10 reasons why the Patriots are undefeated
Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
8. Yards after catch
As was mentioned previously, Brady is having a dream of a statistical season through the air. He owes much of that success to his top four pass catchers, who have done an outstanding job of gaining substantial yardage after the catch.
Building on the previous slide, Gronkowski’s 16.2 yards per catch average owes its existence to his 273 yards after the catch, which rank seventh among all players.
Not surprisingly, Julian Edelman has been effective at picking up yards after the catch. His 251 yards in that category rank right behind Gronk at eighth-best in the NFL.
Dion Lewis has made a name for himself by making something out of nothing. He ranks 26th in the league with 198 yards after the catch.
Related: Dion Lewis on pace to total 1,400 yards from scrimmage
That the Patriots boast three players in the top 26 of this category is astounding and sheds light on just how good they’ve been at continuing plays after the reception.
Not far behind his teammates is Amendola with 131 yards after the catch.
In their pre- and post-catch exploits, Gronk, Edelman, Lewis and Amendola have combined for 91 first downs, which brings us to the next reason why the Pats are undefeated…
Next: 7. Third-down efficiency