This game wasn't really as close as the final score indicated. The first half score was 24-3, and the Pats coasted from there. The Titans turned it over, they failed on third downs (1 of 8 in the first half), and their only scoring drive before intermission was 4 plays, -5 yards, and a field goal.
The one concern was the offense stagnated without receiver Danny Amendola in the second half. Both Amendola and tight end Rob Gronkowski played, Amendola missed the second half with a knee injury. And the comparison looks pretty ugly.
First half:
4-7 (57%) on third-down conversions
10 carries for 54 yards (5.4 ypc)
14 of 19 (73.6%) passing for 139 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs, 130.6 rating
Second half:
3-9 (33%) on third down-conversions
16 carries for 39 yards (2.4 ypc)
9 of 16 (56.3%) passing for 126 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs, 81.7 rating
The drop-off indicates that the Patriots cannot go far in the playoffs if they have only one of their receiving stars. That means they need to have receiver Julian Edelman, Gronkowski, and Amendola healthy for a deep playoff run. They can't depend on just two of them; if one gets injured, the offense grinds to a halt.
The Titans have fallen behind by a total of 51-3 in the first halves of their last two games. And the Patriots defense had plenty to do with it yesterday. The defense scored a touchdown on a Chandler Jones strip-sack and Akiem Hicks pounced on it for a touchdown. Hicks also stuffed a running play and had a sack of his own -- all in the first quarter! And Jones had another sack, his two totaling 28 yards lost.
The rest of the defensive line did a great job stopping the run, especially outside runs. The Titans averaged 94 yards a game before yesterday, but they had just 59 against the Patriots. Jabaal Sheard had a sack and continued to disrupt the offense with quick moves inside and out to break down running plays.
Linebacker Jamie Collins led the team with eight tackles, had a sack, a tackle for a loss, a QB hit, a pass defended, and an interception. And even with all that, he is a step slow on some outside runs and blitzes, so when he returns to full-speed, it'll be a sight to see. Jerod Mayo improved again this week, making six tackles in all. But unfortunately, Dont'a Hightower left the game with a knee injury.
Linebacker is about the same as receiver for the Pats. If they go into the playoffs with just two of those three healthy, they could be in trouble if one gets injured during the playoffs. They really need all of them healthy, because they can't afford to have just one on the field.
The secondary played passably well. Interestingly teams now seem to shy away from throwing at Malcolm Butler, and with good reason. He had an INT, a pass defended, and five tackles yesterday. He also had another interception called back on a penalty on the other side of the field. Logan Ryan struggled in the game, as did newcomer Leonard Johnson.
Safety Patrick Chung had a great game, doing a fine job in run support and mostly shutting down the Titans' best tight end, Delanie Walker. Walker had just two catches, although both went for touchdowns, so it wasn't a total shut down. However, Chung was injured late in the game, and his usual running mate, Devin McCourty missed the game with injury, too. Tavon Wilson did a good job in place of McCourty, but the injuries are starting to pile up at this position.
The offense was very disjointed in the first half, not having much possession time, and benefitting from short fields on all three second-quarter drives. Quarterback Tom Brady was in total control, and didn't face much pressure compared to recent weeks. After three consecutive weeks with double-digit QB hits, the Titans hit Brady just four times, and sacked him twice.
The numbers were ho-hum by Brady's standards, but he made excellent decisions and never put the ball in danger of being picked off. Brady went 23 of 35, 267 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, and a QB rating got 107.7. Like I said, ho-hum -- just another 105+ QB rating game. Next!
The receivers caught just about everything thrown their way. Brandon LaFell caught four passes for 88 yards, including a ton of yard after the catch. He and Amendola also had excellent blocks on James White's 30-yard touchdown catch-and-run. Excepting Gronkowski, the receivers caught 18 of 23 passes thrown their way.
Gronkowski did his usual damage: five catches for 54 yards and a touchdown. But he was targeted 11 times, so the completion percentage on throws to him wasn't great. This owes mostly to double-coverage he faces a lot, although in those circumstances, Brady should look elsewhere unless Gronkowski is actually open.
Running back Brandon Bolden started out as the workhorse. But halfway through the game, the Pats switched it up by putting in rookie Joseph Iosefa (#47 on your scoresheet). Between them, they had 24 carries for 87 yards; a very respectable total. The team had trouble running in the second half, but it was good to see someone come in for the injured LeGarrette Blount and play well enough to get more starting time.
The offensive line is still a bit messy. Shaq Mason had a great block on the first Patriots offensive play of the game and then a holding penalty on the second play. The Titans didn't blitz much, and they didn't play many up-front games, so it wasn't much of a test from that perspective. We will have a much better idea of where the O-line is after next week. The Jets blitz a ton, and if the Pats line can handle it, they'll be in good shape entering the playoffs.
Special teams continues to have trouble, and that is the second biggest worry heading into the post-season (aside from health). Kicker Stephen Gostkowski missed a 48-yard field goal, and Danny Amendola fumbled a punt. The new special teams coach needs to get these guys to focus on their job, or he might be looking for another job himself next season.
So where does that leave us? 12-2 and with a guaranteed first-round bye -- that sounds pretty nice for now. The Pats finish with two on the road, and if they can win next week, they'll probably sit a bunch of players for the finale against the Bills (to avoid injury against old friend Rex Ryan).
Statistical Oddity of the Week: Tom Brady has a career passer rating of over 100 against all four AFC South teams:
- 101.0 against Houston
- 108.5 against Jacksonville
- 102.3 against Indianapolis
- 109.4 against Tennessee
(Trivia question: Brady's highest career QB rating against one opponent is 115.7; name the team. Answer below.)
Non-Brady MVP of the Week: James White's seven catches were outlets that helped keep Brady clean, and he turned one of those dump-offs into a scintillating 30-yard touchdown.
Weekly Water-cooler Wisdom: "The only AFC team that scares me is the Jets, so the Pats should eliminate them from the playoffs next week."
Keep the faith,
- Scott
PS. 12-2
PPS. Trivia Answer:
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Brady's 115.7 rating is against the Atlanta Falcons. Next highest: 113.4 against Pittsburgh.
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