The Game Ball Thread: AFCDG vs Colts

SeoulSoxFan

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TomTerrific said:
 
Yes, this one completely surprised me in that it's just a preparation thing, something Belichick & co seem to excel at. His absolute first instinct should be to kick it out of the endzone.
 
Was it just me, or were the announcers completely brain-damaged on this as well--it seemed like they were trying to defend what Allen tried to do.
 
BB gave him bit of a pass during the press conference -- perhaps Allen thought defenders were not as close to him as they actually were. 
 
The rookie has been solid all year, including holding for Ghost -- he should have kicked it out of bounds but ST game is worse w/o Allen on this team.
 

bball831

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Not going to lie, was getting frustrated with the commitment to the run.  I believe at the half it was 26 carries for 82.  Not great numbers.  But they stuck with it and clearly wore down the Indy D and then opened up the one big pass play for Amendola on play action.  Credit where credit is due.  The plan worked and was executed very well. 
 

Deathofthebambino

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The work done by the offensive line, both in pass protection and in the running game, really can't be overstated.  The running backs ran possessed and probably would have had good games no matter who they were running behind, but with that O Line blocking like that, I honestly don't think any team in the NFL could have beaten them today.
 
Brady still gets big credit from me for always doing the little things.  No turnovers in a sloppy day, some big third down conversions (the one to Collie sticking out at the moment) with passing plays, and Edelman was fantastic every time he was involved in a play.
 
This really was one of the most impressive and enjoyable wins of the season.  A true team effort.  I thought aside from the fullback dive play call and the bad long snap, it was almost a perfect game from start to finish.  Even the long pass plays that Indy made weren't really the Pats fault.  On each of them, the Pats defense was a step away from labeling Luck for a sack, and the defenders were in good coverage, but simply got beat by perfect throws and/or great catches (how about the catch by Hilton diving with the ball coming over his outside shoulder). 
 
Gostkowski stepping up in punt duties, Brady holding for extra points, Jamie Collins just HAVING A DAY, and Hightower having by far his best game in an NFL uniform...Man, what a game.
 

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SeoulSoxFan said:
 
BB gave him bit of a pass during the press conference -- perhaps Allen thought defenders were not as close to him as they actually were. 
 
The rookie has been solid all year, including holding for Ghost -- he should have kicked it out of bounds but ST game is worse w/o Allen on this team.
yes, as Ghost said Post game that he will not be punting anymore, so its either Allen next game, or someone off the street (or PS)
 

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Brandon Spikes, for showing up late and giving Collins more snaps.
 
That was the most explosive game we've seen from a linebacker on this team since Bruschi. I mentioned this in the game thread, but the thought of Mayo/Hightower/Collins for the rest of Brady's career brings the boner.
 

bankshot1

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The great things about the running game, it keeps the offense on the field, wears out the other team, makes the Pats less predictable, and keeps Pats defense fresh. Love the running game. 
 

SeoulSoxFan

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Ed Hillel said:
Brandon Spikes, for showing up late and giving Collins more snaps.
 
That was the most explosive game we've seen from a linebacker on this team since Bruschi. I mentioned this in the game thread, but the thought of Mayo/Hightower/Collins for the rest of Brady's career brings the boner.
 
Ardent Patriots fan & NFL.com editor Gregg Rosenthal with the 9 things he learned on Saturday, including these 2 items regarding NE:
 
1. Patriots linebacker Jamie Collins is going to be a star. We can't think of many 250-pound linebackers that can rush the passer, blow up the running game, and cover tight ends in the passing game. Collins had three quarterback hits, 2 tackles for loss, a sack, an interception, and a pass defensed. His pick of Andrew Luck showed off his incredible athleticism.
 
This performance has been building for a while as Collins has opened eyes down the stretch. There's no way the Patriots are going to re-sign inside linebacker Brandon Spikes. (Even though they have very different playing styles.)

 
2. After struggling most of the day, give the Patriots defense credit for their play in the final 20 minutes. The Colts' last five drives: Three-and-out, 12 yards-and-punt, interception, three-and-out, interception.
 

SeoulSoxFan

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Well, hello Leon Washington. Nice of you to chime in: https://twitter.com/Leon_Washington/status/422196110812545024
 
@Leon_Washington: Seen Stephen Gastkowski Punt in Practice. He's more than capable.
 
