New England Patriots: Patrick Chung Put Second Half on His Shoulders in Big Win
Weren't the New England Patriots supposed to struggle on the road against the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football?
The Patriots were lucky, to say the least, to escape the first half trailing by just one point. Their defense gave up yards at will to Chad Henne and the Dolphins, but was bailed out by two big interceptions from outside linebacker Rob Ninkovich in classing "bend-don't-break" fashion.
Their road woes have been nothing short of storied, as the Patriots have struggled to put points on the board or to stop their opponent from scoring in the second half of games played in places without the word "England" in the title.
But Patrick Chung and New England's special teams had something different in mind.
Here are the top 10 things to take away from last night's game.
10. Bend Don't Break Defense Returns
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It's hard to find anything wrong with a 41-14 win. If there's one thing the Patriots could have hoped for, though, it was more production from their defense in the first half.
The Patriots were lucky to escape the first half down by just one point after not being able to stop the Dolphins from piling on the yards. But yards are yards, and the Patriots went back to their age-old adage of "bend-don't-break" defense that lets you march up and down the field. Just as long as you stay out of the end zone.
9. No First Half Offense
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Tom Brady had his hands full with the Dolphins pass rush for much of the first half. Their first drive ended on three-and-out, and Brady was harassed by Cameron Wake as the former CFL Player of the Year landed a big sack on Brady.
It didn't appear as though it would be the high-scoring output for New England's offense that many were expecting, but it's not how you start the game, it's how you finish.
8. BenJarvus Green-Ellis Could Be New England's New Workhorse
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BenJarvus Green-Ellis aka "Law Firm" has become the workhorse for the Patriots. He's had flashes of greatness, and had a great performance last week against the Bills when he took 16 carries for 98 yards and a touchdown against the Bills.
Last night against the Dolphins, his 16 carries went 76 yards for another touchdown.
It's odd that he became the featured running back almost by mistake, with injuries and trades leading him to move slowly up the depth chart up to this point. But hey, I'm sure the Patriots will take his production without much complaint.
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7. New England Tamed The Wildcat
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The Patriots have been gashed by the Wildcat offense in the past, but the trickery didn't work against the Patriots on Monday night. The first attempt out of the Wildcat came in the first quarter, and Ronnie Brown was tackled behind the line of scrimmage for a four-yard loss by Brandon Meriweather.
This wrinkle in the Dolphins offense has been quieted more and more with each passing season, and it seems to be only a matter of time before the novelty is put on the shelf for good.
6. Danny Woodhead The Tiny and Mighty
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New England's very own version of "Pocket Hercules", Danny Woodhead had 47 yards on nine touches, one of them an 11-yard touchdown reception. Woodhead has collected a touchdown in each of his first two games as a Patriot.
It continues to remain a question as to why he was cut from the Jets during Hard Knocks, but no one from the Patriots seems to mind too much that Woodhead has come in and quickly made his presence felt. The small and agile speedster has amassed 90 yards on 12 touches and two touchdowns on the season.
5. Randy Moss Is Blanked And It Doesn't Even Matter
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We all knew that the questions would fly at Randy Moss after the game. That was evident when the passes weren't flying his way during the game.
But Moss proved the selflessness that we all knew was there when he attributed his first 0-catch game as a Patriot to the game plan. He probably knew all along that he wouldn't be getting the ball much, but that didn't deter him from being fired up. He patted Welker on the helmet after a big third-down conversion, and continued to run his routes hard even though the ball wasn't being thrown his way.
4. Brandon Tate Wouldn't Let The Pats Come Out Flat in The Second Half
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All the questions about New England's less-than-stellar play in the second half of games on the road came to a screeching halt as Brandon Tate took it upon himself to put those worries to bed early, at around 10:00 EDT to be exact.
The speedster made a nice cut to the right sideline on the opening kickoff of the second half, and took it 103 yards for a touchdown. The Patriots 7-6 halftime deficit turned into a 13-7 lead, but the return meant so much more than that.
You could feel the momentum swing, and Mike Tirico even pointed out that the electricity that once ran through the fans at Sun Life Stadium was "dead".
Both of Tate's kickoff returns for touchdowns have come at the start of the second half. Perhaps the recipe to beating the Patriots in the second half is to avoid kicking it to this guy...
3. Tom Brady The Game Manager
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The Patriots won, and Tom Brady didn't have an All-Pro game? What fantasy world are we living in?
The fantasy world of reality...or something.
The Super Bowl MVP quarterback had a game manager type of game, what we were used to seeing from him last decade, as he went 19-of-24 for 153 yards and a touchdown.
Many, myself included, thought an All Pro performance would be entirely necessary if the Patriots were to have a chance in this game. Completing 80 percent of his passes, despite a good amount of pressure in his face, is very respectable, but not quite the game-changing performance we've come to expect.
But Brady will take the win any way the Patriots can get it.
2. Rob Ninkovich The No-Namer
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The Miami Dolphins had the no-name defense in the 70's, but if the Dolphins didn't know Rob Ninkovich's name before last night, they'll have a hard time forgetting his name now.
Ninkovich made only his second career start, but there will definitely be more to come in the near future after last night's performance. He logged his first and second career interceptions in the first half, making a great read on a play action pass and an even better athletic play on the throw. He also had a sack on Chad Henne.
1. Patrick Chung The Game Changer
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If Patrick Chung didn't earn himself a player of the week nomination for his performance last week, I'd like to know who you have in mind for the award. Go on, I'm waiting.
Whomever you have in mind, they can't have made as much of an impact single-handedly as Chung did for the Patriots on Monday Night Football, blocking a punt and a field goal and returning an interception for a touchdown.
With two big special teams plays, Chung proved just how "special" he really is to New England.
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