BenJarvus Green-Ellis Leads Patriots on the Season's Critical Drive

It only resulted in a field goal. Just three points, and yet it was a drive that was as much the work of one individual as any drive in a league such as the NFL could be may just serve as a critical point in the 2011 New England Patriots season. 

Thirteen plays eating up six minutes and twelve seconds. For those who think there's nothing that Patriots superstar quarterback Tom Brady can't accomplish, I'd invite you to look at this drive. Brady may end up shattering the single-season passing record, but lest we forget the goal of the season isn't to knock off a record held by Dan Marino—it's to win the Super Bowl. 

Anyone watching Patriots football this season knows that the defense is a weakness. It's not a hopeless situation, and there is room for improved health to have a positive impact. There's also a learning curve in adjusting to the switch from the 3-4 defense that the Patriots played for years to this season's new 4-3 scheme. 

In the meantime, there aren't too many ways to cover up a bad defense. The best way is to keep the offense on the field, and the best way to do that is to run the football. Passing is fun, it provides highlights, makes the fans go nuts and produces numbers that make everyone take notice. Passing doesn't burn the clock, though. 

When the Patriots got the ball with 7:14 left in the fourth quarter, they had a 27-21 lead. That lead had been 27-14, but the New York Jets had just concluded an impressive 11-play, 85-yard drive to score a touchdown. That drive put many of New England's defensive deficiencies on full display. They weren't able to get stops on third down, they missed tackles, they were unable to bring down quarterback Mark Sanchez in spite of a few effective pass rushes. It was a poor defensive display against a team with a much-maligned offense as well. These Jets won't ever be mistaken for the 2000 St. Louis Rams.

Clinging to a tenuous six-point lead, the Patriots were faced with two much-needed tasks. Yes, they needed to put some more points on the board, a field goal at the very least to push the lead to nine points. That margin that would require two scores to overcome. They also needed to burn the clock. Sometimes how you go about accomplishing a task can be more important than it's actual completion.

The Patriots would hand the ball to running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis 10 times—on one drive. Green-Ellis would gain 59 yards and that drive, eating up 6:12 of the remaining 7:14 left in the game. In short, it was the drive that sealed the victory for New England, but it was more than that as well.

Handing the ball off to Green-Ellis 10 times is 10 less times that Brady is in danger of suffering a major injury. It's 10 less times that Wes Welker has to put his life and limp on the line by venturing over the middle of the field. It also does something else. It keeps the defense on the bench, resting, watching. Gaining energy and focus and while the defense didn't have much to worry about by the time they took the field again winning by nine points and with just over one minute remaining it won't always be like that.

There will be a time in a game when the defense will be thrilled that the running game kept them on the bench, resting for five or six or even more minutes. Hopefully that rest will make them more effective. Of course, opposing defenses may catch on to that and start to bring more defenders up toward the line of scrimmage in an effort to negate Green-Ellis's effectiveness.

That could be a major mistake, since Brady is not exactly shy when it comes to calling audibles and picking apart a defense that has inadvertently revealed its intentions. That drive today could be a sign of things to come for the Patriots as well a sign of things to come for opposing teams. The Patriots will take wins regardless of the final score. Especially if those wins come in January and into February. A solid running game could be a key to those types of wins. Patriot fans sure hope so.