The New England Patriots headed into this season with a lot of question marks, as well as some whispers around the league that the team was due to decline because of their rebuilding defense. Their 38-24 dismantling of the Cincinnati Bengals doesn't alleviate all of those concerns, but it did make a strong statement that this team may not be in as much trouble as we originally thought, and are very much still contenders in the AFC.
For starters, the offense was clicking early in the game, moving the ball down field with ease on their way to scoring on their first drive of the game. The Bengal's typically stingy pass defense was overmatched by Tom Brady, who spread the ball around to 7 different receivers. Any concerns about if Wes Welker would be ready to play 9 months after a serious knee injury can now be set aside after his 8 catch, 64 yard, 2 TD performance. He may not be 100% and lacking a bit with his explosiveness after the catch, but he's still a great route runner that knows how to get open. The phenomenal blocking from the Tight Ends set up Welker's first TD on a great play call. Each of the rookie TE's also came up with big catches in their debuts, which helps make this offense even more dangerous by providing extra weapons. Hernandez had one of the game's biggest plays on a 45 yard reception where he showed excellent vision in using his blockers to gain extra yardage after the catch, while Gronkowski gives them another much needed threat in the red zone.
Randy Moss had a decent, yet unspectacular day, with 5 catches for 59 yards. He made more news off the field after the game, with his post-game rant about feeling unwanted and unlikely to return to the team next year. Poor baby. He's sad that the team hasn't rushed to throw millions of dollars at a 33 year old WR nearing the tail end of his career. Considering they only recently locked up Brady to an extension and still have the Logan Mankins situation to deal with, can you blame them for wanting to wait on offering him a new deal? Playing for his next contract may even motivate him to have a monster season. The team just has to hope that the decision doesn't have the opposite effect, causing Moss to sulk and try to force his way out of town like he did with his last two teams that couldn't wait to get rid of him. Moss has a history of leaving teams on bad terms (remind anyone of Manny Ramirez?). They are playing with fire and have to hope they don't get burned, but a motivated Moss can be one of the most dangerous players in the league.
The offensive line was a concern due to the Logan Mankins holdout and the injury to Nick Kazcur, but they held up pretty well in this game. They are dangerously thin at the position, but barring more injuries to the line, they appear to be in decent shape. Brady was not sacked in the game and was only hit twice.
Brady looked great in this game, as shown by his 120.9 QB rating, 3 TD, 0 Turnover performance. The yardage total wasn't quite as impressive, but that had more to do with a lack of opportunities, as the team was able to put up points in a variety of ways. Brandon Tate's kick-off return for a TD to open the 3rd quarter as well as Gary Guyton's Interception that he returned for another TD accounted for 1/3 of the team's scores.
The Patriots dominated this game, but you wouldn't know it by looking at the box scores. The Bengals led in time of possession, pass completions and passing yards by a wide margin. Watching the game though it was clear that the Patriots were in control for the entire game. Most of their passing yardage came in garbage time as the Bengals desperately tried to air the ball out in an attempt to come back. They scored 3 TDs in the second half against a Patriots team that at times looked a little too comfortable with their lead, but even that wasn't enough to get them in position to be anywhere near a comeback. Take away the 50 yard Hail Mary pass that was stopped a few yards from the endzone as time expired in the first half and Carson Palmer's numbers don't look quite as impressive. Speaking of which, where were OchoCinco and TO during that play? The team's two best receivers were back in the locker room, having decided the half was over before it really was, and it may have cost them a chance to get back in the game and gain a little momentum.
The biggest concerns for this team were with the young defense, but they held up pretty well. They seemed to relax a little too much with a big lead in the second half, which is a concern given the number of games they lost last year due to a second half collapse, but they still managed to get the job done. The secondary is still young, but they did an admirable job containing two dangerous receivers. Most of OchoCinco's 159 yards came at the end of the game when the Bengals were forced to throw. The Patriots allowed them to connect on short passes that continued to eat up the clock.
Pass rush was a major concern, but they managed to record a sack with a combined effort from Tully Banta-Cain and Myron Pryor while also hitting Carson Palmer 6 times in the game. They also recovered a Fumble and had the back-breaking Pick-Six from Guyton. There were several plays where Patriot defenders got their hand on a ball to break up a play, including one by rookie Devon McCourty on the first pass attempt of the game to Terrell Owens. A few of those plays were near Interceptions. As these young players continue to develop as playmakers then some of those are going to turn into Turnovers.
The loss of Ty Warren up front was expected to be disastrous for the run defense, but it didn't show in this game. That's partly due to the Bengals having to abandon the run early after getting behind, but Cedric Benson still carried the ball 15 times and managed only 43 yards (2.9 Avg/Carry). They also stopped the Bengals with a tackle for a loss 4 times. Pretty impressive against a team that relied mostly on a productive run game last season on their way to winning the AFC North.
For what this defense is missing in experience, they make up for with speed. The infusion of youth has given the team a dynamic advantage that Patriots teams have often been missing in the past. They may not have some of the hard hitting savvy veterans of years past, but they can now rely on a different element that Bill Belichick is sure to use to their advantage.
It's only one week, but it's a great start. This win showed us several things that give hope for this season. Looking ahead to next week against the Jets, this game could show as a sign that they are prepared to handle them in similar fashion. Even if Moss finds himself lost on Revis Island again, a healthy Welker and some new added weapons on offense will allow Brady to spread the ball around and still move the chains. The defense has no reason to fear Sanchez and the Jet's passing attack, and they just showed that they are capable of containing a good running game. It will be interesting to see how the Jets perform tonight against Baltimore, but if the Patriots can play next week the way they played this week then they should be in good position to take an early division lead over their rivals. With the Colts looking mortal after their shocking loss to Houston, the AFC is more wide open than expected. Several things still need to break their way as the season progresses, but it's looking like there's a chance for this team to reclaim their throne on top of the AFC once again.
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