Pass defense looks improved in win over Tampa Bay

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Last Sunday in Foxborough, Cam Newton threw for 316 yards and three touchdowns, finding receivers wide open all over the field, in the Panthers 33-30 upset win over the New England Patriots.

It not only left the Patriots with the NFL’s 32nd-ranked pass defense, but the players trying to answer questions about how things were going so horribly wrong on that side of the ball through the first month of the season.

Thursday night in Tampa, Jameis Winston passed for 334 yards, but the Patriots (3-2) were able to grind out the ugly 19-14 win over the Bucs (2-2) thanks in part to a trio of Nick Folk missed field goals.

After the short work week, gone were the questions about communication and concerns about whether a Patriots defense that led the NFL in points allowed a year ago on the way to Super Bowl glory could turn things around this fall.

Instead, players on both sides of the ball in New England praised the defense’s work that included much-maligned cornerback Stephon Gilmore matching up with Mike Evans while Malcolm Butler followed DeSean Jackson all over the field.

Forget Winston missing a wide-open Jackson behind Butler for a would-be 68-yard touchdowns. Forget Folk’s misses.

For at least one night, allowing 300-plus yards through the air was very much seen as a step in the right direction.

“I would say this week on a short week I thought there were some really good things that came through. I think there were some situational things that were good,” Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia said after breaking down the film that included New England holding the Bucs to four of 13 on third-down conversions. “There’s certainly a lot to keep pushing and keep improving on and that’s really the main focus that we’ve got to handle. I would say for the most part I thought on the field the guys were really focused into what Tampa Bay does, the players that they go to, the quarterback, how they run their offensive system.

“I thought the preparation from that standpoint was really good. I think from a general standpoint of playing aggressive I think was good. I think the guys put themselves in position getting lined up when you have a week where you may not necessarily get a live practice in that week because of the time crunch. Sometimes the alignments or the adjustments or anything like that it’s hard unless you see it live in practice first. I thought they did a real good job of that and just being ready to go. We’ve certainly got a lot to improve on.”

Matching its cornerbacks up against the Bucs certainly slowed Winston and Co. early on. The young passer had just 71 yards passing at halftime and didn’t really move the ball consistently until the fourth quarter. And Gilmore, in particular, clearly enjoyed the simplified assignment, even if against one the best young receivers in the game in Evans, who finished with just five catches for 49 yards.

“I think that’s when you get the best out of me, when I’m following a guy and studying that guy,” Gilmore said afterward. “I was out to prove something.”

So were the rest of the Patriots. And though it was merely a baby step toward the type of defense that will be necessary down the road if the team is to strive for its usual lofty goals, for this week it was good enough.

“You can build off this as a defense,” safety Devin McCourty said. “You can’t build when you’re cutting guys loose, so today was obviously a step in the right (direction).”

Something to build off of and something to quiet the critics. And numbers aside, it was a more competitive effort. Head coach Bill Belichick’s team showed some fight and improvement in a tough Thursday night spot.

For that, the coach credited his veteran leaders on defense, including captains McCourty and linebacker Dont’a Hightower.

“I thought that High and McCourty really gave us some great leadership defensively and our preparation and having the right attitude to go down and play in the game and what we needed to do,” Belichick offered up unsolicited. “It was a short week. I thought they really stepped up from a leadership standpoint in that group and did a great job for us. It’s always good to see. I just wanted to recognize it because I think sometimes you just see it play out on the field. Obviously, they’re very, very important but there’s a lot of things that go into how it all comes together and I thought those two players defensively did a real good job for us this week.”

“We’re trying to improve every week,” Patricia concluded.

New England accomplished that goal, even if only incrementally, in the win in Tampa.

–Wide receiver Danny Amendola caught all eight balls thrown his way in the win over the Bucs on Thursday Night Football. With tight end Rob Gronkowski inactive due to a thigh injury and Tampa Bay decimated with injuries at both linebacker and safety, the slot receiver was turned to for a larger role in the passing attack. And as he’s done in similar situations in the past, including key roles in recent New England postseason runs, Amendola lived up to head coach Bill Belichick’s organizational philosophy by doing his job.

“Basically, the same thing we’ve seen from him all year and for many years,” Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels responded when asked what he saw from his receiver in the win in Tampa. “The guy, he’s a great football player and he does a lot of things well – he’s tough, he always makes an impact when he’s in there, he blocks hard, he gets open in the passing game, he catches the ball, he’s hard to tackle, he returns punts, makes big plays in the kicking game, he’s a great teammate. There’s nothing I don’t love about Danny Amendola. Every time he’s out there, you feel good about what may happen if the ball is headed towards him, and he always comes up big in the biggest moments or biggest games. Danny’s having a very good beginning to the season, and we want to continue to try to do that.”

Amendola, who also had a key second-quarter 40-yard punt return to set up a field goal, is now tied for second on the Patriots with 23 receptions through five games, despite missing one contest to a concussion. Though his role has ebbed and flowed based on his own health and the availability of other weapons during his time in New England, clearly his coaches are never hesitant to count on the veteran.

“Danny’s a great teammate and he’s a great team player,” McDaniels continued to rave. “All I know is that he’s ready to go each week, he always does his role to the best of his ability and he makes an impact for us on offense. So, I know he’s doing a great job for us. Obviously, we love having him and it’s a great part of our job to have an opportunity to coach guys like that.”

