Sam Darnold claimed that he was seeing ghosts on
Monday night while his New York Jets were hosting the New England Patriots and
their bedlam-based defense.
Actually, Sam, you weren't seeing Ghosts; you were
seeing Boogeymen..
The Patriots' self-dubbed "Boogeyman"
defense had the second-year signal caller so wide-eyed and rattled, that he
looked like a teenager in a bad slasher flick, forced into making the type of
fatal decisions that cause the audience to grip their arm rests in suspense,
knowing that the poor geek was doomed.
No matter how fast he ran, he knew the Boogeyman
was going to catch him - and in true thriller fashion, the New England defense
terrorized the young quarterback, wearing him down psychologically to the point
that his throwing mechanics broke down and he started throwing off his back
foot and floating balls to where he thought his receivers would be...
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| Devin McCourty returning an interception |
...but no one except Patriots defenders were
there, picking him off four times enroute to their second shutout of the
season, a 33-0 blowout that elevated New England to 7-0 on the season and
caused Jets' fans to flee MetLife Stadium in horror.
A common term for when a quarterback starts feeling
so pressured by the pass rush that he sees targets that aren't really there,
"Seeing ghosts" is the only explanation for why the second-year
signal caller was throwing passes to places on the field where there was not a
receiver in sight.
Hallucinatory episode aside, Darnold simply
suffered the same fate of every other quarterback thus far on the Patriots'
schedule. Pressured by a relentless, shape-shifting pass rush that was in his
face all night long, Darnold completed only eleven of his thirty-two pass
attempts, four of those misses ending up in the hands of New England defenders,
who have now logged 18 thefts on the season.
The superlatives being tossed around about the
Patriots' defense – and deservedly so – have clouded from most folk's view that
the offense has its stake in their success.
When quarterback Tom Brady entered the field of
play after the Patriots received the opening kickoff, he didn't leave it until
nearly nine minutes of game time had elapsed 16 plays later and with a the
eventual winning points on the board.
The Jets were doomed after that, their defense
already exhausted. But Brady and the Patriots' offense continued to pour it on,
with a huge assist from the defense.
Once the Jets' offense finally saw the field,
their first possession lasted a whole two plays as Darnold saw his first ghost
and was picked off by safety Devin McCourty, who returned the ball deep into
the red zone. That possession resulted in only a field goal but the Jets'
defense had little time to rest and recover, now on the field for 10 minutes
and only twelve minutes into the contest.
By the time the second quarter rolled around, New
England already had a 17-0 lead when two plays in, linebacker John Simon
strip-sacked Darnold, and fellow 'backer Kyle Van Noy recovered at the New York
38 – but rather than going for the quick strike, Brady opted for keeping the
Jets' defense on the field for another five minutes, eventually taking a
24-point lead on a Sony Michel one-yard blast.
In the end, New England held the ball for nearly
two-thirds of the game, their grinding, move-the-chains style a perfect complement
to the manic defensive entity – and if the offense does bog down, which it did
after taking a three-score lead, there's always Jake Bailey and the Stormtrooper
punt coverage team, who routinely pin the opposing offense deep in their own
territory, forcing them to cover the length of the field to obtain any points
at all.
That's not happening for the opposition – and if
the other guys happen to cause a turnover to get great field position, the
Boogeymen shift into high gear and drive them backwards.
It's now a familiar refrain in New England, but
there is much work left to do, particularly on the offense, which leads the
league in points scored, but tend to bog down for long stretches. At issue is
the 30th ranked ground game of the Patriots, which is
collectively gaining just just 3.3 yards per carry...
...which sucks, but the main culprit is Michel's
get-only-what's-blocked-for-him style, which also is an indictment of the play
of the offensive line, a unit that isn't getting push when Michel is in the
backfield because the opposition stacks the box due to his one-dimensional
opportunities – and dropping a screen pass that had touchdown written all over
it doesn’t help how defenses perceive him.
That's a topic that needs a little more attention,
because it happened again on Monday night, as after the Patriots had taken that
24-0 lead midway through the second quarter, the Jets' defense rose to the
occasion and forced seven punts and one interception of Brady the rest of the
way...
...mostly due to the Patriots attempting to
dictate to the Jets in the four-minute offense against the aforementioned
stacked box - the only glitch in their effort another clock eating drive by the
Patriots that resulted in Michel's third rushing touchdown of the game and the
final points of the game.
Good Stuff:
1. Jakobi Meyers blocking ability: Meyers is tall
and thin, but certainly not frail, nor afraid to take on defenders while
blocking down the field. Twice on Monday night Meyers exhibited excellent
technique in opening the edge on screen plays, solidifying his status of an
up-and-coming talent, especially in light of the fact that he catches
everything thrown at him and appears to have Brady's confidence. This rookie
looks to be another great bottom-of-the-barrel find by Belichick.
2. Patriots may have found a new
"Fullback": Or maybe three or four, as linebacker Elandon Roberts,
reserve lineman James Ferentz and tight ends Ben Watson and Eric Tomlinson all
had turns at lead blocking from the fullback position. Roberts offered up the
best audition tape, as on the last of Sony Michel's three touchdown runs,
Roberts leveled two defenders, taking them high and low and clearing a path for
Michel. Belichick may choose to use a by-committee approach for the position,
but for the moment, Roberts appears to be the best option.
3. Ben Watson's seamless debut: After Watson
caught a third-down chain mover on a slant route, he rose from the turf with an
“I told you so” scowl on his face, perhaps sending a message to Belichick that
he should never have cut him in the first place. We'll probably never know if
there was a message to be had for anyone, but Watson looked both pissed off and
redeemed at the same instant. Regardless, New England now has a legitimate NFL
tight end again.
4. A Damien Harris Sighting: Finally. It was in
garbage time – well, the game was in garbage time after the Patriots' initial
drive, but you get it – and the kid ran with purpose. A third-round draft pick
out of Alabama, the Patriots have the luxury of bringing him along slowly, and
that's exactly what they are doing. That said, he needs real-game reps, so
let's hope that Monday night's appearance isn't an anomaly.
Curious:
1. Why do the officials continue to pick on J.C.
Jackson? In last season's AFC Championship game, Jackson was flagged three
times on one drive, leading to a Kansas City touchdown. On Monday night,
Jackson was again flagged three times on one drive, but the Patriots' defense
emerged unscathed when safety Duron Harmon intercepted Jets' quarterback Sam
Darnold at the one-yard line. Just as last year, the penalties seemed a bit
ticky-tack, or even downright wrong. No harm, no foul I suppose.
Bad Juju:
1. Sony Michel still bogged down: He scored three
touchdowns, but only averaged 2.2 yards per carry and dropped a screen pass
that probably would have gone for a touchdown, given the wall of blockers that
were set up to escort him into the end zone. He broke off a couple of tough
runs, but continues to get only what's blocked for him.
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