First the Hulkamania, now the Round Mound of Rebound (apparently BB & Barkley have been friends for a long time):
 

“I don’t think coach Belichick and the Patriots get enough credit for winning every year,” Barkley said. “In 99 percent of the cities in every other sport, not just football, your team sucks.”
 
Felt like an old Pats game? You weren't wrong:
 
@PP_Rich_Hill: Last time the Patriots won a game with 30+ points and 0 passing TDs: 9/30/2001 vs Indy. Tom Brady's first career start.
 

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Someone said it upthread but this truly was a team win.  The coaching staff clearly focused on taking away Hilton and Fleener as Luck's two best options.  And they contained him from making any big plays with his legs too (something some of the pundits cited as a way he might give the Patriots trouble).
 
That said, Collins, Blount, Edleman and Gostkowski (those punts were amazing) were the obvious stars of the game but the OL was fantastic (special love for Hoo-man who threw some amazing blocks).  But right behind were guys like Amendola, Dennard, Ridley, Faulk 2.0, Talib, the Joneses and even Vellano.
 
Tonight was simply a fantastic effort by Patriots.  I know I make comments in these threads like every single year but eight AFCG during the BB/Brady era is amazing, especially for those of us who were around when Scott Zolak was an actual QB for this team and part of a four-headed starting QB carousel.   
 
Bring on whomever, for some reason I trust this hobbled, no-name squad to get it done next week.
 

normstalls

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Technically he could have thrown it at Wilson's feet and it would have been an incomplete pass, colts ball at the 50. Right?
Still confused on that play. Wasn't that a forward pass? Hideous and two handed, but a forward pass none the less.
 

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Can give the to anyone but Vereen and Aiken, but fuck was Collins impressive. From the 300s I Thought Talib had picked off that pass. Defense has missed a guy like him for years, feeling tingly thinking about what the defense looks like next year if Wilfork is still Wilfork and they find an interior DL that can rush.
 

SeoulSoxFan

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Stitch01 said:
Can give the to anyone but Vereen and Aiken, but fuck was Collins impressive. From the 300s I Thought Talib had picked off that pass. Defense has missed a guy like him for years, feeling tingly thinking about what the defense looks like next year if Wilfork is still Wilfork and they find an interior DL that can rush.
 
The crowd seemed to be rocking all night -- amiright?
 

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There was a great exchange between Cowher & BB, where Cowher says "you'll probably go down as the greatest coach ever" and BB pays it right back with "it means a lot coming from you". 
 
There's no better in-between the games coach, as well as the in-game coach. 
 
Among BB, Doc, Francona/Farrell, and Julien, this has been absolutely the best groups of coaches I've ever had the pleasure to watch in person. 
 
Excellent point.
 

axx

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Eddie Jurak said:
Also, honorable mention to Pagano for punting in 4th and inches.
 
It was deep in their own territory though and there were 10 minutes left, so there was plenty of time for 2 drives if they stopped the Pats. But It did feel like they were giving up.
 

RSFnFL

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Eddie Jurak said:
Blount, Collins, the OL, Ghost.

Goats: Allen. Not sure I want him back next week.
 
Am I the only one who thought the safety was the best outcome? The only blame I can give to Allen is that it wasn't his intention for a safety, looked like he was trying to run it, pass it..whatever that was. I know the announcers were bashing him for not downing it at the one to give the D a chance. If he did they at least give up a field goal, probably a touchdown. I would rather give them the 2 points and the ball back hoping our D can make a stop. To me the safety was a fortunate outcome of a kicker not sure what to do.
 

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It was deep in their own territory though and there were 10 minutes left, so there was plenty of time for 2 drives if they stopped the Pats. But It did feel like they were giving up.
But they needed three scores. By the time they got that ball back, they had basically already lots. You trust your QB to lead you to three TDs in a quarter, but not to gain a foot on one play?
 

Eddie Jurak

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Am I the only one who thought the safety was the best outcome? The only blame I can give to Allen is that it wasn't his intention for a safety, looked like he was trying to run it, pass it..whatever that was. I know the announcers were bashing him for not downing it at the one to give the D a chance. If he did they at least give up a field goal, probably a touchdown. I would rather give them the 2 points and the ball back hoping our D can make a stop. To me the safety was a fortunate outcome of a kicker not sure what to do.
The way Allen played it we were lucky not to give up a TD.
 

