Bengals vs. Patriots: Full Report Card Grades for New England
Bill Belichick likes to tell people to "pump the brakes" after big wins. Following frenzied speculation about the New England Patriots' demise, it appears we should have followed his mantra after last week's devastating loss. In pummeling the previously undefeated Cincinnati Bengals, 43-17, the Pats played their best game under the most adverse circumstances they have faced in years.
The Patriots started fast for the first time this year, driving 80 yards on their opening drive for a touchdown. After New England had gone three-and-out on their first drive each of the past four weeks, the opening drive illustrated the sense of urgency the Pats played with all night.
Tom Brady and Co. turned to a more uptempo pace, employing two-tight end and three-receiver sets on various drives throughout the first half. New England scored touchdowns on each of its first two drives, reversing a disturbing pattern of slow starts that had plagued them throughout the season's opening quarter.
Defensively, the Patriots employed an aggressive press coverage scheme, clogging the middle of the field and forcing Andy Dalton to attack New England through the perimeter. Dalton had thrived throughout the season in a controlled scheme that allowed him to hit a variety of screens and intermediate routes in the middle of the field, but the Pats were able to stop the run and force the fourth-year quarterback out of his comfort zone.
Injuries ravaged the defense in the second half, allowing Cincinnati to pick up some big chunk plays, but New England's responses on offense demonstrated impressive mental toughness. New England answered each of the Bengals' two second-half touchdown drives with an immediate touchdown of its own. Given how easily the Pats have folded at times this season, it was undeniably encouraging to see them repress any hint of a Bengals rally throughout the contest.
Injuries and penalties were the only negatives for the Pats on the night. The defense was especially ravaged, as Darrelle Revis, Dominique Easley and Devin McCourty were all injured on the night. Meanwhile, the Pats continued to demonstrate inconsistent discipline, committing 12 penalties for a whopping 114 total yards.
Nonetheless, it is hard to complain after the Patriots silenced the loud chorus of critics. Read on for full analysis from an extremely telling New England victory.
Quarterback
1 of 10
After speculation ran rampant about his dissatisfaction with the Patriots organization, Tom Brady answered skeptics with his best game of the season. Gillette Stadium serenaded its quarterback throughout the game, as his showing felt like a reaffirmation of Brady's viability as a top-flight NFL starter.
Brady appeared significantly more comfortable, a byproduct of improved pass protection. He was uber-efficient throughout the first half, especially off play action, posting 153 yards and 8.1 yards per attempt at the intermission.
However, his most impressive drives came after the half, as Brady engineered a pair of scoring drives to stem Cincinnati's brief outbursts of momentum. Brady finished with 292 yards, two touchdowns, and 8.3 yards per attempt, a far more efficient and impactful line than he had managed during the first four weeks. Breaking from his reliance on three-step drops, Brady was highly effective when afforded actual freedom through the play-calling.
There are still issues with the passing game, as Brady was noticeably erratic on throws to Rob Gronkowski. Brady has a bothersome habit of being a little too liberal with Gronk's massive catch radius, and the tight end failed to reel in numerous off-target throws from his quarterback. Big perimeter plays also remained noticeably absent, something that will likely remain the case so long as Aaron Dobson cannot break into the lineup.
But this was a massive improvement from the debacle that had characterized New England's passing game so far in 2014. Brady controlled the game's rhythm and dictated to the defense, a position of control that was once familiar and just now rediscovered.
Grade: A
Running Back
2 of 10
The Patriots demonstrated a renewed commitment to the run, feeding their running backs the ball on 39 carries. Stevan Ridley was featured in a variety of inside power runs and toss plays, as the Pats sought to exploit an athletic yet smallish Cincinnati front seven.
Without Vontaze Burfict, the Bengals struggled to shoot and maintain gaps when defending the run and allowed Ridley and Shane Vereen wide running lanes on a regular basis. Ridley ripped off the longest run of his career, a stumbling 43-yarder down the sideline, and generally demonstrated solid power and balance in picking up yardage behind the blocking of an improving offensive line.
The Pats also utilized more shotgun draws for Vereen, who has excelled on such calls throughout his career. Vereen posted 90 yards on nine carries, with his best run a vital 3rd-and-16 conversion that led to a New England touchdown. The screen game was still absent, as Vereen had just 18 yards on three catches, but increased touches led to back's biggest impact of the season.
This game represented the ideal offensive formula for New England, as the ground attack immediately set the Bengals on their heels and opened up room for the Pats' passing game. A run-first strategy may be a bit of an anachronism in today's game, as the limited upside provides a smaller margin of error, but the Patriots have the personnel to manage it effectively most weeks.
Grade: A
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
The Patriots featured their tight ends for the first time this season, turning to plenty of two- and three-tight end packages with Rob Gronkowski, Tim Wright and Michael Hoomanawanui. Wright was an especially pleasant revelation, as he hauled in five catches and a score and far surpassed his season high with 85 yards rushing.
