Attacking The Bills Defense, Patriots Best Chance Is 2-TEs Attacking LBs
The New England Patriots face a stiff defense in Buffalo this week as 1st place for the AFC East is up for grabs. The Bills have solidified their run defense and average allowing only 71 yards per game on the ground. They’ve allowed a maximum of only 86 yards in their first five games.
Linebackers Brandon Spikes and rookie Preston Brown are big reasons why they’ve excelled in rush defense. Big, physical, down-hill style players, they fill holes quickly and can punish running backs. Spikes is well known to the Patriots having been their MLB for the past four years.
And Spikes and Brown will specifically be the targets of the Patriots offensive game plan this week….in the passing game. If Buffalo has a weakness on defense, it is in the middle of their defense, specifically the targeting of their linebackers in coverage. It is an area where they’ve been targeted in the past and one where the Patriots must target this week.
Houston targeted the middle of the field 17 times in their game against Buffalo, completing 14 passes for 121 yards. Martellus Bennett of the Bears was targeted 10 times in the opener and had 8 receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown. Charles Clay caught 7 passes on 8 targets for Miami. The Patriots must again utilize the 2TE approach using both their “12” and “22” personnel groupings on Sunday.
Both Wright and Gronkowski present matchup problems for any defense. Gronk is starting to regain his health and explosiveness and (when 100%) is near impossible to cover with a linebacker and is a tough matchup physically with a safety.
Wright is a big, move tight end who is more WR than tight end, much like the man that shall remain nameless. He’s a very good receiver, as fans saw on Sunday night who also caught 54 passes last season.
We’ve spent the past few days looking at Buffalo tape this season and have picked out some plays that we feel best illustrate this. First the San Diego game:
The Chargers come out in an unbalanced line with two TEs to the left side showing run against the Bills base defense.
At the snap, the outside tight end, David Johnson stays in to block, Ladarius Green on the inside runs a slant to the right in front of Spikes. Spikes is slow to react and is caught flat-footed (some NE fans recall all-too-well) and Green catches an easy pass from Philip Rivers for a big gain.
San Diego also had a play where they put Malcolm Floyd in motion very similar to how the Patriots use Julian Edelman.
Floyd goes from left to right and crosses back to the right under the tight end (Gates) and gets isolated on a linebacker in an obvious mismatch. The other receivers are clear out the inside by running routes to the perimeter. Floyd has another big gain for the Bolts.
In the Patriots win over Cincinnati, Tom Brady isolates Rob Gronkowski on a linebacker that is initially showing blitz.
At the snap, Gronkowski runs out into the flat and the linebacker is already in chase mode. Gronkowski has a big gain that coincidentally was Brady’s completion that pushed him over 50, 000 career yards.
On the Patriots first drive, both Gronkowski and Tim Wright line up in a two-tight end set. Gronkowski and Amendola run a cross to the right side, LaFell runs straight down the left side at the numbers. The Bengals have a one-deep safety look on the play.
Wright is wide open running straight down the seam on the left side and makes an easy 30 yard reception where if he doesn’t fall, has a chance to score.
On Wright’s touchdown, he runs down the left side, Brady’s play-action pass freezes the linebacker at the line of scrimmage. Hooman comes in motion to the left and runs straight down the numbers.
The corner is now locked in no man’s land between Wright and Hooman with nowhere to go. Brady has an easy pitch and catch to Wright for the touchdown.
These opportunities will be there for the Patriots is they play in either their “12” or “22” personnel packages. If the Bills show nickel in the “22”, then with lead blocker James Develin, the opportunity to run will avail itself. If the Bills stay in base with the big linebackers Spikes and Brown, the play-action pass will be there to toss right over the LBs all game long.
It doesn’t guarantee that the Patriots will win on Sunday, but if they target these plays in the middle, it could keep the offense rolling for the second week in a row. And be all alone in 1st place in the division.
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