PATRIOTS REPORT CARD VS. REDSKINS
PASSING OFFENSE: B-minus -- Tom
Brady was somewhat off Sunday despite his overall numbers looking solid
as usual. He finished 22-of-37 with three touchdown passes and 357
yards, but his interception in the end zone in the fourth quarter
nearly allowed Washington to put together a game-tying rally. The best
news? TE Rob Gronkowski remained an unstoppable force with two more
touchdown catches.
RUSHING OFFENSE: C -- There's
no real consistency here with any one player. This week, it was Danny
Woodhead leading the way with 41 yards on eight carries. These days, it
seems the Patriots only run to keep the defense on its toes, otherwise
it's the Brady and Gronkowski show for most of the afternoon. Brady's
footwork led to a couple of big plays, but the running game presented
no real threat to Washington.
PASS DEFENSE: C --- Just like
every week, there were some good plays and some awful ones, too. The
Patriots started out strong and finished strong as well, courtesy of
Jerod Mayo's game-ending interception, but the secondary continued to
struggle in man coverage. The usually-inept Rex Grossman lit them up
for 252 yards, which means the pass defense will always be a concern.
Andre Carter's strip-sack early in the game led to a fumble recovery in
the end zone and a touchdown for Vince Wilfork, arguably the play of
the game.
RUSH DEFENSE: C --- Even though
it was Rex Grossman's arm that kept the Redskins in the game, Roy Helu
put up big numbers, rushing 27 times for 126 yards, a good portion
coming on a 26-yard carry. Evan Royster provided a change of pace with
44 yards. With the year Vince Wilfork has had at nose tackle, the
Patriots shouldn't allow numbers like this, but the absence of Brandon
Spikes in the middle has certainly played a factor.
SPECIAL TEAMS: A --- He doesn't grab a
ton of headlines, but punter Zoltan Mesko has been outstanding this
year. He boomed a 61-yarder in Sunday's game, one of three strong
kicks. Stephen Gostkowski chipped in with a pair of field goals,
neither longer than 24 yards. All told, it was a quiet day on special
teams, which is usually a good thing.
COACHING: B --- The only thing
worth noting is the confrontation between Brady and offensive
coordinator Bill O'Brien on the sideline following Brady's
interception. Both sides downplayed the incident, as they should, but
it at least shows Brady isn't above a good scolding, nor is anyone on
the staff afraid to raise their voice if the franchise quarterback
makes a mistake. You've got to wonder how much more man defense they'll
try as the secondary continues to struggle, but there's no sense in
abandoning it entirely, since they'll probably need to perfect it at
some point.
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| DeJon
Gomes #24 of the Washington Redskins breaks up a pass intended for Rob
Gronkowski #87 of the New England Patriots at FedExField on December
11, 2011 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick
McDermott/Getty Images) |
REDSKINS REPORT CARD VS. PATRIOTS
PASSING OFFENSE: B-minus -- QB
Rex Grossman was solid but not off the charts against a horrible
Patriots pass defense, throwing for 252 yards and two touchdowns. The
last-minute interception was the fault of veteran WR Santana Moss, who
couldn't corral the ball just two plays after committing an
interference penalty that wiped out his game-tying/game-winning
touchdown (depending on whether the Redskins went for two). Moss, Donte
Stallworth and Jabar Gaffney became the first Redskins trio with at
least 80 yards each since the 1990 glory days of Art Monk, Gary Clark
and Ricky Sanders. Return specialist Brandon Banks found Moss for a
score while Grossman connected with Gaffney and receiver David Anderson
for touchdowns. After ex-Redskins DE Andre Carter beat rookie LT Willie
Smith for a sack/fumble/touchdown, the Redskins allowed just one sack.
RUSHING OFFENSE: A -- The
transition was completed against the Patriots. Rookie RBs Roy Helu (a
fourth-round draft choice) and Evan Royster (a sixth-rounder) combined
for 170 yards on 33 carries while veterans Tim Hightower (injured) and
Ryan Torain (inactive) watched from the sideline in street clothes. New
England doesn't have a great defense, but minus OTs Trent Williams
(suspended) and Jammal Brown (injured) and TE Fred Davis (suspended),
the guys up front won the battle in the trenches.
PASS DEFENSE: C -- Patriots QB
Tom Brady didn't rip apart the Redskins as he does so many teams, but
he did throw for 357 yards and three touchdowns, two to TE Rob
Gronkowski for whom Washington had no answers (six catches, 160 yards).
Pats WR Wes Welker started slow but finished with seven grabs for 86
yards and a score and TE Aaron Hernandez had five catches for 84 yards.
Redskins CB DeAngelo Hall was embarrassing in just watching Gronkowski
break the tackles of FS DeJon Gomes and SS Reed Doughty. CB Josh Wilson
did save at least three points with an end-zone interception of Brady,
who was sacked just once in 28 dropbacks (DE Stephen Bowen and NT Barry
Cofield shared it).
RUSH DEFENSE: C -- The Pats
aren't much for running the ball, but they averaged 4.0 per carry
against the Redskins with a couple of runs over 10 yards. ILB London
Fletcher led the way, as is almost always the case, with 10 tackles.
SPECIAL TEAMS: C-minus -- K
Graham Gano made two short field-goal attempts but also kicked off out
of bounds for the second time in three weeks (he nearly did so in the
game in between, too). P Sav Rocca had his worst day with averages of
37.3 (gross) and 31.3 (net) yards. KR Brandon Banks averaged just 19.5
yards on kickoffs and didn't bring a punt back. The coverage units were
solid.
COACHING: A-minus -- Washington
hasn't been fun for coach Mike Shanahan, who's 10-19 with the Redskins
after being a persistent winner in Denver with two Super Bowl trophies.
But Shanahan came in 9-5 against Patriots coach Bill Belichick, a
three-time Super Bowl winner, and although the
injury/suspension-depleted Redskins were outmanned, they hung in there
thanks to productive play from rookies (Roy Helu, Willie Smith, Evan
Royster) and street free agents (Tyler Polumbus, David Anderson, Donte
Stallworth), which speaks to the ability of Shanahan and his staff to
coach 'em up and keep the players motivated even though they had lost
seven of their previous eight games and were heavy underdogs. Offensive
coordinator Kyle Shanahan called probably his best game of the year,
highlighted by the Banks-to-Moss option pass. Jim Haslett's defense did
force Brady to step up in the pocket often but didn't hurt him enough.
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