New England Patriots fans found out their tight end was mortal Sunday, when Rob Gronkowski only caught four passes for 67 yards.
That the Patriots still were able to throttle the Dallas Cowboys 30-6 shows the depth and overall talent of New England’s offense, however. The Patriots proved they could win, and win big, without a god-like performance from their All-Pro tight end.
When Gronkowski wasn’t open, quarterback Tom Brady turned to wide receiver Julian Edelman, running back Dion Lewis and even newcomer Keshawn Martin.
Find out in this week’s film review how the Cowboys — relatively speaking — slowed down Gronk:
PASSING GAME
— Gronkowski drew rookie cornerback Byron Jones for most of the game. It’s puzzling why Jones isn’t starting, since he did a great job in what will be his toughest matchup of the season. Jones allowed four catches on five targets to Gronkowski for 67 yards. Jones had blanket coverage on Gronkowski (bottom of the screen) in three of the four catches, which just goes to show how uncoverable the big tight end can be.
— Wide receiver Julian Edelman helped get Gronkowski (top of screen) open with a well-constructed and perfectly legal pick play on his 18-yard catch in the third quarter.
— Speaking of Edelman (top of screen), the wide receiver had a monster game, including his biggest play of the year — a 59-yard touchdown that was helped set up by a Danny Amendola pick, but was finished off with an impressive open-field juke, great vision and finishing speed.
— Oh, and he almost drilled a guy with the football after diving into the end zone.
— Lewis had perhaps the most amazing play of the Patriots’ young season, evading four defenders and diving into the end zone after pulling in an errant pass with one hand. The Cowboys’ defense bit on a play-action jet sweep by Edelman, which left Lewis wide open. Lewis had to work for the 10 yards needed to get into the end zone, however.
PASS PROTECTION
— The Patriots weren’t ready for the Cowboys’ 3-2 alignment early in the game, which forced Brady to hold the ball longer than usual, allowing the Cowboys’ pass rush to beat New England’s inexperienced offensive line. Brady held the ball longer than two seconds on all of his sacks. He held the ball for 3.73 seconds from snap to contact on this play, in which left tackle Nate Solder hurt his elbow.
— Rookie offensive linemen Shaq Mason, David Andrews and Tre’ Jackson continue to hold up well in pass protection.
Here are the Patriots’ pass-protection stats on the afternoon:
Nate Solder: 1 sack, 3 QB hits
Sebastian Vollmer: 1 sack, 1 QB hit, 2 hurries
Marcus Cannon: 1 sack, 1 QB hit, 1 hurry
Josh Kline: 1 sack, 1 hurry
David Andrews: 1 hurry
Tom Brady: 1 sack
RUNNING GAME
— Lewis showed what makes him so valuable as a running back late in the second quarter, when he turned what should have been a broken play into a 10-yard gain. Lewis broke a tackle in the backfield then sped around defenders.
RUN BLOCKING
— Mason showed off his athleticism on a 34-yard run by LeGarrette Blount, staying step for step with the 250-pound running back. Mason already is one of the best pulling guards in the NFL.
— Solder had a solid showing as a run blocker before injuring his elbow in the second quarter. Marcus Cannon filled in well late in the game.
— Kline and Vollmer had rare down performances in the run game, while Andrews showed good power against the Dallas defensive line.
PASS COVERAGE
— The Patriots mostly allowed No. 1 cornerback Malcolm Butler to take away de facto Cowboys No. 1 wideout Terrance Williams. Butler allowed just one catch for 17 yards in his best game of the season.
— Fellow corners Justin Coleman, Logan Ryan and Tarell Brown also held up well. Coleman appeared to have a miscommunication late in the game, thinking the Patriots were in man coverage when they were in a Cover-3. Mental errors are understandable for an undrafted rookie.
— The Patriots stayed in Cover-1 man for most of the game and allowed just nine completions on 20 attempts for 83 yards with two sacks and two scrambles by Cowboys quarterback Brandon Weeden. They allowed seven catches on seven targets for 51 yards with a sack in Cover-3 zone and 11 completions on 13 attempts for 65 yards with an interception in Cover-2 zone.
— The Patriots, like the Cowboys, keyed in on the tight end in coverage. Safety Devin McCourty drew Jason Witten for most of the game, and allowed just one catch on two targets for 2 yards. When McCourty was near the line of scrimmage covering Witten, Duron Harmon played safety. When McCourty was back deep, Patrick Chung usually covered the Cowboys tight end, though linebacker Jamie Collins also took a few cracks. On the one catch McCourty did allow to Witten, the Patriots defensive back forced a field goal when he prevented a first down as the Cowboys faced third and 4 at the Patriots’ 7-yard line.
— When the Cowboys finally got near the red zone late in the game, Witten received the “Tony Gonzalez” treatment, drawing McCourty and defensive end Jabaal Sheard on one play.
Here are the Patriots’ coverage stats:
Tarell Brown: 4-6, 30 yards, illegal use of hands
Jerod Mayo: 2-2, 26 yards
Jamie Collins: 3-3, 25 yards
Malcolm Butler: 1-4, 17 yards, PBU
Justin Coleman: 1-1, 13 yards, illegal contact
Devin McCourty: 2-4, -1 yards
Patrick Chung: 1-3, 6 yards, PBU, defensive holding
Logan Ryan: 1-3, 3 yards INT
Rob Ninkovich: 0-2
Chandler Jones: PBU
PASS RUSH
— The Patriots put added pressure on the Cowboys’ interior line and running back when they dropped defensive ends Rob Ninkovich and Chandler Jones into coverage on Dont’a Hightower’s first-quarter sack. They rushed Hightower, Collins and defensive tackles Alan Branch and Sealver Siliga, both of whom ate up two blockers apiece.
— It didn’t wind up counting, but Collins got to Weeden in under two seconds on a second-quarter sack that was called back because of a holding penalty by Sheard. That is crazy speed and quickness.
— Sheard put guard Ronald Leary on roller skates with a bull rush on his first sack of the afternoon.
— Sheard’s second sack came on a stunt and showed off impressive change of direction.
— It’s no surprise Collins was rushing the passer on two of the Patriots’ three sacks.
Here are the Patriots’ pass rush stats:
Jabaal Sheard: two sacks, one QB hit, two hurries
Chandler Jones: one QB hit, one hurry
Rob Ninkovich: two hurries
Dont’a Hightower: one sack
Malcom Brown: one hurry
Dominique Easley: one hurry
Jamie Collins: drew holding penalty
RUN DEFENSE
— Collins had his best game of the season as a run defender , essentially serving two roles. When Hightower was in the game, Collins can use his explosive abilities to his advantage, running recklessly and blowing up defenders. Hightower suffered a rib injury early, however, which forced Collins to hang back and play smarter.
— The Patriots’ run defense was impressive all game, but they were better with Hightower in the game. Hightower is one of the best run-stuffing linebackers in the NFL, and he made a big impact early in the game, clogging running lanes.
— Sunday served as rookie defensive tackle Malcom Brown’s best game as a pro. Brown’s (90) specialty is using his strength and athleticism to work his way horizontally down the field to make plays at the line of scrimmage.
— Sealver Siliga is improving as the season goes along. He mostly fills Vince Wilfork’s old role as the Patriots’ two-gapping nose tackle.
— Sheard made a crazy play late in the third quarter, when he stacked and shed the Cowboys’ right tackle to make a run stuff.
GIFs via NFL Game Pass
Thumbnail photo via Stew Milne/USA TODAY Sports Images