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.

.@NkealHarry15's first career TD is a beauty! #GoPats #DALvsNE

📺: FOX
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app
Watch free on mobile: https://t.co/YLI9jW8U5W pic.twitter.com/gQAkzrbgHp

— NFL (@NFL) November 24, 2019

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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In past two matchups, Stephon Gilmore has had Deandre Hopkins’ number

Week 13 in the NFL will feature one of the best cornerback-receiver matchups that the league has to offer.

Stephon Gilmore and the New England Patriots will travel to Houston on Sunday night to square off with the Texans and Deandre Hopkins. After shutting out Amari Cooper in Week 12, Gilmore solidified his spot as the NFL’s best cornerback. Hopkins is coming off of a two-touchdown performance against the Indianapolis Colts and he was among the league’s best receivers last season.

In 11 games this season, Hopkins has amassed 81 receptions, 839 yards and six touchdowns. Gilmore has recorded four interceptions, while allowing a 40.6 percent passer rating and zero touchdowns. Gilmore is a 6-foot-1, 202 pound cornerback that isn’t threatened by Hopkins’ 6-foot-1, 212 pound frame.

Since joining the Patriots in 2017, Gilmore has went toe-to-toe with Hopkins twice — allowing six completions for 85 yards and no touchdowns.

Since Stephon Gilmore joined the Patriots in 2017, here's how he has performed in two games against DeAndre Hopkins:

6 completions
9 targets
85 yards
0 TDs
1 interception
1 pass breakup
1 pass interference penalty
57.4 passer rating

— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) November 25, 2019

With a Bill Belichick gameplan and one of the league’s most feared defenses, it could be a long night for Hopkins. The Patriots have a league-high 20 interceptions this season and they’re second in passing yards allowed per game with 158. Fortunately for Houston, they have a reliable quarterback in Deshaun Watson who is in the NFL’s lower tier of interceptions thrown with seven.

New England vs. Houston is a huge AFC matchup, but the clash within the game will provide entertainment the entire night.

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Rookie WRs N’Keal Harry, Jakobi Meyers step up when Patriots needed them most

The Patriots beat the Cowboys with only four active wide receivers in Week 12 — one of which was Matthew Slater.

The New England Patriots walked away with a hard-fought win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 12.

The low-scoring 13-9 battle reflected the rainy conditions and the lack of offensive firepower for both teams. New England found out before the game that they would be without Phillip Dorsett and Mohamed Sanu — leaving them with four active wide receivers. Julian Edelman, N’Keal Harry, Jakobi Meyers and Matthew Slater were the only targets that Tom Brady had at the wide receiver position.

Edelman is the only receiver out of this group to record more than 15 NFL catches. He finished the game with eight catches and 93 yards on 12 targets.

Career catches of Tom Brady's wide receivers today:

Julian Edelman: 682
Jakobi Meyers: 15
N'Keal Harry: 3
Matthew Slater: 1

— Bernd Buchmasser (@BerndBuchmasser) November 24, 2019

Rookie wide receivers Harry and Meyers were expected to step up, and that’s exactly what they did. They didn’t put up game-changing numbers, but they both provided just enough to help walk away with a victory.

Harry recorded the only touchdown of the game on a back-shoulder acrobatic catch in the redzone. The ten-yard touchdown reception was the first of his career and it put enough points on the board to slide past Dallas.

OK, @NkealHarry15. #DALvsNE | #GoPats pic.twitter.com/1OA6obWHkU

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) November 24, 2019

Meyers finished the game with four catches for 74 yards and he took numerous big hits without having to leave the field. Meyers’ longest catch was for 32 yards and it was mostly due to breaking tackles and gaining yards after the catch.

👀 Jakobi. @jkbmyrs5 | #GoPats pic.twitter.com/G3h5S3ROGP

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) November 24, 2019

Brady talked about the young receivers in his postgame press conference and had nothing but good things to say.

“They played a lot of plays. Proud of those two,” Brady said. “They put a lot of effort in this week. They’re making improvements and it’s great to see. They both came through with some big plays for us.”

The Patriots added left tackle Isaiah Wynn to the mix against Dallas and had some positives to take away from the game. With a healthy receiving corps and an upgraded offensive line, the Patriots’ offense should begin to ascend with playoffs around the corner.

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Winners and losers from Patriots’ defensive win over Cowboys

The defense was brilliant. The offense, however, put together was erratic.

