The Game Ball Thread: Week 9 vs Packers

SeoulSoxFan

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Close for 3 quarters but in the end Patriots and the GOAT named Tom Brady beats a pretty good Green Bay team.

It's Game Ball Time once again!

Mine goes to Gilmore for shutting down Adams and McDaniels for a great game plan.
 

Ale Xander

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Gilmore for sure and James White

and Fla(jo)sh Gordon
 
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dbn

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Yeah, it's Gilmore. In fact, I think he's the team MVP of the season so far. He's been sooooo good.
 

SeoulSoxFan

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Honorary mention to Chung on D, Karras on O (for not being a liability replacing Mason) and Allen on ST for a couple of terrific punts.

P.S I don't think Daniels and Matthews made any impact and that's a great job by the OL. Getting Cannonball was a big help too.
 

BillMuellerFanClub

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Barner for taking Matthews out to the woodshed on one great blitz pickup. He was invisible, which was huge keeping Brady (mostly) upright.
 

Kliq

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The entire defense, but especially the secondary. Outside of the one play where Jason McCourtey got burned, the coverage was excellent. There were so many one-on-one matchups that Rodgers targeted and the secondary made a ton of plays on the ball and broke up at least a half dozen passes in those situations. Even the completed passes were more outstanding plays by the GB receivers and less poor coverage from the Pats. Great job.
 

BigSoxFan

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1) Entire Defense - Held Rodgers to 17 points and 89.2 passer rating. He looked off the entire game and it was largely due to the pressure and Gilmore locking down his elite WR. Outside of the McCourty play, there weren’t too many “bad” defensive plays.

2) White/Patterson - 171 total yards and 3 TDs. Not too shabby. Patterson gets a special shout out for basically sparking an entire TD drive by himself.

3) Gordon - 5 catches for 130 yards and a TD. May have gotten robbed of another 20 yards or so. Now up to 22/396/2 on the season in 6 games for NE. With Gronk and Michel out, we really needed him to step up and he did.
 

Preacher

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Patterson. For that one drive alone where he scored the TD. He really stepped up.

Gordon made that great catch on the 50/50 ball and probably had another crucial catch had there been a challenge. But he gets the put away TD.

The defense. Holding Rodgers and that offense to 17 is pretty impressive. This game could have been a true laugher if the offense converted on a couple of those early stops. Offense let Green Bay off the hook a couple times.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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Gilmore was a monster (DoTB nailed it in the game thread). White and Gordon but the entire offense gets some love because while they have no injuries, unlike Green Bay who had literally every player hurting or out, the Patriots somehow were effective despite some key players just taking the night off.

Flowers and Guy are pretty good too.
 

RoDaddy

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Lots of game balls but Patterson especially as he's become an unexpected major contributor and energy boost. And if this RB gig continues to work out, could he also turn out to be the big back we need? Fastest AND biggest RB - what a combination!
 
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Gilmore. Flowers. Josh Gordon was snatching balls out of th air left and right. James White, thank god he's okay. TB12 and that "you're my guy" Guy.

EDIT: How dare I forget Cordarrelle Patterson. Love seeing the growth at RB just from last week!

Rodgers for scoring only 17, but still somehow managing to target two players on my fantasy team for the TDs.
 

Harry Hooper

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The entire defense, but especially the secondary. Outside of the one play where Jason McCourtey got burned, the coverage was excellent. There were so many one-on-one matchups that Rodgers targeted and the secondary made a ton of plays on the ball and broke up at least a half dozen passes in those situations. Even the completed passes were more outstanding plays by the GB receivers and less poor coverage from the Pats. Great job.
Yes, good showing by the secondary. Even on that long pass, Jason did close and make the tackle.

Swiss Army knife Edelman, as already noted above.

Allen's punts were great.
 

mulluysavage

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I mean... total team effort.

Guy for the huge FF
Patterson's effort going 5/51 on one drive.
Gordon for curling in and making that catch a TD
Flores/McDaniels - schemed a distinct edge
 

kelpapa

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Josh Gordon and Gilmore. Gordon's ability to catch the ball away from his body is amazing. If he gets both hands on it, he's going to secure it.
 

