Breaking down Tom Brady’s perfect pass from the Patriots’ win over Cowboys

“It was a great throw and great catch.” -Bill Belichick

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady hasn’t had much time to work with rookie receiver N’Keal Harry. But they didn’t look lacking in chemistry on their touchdown connection during New England’s 13-9 win over the Dallas Cowboys at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.

The Patriots managed a blocked punt, which gave the offense terrific field position. They converted into their only touchdown of the game.

On a second-and-8 from the 10-yard line, Brady dropped back with excellent protection. He released the ball just before Harry, who was running a fade route, turned his head to track the ball, which seemed to be a sign that Brady trusted the young receiver to get to the right place to make the play. That’s just what he did. Harry used his big body to shield cornerback Byron Jones from a perfectly placed ball. The rookie receiver did a nice job spinning in the red zone to catch the back-shoulder throw while keeping both feet in bounds for a score.

“It was a great throw and great catch. The ball could be put in only one spot. And it was a great adjustment from N’Keal (Harry),” Bill Belichick said in an interview with WEEI on Sunday.

Brady suggested that Harry took an aggressive approach during the week, which paid off on Sunday.

“Rather than feeling like, ‘Oh man, I haven’t played much and I’ll be a little worried going out there,’ he really approached it like he had been there all season,” Brady said on Monday morning during a radio appearance on WEEI. “He made a lot of good plays in practice and improved on things that he had done and were corrected. I really love N’Keal’s attitude.”

That’s a good sign for the 2019 first-round pick, who spent the first eight weeks of the season on injured reserve before being a healthy scratch during Week 9 when he returned from the injury. New England seemed like they were taking it slow with Harry, but injuries to receivers Mohamed Sanu (ankle) and Phillip Dorsett (concussion) forced Harry into an increased role in Week 12.

Even with his touchdown, there’s significant space for Harry to improve. His six-point play was his only reception on four targets. Brady seemed to go to Harry in contested or challenging circumstances, which again showed the quarterback’s trust in the receiver. But that trust may have waned slightly when Harry failed to haul in the ball.

“It’s been good,” Harry said Sunday after the game when asked about working with Brady. “Every day you get to connect more, feel each other out more. Everything will just come with time. … I’m definitely not satisfied, and anybody that knows me knows I’m about to turn it up a notch. I’m about to really hit the grindstone and really get back to work.”

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