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Should also give props to the defensive game plan - I was expecting a lot more passive zone coverage against such a potentially explosive offense. Also, someone can correct me if I am mis-remembering, but it seemed that Collins's pick came from some kind of unusual three-man rush where there was no one lined up on the offensive right.
 

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Ah. Link? I will google around.

He said: "I do know for a fact that it was always a 60-minute chess match. It was ever-changing looks and disguises and they always tend to find ways to figure out some of your signals."
 

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Eddie Jurak said:
The way Allen played it we were lucky not to give up a TD.
In week 5 (I think) in 2001 the punter Lee Johnson bumbled a play like that into a Chargers touchdown and was cut.
 

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Allen has been very good for them this year and I worry about bringing in a new holder an the FG unit so late in the year. I think it is nuts to penalize a punter for f'ing up a play that was botched though no fault of his own. If anyone should be held accountable for that play it is Aiken who is basically only on the team to do one thing.
 

snowmanny

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He brought up Spygate this week
How dumb are people? I mean it is a fairly small network of coaches, you never know what job you're going to be looking for in three years.  Even if you're never going to work for Belichick his disciples and friends are everywhere.
 

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RSFnFL said:
 
Am I the only one who thought the safety was the best outcome? The only blame I can give to Allen is that it wasn't his intention for a safety, looked like he was trying to run it, pass it..whatever that was. I know the announcers were bashing him for not downing it at the one to give the D a chance. If he did they at least give up a field goal, probably a touchdown. I would rather give them the 2 points and the ball back hoping our D can make a stop. To me the safety was a fortunate outcome of a kicker not sure what to do.
Three points there is guaranteed for the Colts, so you view the safety as saving a point. On the other hand, they still had to hold the Colts on the ensuing possession, which they did. If they had held the Colts to a FG, Pats would have received the ball on the next possession . It's not clear cut. I don 't like giving a team 4 cracks for the 1 or 2, so I was happy.
 

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Eddie Jurak said:
Goats: Allen. Not sure I want him back next week.
It's been already addressed up thread, but Allen has been outstanding all year punting and holding and I desperately want him back next week. He's only number two on the goat list:

1. Danny Aiken. That play was 99% his fault! not Allen's
2. Ryan Allen. Kick it through the end zone, son
3. Safety play. Luck had a bunch of long passes where safety coverage seemed late and behind the play. Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, Julius Thomas...and whathisname at QB could be a stiffer challenge
 

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UP:
 
Blount
Jamie Collins (!) Looked like Donnie Edwards out there
Dan Dierdorf, for all the legwork he put into getting Michael Hoomanawanui's name right.
 
DOWN:
 
Special teams other than Edelman
Vellano for the tripping penalty that he was luckily not called for
Danny Aiken for special mention. What the fuck?
 

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RSFnFL said:
Am I the only one who thought the safety was the best outcome? The only blame I can give to Allen is that it wasn't his intention for a safety, looked like he was trying to run it, pass it..whatever that was. I know the announcers were bashing him for not downing it at the one to give the D a chance. If he did they at least give up a field goal, probably a touchdown. I would rather give them the 2 points and the ball back hoping our D can make a stop. To me the safety was a fortunate outcome of a kicker not sure what to do.
I'm with you that the safety was the best outcome, unless you really can intentionally ground it there and give the Colts the ball at the original line of scrimmage. However, it was accidental, lucky, and very close to a Colts TD.

Allen is a rookie in a tough spot, still, I'm surprised he wasn't prepared to boot it out the back of the end zone. It's a "safety" from not only a game strategy perspective, but also keeps a punter from getting crushed by three giant rushers.
 

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Great win by the Pats.  Like their coach, they are grinders.  That O-Line was wonderful.  The push they were getting on 3rd and short was incredible.  Belichick must have seen something in the films. They were getting a 2-3 yard push and it didn't matter who the running back was.   Blount has been all I thought he could be for the last 3 weeks.  A powerful between the tackles runner who has the speed to break it for more if he gets loose.  All he needed was a coaching staff who could get his best out of him.  Welcome to New England kid!
 
