Bill Belichick loves to talk about the importance of “all three phases of the game.” Sunday night his players gave the Denver Broncos and a national TV audience a chilling lesson in what that means.
Powered by a special teams unit that helped create 24 points, the Patriots disemboweled the Broncos. And they were so dominant on offense and defense as well that Denver must have thought it was playing at sea level instead of a mile high.
The Pats defense gave up a half-dozen chunk plays, but it was tough in the red zone for the fifth straight game, and the offense scored on seven straight drives. That’s complementary football that was a compliment to the players, Belichick and his staff.
When it was done, Broncos coach Vance Joseph was so embarrassed he called for a sweeping review of every area of his team. What he’ll find is the gap between the Broncos and Pats is wider than the Gulf of Mexico.
Quarterback: A
Knowing he had tough matchups on the outside against cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Chris Harris, Tom Brady conceded the point and undressed the Broncos secondary inside the numbers. Mostly, the emphasis was getting the ball out quickly to negate Denver’s pass rush, which brought the tight ends and running backs into play for 15 of his 25 completions (19 of 34 targets). He was 7-for-7 for two touchdowns to his backs because once again he attacked the Broncos’ weak spots rather than challenge their strength outside. This may sound like common sense but as most quarterbacks and coaching staffs prove every Sunday common sense is an uncommon trait in today’s NFL. That’s not true with Brady, whose three TD throws included a beauty to MIA Dwayne Allen. On that route, Brady had time to wait for Allen to fight off the line and out of the hold of linebacker Von Miller, then fend off a downfield chuck from linebacker Todd Davis before beating Miller on a turnout. Brady peeked left then threw right, just enough to the outside to give only Allen a chance to snag it. It was a perfect pass through a tight window and it came out before Allen made his final move because Brady realized Allen had outside leverage. The one time Miller put on pressure, Brady jumped at the last moment and dumped the ball to tight end Martellus Bennett wide open underneath. Linebackers Shane Ray and Todd Davis both let Bennett go to chase running back Rex Burkhead in the left flat. Davis should have stayed with Bennett but vacated the area and Bennett filled it, Brady finding him with a checkdown for 27 yards. Brady also launched a perfectly timed and supremely accurate throw on a deep slant to tight end Rob Gronkowski, putting the ball between safeties Darian Stewart and Justin Simmons and in front of Talib, while leading Gronk like it was passing clinic. Brady’s play-action fake pulled the Broncos’ linebackers up on a 26-yard throw to Gronk in which the area behind them was left wide open by the fake for an easy pass-and-catch. Having devoured the defense in the middle all night, Brady later came off another play-action fake and lofted a beautiful throw to Brandin Cooks, who beat Talib on a deep turnout. When the opening finally came deep, Brady found it. So too did his backup, old friend Brian Hoyer. Hoyer got the kind of late chance to play seldom allowed Jimmy Garoppolo and went 3-for-3, including executing the best screen pass of the season, a 27-yarder to Cooks in which the blockers got out front and mowed down the retreating Broncos. The closest Brady came to a bad play was an ill-advised early throw that cornerback Bradley Roby nearly picked off on a square out to Cooks.
Running back: A-minus
With Mike Gillislee inactive, Dion Lewis was the lead back, and Rex Burkhead’s emergence continued. The two combined for 91 hard-earned yards and a touchdown on 24 carries between the tackles against a stubborn run defense. It wasn’t a great night on the ground, but Burkhead did a good job moving the pile on several occasions when needed. James White failed to convert on third-and-short, gaining 3 yards when 4 were needed at the Denver 13 and forcing a field goal. Brady was uncharacteristically stuffed on a third-and-1 sneak, but Burkhead got 3 on a fourth-down try so that was a wash. It was in the passing game that the backs were productive, compiling 54 yards even though Lewis didn’t have a catch. Burkhead beat linebacker Brandon Marshall on a shallow cross for 13 and scorched Stewart on a slant for a 14-yard TD catch. On that play, he lined up wide left and came across the vacant middle, which opened up because Denver doubled Gronkowski crossing behind him. That left Burkhead 1-on-1 in open space and he outlegged Stewart across the field and into the end zone. Lewis’ 8-yard TD run answered Denver’s second-half opening score immediately. He had a big hole in front of him and powered straight through Talib’s arm tackle. White nearly broke safety Will Parks’ ankles with a stutter step out of the backfield that left Parks leaning inside as White broke wide open for an 8-yard TD catch.
