistently made the right decision. And threw a couple dots in the process.

The offense as a whole was so much more balanced, with pass and run plays called at a roughly 50/50 pace (technically more runs, but many of Drake's 8 rushes prior to the kneel downs were designed pass plays). I don't know what the fuck happened last week, but hopefully a lesson was learned calling 300% more passes than runs and we won't see it again. Rhamondre, as I tried to tell my buddies who drafted Henderson in the third round of our fantasy drafts, is still the bellcow of this team and RB1, and proved why today. I still think Henderson will play a big role on this offense, but 'Mondre was a big reason we won this game.

The Offensive Line Is Still A Problem

I'm writing this too soon after the game to see any PFF stats on pressures, QB rushes etc, but I know there were a lot on top of the three sacks. I'm willing to give somewhat of a pass against this front four, as it's one of the best in the league.

Where my bigger issue comes is from the penalties. I could say this as a blanket statement for the whole team, who had 12 for 75 yards, but the offensive line must've had at least half of those.

Morgan Moses, a veteran tackle who was brought in to bring some stability to our worst unit, had 3 false starts I can think of off the dome from the Dolphins front four pre-snap shifts. If I'm being honest idk how offensive linemen don't false start every time defenses do that, but they don't, cause this is the NFL. Moses had a day to forget to put nicely. I guess I feel better about this group than last year, but that's not saying much. Clean it up.

Kicker Is A Big Problem

This isn't new news or all that surprising, as there's been uncertainty around the kicking competition all camp, with the feeling being that one kicker lost more than the other won. And it's proved that way so far. Missed a 40-yarder week one, fine. But missing two more extra points, the first two extra points of week 2, which easily could've been the difference in this game, is unacceptable. So is the penalty on the kickoff with under two minutes to give Miami the ball at the 40.

He obviously has a boot, demonstrated by hitting two thirds up the net on a 53 yarder to make it a 6-point game late in the fourth, but kicking it 65 yards is no longer a novelty in the NFL. It's about making the easy ones, and so far the rookie's not doing it.

My prediction (or rather hope) is Atlanta cuts Younghoe Koo if Parker Romo (the man who lost the competition to to Borregales) has a good game tonight, and we sign Koo first thing tomorrow morning. I know he missed a big kick last week, but he's a proven kicker. Just bring someone else in, I can't be nervous for extra points all year.

The Defense Stinks, But Harold Landry Is Awesome

Christian Gonzalez needs to heal ASAP. Defensive stats aren't yet out with two-week totals, but given that we were 31st after last week, giving up another 315 yards through the air to Tua will surely have us sitting at the bottom of the league standings in pass defense. To their credit, they nutted up down the stretch (with a little help from Achane's pinky toe and a bajillion Dolphin penalties) and held the Fins scoreless in the fourth. So maybe there's progress there too.

A big reason why Miami was held scoreless was the relentless pash rush from Harold Landry. Every time I looked up in the second half he was in the backfield, causing Tua to get off his read. He's been one of the brighter spots of the team through two weeks, with 3.5 sacks, 4 TFL and 6 QB hits.

Milton Williams has also been earning his mega-contract so far, who cemented the game with a fourth down sack (aided by Landry's rush as well). I feel good about the guys up front, but less so about the guys out back. But it's still early.

Overall Sentiment

A win is a win in this league, and I know we aren't good enough of a football team to get too nit-picky and complain when we do. This one win is equal to 13% of our wins from the last two years combined, so check yourself if you don't agree with me.

That said, for all that went right in this game, there was equally as much that went wrong. If we weren't playing the Dolphins, who enjoy shooting themselves in the foot more than Plaxico after midnight, and are entering organizational free fall the likes Tom Petty would admire, we would've lost.

We're still a very undisciplined team with 20 penalties after two weeks. The pass defense is statistically one of the worst if not the worst in the league. And the special teams appears to be a mess.

It's still early, and as I said last week we're practically a brand new organization; there will be growing pains. But we're 1-1 with bright spots popping up, so we take it and smile. Next week will determine how much of this week's win was the Patriots or us playing the Dolphins. I have no idea. But I can't wait to find out.

The road to the playoffs is alive and well.