New England Patriots Game Grades: Offense Picks It Up In Second Half

Here are this week’s New England Patriots game grades:

Passing Offense: B+

Tom Brady and the Pats’ offenses struggled mightily in the first half, as Brady completed only eight of his 15 passes, for 82 yards, and an interception. He was also under constant pressure, so the aerial attack never really got into a good rhythm. However Brady and the offensive line turned it around in the second half, as number 12 completed 13 of his 20 passing attempts for 205 yards, and two touchdowns.

The biggest change was the involvement of Rob Gronkowski, as the big tight end caught all three of his passes in the second half, and all three of them went for big yardage. The Dolphins couldn’t contain Gronk going deep down the middle, and Brady took advantage. Julian Edelman was solid once again, as he brought in seven catches for 88 yards, while Brandon LaFell continued his solid 2014 campaign by reeling in six balls for 66 yards.

Rushing Offense: B

Like the passing attack, the ground game was horrid in the first half, but bounced back in the second. LeGarrette Blount couldn’t get anything going all game long, and while I still believe Blount should receive the bulk of the carries going down the stretch, the insertion of Jonas Gray into the lineup gave the Patriots a much needed boost on Sunday.

Led by Blount, and some awful blocking, the Pats amassed a mere 20 yards on the ground in the first half, coming on 13 carries. However in the second half, led by Gray, the Pats gained 88 yards on 16 carries, which averages out to 5.5 yards per carry. Come January, the Patriots are going to need a running game to pair with Brady’s arm, otherwise a team with a good pass rush will end New England’s hopes of another Super Bowl. The second half in this one was a positive sign in this department.

Pass Defense: A-

The only real problem I had here was the matchup of Malcolm Butler on Mike Wallace. Now, I understand Kyle Arrington got hurt in the first half, but on the first play of the game, Arrington was fine, and Butler was still matched up on Wallace, who promptly beat him for a 50-yard gain. Once Arrington went down, I could see a bigger dilemma, but I would rather see Logan Ryan on Wallace, or even put Revis on the speedy wideout, and let Ryan deal with Jarvis Landry.

But other than that, it was another stellar performance from this unit. Revis was lockdown as usual, Devin McCourty played great, and Patrick Chung continues to put together a solid season, one that is deserving of a lot of praise. The pass rush, which had been lacking in recent weeks, exploded with the return of Chandler Jones, who picked up 1.5 sacks in his return to action, as the Pats were after Ryan Tannehill all day long.

Run Defense: A

I think the run defense of the Patriots has become a strength for this defense. Running against a defensive front of Vince Wilfork, Sealver Siliga, Alan Branch, and Dont’a Hightower is about as daunting as it gets, and Miami’s 3.3 yards per carry shows just that. The Dolphins weren’t able to get any kind of ground game going from start to finish, and while they were forced to air it out in the second half, I don’t think they would have had much success even if they tried to cram it down New England’s throat.

There will be a number of teams in the playoffs that will try to avoid the Pats’ secondary, and try to run the ball on them. However, with how versatile this defense is, I doubt that would go very well for the opposition.

Special Teams: A+

Jamie Collins‘ first quarter block and Kyle Arrington’s return was arguably the play of the game, as the Patriots once again made some noise with the under-appreciated special teams unit. That was the Pats’ third field goal block of the season, and the second returned for a touchdown. The offense and defense are clicking, but so is this unit, and I think they will make an impact play or two in the postseason.

I also want to give a shout-out to Stephen Gostkowski, who became the Patriots’ all-time leading scorer in this game. Filling Adam Vinatieri‘s shoes is no easy task, but Gostkowski has done a phenomenal job. No one is more deserving of this honor.