Patriots Vs. Texans — Sep 24, 2017
Just for fun, I wanted to try writing up some in-depth analysis of the Patriots game-winning drive against the Texans on September 24th.
So many things had to go right in the final two minutes of this game, and Brady’s attention to detail is ultimately what allowed them to sneak away with a win.
So without further ado…
2nd and 10, NE 25–2:20
After an incompletion to Amendola on 1st down, the Pats set themselves back for the first time on the drive. Brady throws incomplete to Cooks on the deep in cut. Tom had James White wide-open over the middle for a check-down and probably 5 or 10 yards, but went for the bigger play with Cooks. David Andrews gets beat by Mercilus and grabs him for a pretty clear holding call, setting up 2nd and 20.
3rd and 13, NE 23–2:00
After hitting Gronk over the middle for 7 yards, the Pats face 3rd and long at the two-minute warning on their own 23. Not ideal.
The Texans seem to be in man coverage. Gronk is 1-on-1 with Zach Cunningham, inline to Brady’s right. Cunningham tries to chip Gronk at the line. Gronk shakes him inside, and it’s over. Gronk 1-on-1 with a linebacker will get the ball every time on 3rd and long, and Brady never looks anywhere else.
1st and 10, NE 38–1:33
Texans look like they’re in cover 2. They rush 4 and jump Amendola’s route over the middle, doubling him and leaving a single high safety. Cooks and Hogan are both running hitches on the outside in single coverage. Both are probably open, but Cooks more-so. Kareem Jackson is covering Cooks and is worried about getting beat deep, which leaves the hitch wide-open. Cooks is FAST.
1st and 10, HST 44–1:28
Pats are making good progress before taking another step backward.
Brady is in shotgun with James White to his left.
Texans show pressure, with 6 on the line. They fake the blitz and only rush 4, with McKinney and Cunningham dropping back into coverage. It’s a nice action, and it seems to confuse the Pats line.
Thuney/Solder double-team Clowney, and Mason/Andrews double Mercilus, leaving Gilcrhist (#21) unblocked up the middle. James White vacates to the flat. Perhaps White was meant to stay in and block, or perhaps there was simply a miscommunication up front.
Brady does a good job stepping up to avoid the hit initially, but he’s still a split-second too late getting rid of the ball. He might have had Amendola open coming out of his break on the right, but Brady can’t get the throw off. If it’s the first quarter, he probably just takes the sack. But with the game on the line, he tries to make something happen. Gilchrist strips the ball, and everyone is very lucky that it bounces directly to David Andrews.
2nd and 18, NE 48, 1:00
Brady had plenty of time here, not sure what he saw. Cooks is in single coverage with Corey Moore, but Moore is in good position and makes a nice play. Brady maybe had space to underthrow him or lead him to the right for a completion, but that’s a tough throw. Almost game over, but luckily Moore drops the ball.
3rd and 18, NE 48, 0:54
Once again, New England faces a 3rd and long in a do or die situation. The Texans burn a timeout (probably because their line looked gassed on the previous play), giving the Pats a chance to catch their breath.
Brady is in shotgun with White to his left. Amendola is lined up in the slot to Brady’s left.
Hogan and Amendola cross over the middle, right at the first-down marker. Looks like the Texans are in man coverage, or a man-zone hybrid, with a robber underneath to jump the crossing routes, and a single high safety.
Amendola barely has a step on Eddie Pleasant, the safety/nickelback in man coverage. The robber underneath, Andre Hal (#29), is just a little bit too shallow. Brady somehow drops it right between Hal and Pleasant.
The most impressive part is that Watt beats the double team of Gronk AND Waddle on the outside to Brady’s right, getting in Tom’s face pretty much immediately (Gronk stayed in to block about 50% of the time on this drive — kind of surprising given the situation).
Brady stays calm, steps up, and drops a dime to Amendola, who is not even open yet when the ball is thrown. Brady probably sees that Dola has a step on both his man and the robber, and lobs it in there for 27 yards. The screenshot below is what Brady sees when the ball is thrown, which is absolutely ridiculous.
Amendola makes a great catch while getting his helmet ripped off by Eddie Pleasant. First down.
1st and 10, HST 25, 00:29
Brady is in shotgun with White to his left. Texans are in cover 2 (zone coverage underneath with 2 high safeties.)
Kareem Jackson is the corner underneath on Cooks, Corey Moore is the deep safety.
Cooks runs a simple fly route, breaking it off just past the goal line. Cooks runs his route just behind the corner, and just in front of the safety, finding the soft spot in the zone.
The key here is that Brady freezes the safety for a split-second with a quick pump fake towards Amendola, who is running a deep post up the middle.
It’s so quick that you’ll miss it if you’re not looking for it, but the pump fake freezes Moore for JUST long enough. Brady is able to drop the ball behind Jackson and in front of Moore, who is now a split-second late getting over to break up the play.
Again, the most impressive part is that Clowney has beaten Thuney with a stunt to the inside, and is right in Brady’s face as he throws the ball, leveling him after the release.
With one of the best pass-rushers in the league in his face, Tom stands in the pocket, pumps to freeze the safety, and then drops a perfect ball to Cooks for the touchdown.
Without the pump-fake, neither Cooks nor Amendola are open, and this is likely a sack or a pick.
Unreal.