And their D.  Great team play and criminy, Collins is an incredible athlete.  I don't know that there's anyone like him in the league.  As was mentioned, he's in pass coverage 40 yards down field, he's jamming the run, he's sacking the QB.  Gonna be fun to watch him develop further.
 
The gameplan and execution of said were as good as it gets.  I can't wait to see the Pats play next week just to see what the gameplan is and if they can execute it nearly as well as they did yesterday. Cause if they do...
 
Oh, and go Chargers, there's nothing like winter football in New England. 
 

JMDurron

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1) The OL
2) Blount
3) Collins
 
Goats:
 
1) Aiken
2) The safeties.  Mugsys Jock is right, they let the WRs get behind them way too often with a multi-score lead.  It's not like they needed to play up against the Colts' rushing attack.
 
Speaking of which, on Collins, while the INT, the sack, and the excellent coverage will rightfully get most of the focus, there was one play against the run that really stood out to me.  Trent Richardson ran to the left side, and Collins got blocked quite well, and ended up on the ground with his back to Richardson.  He rolled over and tackled Richardson like he had eyes in the back of his head.  That just struck me as a great instinctive play, where Collins rolled Richardson for a loss.  Only Blount's record-breaking performance kept Collins from being the key player of the game.  
 

Tony C

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Ed Hillel said:
Brandon Spikes, for showing up late and giving Collins more snaps.
 
That was the most explosive game we've seen from a linebacker on this team since Bruschi. I mentioned this in the game thread, but the thought of Mayo/Hightower/Collins for the rest of Brady's career brings the boner.
 
I'll join the Collins-love party. Have been hoping for this sort of LB and, you're right, he's the perfect combo with Mayo and Hightower -- will really be a corps that can do it all.
 
But I don't think the CBs are getting enough credit. Dennard is really am unsung stud and obviously Talib played great, too (and nice to see them both looking healthier), and Ryan was solid.
 
For goats, I don't understand dissing Allen, but I do agree that if there was a weak spot it was safety play. As bad as I've seen DMac all season, but that's partly on some incredible throws by Luck.
 
normstalls said:
Still confused on that play. Wasn't that a forward pass? Hideous and two handed, but a forward pass none the less.
 
You know, you're right -- I was happy with the safety, too, Dierdorf was braindead on that, but perhaps with a challenge the Pats could have had the ball placed closer to mid-field on the incomplete, which would have been better than a safety.
 

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It wasn't even close to a forward pass on the replay, there's no throw attempt and he loses control of the ball forward as he gets knocked back.
 

Tony C

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Probably you're right.
 
One other minor "down" is Shane Vereen -- another drop on an open wheel route. He was generally fine last night, and those are tough catches, but I expected more.
 

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Dernells Casket n Flagon said:
It wasn't even close to a forward pass on the replay, there's no throw attempt and he loses control of the ball forward as he gets knocked back.
I think he was looking to pass but you can't assume that it is was and on replay it could only be called a fumble.
 

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Super Nomario said:
Great team win. a couple breakdowns in the secondary, but Luck completed fewer than half his passes and threw four picks. When the goat is Danny Aiken, the long snapper, you know you had a good night.
 
Blount, obviously
The run-blocking OL
Hightower and Collins were everywhere
 
 
I thought the good way, way outweighed the bad. They ran the ball aggressively and generally had effective playcalls on 3rd down - they were 11 of 18 on 3rds. The red zone performance was terrific. And they set up the two kill shots great - the counter action to Blount for the big run, and the long play-action pass to Amendola. I thought the playcalling was by-and-large excellent.
 
Also, major props to Belichick for the next-man-up preparation. Having guys like Collins and Cannon and Hoomananawanui and Siliga, etc. step in when they knew they would be playing is one thing, but they lost the punter partway through the game and dealt with it.
 
Doug Kyed ‏@DougKyedNESN35m
Belichick says Gostkowski punts in practice. It was obvious.
 
Sometimes you win games on Sunday, but sometimes you win them on Wednesday and Thursday. That's the most underrated part of coaching, IMO, and where Belichick generally excels.
 
