The New England Patriots put quarterback Tom Brady in harm’s way Sunday, and they almost paid for it.
Brady’s offensive line collapsed and allowed nine total quarterback hits on just 23 dropbacks in the Patriots’ 20-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins. Brady has been unable to release the ball quickly since Julian Edelman suffered a broken foot in Week 10, which has put more emphasis on the Patriots’ offensive line. It hasn’t responded well, and Brady was obviously shaken by the pressure Sunday.
Brady suffered a sprained ankle during the game when he was crunched by Dolphins defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. The pressure partially helps explain why the Patriots ran the ball 21 times compared to just five passes in the first half.
Check out this week’s advanced stats for more on the Patriots’ offensive and defensive passing game:
PASS COVERAGE
Game stats
Logan Ryan: 3-4, 89 yards
Leonard Johnson: 4-8, 52 yards, PBU
Malcolm Butler: 3-5, 49 yards
Devin McCourty: 3-3, 39 yards, two TDs
Jamie Collins: 3-4, 38 yards, PBU
Patrick Chung: 2-5, 23 yards, PBU
Jerod Mayo: 2-2, 13 yards
Rob Ninkovich: 1-1, 7 yards
— Johnson was targeted early and often, but he came away with an impressive pass breakup in the end zone to save a touchdown.
— Ryan’s stats look bad, but they include a 46-yard completion to DeVante Parker that Ryan played perfectly and got a hand on. The ball just deflected straight to the Dolphins receiver.
— Chung’s impressive season continues. He’s allowing just 9.7 yards per catch and 4.9 yards per attempt.
Season stats
PASS RUSH
Game stats
Jabaal Sheard: QB hit, five hurries
Akiem Hicks: six hurries
Rob Ninkovich: two QB hits, three hurries
Geneo Grissom: sack
Malcom Brown: hurry
Jamie Collins: hurry
Alan Branch: hurry
— The Patriots were able to get after Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill, which makes one wonder just how much more potent the pass rush would have been if Chandler Jones and Dont’a Hightower played.
— Hicks was a disruptive force in the middle of the Patriots’ defense, regularly bull rushing his way into the pocket, forcing Tannehill back.
— Sheard and Ninkovich helped make up for the loss of Jones, but the Patriots recorded just one sack in the game. The Patriots finished with 49 sacks this season, a record for a Bill Belichick head-coached defense.
Season stats
PASSÂ PROTECTION
Game stats
Marcus Cannon: sack, two QB hits
Cameron Fleming: sack, QB hit, hurry
Josh Kline: sack, hurry
Tom Brady: two QB hits
Michael Williams: QB hit
Shaq Mason: QB hit
Steven Jackson: QB hit
— Cannon gave up the quarterback hit that sprained quarterback Tom Brady’s ankle.
— Brady was hit nine times, including Olivier Vernon’s late hit, on just 23 dropbacks. He’s blamed for two of the quarterback hits because he held onto the ball too long.
— Centers Bryan Stork and David Andrews and guard Tre’ Jackson didn’t allow any pressures.
Season stats
PASSÂ ACCURACY
— Brady threw nine incompletions. The Patriots didn’t drop any of Brady’s passes, four incompletions were caused by pass breakups, three were caused by inaccuracy and two were thrown away while under pressure.
1. Pressure
2. Overthrow to Amendola
3. Thrown out of bounds
4. Tipped at the line
5. Pass broken up
6. Out of bounds
7. Pass broken up
8. Throwaway under pressure
9. Pass broken up
Thumbnail photo via Steve Mitchell/USA TODAY Sports Images