REPORT CARD VS. BUCCANEERS

–PASSING OFFENSE: B – Tom Brady notched his fourth straight 300-yard game, but it was far from painless or easy. Brady threw his first interception of the season on the game’s opening possession, a poorly thrown ball behind a crossing Chris Hogan that floated into the waiting arms of rookie Bucs safety Justin Evans. Going against a Tampa Bay front that had just one sack in three games, New England’s offensive line allowed Brady to be sacked three times, including runaway rusher LB Adarius Glanton who notched a strip-sack that was recovered by teammate Will Clarke. Brady took six hits overall and got up slow at times. Still, by the final gun, he’d completed 30 of 40 throws for 303 yards with one touchdown to go with the one pick for a 94.1 rating, his lowest since opening night. With TE Rob Gronkowski sidelined to a thigh injury WRs Danny Amendola and Chris Hogan each stepped up with season highs of eight catches, the former for 77 yards, the latter for 74 yards and New England’s only touchdown. James White continued to be key, catching seven passes for 57 yards, giving him a team-high 29 receptions through five games.

–RUSHING OFFENSE: B-MINUS – The running game will always be a complementary factor in New England, but the unit has been on the uptick in the last couple games. New England ran the ball 23 times for 113 yards (4.9 average) against a Bucs defense that came in allowing just 2.9 yards per carry on the season, though the group was without two starting linebackers (Kwon Alexander and Lavonte David) and safeties Keith Tandy and T.J. Ward. Mike Gillislee led the way once again for New England with 12 carries for 52 yards, while Dion Lewis picked up 53 yards on his seven attempts, including a game-long 31-yarder. After three games to open the season averaging 3.8 yards per carry or worse, New England has topped four yards per attempt as a team for two straight weeks.

–PASS DEFENSE: C-minus – Just four days after an embarrassing performance against the Panthers that had Carolina receivers running wide open all over the field, New England’s pass defense manned up both literally and figuratively against Tampa Bay. With no time to fix all their communication issues, the patriots matched Stephon Gilmore up with Mike Evans and Malcolm Butler up with DeSean Jackson. Both were very competitive in their matchups. New England held Jameis Winston to just 71 yards passing in the first half. The final numbers don’t look as impressive, though, as the young passer picked up his game late to pile up 334 yards, completing 26 of 46 throws overall. The Patriots didn’t get much help from the pass rush and Winston certainly missed his share of open targets, including a wide-open, would-be 68-yard touchdown to Jackson. But it was a step in a more competent, competitive direction for the New England defense to hold the Bucs to four of 13 on third downs. The 32nd-ranked pass defense heard all the critics and responded, even if more by the eye-ball test than the final numbers. There is still a lot of work left to do, though, both in terms of coverage and finding a more consistent rush.

–RUSH DEFENSE: C-minus – With veteran defensive tackle Alan Branch left in New England, the struggling run defense wasn’t overly impressive in the winning effort. Bucs back Doug Martin returned from a three-game suspension to run the ball 13 times for 74 yards (5.7 average) with a long of 17 yards and Tampa Bay’s only touchdown of the night. Martin did the bulk of the damage in the first half – seven carries for 55 yards – including in the second-quarter drive to his own 1-yard touchdown that he helped set up with runs of 11, 17 and 11 yards. Defensive tackle Lawrence Guy got pushed around too often up front, while Kyle Van Noy had his own issues, even though the linebacker did finish second on the Patriots with seven tackles.

–SPECIAL TEAMS: A-minus – On a night when Tampa Bay kicker Nick Folk missed a trio of field goals, New England clearly got the better of the special teams battle. Stephen Gostkowski hit all four of his field-goal attempts from 27, 23, 45 and 48 yards. He put five of his six kickoffs in the end zone for touchbacks and the other, popped up near the goal line, was returned just 16 yards. Amendola had a timely 40-yard punt return late in the first half to help set up the 23-yard Gostkowski field goal just before halftime. Ryan Allen had a 47-yard average and 39.8 net on his four punts, including one downed well inside the 20 to pin the Bucs at their 3-yard line in impressive situational work early in the fourth quarter. There were too many penalties in the kicking game, with one of Brandon Bolden’s three flags giving Tampa Bay a free first down when he was offside on a punt. Otherwise it was a solid night in the third phase to contribute to the tight win.

–COACHING: B – Sometimes the simple answer is the right answer. That was the case this week for Stephon Gilmore and a Patriots pass defense struggling with communication. On a short week with not nearly enough time to clean it up, Bill Belichick and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia smartly went with more matched up, man looks against the Bucs with Gilmore shadowing Mike Evans and Malcolm Butler chasing DeSean Jackson all over the field. Though the final numbers weren’t great, it gave the Patriots a chance to compete and win on the road. Belichick was also quick to praise offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and his staff for dealing with the uncertainty surrounding tight end Rob Gronkowski, essentially preparing game plans to play with and without the team’s key pass-catcher. It’s difficult any time a team goes on the road on the short week for Thursday night football, but the staff managed the situation well, even if the Patriots had to grind out a tough win in Tampa. All is far from fixed, but New England seemed to come together as a team this week under the leadership of not only its veteran players but also the coaching staff.