In retrospect, Tom Brady's return to Foxborough played out exactly the way we all should've known it would. Bill being Bill, making things ugly, and Tom being Tom, somehow finding a way to win.
I read this morning that Brady is 28-18 in games where he doesn't throw a TD pass. Like most statistics, it might be remarkable, but I'm lacking a larger context. A 61% win rate given those circumstances seems impressive and I assume it's remarkable because, well, Tom Brady, but I have no idea how Drew Brees or Joe Montana or Peyton Manning (et al.) did when passing for 0 TD.
Whatever that larger context is, it's noteworthy that Bill Belichick's Patriots defense managed to keep Tom Brady out of the end zone and hold the vaunted Buccaneers offense under 20 points. (The Buccaneers are still averaging over 30 points per game.) Any defensive coordinator in the NFC South - or with an upcoming game with Tampa Bay - should be watching the tape from this game as soon as it's available to unlock Belichick's game plan.
The bad news for them is that Brady will be ready for it next time.
But enough about our old boyfriend. We'll always have New Orleans, Houston, Jacksonville, Glendale (Glendale!), Houston (again!), and Atlanta. No one can take that away from us, but our new boyfriend is kind of cute, too. So, let's talk about the Good, and the Bad (and the Beauty Challenged) from Sunday's 19-17 loss in Gillette.
The Good…
Mac Jones is the real deal. He showed out Sunday night in the biggest game of his so young, it's still a toddler career. 19 completions in a row, tying the Patriots team record with some other guy. The two red zone TD passes to TE Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith. The moment never looked too big for him. And he did all of that without any semblance of a running game.
I'd also mention the adverse weather conditions but this is New England. That was just another Sunday night in October. It will get much worse. Much worse.
Also, maybe Jakobi Meyers should be the Patriots backup QB. More gadget plays? Yes, please!
As noted above, Bill Belichick showed the pigskin world he is still the Jedi master, putting together a game plan that consistently frustrated Brady and Tampa Bay's high scoring offense. (Stephon Gilmore's absence provides an intriguing "what if?", does it not?) The defense is playing better, though they still can't seem to stop the run.
Also, Matthew Judon is worth every penny he's being paid.
The Bad (and the Beauty Challenged)...
Unfortunately, the Patriots beat themselves again last night. Two turnovers, eight penalties, four sacks, -1 yard rushing, and (this may be related) just 2 of 9 on 3rd down (losing time of possession by almost 8 minutes), and a dead partridge in a blighted pear tree.
Their third loss in three tries at home.
Yikes!
That is bad.
Another yard (or two) on their final drive and Nick Folk's first miss in more than a year slips inside the left upright. Unfortunately, this isn't horseshoes or hand grenades. And the Patriots couldn't run for a yard (or two) in a game against Martians to save all of mankind. Yes, the Buccaneers defense is tough against the run, but, we're talking about the fate of the planet here people!
God I miss Joe Thuney.
I also miss the smart, disciplined, stone killer Patriots I've known and loved for the last 20 years.
New England should've beaten Miami, probably should've beaten New Orleans, and could've beaten Tampa Bay.
That, of course, is what losers say. Should've, would've, could've.
Bad, bad, bad.
As for the Beauty Challenged, looking ahead, I can see five more winnable games on the schedule. I'll be rooting for my pigskin heroes to win out, of course, but would a 6-11-0 finish be so, well, bad (assuming Bill hits on next year's Top 15 draft pick)?
We're on to 2022!
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