Ranking New England Patriots' Best Individual Performances Through 11 Weeks
The New England Patriots are known for thriving as a team; win or lose, they do so as a collective. Individual performances aren't nearly as important to members of the franchise as the results in the win-loss column.
However, this doesn't mean there haven't been some standout performances from Patriots players this season. There have been plenty, and many of them have meant the difference between wins and losses—even if New England rarely highlights that fact in the postgame.
We're here to take a look at some of New England's top individual performances of the 2017 season. We'll be looking at single-game performances, regardless of the final score (not very Patriot-like, we know). However, we will consider the importance of an individual performance on the game and on the season.
For variety's sake, we'll be limiting players to one entry each. Otherwise, this might quickly turn into a list of Tom Brady's best games of the season.
Here are the Patriots' top eight individual performances of the 2017 season.
8. Trey Flowers: Week 1 at Kansas City Chiefs
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5 Tackles, 2.0 Sacks
The Patriots lost against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1. It wasn't close either, much to the surprise of the collective football world.
The defeat cannot be blamed on defensive end Trey Flowers, though. New England's leading pass-rusher in 2016 (7.0 sacks), started off this year with a strong performance. He racked up five combined tackles and sacked Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith twice. Smith isn't the easiest quarterback to chase down, either.
Unfortunately, Flowers' strong performance wasn't enough to prevent the Chiefs from lighting up New England's secondary.
"This is the National Football League and everybody grows, so it's not a pat you on the back, it's OK type of deal," Flowers said on WEEI's Ordway, Merloni & Fauria.
The good news is New England's defense has steadily improved since the season-opening loss. The Patriots know they can have a pass-rushing force on their hands when Flowers gets it going.
7. James White: Week 4 vs. Carolina Panthers
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10 Receptions, 47 Yards Receiving, 1 Carry, 7 Yards Rushing
The Patriots fell short against the Carolina Panthers in Week 4, even after mounting a comeback and tying the game with just over three minutes remaining. However, the Patriots defense failed to stop the Panthers, who kicked a field goal as time expired.
Don't blame the loss on the offense or running back James White, who played a large role in producing the comeback in the first place.
Faced with a physical and aggressive Panthers defensive front, the Patriots did much of their offensive work in the short-passing game. White was Brady's favorite target in that area, and he finished with 10 receptions and an average of nearly five yards per reception.
White helped the Patriots supplement the run game with his short-area receiving skills, and he helped Brady get the ball out of his hands quickly.
Brady still took three sacks and quite a few hits in the game, but things could have been much worse without White as an outlet.
6. Kyle Van Noy: Week 6 at New York Jets
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6 Tackles, 2.0 Sacks
The Patriots nearly found disaster against the New York Jets in Week 6. They found themselves down 14-0 early in the game and facing the prospect of falling to 3-3.
The offense battled back, though, and the defense clamped down in the second half. Linebacker Kyle Van Noy played a big role in that.
Van Noy finished the game with six total tackles and two sacks, both of which came at important points in the game.
The first came with just over three minutes remaining in the first half and with the Jets nursing a 14-7 lead. It put an end to the New York drive and prevented the Jets from draining the clock.
His second sack came with just 44 seconds remaining. The Jets needed a touchdown to tie the game but had driven the the Patriots' 43-yard line. Van Noy dropped Josh McCown at the New England 49 and forced a 4th-and-16 situation. New York couldn't convert and the Patriots secured the win.
The second half of that Jets game was really the first time the Patriots defense had looked strong all season long. This was a turning point for New England.
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5. Dion Lewis: Week 5 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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7 Carries, 53 Yards Rushing, 2 Receptions, 10 Yards Receiving
Statistically, the performance of running back Dion Lewis wasn't terribly impressive against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He only carried the ball seven times and caught two passes, but he produced 63 total yards in his limited opportunities.
Why does this performance stand out? It's because Lewis' 7.6 yards-per-carry average in that game changed the way New England approached the use of its backfield moving forward. The Patriots' ground game had been inconsistent at best leading up to Week 5, but it's been better since.
