Heat’s on in red zone
Pats offense closes in on more points
FOXBORO — Just one game encapsulated everything the Patriots have done well in the red zone this year and everything they have not.
On the road in Tampa on Oct. 5, the Patriots trailed, 7-3, but were driving deep into the red zone and faced a second-and-goal from the Buccaneers’ 5-yard line. Quarterback Tom Brady lined up under center with running back James White directly behind him and tight end Dwayne Allen off the line of scrimmage to the left. With wide receiver Danny Amendola out wide to the left and Brandin Cooks to the right, Chris Hogan stood in the slot between Amendola and Allen.
Brady slightly lifted his left leg to signal for Amendola to motion in toward Hogan. As Amendola reached Hogan’s left, center David Andrews snapped the ball to Brady, who took a five-step drop. Hogan ran just far enough to sit in a soft spot inside the goal line as Brady planted his back foot and fired the ball perfectly into his receiver’s hands for the touchdown.
The score put the Pats ahead, 107, but that was their only offensive drive that resulted in a touchdown. Twice, the Pats had to settle for Stephen Gostkowski field goals in the red zone, a third from inside the 30.
Ultimately, the Patriots won, 1914, as the defense made enough plays down the stretch to hold off a Buccaneers rally in the fourth quarter. However, in a season where the defense has mostly either been inconsistent or just plain struggled, the Pats need to execute at a high level on condensed fields. So far, the results have been good, not great.
In 25 drives into the red zone this season, the Patriots have scored 13 touchdowns, kicked 11 field goals and turned the ball over on downs once. To score on all but one possession is a plus, but that first number of just 52 percent ending in touchdowns would ideally be at least 8-10 points higher.
For an offense that enters today’s game against the New York Jets in East Rutherford, N.J., ranked third in the NFL in points per game, it may seem like a minor nit to pick. But just as the degree of difficulty in a shortened field grows, the margin for error in this aspect of situational football shrinks. In other words, what the Pats got away with against the Buccaneers may not be enough against, say, the Atlanta Falcons or any team left on the schedule that poses a greater offensive threat.
“Yeah, I think we’ve done a pretty decent job (in the red zone),” Hogan said. “There’s always room for improvement. We work on it every single week. Hopefully we can continue to make improvements and score when we get those opportunities in the red zone.”
For his part, Hogan has been one of the bright spots. Along with four touchdown runs by running back Mike Gillislee, Hogan is tied for the team lead in touchdowns in that area with four coming through the air. Those scores have been particularly key when one accounts for the fact that tight end Rob Gronkowski, typically Brady’s goto weapon there, has caught just one in that circumstance.
Factored into that equation is Gronkowski’s availability, as a thigh injury kept him out of the Bucs game. Without Hogan becoming such a weapon, the Pats are in more dire straits.
According to Hogan, adjusting to the speed of the game is the main factor to deal with in the red zone.
“Everything happens faster,” he said. “So just making sure that you’re in the right spots and winning your leverage, creating separation, being prepared for all that kind of stuff to happen a lot quicker (is paramount), because it’s going to be tight throws and whatnot.”
Of course, it’s not just the speed, but a simple equation of more players in less space that adds to the degree of difficulty. Not only does that affect the passing game, but the ground attack, where it becomes a numbers game that doesn’t favor the offense.
“It’s a lot of very contested plays down there because you don’t have a lot of space in the passing game,” coach Bill Belichick said Wednesday. “There’s extra guys to block in the running game. Safeties, linebackers are down there because they’re pretty close to the line of scrimmage as soon as you get into the lower red area. You’re basically nine against 11. You just run out of guys. You have to decide who you’re going to block, who you’re not going to block and the backs have to make some tough yards.”
With the knowledge that there will always be someone who can’t be accounted for in a short-yardage run play near the goal line, the onus is on the back to battle through heavy traffic. Last season, running back LeGarrette Blount, now with the Philadelphia Eagles, thrived in this role and ended up with 18 touchdowns. Gillislee has scored his four touchdowns on six attempts from either the 2- or 1-yard line, and his efficiency in that role is essential to replacing Blount’s production.
But whether it’s Hogan, Gillislee, Gronkowski, Amendola or whomever, the bottom line remains the same. When the Pats face an opponent who can exploit their defense the way the Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Texans and Carolina Panthers did, settling for field goals will only get them so far.
“We have a pretty short-term look at it,” Belichick said, “so every time we’re down there we want to make the most out of the opportunity.”
And in the long term, it is paramount that they do so.