5 Plays That Decided It - Bills
1. Fitz/McCourty INT "The Clincher" - Stevie Johnson didn't like this play call, and it didn't work out for The Bills, so he might be right. The Rookie ran the wrong route, but Stevie's probably mad because he got open for a brief second. That particular passing lane wasn't open because of the angle of Jermaine Cunningham's rush though. And that's THE thing, the zone switch happens on time with the pass rush. Good coaching and execution by Josh Boyer and his DBs. LMAO. McCourty would have been in position to make a play to defend the ball even if TJ Graham had cut underneath. This was just a bad pass into good coverage by Fitzpatrick, and it pretty much decided the game.
2. Julian Edelman Mix-up "Brady Yells" - It's pretty obvious that Brady notices the fact that there are no down-linemen, and another defender is too close for comfort. Julian Edelman comes in on a short motion to the numbers, where he makes eye contact with Brady and gets a peek at the field. However, Edelman and Brady were not seeing the same thing. Brady saw a gigantic hole in the field in the middle, but Edelman cut back toward the sticks. Not only was this worth a yelling match, it cost The Patriots a scoring opportunity. This 3rd & 5 forced a punt just outside FG range, and to make matters worse if Edelman had run a quick slant it would have went for at least 10 yards.
3. Welker Drop #1 "DANCER!" - When Brady makes pre-snap reads with verbal signifiers, he does it loud and clear. There's no doubt about the audible on this play, unless of course you thought Brady was yelling "CANCER!" The problem is not the timing or the route running here. Nope, this was just a plain old drop by Wes Welker. He got wide open, and Brady hit 'em in the hands. I am bitter because he's on my fantasy team, but also because a TD on the opening drive is always nice. Settling for a FG there (after 2 potential INTs) was a reminder of how close the game could be, and eventually would be. Welker had a tough day, and he dropped another ball that would have given us a first down to get away from the goal line.
4. Jackson/McCourty Fumble "TD-saver" - I am on record saying that McCourty had trouble in run support, and I stick to that. For every turnover McCourty forced, he gave up a TD. McCourty clearly took a bad angle on both of Fred Jackson's TDs, but he also stripped Jackson inside the 5 yard line to deny a 3rd. On this play, Jackson accelerates through the line before Steve Gregory can put a hit on him. McCourty manages to pull the ball loose just before the knee hits down, and Arrington recovers it. McCourty may not be perfect, but I'll take him anywhere in the defensive backfield. This stop only delayed a Bills TD (Patriots punt from 1 yard line) but lack of time contributed to the way the game ended, so this ends up being a huge play. Not to mention, this stop had to give the Defense a whole lot more confidence that they could turn it over at the end.
5. Wilfork Sack-Fumble "Extra Possession"- The Patriots wanted to play from ahead against The Bills to take away the run threat, and the Defense helped contribute to a two score lead by forcing a punt and a turnover on The Bills first two possessions. On this play, The Patriots scheme clearly forces Fitzpatrick into a tough situation. At the very least, this one would've been a sack, but this could have been an INT by Jones or Ninkovich. It actually ends up being a sack-fumble by Big Vince and a recovery by Cunningham. The Patriots confuse Fitz by dropping Ninkovich (middle zone) and Jones (Spiller) into coverage, but they seal the deal with pressure from Cunningham and Wilfork. With time, Fitzpatrick would have thrown this away, but he didn't have time to protect himself after he realized that the swing route was covered.
Honorable Mentions
- Ridley false start in 4th quarter inside the 10 (could have put the game away)
- CJ Spiller breaks tackles for a 25 yard catch (kept it close)
- F. Jackson plows forward for 7 yards thru T. Wilson (convert a 3rd and long)
2. Julian Edelman Mix-up "Brady Yells" - It's pretty obvious that Brady notices the fact that there are no down-linemen, and another defender is too close for comfort. Julian Edelman comes in on a short motion to the numbers, where he makes eye contact with Brady and gets a peek at the field. However, Edelman and Brady were not seeing the same thing. Brady saw a gigantic hole in the field in the middle, but Edelman cut back toward the sticks. Not only was this worth a yelling match, it cost The Patriots a scoring opportunity. This 3rd & 5 forced a punt just outside FG range, and to make matters worse if Edelman had run a quick slant it would have went for at least 10 yards.3. Welker Drop #1 "DANCER!" - When Brady makes pre-snap reads with verbal signifiers, he does it loud and clear. There's no doubt about the audible on this play, unless of course you thought Brady was yelling "CANCER!" The problem is not the timing or the route running here. Nope, this was just a plain old drop by Wes Welker. He got wide open, and Brady hit 'em in the hands. I am bitter because he's on my fantasy team, but also because a TD on the opening drive is always nice. Settling for a FG there (after 2 potential INTs) was a reminder of how close the game could be, and eventually would be. Welker had a tough day, and he dropped another ball that would have given us a first down to get away from the goal line.
4. Jackson/McCourty Fumble "TD-saver" - I am on record saying that McCourty had trouble in run support, and I stick to that. For every turnover McCourty forced, he gave up a TD. McCourty clearly took a bad angle on both of Fred Jackson's TDs, but he also stripped Jackson inside the 5 yard line to deny a 3rd. On this play, Jackson accelerates through the line before Steve Gregory can put a hit on him. McCourty manages to pull the ball loose just before the knee hits down, and Arrington recovers it. McCourty may not be perfect, but I'll take him anywhere in the defensive backfield. This stop only delayed a Bills TD (Patriots punt from 1 yard line) but lack of time contributed to the way the game ended, so this ends up being a huge play. Not to mention, this stop had to give the Defense a whole lot more confidence that they could turn it over at the end.5. Wilfork Sack-Fumble "Extra Possession"- The Patriots wanted to play from ahead against The Bills to take away the run threat, and the Defense helped contribute to a two score lead by forcing a punt and a turnover on The Bills first two possessions. On this play, The Patriots scheme clearly forces Fitzpatrick into a tough situation. At the very least, this one would've been a sack, but this could have been an INT by Jones or Ninkovich. It actually ends up being a sack-fumble by Big Vince and a recovery by Cunningham. The Patriots confuse Fitz by dropping Ninkovich (middle zone) and Jones (Spiller) into coverage, but they seal the deal with pressure from Cunningham and Wilfork. With time, Fitzpatrick would have thrown this away, but he didn't have time to protect himself after he realized that the swing route was covered.
Honorable Mentions
- Ridley false start in 4th quarter inside the 10 (could have put the game away)
- CJ Spiller breaks tackles for a 25 yard catch (kept it close)
- F. Jackson plows forward for 7 yards thru T. Wilson (convert a 3rd and long)
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