Week 15 Quick Hits: Patriots Have Their Way
Football miracles don’t work in the wrong order. The Broncos rushed for 167 yards and scored two touchdowns in the first quarter, not the fourth.
When your defense is as porous as New England’s, the best way to stop the run is build a big lead offensively. The Patriots did that primarily by throwing to Aaron Hernandez, Tim Tebow’s former Florida teammate. Hernandez had a career-high nine catches for 129 yards. Hernandez was able to draw favorable matchups against linebackers operating out of New England’s remarkably versatile base 12 personnel package (two tight ends, one running back, two wide receivers).
From their base package, the Patriots can line up in a two-tight end set, a two-back set, a 3 x 1 receiver set or, as they did frequently Sunday, a 3 x 2 receiver set – all without substituting a single player. This bounty of options is nearly indefensible when the signal-caller is as good as Tom Brady at locating mismatches before, and immediately after, the snap. It may not have been a miraculous show, but the Mile High fans finally got to see elite N.F.L. quarterbacking.
