Take it away, Hightower
Linebacker’s strip-sack sparks defensive revival
HOUSTON — Dont’a Hightower was as matter-of-fact as he could have possibly been last night when assessing his Super Bowl-turning strip-sack in the fourth quarter of the Patriots’ 34-28 overtime win against the Falcons.
“I saw (Atlanta quarterback) Matt Ryan with the ball in his hands and I wanted it, so I went and took it from him,” Hightower said.
The linebacker raced around the right side of the Falcons offensive line, unbeknownst to running back Devonta Freeman, and knocked the ball out of Ryan’s grasp. Defensive tackle Alan Branch recovered the loose ball at the Atlanta 25-yard line with 8:24 remaining. At that point, the Patriots trailed 28-12.
“It was everything,” cornerback Logan Ryan said. “It was raw emotion, guys scratching and clawing, and we just needed a play. We needed a turnover. We needed a stop.”
The Patriots didn’t complicate their defensive strategy while faced with a 25-point secondhalf deficit. They simply played more man coverage on the back end and blitzed more frequently upfront with the intention of creating more chaos. In the case of Hightower’s strip-sack, he said the Falcons had run the same play a couple of times earlier, and he couldn’t figure out why Freeman wouldn’t have blocked him.
But alas, it served as the pivotal play in the comeback.
“He was relentless to go make that play,” safety Devin McCourty said. “I think that gave everybody momentum to know for sure that we were going to win this game.”
Flowers calls shot
Defensive lineman Trey Flowers put the exclamation point on his breakout second season by calling for more responsibility in the huddle during a crucial stretch.
The Falcons drove to the Patriots 22-yard line after their lead had been trimmed to 28-20, and a field goal would have essentially sealed the win. McCourty tackled Freeman for a 1-yard loss on first down, and the Pats called a play that required a lineman to stunt inside on second-and-11. Flowers wanted it to be him, so he called for it.
“I kind of wanted that to be my game,” Flowers said. “I called for the stunt. I got down in there and was glad I was prepared to make that play.”
Branch had to make the push to free up Flowers, who recorded a 12-yard sack. Defensive end Chris Long then forced a holding penalty on the next play to push the Falcons out of field goal range.
“Trey stepped up like, ‘Look, let me do the stunt,’ ” Branch said. “He went in there, and I just covered him and let him do work. Trey Flowers is one of the better players in this league. He is definitely going to have a lot of people paying attention to him next year. That guy is a monster. I think he is definitely one of the better pass rushers and all-around defensive linemen in the league. I give him all the credit in the world. To me, he is one of the best.”
Flowers had a career-high 2 1⁄2 sacks in his Super Bowl debut, and he was dominant throughout the night. And whether he was going to call for the stunt or not, he was going to get it anyway.
“I honestly don’t think it mattered if Trey wanted it or not, because we were going to give it to him,” said Hightower, who calls the plays and is responsible for making those types of checks in the front seven. “Trey is honestly one of our best players on defense. He does a hell of a job each and every day. He works hard, is great at his craft.
“To be honest, we expect it. I’m glad to have a teammate as great as Trey is.”
’Back for more?
Hightower is the Patriots’ most important free agent, though they have an impressive group of them. He is likely their only candidate for the franchise tag and was asked last if he is confident that he’ll return with a new deal.
“I guess part of that is up to me, and part of it’s not,” Hightower said. “We’ll see what the future holds. I’m going to enjoy tonight, celebrate this, and I’m sure there’ll be a couple days or a few weeks and that’ll be going on.”
Good news on Lewis
Running back Dion Lewis said he strained his hamstring and was feeling better shortly after the game. He said he’d be fine in a couple of weeks.
Lewis went down on the final play of the fourth quarter. . . .
President Donald Trump tweeted his congratulations to the Patriots after the game for what he said was an “amazing comeback.”