 
Deathofthebambino said:
The work done by the offensive line, both in pass protection and in the running game, really can't be overstated.  The running backs ran possessed and probably would have had good games no matter who they were running behind, but with that O Line blocking like that, I honestly don't think any team in the NFL could have beaten them today.
 
Brady still gets big credit from me for always doing the little things.  No turnovers in a sloppy day, some big third down conversions (the one to Collie sticking out at the moment) with passing plays, and Edelman was fantastic every time he was involved in a play.
 
This really was one of the most impressive and enjoyable wins of the season.  A true team effort.  I thought aside from the fullback dive play call and the bad long snap, it was almost a perfect game from start to finish.  Even the long pass plays that Indy made weren't really the Pats fault.  On each of them, the Pats defense was a step away from labeling Luck for a sack, and the defenders were in good coverage, but simply got beat by perfect throws and/or great catches (how about the catch by Hilton diving with the ball coming over his outside shoulder). 
 
Gostkowski stepping up in punt duties, Brady holding for extra points, Jamie Collins just HAVING A DAY, and Hightower having by far his best game in an NFL uniform...Man, what a game.
 
 
DeJesus Built My Hotrod said:
Someone said it upthread but this truly was a team win.  The coaching staff clearly focused on taking away Hilton and Fleener as Luck's two best options.  And they contained him from making any big plays with his legs too (something some of the pundits cited as a way he might give the Patriots trouble).
 
That said, Collins, Blount, Edleman and Gostkowski (those punts were amazing) were the obvious stars of the game but the OL was fantastic (special love for Hoo-man who threw some amazing blocks).  But right behind were guys like Amendola, Dennard, Ridley, Faulk 2.0, Talib, the Joneses and even Vellano.
 
Tonight was simply a fantastic effort by Patriots.  I know I make comments in these threads like every single year but eight AFCG during the BB/Brady era is amazing, especially for those of us who were around when Scott Zolak was an actual QB for this team and part of a four-headed starting QB carousel.   
 
Bring on whomever, for some reason I trust this hobbled, no-name squad to get it done next week.
 
Belichick and his whole coaching staff.
 
I mean, how many areas that we thought were serious weaknesses--and were serious weaknesses--earlier in the season appeared to be strengths last night in their first playoff game? Dominating O-line? Defensive pressure? Linebackers everywhere? Blount running amok. Heck, they lost their punter and the kicking game still didn't lose a step, even on punts.
 
This is some serious Sun Tzu shit here.
 

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I also don't get all the Allen hate.  The snap was awful, and Allen's first responsibility is to try to save a TD.  However, he should have just kicked it out of the back of the end zone instead of attempting to salvage some sort of play.  I doubt very much he'll be cut, although IR is a possibility if the injury turns out to more serious than thought.  
 
The safeties did mess up on that one quick drive, but that was a pretty decent offense that they were facing.  Of the Pats opponents this year, only the Saints, Bengals, and Broncos scored more points.  
 
Game Balls:
 
Jamie Collins
Rest of the Front 7 for getting decent pressure on Luck most of the day.
OL, esp. Mankins and Solder (if PFF grades either one a negative then I'll never be able to trust their methodology again)
TE's in run blocking
LGBT
Ridley
Talib/Dennard
Coaching staff on both sides of the ball.
 
Goats:  I have trouble believing that this team can win the next 2 games completing only 13 passes.  Edelman and Amendola made some nice plays, and kudos for Collie for coming in cold and catching that back-breaking 3rd down pass in the 4th quarter.  Thompkins and Vereen missed some catchable passes.  
 

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lexrageorge said:
OL, esp. Mankins and Solder (if PFF grades either one a negative then I'll never be able to trust their methodology again)
PFF ups and downs:
Collins (+7.4), Mankins (+5.1), Dennard (+4.0), Hightower (+3.8), Edelman (+2.6), Blount (+2.1), Ryan (+1.9), Amendola (+1.8), Connolly (+1.6), Solder (+1.5), Vellano (+1.5), Ridley (+1.3)
Ninkovich (-2.2), Arrington (-2.2), Carter (-1.9), Gregory (-1.5), Hoomanawanui (-1.2, -1.3 in pass blocking; I think they're killing him for the Mathis play which is unfair, obviously), Chandler Jones (-1.2), Chris Jones (-1.1)
 

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Which FA punters and FA long snappers have worked together before? There's some left-footed recently decent punters available - who were their long snappers, was the LS any good and is the LS a free agent?
 
