Patriots Winners and Losers: Week Three
The Patriots won a thriller on Sunday with a big victory against the Houston Texans as they took them down 36-33. It was a back and forth affair that had them completely on the ropes at the end of the 4th, down 33-28 with less than two minutes remaining. Then Tom Brady happened. Brady marched the Patriots down the field and threw a rocket to Brandin Cooks for the win. It was an absolute thriller that left its share of big Patriot winners but also left us with some big question marks moving forward. Let’s look at some of the biggest winners and losers from this thrilling game.
Winners
Tom Brady
Nobody is surprised by this one. Although Brady has a rough first start of the season he has been on a tear the last two weeks leaving many to be simply baffled by his performance. He had one of his finest performances of his regular season career this week as he went for 376 yards and 5 touchdowns. Of course, his game-winning throw to Cooks was the biggest one but he had complete command of the game the entire time he was out there. With several deep touchdowns throws to Cooks as well as Hogan, he continues to prove his doubters wrong. To put it simply, a man this old should not be throwing the ball this well down the field and with so much accuracy. He’s been fantastic and should be the early MVP frontrunner without debate.
Brandin Cooks
Cooks was due. He was due for a big game and he showed up in a big way. I tweeted out a few days before the game that we should all look for him to have a big game and he certainly did. Racking up 131 yards of receiving as well as 2 touchdowns. Brady has had trouble figuring out ways to utilize such a dangerous weapon but he finally is catching on. The combination of him and Hogan have created such a dynamic duo that it has freed up Gronkowski and several other players as well. They will need him to continue to do so.
The Offense
Tom Brady and Brandin Cooks shined so much that they deserved their own tidbit but the entire offense was excellent. Rob Gronkowski was terrific and again and brought in a touchdown. Chris Hogan brought in 2 touchdowns and continues to impress and the running game did enough to keep the defense honest. The passing game was extremely impressive. The only downside was the streak of 3 and outs before their big final drive. Overall it was a very good day for this Patriots offense.
Deatrich Wise
Wise is becoming a regular winner and the Patriots defense would not have it any other way. He was not able to register a sack this week but he disrupted a pass that led to an interception and rushed the passer several times. He has become a consistent force in the defense and one of the few. They will need him to continue the production going forward as he has five tackles, 2.0 sacks and a pass defended.
Losers
The Running Backs
I know I mentioned that they did enough to keep such a good defense honest but that does not mean they played all that well. Dion Lewis struggled pretty heavily and James White did not produce much at all. To top it all off, Mike Gillislee was held to under 50 yards and did not produce much at all as well. Credit the Texans for an extremely good front 7 but still this group of running backs is going to need to do a lot more.
Dwayne Allen
Since Aaron Hernandez went off the haywire, the Patriots have consistently been going after talented tight ends that can be run in 2 tight end sets. Allen was the latest example and so far, not so good. You must give him credit for his impressive blocking abilities but he dropped another pass on Sunday and people have come to fear that he has turned into more of Scott Chandler then Martellus Bennett. Maybe he can turn it around but he needs to gain trust in his quarterback first and foremost.
Defensive Execution
Yet again the Patriots defense had a lot of troubles. Stephon Gilmore came up with his first interception but overall, they let up too many big plays to a team that was led by a rookie QB. Deshaun Watson looked very impressive but the Patriots defense did not help the cause. They have let up way too many points thus far this season and if this continues they will need a lot of production out of their offense. Brady can’t be the hero every single week.
That’s all this week folks and continue to follow Cover32 for all your NFL news. Let’s hope the defense plays better and Tom Brady continues to do what he does best.
-Jared Talbot is a Staff Writer for cover32/Patriots and covers the New England Patriots. Follow him on Twitter @jaredtalbot17
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