Patriots 19 - Jets 10

Well, hopefully you caught the Patriots 19-10 win yesterday, because it showed a fair amount about the Patriots-without-Tom-Brady. And as the owners of this particular blog expected, they looked like a playoff contender. Obviously the offense is going to suffer a bit without Brady. Indeed, throughout the game they suffered from a lack of efficiency and seemed a little tentative. However, the short dump passes, quick slants, and varied running game were exactly how Brady began running the Patriots offense, so it is what we expected. Of course Belichick is not going to put the stress of winning on a new quarterback - that will fall on the experienced players. That experienced group is the Defense.

It has been reported that when Brady went down, Rodney Harrison looked at Tedy Bruschi and Richard Seymour and said "Let's get it done." The Patriots defense -which has been consistently criticized for being too old - is now the key for the 2008 team. They are experienced, they know how to win and (perhaps more importantly) how to lose and bounce back. The defense knows they need to step up, and they did just that this week, holding the Jets to 256 yards of total offense and 10 points. Any time a defense does that, you can be sure Belichick and this offense will manufacture 11+ points for the victory. Of course, it won't always be so easy for the defense - the Jets' offense is not the powerhouse of the AFC, but it is doable, and the Defense is salavating at the opportunity.

The D did look a little weak at times against the run, however the Jets' backs never sprung for a 20+ yard gain, and the bend-but-don't-break defense held as Pats Fans have come to expect. The Pats did look exactly like the Pats in the passing games. Giving up enough 3rd down conversions to piss me off, but buckling down when it mattered, and getting enough stops to win, as well as getting a key interception in the third quarter which Cassel and the offense converted into a touchdown. Last season, a 19-10 win would have been an underperformance, but this season, we'll take the win, period.

Coming up next, the Patriots take on the Dolphins. The Fins look like a team that has improved over last year, but then again, when you go 1-15, being able to take the field and give the allusion that you're competing is an improvement. Pats fans should be happy that they don't have to face a talented team until October 12 (Chargers). The Pats get the leisure of facing the Phins, then a bye week, then the 49ers before having to face off against a team with talent. But the Chargers aren't playing well (although they should have beaten Denver last night, and the refs know it), and that could quickly turn into a winnable game.

So the Patriots performed rather exactly how the Vendorball staff thought. Good defense, good special teams, and an offense that played well enough to win and will be improving. Call us gurus, call us soothsayers, call us Marty McFly, but never call us wrong.


Written by VendorBall's resident ginger: Kyle Baxter