What a football game!! If you like offense, this one was for you. Even though the fourth quarter didn't go as expected, the poise the Patriots played with was impressive. There wasn't one ounce of panic, shouting, or loss of control. (Except for the dope who threw beer on Tyreek Hill.)
QUARTERBACK: B
Tom Brady's fumble late in the third quarter was a massive swing in this game, and ironic because it came after an NBC puff [...]
What a football game!! If you like offense, this one was for you. Even though the fourth quarter didn't go as expected, the poise the Patriots played with was impressive. There wasn't one ounce of panic, shouting, or loss of control. (Except for the dope who threw beer on Tyreek Hill.)
QUARTERBACK: B
Tom Brady's fumble late in the third quarter was a massive swing in this game, and ironic because it came after an NBC puff piece on Brady's mechanics. Brady knows better than to have the football in one hand, away from his body like that. If that didn't happen, TB12 would have gotten a solid A. He was a maestro with moving pieces around the chess board and getting the offense in the right running play. And the final drive was magnificent as if Brady had done it over 40 times before.
RUNNING BACKS: A+
In this space and on the radio you've read/heard me rave about Sony Michel. His skills were on full display Sunday night. Just wait till he starts catching the ball to go with his tough running on third-and-short and in goal-line situations. James White dominated in the flats in the pass game, and was slippery in the run game. James Develin was devastating in the run game.
WIDE RECEIVERS: A
Pretty sure-handed all night. No easy drops, they just didn't convert some TOUGH catches. Josh Gordon is coming along and fights for yards once he secures the ball. Hogan made some catches when he knew he'd get hit and didn't turtle on contact. Edelman knows how to get open. However, teams are hip to the short routes in his game and those need to evolve.
TIGHT ENDS: A+
Rob Gronkowski did so many other things well than catch the ball. If he doesn't run-block throughout the game, he never gets as wide open as he does on those play actions in the fourth quarter. I thought Gronk and Dwayne Allen did a great job run blocking. And I'm not going to waste time on writing about Gronk the pass catcher. He's elite.
OFFENSIVE LINE: A
I thought Brady was protected very well. No run-throughs or free rushers. The Patriots did what I thought they would do in the running game. The Chiefs defensive line is softer than grandma's belly. It's potentially a fatal flaw for KC. This is the best game this O-Line has played all season. I love its push at the line of scrimmage, but more importantly, the WANTING to run the ball.
DEFENSIVE LINE: B
I was a little surprised that 4 DL/DE's were inactive for this game. There weren't many three-down looks with big bodies. The defensive front handled the Chiefs running game pretty well, and it moved Mahomes off the spot. The scheme was good as the coaches mixed up the rush looks and twists to keep Mahomes from having gaps to escape the pocket.
LINEBACKERS: B+
TV did a good job of highlighting how Dont'a Hightower was physical every chance he had against Travis Kelce. Hightower baited Mahomes into the bad throw for the interception that the offense turned into points. He was also a big part of New England's red-zone success. Kyle Van Noy and Elandon Roberts played well, but No. 54 stood out and reminded us why he was the guy at this position the Patriots decided to pay long term.
DEFENSIVE BACKS: B
I knew these back-end guys wouldn't be perfect all game long against that speed. What I can't accept is miscommunication, and that's what happened when KC tied the game. Duron Harmon was again out of position. The McCourtys got beat at times but overall held up well against those insanely quick receivers of the Chiefs. I also thought the tackling was good. This isn't a fast group, but overall they play well as a unit.
SPECIAL TEAMS: C
I'm torn. Ryan Allen didn't punt. Stephen Gostkowski was true on all his kicks. However, the kickoff team gave up lots of field position and almost a score in the fourth quarter. For some reason Gostkowski's kicks weren't booming out of the end zone. Those kicks the Patriots did return were not spectacular. I think with more 5, 6 and sometimes 7 defensive backs in the game playing defense, that hurts the special-teams coverage.
THREE THINGS TO WATCH FOR
1) Expect the Patriots to borrow some offensive concepts from Miami after their second-half offensive explosion against the Bears, their next opponent.
2) Miami also held Khalil Mack to two tackles and no sacks. If Miami can do it, so can the Pats.
3) Expect more play-actions that try to get Gordon downfield.