Gronkowski played roughly three-quarters of the snaps tonight, illustrating how he is nearly back to full speed. Gronk set season highs with 100 yards and six catches, and he also continued to make a red-zone impact with his fourth touchdown in five games. Gronk remains the mismatch that no team can effectively combat, an edge that should grow larger once he returns to 100 percent health.
Wright's introduction was a wrinkle for which the Bengals were clearly unprepared—hard to blame given how scarcely the tight end has been used thus far. But Wright's size-speed combination provides a huge receiving target and a mismatch against linebackers. Though he does not possess the same agility or positional versatility, Wright's performance was eerily reminiscent of the last New England tight end to wear No. 81.
The wide receivers were not featured as prominently in the game plan, hardly surprising after how poorly the three-receiver sets fared last week. New England still did play 11 personnel, but Julian Edelman was the only receiver to finish with more than a single catch.
Brandon LaFell, Aaron Dobson and Danny Amendola remain unreliable assets on whom the Pats may or may not be able to rely going forward. LaFell and Dobson are the most logical perimeter split end options, but the former took a step back after an impressive breakthrough last week, while the latter is still working his way into the rotation.
Despite these issues, however, the tight ends boost this grade up.
Grade: A
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
New England may have finally hit on its ideal starting five with Nate Solder, Dan Connolly, Bryan Stork, Ryan Wendell and Sebastian Vollmer. Connolly, Wendell and Stork were especially effective on combo and down blocks, regularly creating running lanes on interior gap-blocking calls for Stevan Ridley.
The Pats' line looked respectable in Week 2 as well, but unlike that game, the play calling was not a blatant attempt to protect the personnel. Brady had much deeper drops on his passing plays on a regular basis, and the occasional up-tempo pace demonstrated trust in the unit's communication. In addition, the Pats ran more perimeter toss and stretch plays, illustrating how this five-man grouping possesses superior lateral agility to the previous starting groups.
More importantly, the Pats were able to open up their playbook in the passing game because of significantly improved pass protection. In the past, the New England passing game has exhibited an egalitarian pass distribution at its best, and the return to that was made possible by the time Brady received in the pocket.
The line is still far from perfect—there were still a couple miscommunications, and a handful of penalties submarined drives in the first half. But this is day and night from the incompetence the unit has shown so far, as it liberated from its paralyzing play-calling shackles.
The Pats' commitment to the run and play-action kept the Bengals off balance, never really allowing the Cincy edge-rushers to develop a rhythm and fluster the line. However, while the game situation may have aided its performance, give this beleaguered unit tremendous credit for delivering against a tough Bengals front seven.
Grade: A-
Defensive Line
5 of 10
The Patriots had issues here, as Chandler Jones was limited all night with a shoulder injury he suffered last week. Jones' replacement, first-rounder Dominique Easley, subsequently left the game with his own shoulder issues, leaving the Pats without much of an edge-rushing presence.
The Pats most stymied the Bengals offense with solid coverage and turnovers. So while the defensive line was far from a liability, it also did not necessarily force Dalton and the Bengals into their numerous mistakes. New England rushed only four defenders throughout the night, relying on its secondary to eliminate easy options over the middle of the field and forcing Dalton to his perimeter and checkdown reads.
On the bright side, Chris Jones notched the first sack by any Bengals opponent this season. In addition, Vince Wilfork was his typical immovable self, controlling Cincinnati's running game with another high-snap workhorse effort. Wilfork's return to his 2010-12 form has been an underrated storyline this season, as he has been the primary factor in keeping New England's run defense afloat.
Still, this game was an example of what could happen if Chandler Jones or Rob Ninkovich suffered a long-term injury. Dalton was unable to exploit the clean pockets, but a more diverse passing game plan could have kept this game within reach. With Hightower inactive and Easley yet to emerge, the Patriots are very much a coverage-reliant team at the moment.
Grade: B
Linebacker
6 of 10
With Dont'a Hightower inactive, the Patriots leaned heavily on Jerod Mayo and Jamie Collins throughout the night, with undrafted rookie Deontae Skinner a part of base package personnel.
The two held up well in their interior run-gap fits, as Cincinnati rushed for just 79 total yards. Collins in particular demonstrated impressive physicality, replacing Hightower as New England's main A-gap interior run stuffer.
Collins had some issues in coverage, as both Giovani Bernard and Jermaine Gresham beat the second-year linebacker badly, only for Andy Dalton to miss potential touchdowns. The game's complexion easily could have changed had Dalton hit those first-half throws, which would have kept the Pats from racing out to a double-digit lead.
In truth, the Bengals probably did not attack this unit enough, if Bernard's lack of touches in the receiving game is any indication. New England's only real "back on backer" issue came when Rob Ninkovich dropped into coverage and lost Jeremy Hill on a wheel route, the play that led to Darrelle Revis' hamstring injury.
