Patriots-Lions Observations

The Patriots escaped Hurricane Irene, making it out to Detroit in time for a Saturday night clash with the Lions. Unfortunately, the near-miss of Irene was about the only thing to go right for New England who looked completely outmatched and unprepared on the way to a 34-10 drubbing via the Lions. The Lions looked potent early and often, connecting through the air over a shaky New England pass secondary.

Notable Stats

Tom Brady 12/22 145 yds 1TD 1INT
Danny Woodhead 4car 28yds
Wes Welker 3rec 71yds TD
Aaron Hernandez 5rec 46yds
Matthew Slater 1rec 53 yds
Jerod Mayo 7tkls

Observations

- We spent two weeks ranting and raving about the new and improved Patriots defense, only to see them lapse into what has now become a 3 year trend of inconsistency and vanilla tendencies. Poor pass rush, poor coverage, and overall confusion plagued New England yet again.

- The defensive line was nowhere to be found. The furious interior pass rush found itself to be nonexistent tonight, making for an even longer night in the secondary. The middle of the field was wide open for Detroit.

- Mr. Optimistic speaking, but was this exactly what the Patriots needed? Propped up on a pedestal after two pre-season games, everything in New England came hurtling back down to earth. Hopefully this is a shot in the arm reality check for the Patriots.

- I’ve mentioned it before and hoped that this year would be different, but the Patriots simply aren’t mentally tough. When adversity strikes, they often crumble. The secondary takes on a deer in the headlights look and the defense turns sieve like. The same issue happens on offense with Tom Brady, who hasn’t looked comfortable facing pressure since his ACL injury.

- Speaking of the offense, what the heck happened on the offensive line? They got turned around more than the ticket turnstiles during pre-game, rodeoing pass rushers towards Tom Brady. He rarely had a comfortable pocket to step up into. And we saw Brady get frustrated, glaring back at his collapsed pocket after the play.

- Something to watch for, Wes Welker left the game with a neck injury. Welker looked strong tonight up until the injury, something you couldn’t say for Chad Ochocinco. He needs to find a way to get on the same page and needs to forget about his lack of production.

- Brady has not looked as sharp as expected in his first two appearances. He’s still struggling with accuracy and comfort in the pocket.

- Belichick was doing the patented tongue in cheek to lip roll in his press conference when describing how the team “needs to be better in all areas.” Safe to say, he’s pissed. He then answered reporters with an average of 6 words a response, vintage coach after the game. Another gem, Belichick was asked when he makes the decision on injured players such as Albert Haynesworth. His response? “We make the decisions when we know.”

- Julian Edelman was a lone bright spot for the Patriots, showing explosion as a return man and reliability as a receiver.

- Kyle Arrington and Devin McCourty both struggled tonight, which was a little uncharacteristic. Both corners have been fairly reliable in Patriots uniforms.

- In summary, it’s a night to forget. The offensive line looked back, the defense looked worth. It’ll be interesting to see how Belichick handles the short week before the final game of the pre-season.