Instead, Brady completed 26 of 38 passes for 356 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions in what was a almost flawless primetime performance.
Advertisement
His completion percentage is identical so far (68.9) and his passer rating is practically the same (117.2 in 2008 and 115.8 this year).
The Dolphins under new head coach Dan Campbell have framed themselves as a downhill, smash mouth team.
These last two games against the Jets and Dolphins were all about just getting out with a victory, no matter how the team looked in doing so. Their test was the prime-time showdown against the Patriots. They aren’t exactly the kinds of questions that are going to upset anyone…
Most teams have one style to their offense, one way of playing that they work incredibly hard to flawless.
The exhilarating high from the two-week joyride atop the Dan Campbell bandwagon has dissipated now, pushed aside by the sobering reality check delivered by the New England Patriots on Thursday night and Friday’s expected but dispiriting news that defensive end Cameron Wake will miss the remainder of the season with a torn Achilles tendon.
It’s looking more and more like a 16-0 season for the Patriots, another 16-0 season.
Like all great champions, from Ali to Bird to Jordan, the Patriots feed off every perceived slight – or, in this case, a major scandal in which they were charged with intentionally deflating footballs used in last season’s AFC championship game. The did not force a turnover on the day, and they just could not stop tight end Rob Gronkowski, who caught six passes for 113 yards with a touchdown, as well as running back Dion Lewis who caught six passes for 93 yards and a score and Julian Edelman, who caught seven passes for 81 yards and two scores.
As long as owners don’t count on him breaking loose against defenses like the Jets, he is another fantasy relevant Patriots running back.
With Halloween just a few days away, many fans came to the game in costume.
The Patriots chose to flex their defensive muscles.
The Miami Dolphins lost to the New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football in a game that brought the surging South Florida franchise back to Earth. In 2015, there are two New England tailbacks at least worth considering for the starting lineup most weeks.
It’s a devastating injury for the 33-year-old Wake and the Dolphins, for now and the future, because it might represent the end of Wake’s seven-year run in Miami. That 52-yard field goal started out headed for the Red Wing Diner then curved like a Wiffle ball through the uprights. Their early first half struggles included gifting the Patriots points. Through the first half on Thursday night, the Dolphins had just nine yards on eight carries.
That said, New England hasn’t been quite as dominant as that 2007 team, which won by an average of 19.7 points during its ideal regular season. Lewis then picked up another 15 yards after the catch.
Nothing’s ever enough for the Patriots, especially when they’ve got a convenient target for channeling their anger. Brady is on par to match or better his passing stats from that year.
DYNAMIC DION: Lewis returned after missing a game and the 5-foot-8 running back provided a spark. That will help Brady when he’s not being a superhero. But the Patriots have evolved past the “system”, and that should be scary to the rest of the NFL.
Advertisement
Jones will look to maintain his lead against the Washington Redskins next Sunday at 1 p.m., as the Patriots (7-0) continue an unblemished season. After that, a worthy challenger will have to somehow prove they can stop them.