Nonetheless, Mayo and Collins deserve credit for their workhorse efforts. This unit was mostly ambivalent throughout the night, but considering the available personnel, that is certainly passable.
Grade: B
Secondary
7 of 10
Darrelle Revis vs. A.J. Green was this game's defining matchup, and it is safe to say that the New England corner won this face-off of All-Pros.
Green's only touchdown came during the brief respite in which Revis left the game with a left hamstring injury. Subtracting that 17-yard touchdown, Green compiled just 64 yards on four catches and committed a fumble that led to a Pats score shortly before the half.
The Pats secondary deserve credit for persevering despite losing Revis for a brief stretch and missing Devin McCourty for most of the game with a rib injury. McCourty's absence was evident on some plays—Mohamed Sanu's 37-yard touchdown occurred after Duron Harmon bit on a "Pin" route underneath—but the Bengals were unable to exploit the makeshift secondary on a consistent basis.
Alfonzo Dennard had some issues in his first game since Week 1. Besides conceding Sanu's touchdown, Dennard was also called for two holding penalties on one drive, as he had issues with Sanu's size throughout the night. Logan Ryan also found himself in the doghouse, as he was the No. 4 corner who immediately conceded the Green touchdown when Revis went out.
Besides Revis, the best performance came from the unlikely source of Kyle Arrington. Arrington has been the fanbase's whipping boy for years, but he has excelled this year while playing exclusively over the slot. The veteran forced a Dane Sanzenbacher fumble in the fourth quarter and recovered Brandon Tate's kickoff fumble, returning it for a touchdown. Though limited athletically, Arrington continues to demonstrate that his abilities as a slot corner do not deserve any more contempt.
Grade: B+
Special Teams
8 of 10
Stephen Gostkowski continues to reinforce his reputation as arguably the league's steadiest kicker, hitting five field goals to extend his perfect start to the season. The Pats would surely rather not see Gostkowski kick so much, which goes back to some persistent third-down issues, but it is comforting to have three points in tow whenever the Patriots cross the 35-yard line.
The punt return unit did concede its first big return of the year, as a 47-yard Adam Jones runback led to the Sanu touchdown. Edelman also continued to have difficulties breaking through in the punt return game, notching just 12 total yards on three returns.
On the bright side, the Patriots were extremely effective in kickoff coverage, as a fumble forced by Jamie Collins and the subsequent touchdown return stretched the lead to 34-10. The positive big special teams plays had been conspicuously absent this season going into Week 5, so it was nice to see New England create a game-changing momentum swing.
Grade: A-
Coaching
9 of 10
Bill Belichick has been panned this season for questionable game-planning and unconventional personnel decisions. As much as Belichick deserved criticism for the Patriots' lackluster start to the year, however, he deserves as much credit for getting his team to put forth its best 60-minute effort of the season.
There were tangible improvements in the coaching this week, from the switch to 12 personnel to Josh McDaniels' greater commitment to the run. The staff clearly brainstormed to overhaul the static schemes that had failed so far, and this week's game plan pushed all the right buttons.
Belichick's decision to plant Revis on Green may have seemed obvious, but his faith in Arrington was also rewarded. In general, New England's defense has looked better in press coverage this season. Though opposing offenses like Kansas City's may have occasionally exploited their man coverage, the Patriots showcase a physicality that will always bother teams without reliable perimeter weapons.
But most importantly, the Patriots responded to the sharks circling Foxboro with an authoritative performance. While intangibles are usually overrated, New England's mental fortitude is a defining characteristic that resurfaced at the most opportune time on Sunday night. That is no small feat when considering how lethargic the Patriots have appeared at times this season.
Belichick will surely preach that the execution was not perfect—which is true—but he also expressed satisfaction in his postgame press conference. After fans and media were eager to write New England's obituary, Belichick has every right to express that sentiment.
Grade: A+
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Position Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | A |
| RB | A |
| WR/TE | A |
| OL | A- |
| DL | B |
| LB | B |
| DB | B+ |
| ST | A- |
| Coaching | A+ |
| Cumulative Grade | A |
The average does not quite add up to an overall A, but the Patriots get a bump for the adversity they faced this week. It is hard to remember a time in which doubt has been so pervasive surrounding Foxboro, and the Pats struck back at the increasingly harsh doomsday criticism.
The Patriots still need work in forging offensive continuity, while injuries on defense could lead to a short-term setback for that unit if a number of sidelined starters are unable to return. Nonetheless, New England's potential was on display for the first time, reinforcing why many preseason prognostications pinpointed them as a Super Bowl favorite.
New England needs to demonstrate this kind of performance consistently before we restore that championship-contender status. Still, it seems safe to suggest that, once again, rumors of the Patriots' demise have been extremely premature.
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