Sebastian Vollmer helps the Patriots defeat the Packers

FOXBORO – Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers are not peers. They are not on a level playing field. There is no debate about the best quarterback ever, despite the myriad of statistics used by Rodgers at the head of Brady.

Nevertheless, Rodgers is as close as possible to this point of view, which means that there is no better opponent than the Packers for the Patriots' defense. They responded with their best defensive game of the season and high marks in all areas.

TOM E. CURRAN TRUTH HARD:

Offensively, the Patriots reconciled things without their leading runner and tight end to break the 30-point barrier for the fifth time in the past six weeks. It also meant good grades.

Let's go …

QUARTERBACK: B
Tom Brady did not turn around, but he managed a deserved shot by the goal line during an attempted rollout. This attack, which resulted in a reversal to the goal line, included inaccurate shots to Julian Edelman and a strange back-to-shoulder attempt to Josh Gordon in the end zone where the quarter and the recipient were not on the same page. Gordon was so unsure of his itinerary that he slipped and descended. Brady was also caught watching the Packers race at the end of the third quarter after missing a free striker who led to a bag. Four pieces later, third goal, Brady looked down on the race and sent a dive to Chris Hogan. Brady opened the scoring for Edelman for 15 yards in the first try in the second quarter. He hit Edelman in stride on another perfect pitch over the center that Edelman had dropped. Brady's lob to Gordon, his flea throw. and his gambling-free Edelman over the middle was all composed of money and pushed the note to the height.

RUNNING BACK: B +
Cordarrelle Patterson finished with 11 runs for 61 yards and one touchdown and opened the way for a group of receivers who made 13 rush attempts for a total of 89 yards. This is the most pressing attempt of this group of positions in the history of the franchise and the most important in the league since Browns receivers had 15 in 1993. Patterson is still included in this group because it is became his main role. Thirty-eight of his yards came after contact, according to Pro Football Focus, and he ran both outside numbers and between tackles. James White was beaten to give the Patriots a boost in the second half with his double pass and touchdown (his second of the night). He also made a hard comeback to Brady on the flicker – because Brady was very close to being under duress, making the decision to return a tougher decision – which Bill Belichick loved.

RECEIVER: B +
Gordon proved that he was still a physically superior player to most players when he rallied the Packers defense along the sideline for considerable gain. His 55-yard rider began by ignoring a bad tackle attempt by Tramon Williams. Gordon also gives a bit of a bump to this group for being tenacious in facing a dislocated finger in the second half. His fall in fourth on the goal line is rather inexcusable. It's a seven point game. Brady was still surprised to see him if he was not going to be a start. Gordon looked confused in the middle of the road. Edelman's fall hurt, but this group did more good than harm, between Edelman's passes, his double pass for White, his block at the second touchdown of the White, and the ## 147 ## Hogan's call by passing interferences in the end zone.

Tight end: b
Dwayne Allen was right in the number of shots he received for the season by winning a pass in the apartment and racking up 21 yards. He also played a key role in both sets of figures. He made a big block for Brady to gain some time on his flea throw, and he served as a decoy in the deep center – although it was not really a deep threat – during the double-pass . James Develin was still effective in running, but it was helpful that the Packers were so light on safety that they had to use the shy Williams for the support of the race. At the end of the first quarter, Develin realized what could have been the easiest block of his career when Williams was tortured while he was seeing the side-back coming.

OFFENSIVE LINE: B +
Solid work on the part of this group against a talented pair of defensive attacks and a ploy that can cause confusion. Of course, they were beaten. Ted Karras overtook Mike Daniels bag in a three-man race early in the game. And Brady never saw the second bag coming in, which was exploiting a left-hand side of the Patriots line. But all in all, they did what they had to do to give Brady the time and space to run. Trent Brown had a rematch after Dante Scarnecchia essentially said last week that Brown has stabilized against the Bills. He had big blocks on the first touchdown of the Whites and Patterson's touchdown. Marcus Cannon also appeared to play without obvious mistakes in his first game after suffering a concussion.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B
Ryan Allen was at the center of two key games late in the third quarter when he was penalized by a brutality penalty that gave the Patriots room to maneuver. Later on that road, he started a punt kick shot by Matthew Slater at six. Stephen Gostkowski has managed all five punt attempts he's made. He continued his momentum after winning the AFC Special Olympics Player of the Month title for October. Patterson also contributed with a nice pair of 36- and 28-yard returns. The cover was also strong, forcing Bashaud Breeland to score 20- and 23-yard returns. No punts were returned.

