Winning Football

The first thing I read the morning after the Patriots storm-addled 13-9 win over the Cowboys in Foxborough was pretty much what I expected. Patriots Finally Have Reason to Be Concerned About Tom Brady and the Offense, according to Brad Gagnon on Bleacher Report.

To which I say...

Finally?

The Patriots offense has been struggling for a while. In their last three games they've scored 20, 17, and 13 points. A disturbing trend line, to be sure. Rationalize it all you want - injuries, weather, Antonio Brown being a litigation magnet and case study in crazy - the NFL is a bottom-line business and the New England offense has not met market expectations for almost a month should result in a strong sell recommendation.

Worth saying: Only the Patriots could rank Top 5 in scoring and be a disappointment to pigskin pundits and bobbleheads.

I get it. Your 2019 Patriots ain't winning any beauty contests lately and yet, I woke up this oddly sunny New England autumn day feeling pretty good. An historically stout defense, excellent special teams, and an offense that doesn't turn the ball over will win a lot of games in the NFL. That wasn't why I was feeling good, though; I think Josh McDaniels, Tom Brady, and the offense have started to figure it out. 

Granted these are data points rather than trends…

• Rookie 1st round WR N'Keal Harry caught a TD pass.
• Sony Michel racked up 85 yards on 20 carries, including a key 1st down late in the game when everyone in the known universe knew the Patriots would be running the ball.
• Isaiah Wynn returning to the starting lineup probably had something to do with that.
• Jakobi Meyers was targeted 9 times by that rookie-hating, get-off-my-lawn-yelling Tom Brady, catching 4 and averaging 18.5 yards per.
• Julian Edelman looked like he might be close to 100% again, with 8 receptions for 93 yards.
• Even though somehow James White wasn't a factor.
• And they played without Mohamed Sanu and Philip Dorsett.

Okay, Sanu and Dorsett won't be mistaken by anyone for Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley (to name just two) which you might think bolsters the list of reasons to be concerned, but Sanu has shown in limited action he's a great fit in the Pats offense and Dorsett just makes big plays. 

This is anecdotal but I thought Brady was far more accurate than his numbers showed against the Cowboys. Has he been playing conservatively of late? Yes. He also took some chances in this game we haven't seen in the last 4-5 games. Perhaps more importantly, it's probably not a good idea to bury Tom Brady after a game played under "we interrupt this program with storm watch conditions in Norfolk County" conditions. 

Still a lot of "If" to this, of course. If Wynn and the offensive line stay healthy… If that translates to a resurgent rushing attack… and if that means play-action is back in play… If N'Keal Harry and Jakobi Meyers can continue to contribute… 

I admit it. I'm already looking forward to the week before Christmas when pigskin pundits and bobbleheads dust off those "I never should've doubted Tom Brady and the Patriots" pieces we've seen over the last four seasons. 

Let's go!