Redskins vs. Patriots: New England Grades, Notes and Quotes

"Any given Sunday" might be a popular rallying cry for underdogs, but the New England Patriots have quashed any hope for overmatched opponents for much of the 2015 season. In their methodical 27-10 win over the Washington Redskins, the Pats weren't necessarily at their best, but they also ensured their unblemished record was never in serious jeopardy.

The Pats opened the game with an efficient 13-play, 84-yard scoring drive, converting a 4th-and-2 before Julian Edelman's eight-yard touchdown catch. Following a Kirk Cousins interception on Washington's first possession, the Pats extended their lead to 14-0, with LeGarrette Blount pounding the ball in from five yards out.

However, uncharacteristic mistakes also plagued the offense early, as an Edelman fumble and Tom Brady interception gave Washington some life. Nonetheless, a Chandler Jones sack helped the Pats hold a threatening Washington drive early in the second quarter, and a Blount-powered drive ended in a chip-shot field goal for Stephen Gostkowski to put New England up 17-0. Washington drove into the red zone before the half, but a red-zone stand kept the Pats' lead at 17-3 going into the half.

Following a Matt Jones fumble to open the second half, the Pats stalled out at the goal line and added another Gostkowski field goal to re-extend the lead to 17. While the third quarter was mostly a sleepy exchange of punts, the Pats suffered their first major injury to an offensive skill position player, with Dion Lewis leaving the game after a non-contact knee injury. Lewis' departure cast a cloud over an otherwise inconspicuous second half, and his status will be a big storyline moving forward.

Lewis' replacement, Brandon Bolden, received his first touches since Week 2 and actually ended up accounting for the final 30 yards of the touchdown drive that put the Pats up 27-3. Washington did add a Jordan Reed touchdown in the final 30 seconds of the game, but that was simply window dressing in the 17-point victory.

Read on for complete postgame grades and analysis from the final game of New England's three-game homestand, which moved the Patriots to a league-best 8-0.

Position Grades for Patriots

Steven Senne/Associated Press

Position	Grade
QB	B
RB	A-
WR	B+
TE	B-
OL	A-
DL	A
LB	A
DB	A
Special Teams	A
Coaching	B+

It's A's across the board for the defense, which played one of its best games of the season against an underrated Washington offense. D.C. gained just 254 yards on a meager 4.6 yards per play; those poor numbers were actually inflated by the 83-yard junk-time drive at the end of the game.

Jonathan Freeny played an excellent game as New England's signal-caller in the middle of the field, replacing an ill Jamie Collins. Chandler Jones also sacked Kirk Cousins in the first half, moving him ahead of J.J. Watt for a league-high 9.5 sacks on the season. In general, Jones and the rest of the Patriots defensive line (led by Rob Ninkovich and Akiem Hicks) were excellent in stifling Washington's ground game, which averaged just 2.5 yards per attempt.

Offensively, the Patriots weren't at their sharpest (more on that later) despite gaining 460 total yards, their third-highest of the season. New England's 27-point showing was its lowest offensive output of the season, in part because Washington honed in on Rob Gronkowski. He was held to a season-low 47 receiving yards on just four catches, as Washington was happy to take its chances with New England's wide receivers in coverage.

For the most part, Lewis, Edelman and Brandon LaFell made Washington pay for that strategy. LaFell bounced back from two shaky showings to record his first 100-yard game of the season, compiling 102 yards on five catches via nine targets (all team highs).  The Pats also recovered a surprise onside kick after their opening-drive score—an example of strong coaching dovetailing with stellar special teams execution.

Blount Delivers Workhorse Effort

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Though he's often been totally ignored in New England's pass-heavy game plans, LeGarrette Blount has proved ready and able in the past when the Pats have turned to a more ground-bound approach. The 28-year-old showed his professionalism again Sunday, carrying the ball a career-high 29 times and running for 129 yards and a touchdown.

The game represented the third-highest regular-season total of Blount's career and his second-highest in New England (trailing only his 189-yard effort in Week 17 of the 2013 season against the Buffalo Bills). Despite needing to spackle together an offensive line, the Pats consistently generated leverage in the rushing game, giving Blount time to read his keys and explode through rushing lanes.

With Lewis now hurt, Blount could bear a larger burden in the week-to-week game plan. Though the two backs' roles don't overlap, part of the reason New England's passing game was so successful stemmed from the severe mismatches Lewis could create against linebackers. It's unclear if that advantage will remain for the Patriots without Lewis, no matter how much time he misses.

Nonetheless, against a team without starting defensive linemen Terrance Knighton and Jason Hatcher, Blount was in line for his biggest day of the season. In delivering on that promise, he proved the Patriots can still transform into a ground-and-pound outfit when the matchup calls for it.

Stork Fills in at Tackle in Return

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Bryan Stork impressed during the 2014 season by stepping in at center and starting after the first month, but the fourth-round rookie might face an entirely new challenge this season. Headed into the game, the expectation was that Stork might play guard this season, given Ryan Wendell's move to injured reserve. However, with Sebastian Vollmer becoming the third tackle to go down this season, Stork moved to the wholly unfamiliar right tackle spot, where he played the majority of the game.