Losing Allen means losing the one guy who caught Aiken's snaps. The unit is broken. Aiken has been shaky at times this season and last night, he got the punter nearly killed, gave up 2 points and possession. Allen took the heat on the broadcast and took the hit and the injury...all undeservedly. With no Allen for continuity, there's no reason to keep Aiken unless this was a one-time fuckup. If the coaches had ANY doubt about Aiken before last night, they will be working out long snappers today and/or Monday and cutting Aiken. 
 

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Deathofthebambino said:
I thought aside from the fullback dive play call and the bad long snap, it was almost a perfect game from start to finish.  ... Gostkowski stepping up in punt duties, Brady holding for extra points, Jamie Collins just HAVING A DAY, and Hightower having by far his best game in an NFL uniform...Man, what a game.
Great post and points. To my mind, this was a "realistically perfect" game, by which I mean nothing crazy happened: the Patriots were just better in every phase.

There will always be those random blowout games (59-0 vs. TEN, 45-10 vs. DEN, 45-3 vs. NYJ, etc.) where literally everything goes right and almost nothing goes wrong for 60 minutes. Those games are a ton of fun, but don't feel all that predictive.

Last night, on the other hand, felt like a performance that could be repeated in part because it wasn't "perfect" wire-to-wire. Our long snapper was really inconsistent, our punter made what could have been a crucial mistake, safety play was iffy, Cannon struggled at times against Mathis, Brady struggled to find open receivers for a time. In the end, though, the 2013 Patriots are just so competent at every position that they blew out a good team that played pretty well for much of the game.

8th AFC Championship Game of the Belichick era. Stunning. We're the most fortunate fans in professional sports, and -- especially after off-field strangeness and on-field injuries lowered expectations -- I feel like I've appreciated this season more than any other in a long time.

Anyway:

3 Up
- Belichick & staff: For the first time since 2001, I'm at a loss to explain how this team -- this team -- is playing in the AFC Championship Game. Every unit has competent starters pulled off the NFL's scrap heap and the ranks of UDFAs. 8 AFCCGs in the Brady era? That just doesn't happen.

- Run Blocking Unit (Solder, Mankins, Connolly, Hooman, Develin): This may be the silver lining of the Gronk injury, getting essentially a 6th OL on the field in the form of Hooman (a revelation as a run blocker). Just an incredible performance by them, one they'll need to repeat going forward.

- (3a) LGBT: One of those quintessential Patriots stories. True, the lanes he ran through last night were big. But -- as someone (Reiss?) pointed out -- defenses built to stop passing attacks aren't well suited to bring down a 6', 250 lb running back 30 times per game. It's hard to understand where this came from, and how much longer he can keep it up, but it's fun as hell.

- (3b) Collins: As others said, the most athletic, dominant performance by an LB since the Bruschi days.

- (3c) Gostowski: Has to be included. Some teams would have panicked in a similar situation. And, when the 4th quarter began, the Patriots were in a one possession game. One shanked punt could have been a crucial moment in the game. Instead, he was confident and capable in one of the most unlikely scenarios imaginable, as en emergency fill-in during a playoff game.

HM:
- Siliga, for doing his best Vince impression and clogging running lanes all night.
- Dennard, who didn't miss a beat in his return. A CB unit of Talib/Dennard/Ryan all of a sudden looks dangerous.

3 Down
- Safety play: A lot of this can be chalked up to a very good QB and very talented WRs (as well as a dedication to keeping a safety over Hilton). Still, Gregory in particular took some bad angles and occasionally seemed to be looking in the backfield instead of reading his assignments. Definitely something to fix with Manning likely on tap.

- Aiken: Tough conditions, to be sure. But c'mon, man. Aiken even put one in the dirt when Gostkowski was back there, and luckily Gost grabbed it. As for Allen, the forward pass idea is interesting, but he needed to kick the ball out of the end zone and prevent himself from getting crushed and injured (or giving up a TD). Hopefully his injury won't hurt (no pun) the Patriots too much.

- Vereen: Tough to put him here, but if he's really going to make his living as a pass-catching 3rd down RB, he needs to make those sideline catches.