Patriots Exactly Where They Want To Be Heading Into Denver Week
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots' season has not been perfect. It reached the lowest of lows in an embarrassing Monday night loss in Kansas City, and it quickly climbed to the other end of the spectrum the following week with a thorough victory on national TV against the Bengals.
Through eight weeks, there's simply no way of telling how this Patriots season will end, but there should be no doubt that as they head into the biggest game of the year, they are in the best possible position.
That's the case thanks to a 51-23 drubbing of the Chicago Bears at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, a game in which the Patriots did whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted to do it, from the first snap of the game until the final whistle. It was as complete a victory as a team can put together in the NFL, and though it may have come against a spiraling Bears team, it would have been nearly impossible for the Patriots to perform any better than they played on Sunday.
"It was good to see the whole team ready to go, playing with that kind of energy and execution," head coach Bill Belichick said after his 169th victory with the Patriots. "It was a pretty good day for us out there today."
The 51 points say all that needs to be said about the level at which the offense operated, but the 23 points allowed are a bit misleading. When it actually mattered, the defense was just as dominant as the offense. The New England defense limited Jay Cutler's offense to just 22 yards on their first three drives, all of which ended in punts, as the Patriots opened up a 17-0 lead.
Though the Bears were able to put together a touchdown drive to cut that lead to 17-7, that was just about all they'd be able to muster before the game got out of hand -- a turn in the game made possible by a strip-sack and fumble return for a touchdown by Rob Ninkovich before halftime. Darrelle Revis, matched up for most of the day with Brandon Marshall, also lived up to his reputation, as he didn't allow any completions all day and also came down with his second interception of the season.
"It's not even about what I did," Revis said. "Collectively, out there, we're playing as 11 as a defense. We made plays, man. Rob made a great play. ... We made turnovers today, and that's the key."
It wasn't just the offense and defense, either. The special teams were perfect as well. Julian Edelman returned a punt 42 yards late in the second quarter, and Tom Brady threw a touchdown on the very next play from the Chicago 9-yard line. Stephen Gostkowski was 3-for-3 on field goals on a blustery day in Foxboro. And James Develin was Jimmy on the spot when Robbie Gould tried to sneak a quick onside kick on the Patriots in the fourth quarter.
"It's good just to see us put it together: offense, defense and special teams," said Vince Wilfork, who combined with Dominique Easley for a third-quarter sack of Jay Cutler. "We just put it together tonight."
The defense and special teams played very well, but of course, the offense stole the show. Tom Brady was nearly perfect, going 30-for-35 for 354 yards, five touchdowns and zero interceptions. It was just the fifth time in his career that he's thrown five or more touchdowns, his first in five years, and his job was completed just five minutes into the fourth quarter.
"I'm not sure. I haven't tried to evaluate that," Brady said when asked what's changed since the team's slow start this season. "I just think we're playing better. I think we have a lot of confidence in what we're doing and we have to keep doing it."
The Patriots also head into the Denver game with Rob Gronkowski coming off arguably his best performance as a pro. He caught nine passes, tying a career high, for 149 yards (11 shy of a career high) and three touchdowns (tying a career high). And he did it all in roughly 32 minutes of game time. Though he left the game due to dehydration, it's likely he would have been capable of returning if the outcome of the game was in question, and it's a safe bet that he'll be 100 percent next Sunday against the Broncos.
"He was a big-time player today. It was great to get him going like that," Brady said of big No. 87, who picked up either a first down or a touchdown on eight of his nine catches. Of his five first downs, three came on third down, one on a third-and-18, another on a third-and-14. His 46-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown also came on a third down.
"That's the way he's been since he got to our team, fortunately for us," Brady said. "He's a tough matchup -- he's just big, fast, strong. And when he plays like Beast Mode, he's tough to stop."
And unlike in previous wins, it wasn't just Gronk. Brandon LaFell had a career day (11 receptions, 124 yards, TD). Tim Wright caught seven passes for 61 yards and a touchdown. The Patriots didn't even need their offensive workhorse, Edelman, who caught just one pass for 14 yards on the day.
Again, this came against a Bears team that currently resides in a very bad place, and so the 51-23 thumping does not mean the Patriots are destined for Super Bowl glory. But of course, the Super Bowl will not be held next week. Instead, it'll be Peyton Manning and the 6-1 Broncos coming to town, as two teams riding four-game winning streaks will face off in Foxboro. The winning team will rightfully be able to call itself the best in the AFC, and though the Broncos are undoubtedly not short on confidence following their 35-21 divisional win over the Chargers, the Patriots can say the same.
"We have a week to prepare, so we'll kind of build our confidence throughout the week," Brady said of the upcoming game following Sunday's win. "Obviously they're a good team, and we'll need a week to prepare for them. It'll be a fun game next week."
It may just be a Week 9 matchup, but Patriots newcomer Revis knows it'll be much more than just one of 16.
"We know what's at stake. ... It's the battle of the AFC, and we totally understand, it's two great quarterbacks going against each other, and we're going to have to duke it out," Revis said. "These are the games you want to play for. I can speak for everybody that's on this team. We live for games like this, next week. We're looking forward to it."
Read more from Michael Hurley by clicking here, or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.
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