Wide receiver: B
Despite the emphasis on throwing inside the numbers, Brandin Cooks still was targeted 11 times and had six catches. His long was the garbage-time screen for 27 after the Broncos had surrendered, but his deep turnout route opened up a wide space between him and Aqib Talib that gave Tom Brady an open window you usually only see on a sweltering August night. Danny Amendola had four catches on four targets and Phillip Dorsett was 2-for-2 on mostly short routes that served to keep the Broncos secondary honest. The Pats basically conceded to the Broncos’ talented outside coverage but still forced those corners to respect Cooks’ speed and ability by targeting him on nearly 30 percent of the pass plays, although seldom deep. The absence of injured Chris Hogan took away a weapon that might have put more pressure on Denver, but this was not a night for receiver production.
Tight end: A
Big night for the big men. Content to hit the Broncos inside the numbers, Gronk and the newly arrived Bennett were major parts of the passing game. Gronk often saw double coverage, which opened up the short middle for Bennett on several occasions, but his 27-yard checkdown on his first reception came after two linebackers abandoned the middle to cover Burkhead in the flat. In addition to his TD catch, Allen made a nice block on Ray on 4th-and-1, moving him off the line enough for Burkhead to convert. Gronk was more than Denver could contend with (4 catches, 74 yards) and it might have been worse if his diving catch for an apparent TD wasn’t ruled incomplete. It looked on replay like he got his hands under the ball and didn’t use the ground to pin it, but it was close. It’s the only thing that was. Gronk beat Ray for a 12-yard catch on a turnout and Simmons, the safety, on a seam for 22 to the Denver 11. Neither guy had a chance. His 25-yard catch was made easy by Brady’s play-action fake. All Denver’s linebackers reacted to it, leaving a vacuum behind them Gronk gladly filled.
Offensive line: A
Solid night against a tough pass rush. Right tackle LaAdrian Waddle replaced injured Marcus Cannon and acquitted himself well. He had some help when facing Miller with fullback James Develin chipping Miller on occasion, but mostly Waddle was on his own and held up solidly. He gave up one pressure to Miller, but you never really noticed Waddle, which is a lineman’s dream. Left guard Joe Thuney was very sound in the run game, and while the line didn’t dominate Denver’s front in the running game, it ground out hard yards when needed. Brady was pressured only six times in 34 throws and hit only four times. The only sack was on White, so the line was clean there. Left tackle Nate Solder was unable to get out on time on a screen to Burkhead, but he was hit from behind by Ray, and that hung him up. Not much he could do. On the failed sneak, both center David Andrews and right guard Shaq Mason were stalemated and pushed back, leaving Brady nowhere to go but down. There were few nits to pick here, which is why the offense was 4-of-6 in the red zone and scored on seven straight drives.
Defensive line: B
This group put only minimal pressure on Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler. Defensive end Trey Flowers got close once but was mostly held at bay. Even when the Pats blitzed it didn’t produce pressure, which is one reason Emmanuel Sanders had 114 receiving yards by halftime. The run defense was generally stout. According to Pro Football Focus, the line allowed only .71 yards per rush before initial contact, a marked improvement from its seasonal average of 2.63. Defensive tackle Alan Branch missed a tackle he had to make on an 11-yard CJ Anderson run when Denver pulled its center and guard left, drawing Branch wide. Defensive tackle Lawrence Guy got tied up, and when Branch got off his blocker, he missed the tackle in the hole. Defensive end Deatrich Wise flushed Osweiler once with help from Flowers, and Flowers made a nice play in coverage in the flat, dropping Anderson for a 1-yard gain. Newly acquired defensive lineman Ricky Jean Francois, the Dunkin’ Donuts King, had a run stuff but was also knocked to one knee by guard Max Garcia on another run, opening a crease for a 6-yard gain that also resulted from Wise being stymied by tackle Garett Bolles. Overall, they were playing with a lead all game so you would have expected more pressure. Still, they held up well in the red zone, where it matters most.
Linebacker: B
Kyle Van Noy was the closest to a pest Osweiler faced, although he never reached him. His versatility is a godsend with Dont’a Hightower and Shea McClellin gone for the year and Cassius Marsh out. Van Noy made a particularly strong play on a toss sweep, running away from a block to drop running back Jamaal Charles for a 1-yard loss. Marquis Flowers made his presence felt with good coverage on Anderson in the flat, leading to an incompletion. Trevor Reilly had both a big hit on special teams and great penetration stuffing a hole on one Denver run for no gain. David Harris did a nice job reading and reacting to fill another hole for a short gain and blasted tight end Jeff Heuerman on a shallow route, causing an incompletion and a headache. The best pressure of the day came on Elandon Roberts’ middle blitz. He didn’t get a sack but nailed Osweiler, forcing him to throw early and incomplete. Nothing spectacular but solid work is all you can ask from this group.
