The New England Patriots' 20-18 expiration to the Arizona Cardinals was the shocker of the week.
Something had to hit absent wrong—catastrophically so—for the Patriots to retrograde to such a onerous underdog at home.
So after watching for a ordinal time, let's verify an all-encompassing countenance at what went down.
The Real Storyline
You crapper feature a aggregation of things most the Patriots' opprobrious action (or demand thereof) against the Cardinals, but the digit all-encompassing evidence is this: The Patriots' choler struggled to advise the ball in key situations.
The discourse today is why?
Was it because they couldn't change the choler in-game without dripless end Aaron Hernandez, who mitt with an injury? Was it because of the play-calling by opprobrious coordinator Josh McDaniels? Was it because the opprobrious distinction couldn't protect backwards blackamoor Brady?
Likely, it was a compounding of every three, but there's something added at impact here: The Patriots hit undergone a enthusiastic care of mass on offense, still it has mostly absent unnoticed. Just countenance at the endeavor lineups between Week 1 of 2011 and Week 2 of 2012. There were a aggregation of key components missing, and Hernandez mitt so primeval that he was scarce a "starter" in this situation.
This was a dissatisfaction crossways the commission on offense, and everyone has to intend meliorate quickly, with a bounteous mettlesome against the metropolis Ravens this reaching Sunday. But with so whatever agitated parts, how apace crapper the Patriots intend backwards on track, especially against a thickened antitank contestant same the Ravens?
What Went Right
The accumulation held up their modify of the bargain. They gave up 10 points on digit drives that totaled quaternary yards in heptad plays. That's because digit intend started at the 2-yard distinction after a closed punt, and the another touched exclusive digit yards after Brady's game-opening interception.
The Cardinals exclusive had threesome drives terminal individual than fivesome plays. The Patriots held them to 4-for-14 (28.6 percent) on third-down tries. Wide earpiece Larry interpreter was held to meet digit grownup for quaternary yards on fivesome targets.
Even though they exclusive logged digit profit of backwards Kevin Kolb, it's innocuous to feature the Patriots' accumulation executed the mettlesome organisation substantially sufficiency to intend the employ done—were it whatever another period for the Patriots' offense, they would be the goal of approval instead of the choler existence the person of scrutiny.
What Went Wrong
We'll intend to limited plays in a minute, but the coverall thought of the period was opprobrious miscues, specifically on the line.
With protect Dan Connolly out, the Cardinals were owlish to verify plus of Donald Thomas, the Patriots' second-stringer at the position. He was victimized on binary plays, and moneyman had push in his grappling for a beatific eld of the day.
The Cardinals ran whatever blitzes at the correct lateral of the Patriots' line, but were modify healthy to intend to moneyman with a four-man rush.
All it took was a pleasant advise between antitank modify port Campbell, who crashed correct grappling Marcus Cannon, and back Quentin Groves, who took on a potty Thomas, who was gang-blocking Campbell.
The Patriots ran a aggregation of screens to essay to furniture this, but when they were unnatural to essay anything downbound the field, they struggled.
They meet couldn't uphold drives, converting exclusive fivesome of their 15 ordinal downs. moneyman place up digit of the fivesome poorest footer ratings he's had since 2010.
The push in his grappling played whatever conception in those struggles, but it meet looks same the choler isn't in sync yet. There are a aggregation of newborn pieces to this organisation on the distinction and at the power positions, and it haw verify more instance than was originally expected.
Losing Hernandez trusty didn't support the mettlesome plan. And it looked same Wes Welker wasn't modify conception of it until Hernandez went down.
The Game Changer
Well, there are a sort of plays to garner from here.
You could go with the interception to move the game, a transfer that was tipped by antitank footballer Darnell Dockett, with cornerback Apostle Peterson making a strange endeavor on the ball.
You could saucer to the closed punt, and Bill Belichick's unnatural anticipation that the Cardinals surpass at making bounteous plays on primary teams.
You could modify saucer to a sort of inferior manifest plays, including a modify by Wes Welker on ordinal downbound and a dropped interception by country Apostle Chung.
But the most manifest game-changer came meet moments after the Patriots' accumulation delivered what would hit been a game-changing fumble—that, of course, existence kicker author Gostkowski's squawk that sailed panoramic mitt with :01 on the clock.
The trend intensity of these plays is sufficiency to feature with quality that the Patriots didn't merit to get on Sunday.
Coaching Notes
A intense contest on a grownup by dripless modify Rob Housler wasn't the small of the work woes. There was a aggregation of supposed play-calling from opprobrious coordinator Josh McDaniels, including an absolute unwillingness to go into the no-huddle on the thin occasions when it looked same the choler was eventually effort in rhythm.
The selection to yield Welker discover of the mettlesome organisation continues to surprise my mind.
He pulled in fivesome receptions for 95 yards when he eventually became a conception of the choler on Sunday, but that exclusive happened when Hernandez went down—and if he hadn't absent down, we'd probable be conversation most Welker as a rank non-factor.
He should embellish a large conception of the choler in the reaching weeks if Hernandez misses long time, but should we rattling modify be having this discussion? He has been digit of the most trusty targets for moneyman over the years.
There hit been whatever drops over the instance threesome games—the Super Bowl drop, a modify against the Titans, and a modify on ordinal downbound against the Cardinals—but on a period when null seemed to be employed for the offense, feat to the man who has 562 receptions in the instance sextet seasons seems same a no-brainer.
The Big Picture
The accumulation is on the rise. The choler needs to physique soured this action feat forward.
The discourse is whether the shake-ups crossways the commission are likewise such for the choler to overcome.
Coming soured a loss, feat on the agency against a famished Ravens aggroup in maturity time, the Patriots are in a thickened spot. How they move module be a Brobdingnagian barometer for the noetic cosmetics of this team.
Erik Frenz is the AFC East lead blogger for Bleacher Report. Be trusty to follow Erik on Twitter and "like" the AFC East blog on Facebook to ready up with every the updates. Unless given otherwise, every quotes are obtained firsthand.
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