Belichick, Patriots Pull Off Minnesota’s Ideal Game Plan
K. Joudry
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Be honest. If I told you before the Patriots v Bills MNF game that Mac Jones only passed for 19 yards, would you have picked New England to win? Adding onto the peculiarity of that stat line is that he ran for -3 yards overall. Despite these modest numbers, the Pats defeated their division rival 14-10. In some ways, then, Bill Belichick was able to get his Pats to pull off Minnesota’s ideal game plan: dominant defense and a stubborn yet effective run game.
The Patriots had 7 different ball carriers. Damien Harris had 10 rushes for 111 yards; Rhamondre Stevenson had 24 for 78 yards. For good measure, BB sprinkled in Jones, Brandon Bolden, Jonnu Smith, Nelson Agholor, and Kendrick Bourne. By the end, the Pats had a modest 241 yards of total offense. Here’s the thing, though: they possessed the ball for just over 32 minutes since they had 222 rushing yards.
This game plan, as Minnesota’s defense often reminds us, really only works if Belichick gets the most out of his defenders. Now, the wind was terrible, making it supremely difficult to move the ball through the air. Gotta give credit where it’s due, though: the Patriots fully went for the old school strategy. They did a superior job of adapting to the challenges the week presented.
Josh Allen had the more impressive stats of the two QBs, but his numbers are far from gaudy: 15/30, 145 passing yards, and a single TD. Keep in mind that their lone touchdown came after N’Keal Harry fumbled a punt. The Bills had the ball inside the 15 and promptly scored what would be their lone touchdown of the day. In other words, the Patriots defense – in large part because of the weather conditions – was stifling. The combination of a run-first, ball-control offense and dominant defense was enough to take down the reigning division champs.
A couple of Buffalo’s defenders weren’t thrilled about being asked if their performance was embarrassing:
First thing, I’d respond to that reporter that there’s no shame in getting out coached by Belichick. If you want to see embarrassing football, turn on the Vikings game. From there, I’d say it’s a fair question, but it was asked at the wrong time.
Regardless, the broader point is that BB’s Pats found a way to adapt to the circumstances to defeat a division foe. It’s what we all want for the Vikings.
Part of what has made watching the Vikings so difficult this season is that the team has failed to adjust at various stages. Rather than do what the team does well, the team has stubbornly persisted with a vision that is out-of-line with its current roster construction. On paper, the defense should be dominant, and yet the reality is that it isn’t. The offense has the potential to be among the very best in the NFL, and yet Minnesota’s game plan has too often featured unimaginative, uninspired play calling. The smart thing to do would be really lean into being aggressive on offense and special teams, but time is running out on the season.
Minnesota’s next game is this Thursday night against the 6-5-1 Steelers. We’ll see if the team finds a way to overcome Mike Tomlin’s team. Hopefully the Vikings do a better job of adjusting to what their opponent does well as they pull off an unlikely win.
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