The New England Patriots reached 9-1 on the season Sunday afternoon after defeating the Philadelphia Eagles in a hard-fought battle. This victory guaranteed another winning season for the Patriots, but quarterback Tom Brady isn’t as happy as expected. The reason is that the offense struggled mightily while dealing with flurries of wind and settling for field goals instead of touchdowns.
As Brady explained on the Greg Hill Show, the strength of this team is no longer in the offense. As of right now, the Patriots are finding ways to win based upon the special teams and the defense. Instead of expecting to light up the scoreboard every week, Brady and co. now have to find other ways to remain productive and put up whatever points they can.
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“The strength of our team is our defense and our special teams,” Brady said, per Darren Hartwell of NBC Sports Boston. So on offense, we’ve just got to take advantage of our opportunities and understand where our strengths lie and try to play to them.”
This is a sentiment that pairs with Brady’s comments from his postgame presser. Following Sunday’s victory, the media noticed that he seemed very discouraged and asked for the reason. The Patriots’ QB said that he was tired from playing for three hours, but he also left his presser after nine questions and less than two minutes.
During the game against the Eagles, Brady did not throw any touchdowns or interceptions. He completed 55.3 percent of his throws – the second-lowest total of his season – and only reached 216 yards through the air. He was also sacked once and hit seven times. The only touchdown scored by the Patriots actually came on a throw from wide receiver Julian Edelman to fellow receiver Phillip Dorsett.
The Patriots were forced to settle for three field goals during the first half of Sunday’s game, failing to capitalize on trips into the red zone. In years past, this team would have easily scored to build up a massive lead early, but 2019 has been vastly different for New England.
“Up and down,” Brady said in regard to the offensive consistency. “That’s what it looks like to me, so we can probably do everything better.”
As he explained during the brief media availability, Brady believes that the offense can improve with continued practice repetition, but for now, he understands that the defense and special teams will be the best path to victory, as well as another appearance in the Super Bowl.
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