SMU_Sox

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Flowers, Patterson, and Gordon. Honorable mentions for White and Gilmore. This team has a lot of mental toughness.
 

McDrew

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Gordon. 5-130 with a TD.
White. 102 yards on 18 touches.
Patterson. 61 yards on 11 touches and a shirt-drag of a defender for 3 extra yards. 2 30+ yard kick returns.

Clayborn was in the backfield all night. Was effective there.
Where can I find the stats on how many times Gilmore was targeted/defended tonight? I've gotta see the numbers to appreciate just how good that performance was.

The Defensive Gameplan.
62 yards in 6:35 over 14 plays to score a field goal.
43 yards in 3:16 over 8 plays and punted.
3 and out.
79 yards in 13 plays over 6:48 to score a TD
5 plays, punt
[halftime]
7 plays for 76 yards and a TD in 3:42 after coming out after the half
3 and out
65 yards to fumble
3 and out
downs

So, of 10 drives.
4 were quick punts
1 was a 4th down stop
2 were 40+ yard drives that resulted in 0 points
2 were 13+ play 60+ yard 6+ minute drives in the first half that absolutely wore out Green Bay's offense.
1 was Green bay using the last of their coordination and drive to score a quick TD after the half, and then having NOTHING left in the well to draw on.

This team wins games by making the opposing team score Pyrrhic points.
 

mauf

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The secondary played great. They kept the wheels from falling off early when the front 7 was struggling to stop the run or get any pressure on Rodgers. Even the big play was a great read by Rodgers of a safety blitz and an absolutely perfect throw; sometimes, you have to tip your cap to the other guy.

Agree with the Gordon/Patterson/White consensus on offense.

Couple of nice punts by Allen. The Pats played the field position game well.
 

BaseballJones

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I just want to point out that in the game thread, when the Pats got the fumble, I posted that Brady needed to get into a rhythm (because he had looked shaky up to that point). From that point on, Brady went: 6-6 for 104 yards and a touchdown.

Game ball to me. :)

Seriously though, Brady played great in the fourth quarter and gets a game ball. Also White, Patterson, and Gordon on offense. Honorable mention to Allen (he actually caught a pass!!!! and he blocked great) and Edelman.

On defense, Gilmore was incredible, but I also thought that Flowers, Chung, Jason McCourty (with one play being a notable exception), and Clayborn were all terrific.

Green Bay had been averaging 25.0 points and 412 yards per game going into last night. The Pats held them to 17 points and 368 yards. Meanwhile, GB had been allowing 24.7 points and 340.8 yards per game. The Pats put up 31 points and 433 yards.

Very very nice win, and they did it without Michel, Gronk, and Mason. Patterson beasted out of the backfield, they had some nice trickery, and Brady finally got it going. On the whole, outstanding performance to beat superhero Rodgers by 14.

Looking at the rest of the schedule:

at Ten, Bye, at NYJ, vs Min, at Mia, at Pit, vs Buf, vs NYJ

No reason at all why they can't finish 12-4 at worst, maybe 13-3, and with a little good fortune, run the table.
 

bigq

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Barner for taking Matthews out to the woodshed on one great blitz pickup. He was invisible, which was huge keeping Brady (mostly) upright.
That may have been my favorite play of the game. Matthews was out of control barreling through the line and was planted firmly on his backside.

I’ll give mine to Patterson, Gordon and the coaching staff. Pats were very good in all three phases of the game. +1 in the turnover department was a big factor in this game.
 

NortheasternPJ

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I'll echo again Gilmore. Even when the guy is beat or he's a little late, he's got his hand in there swiping away guaranteed catches. Rodgers had a couple looks of Eli Manning face on balls that should have been caught were swiped away at the last second. Watching Green Bay & Rodgers in person is so f'ing frustrating. There's no motion on the line, they barely get out of the huddle for the snap and they 100% rely on him making 1 read and then improvising. If you ever put that guy in a real offense it'd be scary. They've had huge talent at WR but McCarthy sucks.

