With a perfect passer rating of 158.3, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady exorcised all kinds of demons, throwing for a franchise-record six touchdowns as the Patriots improved to 7-0 with a 49-28 blowout win over the Miami Dolphins at Dolphin Stadium, a place that in the past has been Brady's personal house of horrors according to an article in The Patriot Ledger.
"We struggled so many times down here with this team and with this defense," said Brady. "I think the way we played today was very different from the way we played them in the past. A lot of the credit goes to the way those receivers are catching the ball."
Though the Patriots dominated the Miami Dolphins in their 49-28 win at Dolphin Stadium on Sunday, one noticeable flaw, according to the Boston Globe, was poor tackling by the defense, which for the second week in a row allowed 6 yards per-carry or more on the ground. The Dolphins produced their second-highest average per carry total of the season (6.0), rushing 30 times for 179 yards and three touchdowns.
"We didn't tackle very well defensively all day, particularly in the second half," Belichick said. "But overall, when you score those kind of points, you've got a chance, and the guys did a really good job today."
In this week's opponent the Washington Redskins, the Patriots will look to focus on better tackling as they face another shifty running back in Clinton Portis, and elusive receivers in Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El.
According to a *Hartford Courant * piece, much of the focus this Sunday against the Redskins at Gillette Stadium will be on defense. Washington, which has the top-ranked defense in the NFC and is fourth in the league, will face a stiff test trying to stop Tom Brady and the Patriots passing attack. The Patriots will need to do a better job stopping the Redskins running game, led by Clinton Portis, than they did Sunday in a 49-28 victory over the winless Dolphins.
The *Boston Globe * writes that Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick came to the defense of backup quarterback Matt Cassel, who was yanked in the fourth quarter after just one series which ended with him throwing an interception to Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor, who returned it 36 yards for a touchdown.
"Look, every player has bad plays and every coach has bad calls," said Belichick yesterday. "We all make mistakes - me more than anybody; I've made plenty of them - you try to learn from them and move on," he said. "That's how you get better - you learn from your mistakes and you move on."
Quick Hits
- The Boston Herald offers its Patriots Report Card. The Patriots defensive line receives its lowest grade of the year with a D grade, while Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and the wide receiver corps received A- and A grades respectively.
- The Boston Herald also offers a piece discussing growing sentiment around the NFL that the Patriots are piling on needless points.
- The *Boston Globe's * Patriots Blog takes a look at positional groupings used by the Patriots offense against the Dolphins.
- Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is nominated for the FedEx Air Player of the Week. Be sure to cast your vote on NFL.com
