[ad_1]
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – This was never really what we expected, not a duel between two of the greatest quarterbacks of this era, or any other era. All this video of goats' frolics was for nothing.
Sunday night, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers did not play the main role, but another Aaron – Aaron Jones, who escaped with the Packers towards the territory of the Patriots caused the outbreak of the draw between 14 and 14 points of the Patriots. And by a wall of Patriots blockers who placed a screen for James White on a trick game that triggered the first hit of that burst, then by the rocket, Brady fired on a very open Josh Gordon that resulted in a touched 55 yards for the game. second score. And by a defense that stole the show in what was supposed to be an offensive night.
Coach Bill Belichick was virtually stunned thereafter, stifled by Brady's work ethic, by Rodgers' sense of play, on his own defensive front. As this is a line as flat as ever, Belichick's post-match atmosphere is as accurate as the extent to which he feels good with the Patriots. That's all you need to know: Belichick smiled.
The Patriots beat the Packers 31-17 and unless they meet in a Super Bowl – and this seems increasingly unlikely this year for the 3-4-1 Packers, who occupy third place NFC North – we probably will not see Rodgers and Brady face each other again. They kissed and shared a few words late Sunday night and then parted. Brady, with his team at 7-2 and a win over the Kansas City Chiefs in their pocket, to what appears to be a new assault in January on the playoffs. Rodgers in his simmering disappointment and irritation with the Packers management.
Rodgers' discontent is understandable when teams are so easily compared side by side, like this. Brady was not particularly strong on Sunday – he finished 22 with 35 for 294 yards and one touchdown, six consecutive surprising defeats at one point, and he looked for confusing stretches by Mike Pettine's defense. The Patriots had to rely on big games, because they did not receive their routine of four and seven yards, conceded Brady.
But Brady was surrounded by a better team than Rodgers, even without Rob Gronkowski or Sony Michel, injured. And Brady is coached by extremely creative coaches. The patriots went up from time to time. The play calls for a flickering flea and the screen goes from Julian Edelman to White on the other side of the field – Brady was the chief blocker and admitted to having hit no one – that's the only thing that's going on. is the kind of aggression and derring-do missing from the Packers' approach and, to be fair, that of virtually every other team. The pass for Gordon, flying over Edelman's outstretched arms, underscored the fact that the Patriots manage to find contributors where others do not. Cordarelle Patterson, formerly known as a returning receiver and batter, became the new Patriots' halfback on Sunday with 11 runs for 61 yards and one touchdown. He entered the game with a total of 61 rushes in a six-year career.
"A very large part of our team is made up of guys who may have chosen badly to play that role," Brady said of Patterson. "Injuries, attrition, a lot of guys are falling in. You are small in some places."
Brady wanted to give all the credit to the defense on Sunday night. Rodgers finished 24 of his 43 attempts for 259 yards and two touchdowns, but he never adopted the pace that terrorizes his opponents and, improbably, the Patriots might have had their best night pass against a player that the most opponents would prefer to keep. in the pocket. And the forced fumble changed the momentum of the game as a whole, which Jones recognized as he answered all the questions about his escaped.
"It just seemed like they had to work for each yard," Brady said.
It's been a while now that the season is over and changes have already been made to the General Manager's Office and to the position of Defensive Coordinator, the future of Mike McCarthy is already a subject of increasing speculation. Rodgers looked grim after the game, his frustration with the Packers' near misses against the Rams and Patriots was obvious. When asked if he was missing something in the offense, he did not hold back.
"Yes, consistency," he says. "We do not do everything we can, we hurt ourselves with negative yard games, missed shots and turnovers at the wrong time, without being too often on the same page." "I miss a throw or we miss, I think we will not be in the place, it happens in the worst of times, when we have to play our best in these difficult times, we do not play our best. "
He is not alone. The Patriots do this to almost all their opponents – they do not beat them, they overtake them, they invent new ways to exploit their list while others fade. It's happened to Rodgers tonight and at duels of the past, it's also happened at Peyton Manning. You can discuss who the G.O.A.T. it's all you want. But when G.O.A.T. needs help, Brady knows the best team has their backs.
Follow Judy Battista on Twitter @judybattista.
[ad_2]
Source link