DEFENSIVE LINE: A-
It was the year 's match for Brendan Daly' s group. When I spoke to him last week, he said that one of the keys to keeping Aaron Rodgers in check was to do almost as if you were playing the race, even if you rush the smuggler and want to put him down badly at ease. The reason? As a defensive lineman, you want to be able to control your blocker and somehow get rid of it if Rodgers – or any mobile quarter – starts looking for a loophole. You are two apart as you rush to collapse the pocket. It's a "love at first sight" and the Patriots played it almost perfectly Sunday night. According to Pro Football Focus, Rodgers has been under pressure 22 times at the height of the season, often as a result of the collapse of his pocket. Deatrich Wise was an early factor with two hits and a bull rush that put a blocker on Rodgers' lap to force an unfinished. The Patriots also crushed Rodgers' pocket on the fourth run at the end of the fourth quarter to force another foul. Their only bag match on a rare T-E stunt with Trey Flowers and Adrian Clayborn teaming up to catch up with the Packers line – probably ready to face a fierce race to power – unbalanced. Even when Rodgers broke the content, Flowers or Clayborn pursued it. It was Clayborn's best performance of the year despite a penalty penalty from the neutral zone on the third fall of the first quarter, and Flowers was sometimes dominant. Lawrence Guy made a decisive game with his forced fumble, and Malcom Brown was solid against the race. This note would have been an 'A'. without the penalty and the 4.7 yards allowed in the game on the fly.

linebacker: B
Hightower was a factor of success, especially when power was at the center of his concerns, which was often the case. Someone like Hightower, in this scheme, is useful because he is so powerful at the point of attack, even when he is working against big blockers. He finished with three hurries, including a haste on the turnover on the downs at the end of the match, which effectively ended things. Hightower chased Rodgers and chased him out of the race, which resulted in him being stopped earlier in the game. Kyle Van Noy forced Rodgers to do a short test. Hightower and Van Noy were both in the area when Aaron Jones hit runways, and it was quiet for Elandon Roberts, who quickly made up for the quarterback. Nothing spectacular here, but a good effort for a good overall defense performance.

SECONDARY: B +
It was not perfect. But it was very good. Stephon Gilmore led the way by arresting Davante Adams. Two catches on four targets for 15 yards against this caliber receiver and this caliber quarterback? This is a top level performance. It may be time to wonder if Gilmore is not only among the best corners of the league right now. Is it No. 1? PFF ranks the best player at his post, ahead of Chris Harris Jr., Byron Jones, Kareem Jackson and Kyle Fuller. Number 6? Jason McCourty. He gave up a 51-yard pass while he did not benefit from any help during a Patriots zero-cover blitz. But he rebounded when Rodgers came to him again and again later in the game. Outside the big game, he allowed two catches on five targets for nine yards. Not bad at all. He also had two breakouts. His brother helped to force the completion by urging Rodgers to do a blitz, and he helped break a pass for Jimmy Graham in the endzone. Why is the note here not higher? Patrick Chung, who was very strong against the race, was called to keep Graham and he gave up a first easy run for the third and fifth by playing well beyond the stick. Jonathan Jones also had an occasional mistake in the cover, allowing six catches on six targets for 52 yards. He was also in the area when Davante Adams interrupted his course, reversed direction and grabbed Rodgers' shovel. Difficult to dock a player after this game, but it's a "plaster" situation in a scrambling exercise and Adams looked like Jones's mission.

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