Defensive back: C-plus
Malcolm Butler was undressed by Emmanuel Sanders in the first half but held him in relative check in the second after being hosed down with fire retardant at halftime. He was toasted on the first play on an out-and-up when he bit on the short route fake and let Sanders get behind him for 31 yards. He was beaten on a short hook, then let Sanders run around him for 13 and lost track of him in motion for a second when Sanders reversed field before Butler could react. He got back into good position and was still was beaten in the flat for 23 yards. That was more credit to Sanders than a Butler breakdown. He was on him tight on a third-down sideline throw but missed swatting the ball away and gave up a 9-yard catch. He was tightly on him on a go route, forcing an incompletion and was all over him on the first play of the second half, causing an incompletion, refusing to give in totally. But he was beaten on a 23-yard out on the same drive when Sanders about broke Butler’s ankles with three jukes, leaving him leaning inside as he went outside on third-and-5, finally being dragged down at the Patriots 8. Three plays later, Butler was flagged for holding Sanders but cornerback Stephon Gilmore was beaten on a slant by Demaryius Thomas for a TD on the other side, so it didn’t matter. Gilmore was back from his concussion and played solidly, mostly on Thomas. He was flagged for holding Thomas on a third-down incompletion, but with the exception of the TD, mostly negated him. He also made a nice open field tackle on a swing pass. With Eric Rowe out, cornerback Jonathan Jones played more and had an up-and-down day. Sanders destroyed him coming out of the slot, faking outside with a jab step that got Jones off balance, then beating him badly across the middle for a 38-yard catch. Later he was tight on tight end A.J. Derby on a third-down incompletion in which wideout Bennie Fowler was flagged for running into Patrick Chung several yards beyond the legal pick line. Chung had a reliable day and capped it by undercutting Jeff Heuerman’s route out of the slot to intercept Osweiler with under seven minutes to play. Safety Jordan Richards made one nice fill on a running play, limiting it to 2 yards. Reliable safety Devin McCourty’s best effort came in man coverage on Thomas, dropping him for a short 5-yard gain on a square out with a perfect closing tackle. They didn’t get much help up front and Butler, for one, surely could have used it.
Special teams: A
A big play from this unit can change a game. Make three and it’s game over. That’s what happened Sunday night when Lewis returned a kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown, Burkhead blocked a punt and Jacob Hollister recovered a muffed punt by Isaiah McKenzie (his fifth of the season). Add to that the Broncos having 12 men on the field on another punt, and you have plays that accounted for 24 Patriots points, turning a potential 17-16 nailbiter into a rout. There were so many perfect blocks on Lewis’ return it’s hard to single one out. It was a team effort in which Develin knocked a coverage man wide as a wall formed inside, creating a crease as wide as Rte. 128. Lewis floored it when he saw the opening like a man finally freed from commuter backup on the Southeast Expressway, outrunning Jamal Carter, the only guy with a remote chance of catching him. Burkhead’s blocked punt came because Brandon Bolden forced edge blocker Will Parks to step wide, creating a lane for Burkhead, who beat Carter’s block on his outside shoulder and blew in on punter Riley Dixon like a freight train. Dixon recovered the ball, but the damage was done. The Patriots had been warned McKenzie had anxiety issues manifesting themselves in bobbled punts, and so ran a man, Jones, right at him on the opening punt. As Jones closed in, McKenzie panicked. Instead of signaling for a fair catch, he bobbled the ball and Hollister fell on it. Lost in all this was Stephen Gostkowski’s perfectly placed kickoffs, which time after time came down at or just in front of the goal line, forcing Denver into returns that left it short of the 25-yard line.
Coaching: A
With two weeks to prepare, Belichick and his staff came up with an offensive plan that attacked Denver’s pass defense in the middle of the field and pounded it late with enough runs to grind it down. The ball was coming out quickly, thus negating the Broncos’ fierce pass rush. Tight end was a featured position because there were favorable matchups there that were taken advantage of, producing eight receptions for 123 yards and a score. Defensively, they couldn’t handle Sanders in single coverage, but otherwise played sound principles. The defense held up against the run despite the absence of defensive tackle Malcolm Brown and Hightower, which wasn’t easy against a team that likes to pound the ball. It allowed some yards but not when it counted. Coming off a bye, your team can be well rested or half asleep. Belichick’s was flying around from that first fumble recovery to Chung’s closing interception.
HEAD OF CLASS
Rex Burkhead: He literally contributed in all three phases of the game.
LaAdrian Waddle: Replacing Marcus Cannon, you never heard his name. When asked to block Von Miller, that’s a good thing.
Dwayne Allen: He made his first catch of the year count, a TD reception in which he fought through traffic and made a tough catch.
BACK OF THE PACK
Malcolm Butler: Only three days after telling the Herald “I’m back,” he was left behind by Emmanuel Sanders.
James White: Blew a blitz pickup that nearly got Brady decapitated and failed to convert on a third-down short yardage situation.
Pass rush: Simply put, there wasn’t one.