In terms of the offense, Edelman and Gordon (plus White but he's every week) Gordan's hands are unreal and he's outstanding using his physical size to get the ball. The Edelman play was perfect with him looking deep down the right hand side and going left with 63 blockers ready to go.


This struck me as extra hilarious this morning, considering the Packers fans near me were screaming for "Scantling!" half the night, and all I could hear was "Scanlan!"
Funny the fans around me were trying to pick fights for 50% of the game because people were standing and they were upset they couldn't see. The Razor gets softer every year it seems like.
 

BaseballJones

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I know I've said this before, but I'm very disappointed in Gordon's speed. He runs like a normal WR, which is fine considering he's huge and has GREAT hands. But I just remember him having electric speed on top of it, and at no point so far have we seen it. I'm just waiting for him to hit that next gear and blow right by people and it doesn't appear to be there.

He's still a terrific receiver - but more like Anquan Boldin than Julio Jones. Nothing wrong with that, of course. I just thought from a talent perspective we'd be getting more of a Julio Jones.

Still, he's been really good for the Pats and I'm glad to have him on the team.
 

loshjott

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I'll echo again Gilmore. Even when the guy is beat or he's a little late, he's got his hand in there swiping away guaranteed catches. Rodgers had a couple looks of Eli Manning face on balls that should have been caught were swiped away at the last second. Watching Green Bay & Rodgers in person is so f'ing frustrating. There's no motion on the line, they barely get out of the huddle for the snap and they 100% rely on him making 1 read and then improvising. If you ever put that guy in a real offense it'd be scary. They've had huge talent at WR but McCarthy sucks.

In terms of the offense, Edelman and Gordon (plus White but he's every week) Gordan's hands are unreal and he's outstanding using his physical size to get the ball. The Edelman play was perfect with him looking deep down the right hand side and going left with 63 blockers ready to go.




Funny the fans around me were trying to pick fights for 50% of the game because people were standing and they were upset they couldn't see. The Razor gets softer every year it seems like.
That was my impression watching the game. Snap it to Rodgers and count on him making plays that nobody else can. Sometimes he does but inevitably often he doesn't.
 

axx

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McDaniels. Thought the Edelman pass was the turning point in the game, so it was a good call.
 

DJnVa

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I know I've said this before, but I'm very disappointed in Gordon's speed. He runs like a normal WR, which is fine considering he's huge and has GREAT hands. But I just remember him having electric speed on top of it, and at no point so far have we seen it. I'm just waiting for him to hit that next gear and blow right by people and it doesn't appear to be there.

He's still a terrific receiver - but more like Anquan Boldin than Julio Jones. Nothing wrong with that, of course. I just thought from a talent perspective we'd be getting more of a Julio Jones.

Still, he's been really good for the Pats and I'm glad to have him on the team.
He's had a hamstring injury...
 

Ralphwiggum

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I know I've said this before, but I'm very disappointed in Gordon's speed. He runs like a normal WR, which is fine considering he's huge and has GREAT hands. But I just remember him having electric speed on top of it, and at no point so far have we seen it. I'm just waiting for him to hit that next gear and blow right by people and it doesn't appear to be there.

He's still a terrific receiver - but more like Anquan Boldin than Julio Jones. Nothing wrong with that, of course. I just thought from a talent perspective we'd be getting more of a Julio Jones.

Still, he's been really good for the Pats and I'm glad to have him on the team.
This post, I mean, c'mon. You are really very disappointed in Gordon's speed? That's your takeaway from last night? And maybe he only might be Anquan Boldin but not Julio Jones?
 

RG33

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Many great efforts. Coradarelle. TB12. Gordon. Gilmore. McDaniels.

And Aaron Rodgers, the most talented QB in the history of the NFL who TB12 should look up to for his arm strength and mobility, is now 38-41 in his career on the road. 38-41.
 

CoffeeNerdness

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They've had huge talent at WR but McCarthy sucks.
Their drive after getting the goal-line stop was rather pitiful.

Edit re: Gordon.

Gordon is averaging 18yds/catch (his career high is 18.9). Good for 7th best in the NFL. His game isn't remotely similar to Anquan Boldin's. Also, after last night he's the Pats leading WR by yards... After 6 games. Considering the old trope "The Pats offense is notoriously hard to pick up!" he's been great.
 
