It’s not an exaggeration to say Tom Brady played one of the best games of his illustrious 17-year career Sunday in the New England Patriots’ 36-20 win over the New Orleans Saints.
He went 30-of-39 for 447 yards (the third most of his career) with three touchdowns all without one of his trusty wide receivers in the slot. In fact, it was the first time Brady has won a game since 2007 without any of Danny Amendola, Julian Edelman or Wes Welker on the field. (There were only two previous instances, both of which resulted in 2015 losses.)
But perhaps what was most impressive Sunday was Brady was still able to go 7-of-8 for 86 yards, leading two scoring drives after tight end Rob Gronkowski left the game with a groin injury. Oh, and Chris Hogan was hobbled with a knee injury that he refused to acknowledge after the game, running back Rex Burkhead was out with a rib injury and wide receiver Phillip Dorsett later left with a knee injury.
The Patriots barely had enough offensive weapons to field an offense. And Brady had a 111.5 passer rating with an injured Hogan, Dorsett, James Develin, Mike Gillislee, James White, Brandin Cooks, Dwayne Allen and Jacob Hollister.
Dwayne Allen initially took over for Gronkowski in 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end) with Hogan, Dorsett and Cooks on 13- and 1-yard carries by Dion Lewis. Brady’s lone incompletion after Gronkowski left the game came on a target to Allen in an empty backfield with Lewis split outside. It was probably Brady’s worst pass of the game and could have been intercepted by linebacker A.J. Klein. Brady and Allen have yet to get on the same page this season. Brady then hit Hogan for a 6-yard reception before Stephen Gostkowski kicked a field goal.
Brady’s next drive should have resulted in a touchdown if not for some mental errors on the Patriots’ offense.
The Patriots opened the drive in empty with Develin, a fullback, and White, a running back, split out wide at receiver. Brady hit White for a 5-yard gain.
They then came out in their “pony” set with White and Lewis on the field at the same time. Lewis motioned from the slot to the backfield for play action, leaving White wide open to burn Klein for a 24-yard gain.
It was the same concept that the Kansas City Chiefs used to beat the Patriots for a long touchdown in Week 1, and while the Patriots probably can’t run two-running back sets permanently, they’re good to throw off the defense with designed plays.
New England then brought Gillislee onto the field for a 4-yard gain, which helped set up play-action on the next play for a 15-yard completion to Cooks. Â The Patriots kept moving the ball, as Brady took advantage of an injury to cornerback Marshon Lattimore, who was out of the game after colliding with safety Vonn Bell. Brady went right after backup De’Vante Harris by targeting Phillip Dorsett for a 38-yard deep ball.
Harris had safety help over the top, and Dorsett adjusted his route to the left side of the field on the outside, where Brady threw a dime. Dorsett did a nice job of hauling in the pass with two defenders near the play.
Dorsett has acclimated well for having come to the Patriots days before the 2017 season began. He has three catches for 68 yards and one rush for 7 yards. Who would have guessed Dorsett would be on pace for a 600-yard season after two games?
The Patriots should have scored a touchdown on a 3-yard run by Mike Gillislee on the next play, but they were flagged for an illegal shift. After a holding penalty and sack, the Patriots had to settle for another field goal.
But that drive shows how Brady was still able to slice through the Saints’ defense without Edelman, Amendola, Gronkowski or a healthy Hogan. While it helps the Saints’ defense is garbage, that drive especially was a great example of New England’s offensive creativity shining through.
It won’t be as easy in Week 3 against a stout Houston Texans defense if New England is without Gronkowski or Edelman, and as CBS analyst and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo pointed out, the biggest problem without experienced players will come in two-minute drill situations. The Patriots will be forced to huddle rather than call out plays at the line. Â However, the Patriots clearly were able to power through that Sunday in New Orleans, and Brady’s performance Sunday proved there’s still hope for the offense no matter who they lose.
Here are some more observations from the film review:
— Linebacker Elandon Roberts’ play had a lot to do with why the Patriots allowed 3.3 yards per carry before Mark Ingram’s garbage-time 28-yard run on the final play of the game. The Patriots used Roberts perfectly in obvious running situations, and he responded well by playing strong and filling lanes.
— Romo said Saints head coach Sean Payton was worried about the matchup between his backup offensive tackles and Patriots rookie defensive end Deatrich Wise. That’s a lot of respect given to Wise, a fourth-round pick, who responded with a sack, four quarterback hits and a tackle for loss. Wise has two sacks in two games and has been one of the NFL’s biggest surprises. Some Arkansas fans seem a little perturbed on Twitter that he wasn’t able to produce like this in college.
— For more takeaways from the passing game click here.
— Defensive tackle Alan Branch was disappointing in Week 1 and played just six snaps Sunday as Lawrence Guy and rookie Adam Butler took on larger roles. Branch was pushed aside on a 5-yard run by Saints running back Adrian Peterson early in the second quarter.
— We wondered who would replace Dont’a Hightower, as the veteran linebacker sat out with a knee injury. The answer, surprisingly, was Butler, who played defensive end for most of the game. The Patriots played with a three-man line in Week 1 with Hightower on the field. They switched to a four-man line against the Saints with the rookie manning the edge opposite Trey Flowers, who dropped back into coverage more than usual. Roberts took the snaps Jordan Richards played at linebacker — albeit in a different spot — in Week 1. Cassius Marsh also played a bigger role, rotating Butler while also rushing on third down.
Thumbnail photo via Derick E. Hingle/USA TODAY Sports Images
