By: Kyle Auger
Sports Editor
The Patriots game against the Miami Dolphins on Monday night was one for the record books, as they won convincingly, 38-24.
The most impressive aspect of the game was clearly the offense, led by captain Tom Brady. Brady completed 67% of his passes for a Monday Night Football record 517 yards accompanied with 4 touchdowns.
Brady announced earlier in the year that he would play for ten more years and his performance looked like his tank is far from empty. He showed his signature poise in the pocket and superior decision-making by only throwing one interception, on a tipped screen pass.
The other headline about this offense is the explosive tight ends, Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski, who seem to be the future of this team. The two second year players combined for 13 catches and 189 yards and it seemed that the Dolphins had no answer to their size and athleticism. This is the first time in recent history the Patriots had dominant tight ends and it is apparent that it is the most dominant facet of their offense.
Along with the focus on the tight ends, the offense looked much more explosive than last year with 5 receivers catching passes longer than 20 yards including a record-tying 99 and a half yard touchdown pass to Wes Welker.
The reason Brady had so much time to pick apart the Miami secondary was due to the physical performance of the new offensive line. First round draft pick Nate Solder from Colorado gave an inspiring game, smothering last year’s AFC sack leader Cameron Wake. Also, Brian Waters was just signed as the right guard only a week ago and seemed to grasp the offense immediately.
Although Brady and the offense got the majority of the media attention, the more promising point of the game may have been the defense.
With the addition of Albert Haynesworth also came the addition of a new 4-3 defense that is using a committee of defensive lineman to get continual pressure on the quarterback. They played 6 players, which cut down on fatigue and increased energy. The defense recorded 4 sacks and limited Miami to 98 rush yards.
The Patriots are set to play a San Diego Chargers Sunday at 4PM who, led by Phillip Rivers, has one of the league’s most explosive offenses, and it is time for the D to step up and bolster the Patriots as a super bowl favorite.