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NortheasternPJ

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Many great efforts. Coradarelle. TB12. Gordon. Gilmore. McDaniels.

And Aaron Rodgers, the most talented QB in the history of the NFL who TB12 should look up to for his arm strength and mobility, is now 38-41 in his career on the road. 38-41.
That's crazy that Aaron Rogers has 1 more career loss on the road than Brady. 38-41 vs 91-40
 

TheoShmeo

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This post, I mean, c'mon. You are really very disappointed in Gordon's speed? That's your takeaway from last night? And maybe he only might be Anquan Boldin but not Julio Jones?
I agree that Gordon not being a burner is not the biggest storyline from last night.

But I do think it's surprising and noteworthy. I expected to see Gordon make difficult catches (he has, and holy shit they're impressive) AND to run by guys and get wide open before the catch at times (he really hasn't). The You Tube sports porn from his Browns days featured a lot of both of that, and I had visions of seeing him running free in the secondary.

Not that I'm complaining but whether it's the hamstring or he's lost a step, the Gordon we have -- who adds a lot to this offense, and is extremely fun to watch -- is not quite the Gordon that I think many of us were hoping for.

It showed up on the first series when Brady threw to him running, and not streaking, down the middle, and being conspicuously covered by two DBs.

Perhaps I just had the wrong expectations.
 

Jed Zeppelin

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Guy we traded a 5th round pick for goes 5 for 130 including a 55 yard TD and we're talking about his speed. SMDH, as the kids say.
 

BaseballJones

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This post, I mean, c'mon. You are really very disappointed in Gordon's speed? That's your takeaway from last night? And maybe he only might be Anquan Boldin but not Julio Jones?
No my takeaway from last night is found in post #32, where I laud Gordon, among others, for a great win.

I was just offering my take on what seems to me to be Gordon’s disappointing speed, which another poster referred to.

Ain’t nothing wrong with Anquan Boldin, by the way.
 

RG33

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That's crazy that Aaron Rogers has 1 more career loss on the road than Brady. 38-41 vs 91-40
QB Road Records:
—————————
Tom Brady 91-40
Joe Montana 65-30
Peyton Manning 85-48
Roger Staubach 41-23
Johnny Unitas 59-40
Steve Young 48-34
Drew Brees 68-61
Dan Marino 65-57
Bart Starr 47-35
Jim Kelly 43-40
Terry Bradsaw 41-42
Kurt Warner 33-34
Eli Manning 54-58
John Elway 53-61
Philip Rivers 48-53
Aaron Rodgers 38-41
Troy Aikman 38-42

Just sayin’.
 

BaseballJones

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Their drive after getting the goal-line stop was rather pitiful.

Edit re: Gordon.

Gordon is averaging 18yds/catch (his career high is 18.9). Good for 7th best in the NFL. His game isn't remotely similar to Anquan Boldin's. Also, after last night he's the Pats leading WR by yards... After 6 games. Considering the old trope "The Pats offense is notoriously hard to pick up!" he's been great.
I’m allowed to say that Gordon has been excellent while at the same time pointing out that his speed isn’t what I thought it would be.
 

BaseballJones

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I agree that Gordon not being a burner is not the biggest storyline from last night.

But I do think it's surprising and noteworthy. I expected to see Gordon make difficult catches (he has, and holy shit they're impressive) AND to run by guys and get wide open before the catch at times (he really hasn't). The You Tube sports porn from his Browns days featured a lot of both of that, and I had visions of seeing him running free in the secondary.

Not that I'm complaining but whether it's the hamstring or he's lost a step, the Gordon we have -- who adds a lot to this offense, and is extremely fun to watch -- is not quite the Gordon that I think many of us were hoping for.

It showed up on the first series when Brady threw to him running, and not streaking, down the middle, and being conspicuously covered by two DBs.

Perhaps I just had the wrong expectations.
Reports were that just last year he ran a 4.3 40 time for the Browns as he got ready to return to action. So maybe it is just his hamstring.

But still. I’m with you.