Anytime a team opens the season with a convincing road victory there aren’t a lot of areas that generally go unnoticed. The Patriots 34-13 win was equal parts offense, defense and special teams, with the team receiving significant contributions from the rookies on defense and the running game – two areas that haven’t necessarily been huge factors in the recent past.
But there are always key plays and sequences that fly beneath the radar, and when the game winds up as a lopsided affair they can sometimes be forgotten. One such play occurred midway through the third quarter as the Titans were trying to dig their way out of a huge hole.
Tennessee had just scored to cut New England’s lead to 21-10 and now the LP Field crowd was trying to do its part to help the defense get the ball back.
Now he needed to move the chains, otherwise his defense would have been right back on the field after having just surrendered a touchdown and the crowd would have been electric with dreams of a comeback. So, Brady did the wise thing and looked for his All-Pro tight end and was rewarded.
Moments later the Patriots faced another difficult task with a third-and-nine from the 32. Not surprisingly, Brady looked for Gronkowski again, and his 9-yard catch in traffic continued the drive and chewed up two additional minutes off the clock.
When the Patriots finally punted they forced Tennessee to take over at its 10, and after a Titans punt the offense was back on the field. Taking over at the Titans 48, it took just six plays for the Patriots to effectively end the game with a 1-yard Ridley touchdown run.
But Gronkowski’s catches allowed the Patriots to hold off the Titans momentum before eventually regaining control and coasting to a well-earned victory.
What did you think flew under the radar in the Patriots season-opening win in Tennessee? Let us know with a comment to help us celebrate Take Two-sday!