At Florida State, Stork played guard over his first two seasons before becoming an All-American center. However, following Vollmer's head injury, the Pats moved right tackle Cameron Fleming to the blind side, with Stork playing his first NFL snaps at right tackle, alternating on occasion with tight end and converted tackle Michael Williams.

That the Pats were still able to garner nearly 500 yards from scrimmage despite a total apocalyptic injury situation along the offensive line is partially an indictment of the Washington defense. But it also illustrates the resourcefulness of New England's coaching staff, which got its final grade bumped up in this article in part because of how it has handled unimaginable personnel deficiencies on the line.

Hopefully, either Vollmer or Marcus Cannon will be available for the Week 10 game against the New York Giants, or else the Pats might promote Blaine Clausell or Chris Barker from the practice squad. For now, though, the offensive line has remained standing despite a Monty Python-like abundance of flesh wounds.

Defense Suffocates Cousins

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The Kirk Cousins roller coaster was near its nadir on Sunday, thanks in large part to strong coverage from New England and a few untimely drops from the Washington receiving corps. Before Washington's final meaningless touchdown drive, the Pats had held Cousins to just 134 passing yards on 28 attempts, which would equate to a miserable 4.8 yards per attempt.

For reference, that would have represented the second-lowest total for any game Cousins started in his career. New England was fortunate to escape on Washington's second drive of the game, when Derek Carrier dropped a wide-open pass on what would have been a huge gain off a wheel route.

Nevertheless, the Pats also harassed Cousins throughout the game, sacking him twice and forcing him into his checkdown reads. DeSean Jackson garnered just three catches for 15 yards in his return from a hamstring injury, while dynamic tight end Jordan Reed had just 18 receiving yards.

Deeper offenses will have an easier time moving the ball against New England's shaky secondary, but the strength on the front seven was plainly evident, even with Collins being inactive. At the moment, it's clear the Patriots are still a defense that is capable of stifling the majority of the league's offenses.

Josh Kline: O-Line Combo Never Used

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Bill Belichick has been renowned for his ability to prepare teams for any situation they'll encounter in a game. However, not even he had the foresight to predict New England's unbelievable rash of injuries along the offensive line would continue. According to the Boston Herald's Jeff Howe, guard Josh Kline said after the game that the Pats had never practiced with the O-line combination that was in the game during the second half:

"

Josh Kline said he doesn't think the Pats ever practiced with the O-line combo that played the entire second half.

— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) November 8, 2015"

The five-man combination Kline is referring to saw Cameron Fleming, Shaq Mason, David Andrews, Kline and Bryan Stork along the line from left to right. Ideally, Stork would be able to give the Pats a three-man rotation along the interior, much like what the Pats employed when Tre' Jackson was healthy before suffering a knee injury against the Miami Dolphins last week.

The Pats won't have the benefit of a midseason bye week to heal their wounds this week, so at some point the unit needs a break with the injuries. Until then, Belichick might simply need to cover every conceivable base he can in practice to prepare the contingency plans he's needed far too often this season.

Rob Gronkowski: Offense Sputtered

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Most teams would be thrilled with 27 points and 460 yards from scrimmage, but the Patriots could have had a much more explosive bottom line on the scoreboard if not for some spotty situational execution. After the game, Rob Gronkowski pointed out a few of the offense's faults on Sunday, per CSNNE's Michael Giardi:

"

Gronk on struggle today, "...we can execute better on offense. Times we stopped ourselves, penalties, not converting the ball."

— Michael Giardi (@MikeGiardi) November 8, 2015"

After heading into the game with just three turnovers on the season, New England had two first-half turnovers, both of which came in Washington territory. A Julian Edelman fumble ended the drive that followed New England's successful onside kick, while Brady threw a rare red-zone interception to Keenan Robinson on 3rd-and-8 from the Washington 16-yard line.

Ultimately, Gronkowski's ho-hum stat line and New England's inconsistent execution in the passing game hardly seem like reasons for alarm. Though the Patriots did create longer third downs for themselves, they still managed to convert nine of 16 third downs Sunday. For an offense that grades itself on such a steep curve, Sunday's game won't necessarily stand out in the 2015 scrapbook.

Bill Belichick: Bolden Has Been Through Everything

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He might not hold much value in the fantasy football world, but Brandon Bolden has long been an underrated cog in the Patriots machine. Since making the squad as an undrafted free agent in 2012, he has established himself as a core special teamer while also filling in on all three downs offensively.

Bolden's role on offense has diminished the past two seasons, and he had just eight offensive touches headed into Sunday's game. However, after accounting for 39 yards on four touches Sunday, including an 18-yard touchdown, Bolden received praise from Belichick after the game for his versatility, per NEPatriotsDraft.com's Oliver Thomas:

"

Bill Belichick on Brandon Bolden's value: "He's been through it all - running game, passing game, blitz pickup, special teams."

— Oliver Thomas (@OliverBThomas) November 8, 2015"

James White figures to receive the majority of the snaps depending on how much time Lewis misses, as the second-year back was a healthy scratch Sunday. Still, if White is unable to handle the same workload Lewis thrived under, Bolden could be a viable option to share the passing-back role.