It's no coincidence Lewis has had 10 carries or more in each game since Week 5. He proved he deserved a bigger load on the ground against the Buccaneers. He hasn't caused the Patriots to second-guess him since. He leads all New England backs with a 4.7 yards-per-carry average on the season.
4. Malcolm Butler: Week 6 at New York Jets
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4 Tackles, 1 Interception
We already mentioned how the second half of the game against New York was a bit of a turning point for the Patriots defense. Well, we should probably mention it might not have happened—and New England potentially may have lost—if not for cornerback Malcolm Butler.
Butler played sound coverage for most of the game and finished with four combined tackles. However, his biggest play was an interception that came just before the end of the first half.
The Jets had a touchdown lead and took over after a missed Patriots field-goal attempt. With just over a minute left and the ball on their own 37-yard line, New York had a chance to add to its lead. The Jets moved to the New England 49, Butler picked off McCown at the 37.
A few plays later, Brady tossed a two-yard touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski to tie the game with under 10 seconds in the half. That drive jump-started New England's comeback, and Butler sparked the drive.
3. Rob Gronkowski: Week 2 at New Orleans Saints
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6 Receptions, 116 Yards, 1 Touchdown
Gronkowski didn't quite look like himself during New England's Week 1 loss to the Chiefs. He caught just two passes for 33 yards in that game, and he was unable to deliver a big play when the Patriots desperately needed one late.
"It starts with me," Gronkowski said, per Sam Quinn of 247Sports. "Gotta get open more. You've gotta get better separation. Make some plays. Get the offense rolling. Just wasn't going to happen."
Well, the Gronk we all know and love stormed back on to the scene a week later against the New Orleans Saints. He torched their defense to the tune of 116 yards and a score. More importantly, he showed the rest of the league he was still something opposing defenses need to game plan for.
Just the threat of Gronkowski going off like he did against the Saints opens up what the Patriots are able to do in other areas of their offense.
2. Brandin Cooks: Week 3 vs. Houston Texans
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5 Receptions, 131 Yards Receiving, 2 Touchdowns
Surprisingly, the Patriots were forced to mount a comeback against the Houston Texans and rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson. They pulled it off thanks to some late-game magic from Brady and receiver Brandin Cooks.
That comeback was capped by a ridiculous 25-yard touchdown throw-and-catch. It was a perfect pass from Brady and an even better grab by Cooks, who expertly got his feet down just before falling out of bounds.
"To be honest, your brain knows you're close," Cooks said, per Peter King of Sports Illustrated. "I can't even describe to you what I did or why I did it. I can't take you through it. It's just the instincts of a receiver. You know how much space you have, and it's not much."
This was the game-winner and the highlight of an overall big day for Cooks. He's since become a major piece of New England's offense and remains one of the most explosive playmakers in the NFL.
As Chad Finn of Boston.com wrote at the time, this was the performance that made Cooks a "true Patriot."
1. Tom Brady: Week 3 vs. Houston Texans
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378 Yards Passing, 5 Touchdowns, 0 Interceptions
We've already touched on Brady's incredible throw to Cooks that allowed the Patriots to best the Texans. That entire drive, which began with just 2:24 remaining in the game, was amazing. However, it wasn't the only part of the quarterback's performance that made it special.
Consider the fact Brady was going up against a terrific Texans defense that was still at full strength. Houston's pass rush made life difficult on the 40-year-old, sacking him five times and battering him many, many more. Like a seasoned prize-fighter, though, he kept getting up after the big hits to deliver blows of his own.
Yes, Brady threw for more yards (447) against the New Orleans Saints the week before, but Houston presented a tougher challenge.
Oh, and Brady passed for 300 yards for the 78th time in this game, pushing him to third on the all-time list. This was also his sixth five-touchdown performance, tying him with Dan Marino for third all-time.
So Brady carved up a standout defense, engineered a game-winning drive and made a mark on the history books all with this performance. It's one of the best individual performances we've seen from anyone in the NFL all season.
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