What we learned Resilient Patriots hold off Ravens

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What we learned: Resilient Patriots hold off Ravens Published: Dec 12, 2016 at 03:50 PM Around The NFL Podcast Co-Host Joe Sakic Jersey Relegated to a dink-and-dunk offense without in recent games, the ' attack was expected to face a litmus test against the stout defenses of the and over the next two weeks. They pa sed the first of those trials with flying colors, providing ample reason to believe this edition of 's offense is set up better than any previous version to survive the unstoppable tight end's absence. In terms of size, athleticism and blocking ability, is the closest the Pats have come to cloning Gronkowski. is enjoying a season, headlining New England's best backfield since Corey Dillon and Kevin Faulk keyed a championship run over a decade ago. Led by the return of venerable a sistant coach Dante Scarnecchia, the offensive line has steadily improved throughout the season. and rookie give Brady reliable speed outside the numbers for the first time since Randy Mo s was taking the top off of defenses. Josh McDaniels attacks the opponent's weakne s as well as any play-caller in the league. Even without Gronkowski and , this is a Super Bowl-caliber offense. A surgical Brady brought playoff intensity, shredding the league's stingiest defense for touchdown drives of 74 and 89 yards in the late first and early second quarters. He eclipsed 300 pa sing yards 40 minutes into a 60-minute contest. When the capitalized on a pair of special teams miscues to mount a serious comeback effort, Brady hit a streaking in-stride for a 79-yard touchdown strike -- the quarterback's longest touchdown pa s since 2013. Considering the quality of opponent, this sterling performance rates as Brady's strongest argument yet in a wide-open MVP race that includes , , , and . Don't let the ' 23 points and 348 total yards fool you. They needed back-to-back fumbles by punt returner and kickoff returner to set up on the doorstep of New England's end zone for their only two touchdowns after the had jumped out to a commanding 23-3 lead in the middle of the third quarter. Although last week's lopsided victory over Miami provided reason to believe the offense was down the stretch, they remained an imbalanced, checkdown-dependent attack Monday night. Of their 30 first-half plays, an astonishingly low four were runs. Coordinator Marty Mornhinweg seems to have designs on emulating Jim Bob Cooter's succe s with a short-pa sing game that functions as a surrogate for the run, but Flacco simply mi ses too many throws. The ' coaching staff has never fully trusted a hard-charging to carry the ground attack this season. It will be interesting to see if they turn the backfield over to after the rookie's impre sive, tackle-breaking performance in the second half. A relentle s Dixon refused to go down on first contact, repeatedly carrying tacklers for Tyson Barrie Jersey extra yardage as a runner and receiver. Baltimore's defense lacks a legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidate. Dean Pees made it to the top of the NFL's rankings with a deep, well-rounded unit that limits vulnerable areas. Brady exploited a weakne s in the secondary, however, picking on cornerback and safety after and were lost to injury earlier in the game. Smith's ankle sprain looms as a liability versus the and the next two weeks. He's easily the team's best cover corner. Amendola's absence was felt acutely on kick returns. Carele s rookie allowed a rolling punt to hit his foot, accounting for his fourth fumble on 13 punt returns this season. Special teams ace followed suit by fumbling the kickoff return immediately after Flacco converted Jones' gaffe into a 3-yard touchdown. Expect newly signed journeyman to get a look on punt returns as Jones' replacement next week. The league's premier kicker is no longer Mikko Rantanen Jersey perfect -- through no fault of his own. linebacker timed the snap, leaped over the long snapper and easily blocked 's 34-yard attempt in the first quarter. The are riding high at 11-2, and are poised to be in control of home field throughout the postseason. Better yet, Monday night's victory carries the ancillary effect of dropping the to second place in the AFC North, significantly decreasing Baltimore's chances of coming back to haunt New England in January. In five of the past seven years, one of these AFC rivals has ended the other's championship dream. This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be mi sing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an i sue.
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