Here are the winners and losers from the New England Patriots’ 13-9 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 12 at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.

Winner: Jamie Collins, LB

The linebacker was all over the field, with nine tackles.

There was a striking reminder of his impressive athleticism when he lined up in press coverage on receiver Randall Cobb. Collins was in charge of simply jamming Cobb at the line before dropping into zone coverage, but calling it a “jam” would be an understatement. The linebacker threw the receiver five yards in the wrong direction, which completely disrupted the route. On the stat sheet, Collins won’t get credit for the play — but it was a nice demonstration of how athletic linebackers can contribute in pass coverage.

But of course, his work in the run game was of the utmost importance. Ezekiel Elliott managed 4.1 yards per carry and 86 rushing yards, which is slightly down from his 4.3 yards per carry entering the game. Considering the Patriots defense looked vulnerable against the Ravens, they’ll take that small dip in production from Elliott. Collins also helped out to keep Prescott from scrambling. It was a well-rounded performance for the linebacker.

Loser: Tom Brady, QB

During the third quarter, Brady left the field after a stalled drive, and chucked a ball at the ground on the sideline in frustration.

The Patriots quarterback started last week on a low note, with a sullen postgame press conference on Sunday and a frustrated conversation with WEEI Monday. Brady may not be much happier with his offense’s performance in Week 12. He wasn’t stellar, but he also got very little help in a game where the Patriots were without Mohamed Sanu and Phillip Dorsett. Even one of the most consistent men in the offense, James White, had issues with three targets and one reception for -6 yards. Julian Edelman, N’Keal Harry and Jakobi Meyers all logged at least one drop.

Brady finished 17 of 36 for 190 yards and a touchdown. And the Patriots’ passing attack will need to keep tweaking their plan of attack to get more out of their star quarterback.

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With injuries at WR, Patriots will rely on rookies N’Keal Harry, Jakobi Meyers

The Patriots will head into Week 12 with a depleted wide receiving corps.

The New England Patriots will head into Week 12 with a depleted wide receiving corps.

New England has struggled with depth at wide receiver all season, but the addition of Mohamed Sanu shored up some uncertainties. That was until he sustained an ankle injury in Week 11 that could potentially keep him sidelined for a couple of weeks. He’s heading into the Patriots’ Week 12 matchup as a game-time decision, and veteran wideout Phillip Dorsett was ruled out.

Phillip Dorsett is out, per source. #Patriots may have just 4 wideouts today: Edelman, Harry, Meyers and Slater if Sanu can't go. #Cowboys @nflnetwork

— Michael Giardi (@MikeGiardi) November 24, 2019

This leaves the Patriots with Julian Edelman, N’Keal Harry, Jakobi Meyers and Matthew Slater. Considering the fact that Slater will primarily play special teams – the Patriots will only have three active wide receivers if Sanu can’t go. Edelman is the only player in this unit with over 200 receiving yards this season, and he’s the only one to truly have Tom Brady’s trust.

As an undrafted rookie, Meyers has put together 15 catches for 179 yards so far this season. He hasn’t played a major role in the offense, but he’s showed reliability when his number has been called. At 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, Meyers provides a big and reliable target for Brady, but experience isn’t on his side heading into this marquee matchup.

Harry is finally healthy and ready to make an impact for the Patriots, but he doesn’t have enough talent around to free him up. He’ll get more attention from the Cowboys’ secondary, and it’ll be a test to see if his first-round talent can translate to a big game. In Harry’s NFL debut last week, he was able to pull in three catches for 18 yards.

Not only will the Patriots battle a lack of depth, they’ll also contend against the weather conditions. The game will be sloppy and full of rain, so it’ll be that much more difficult for these young receivers.

The #Patriots issues are wide receiver continue, and a marquee matchup that might not live up the billing because of Mother Nature @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/E4JO0a1DZH

— Michael Giardi (@MikeGiardi) November 24, 2019

The Patriots will likely rely on the rushing attack in these conditions, while hoping for some big plays from their young guys.

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Patriots vs. Cowboys: Betting odds, analysis and prediction

The New England Patriots’ long-awaited return to Gillette Stadium comes with a rare and eagerly anticipated clash with the Dallas Cowboys.

The battle for the title of America’s Team takes center stage on Sunday when the New England Patriots return to Gillette stadium for a head-to-head showdown with the Dallas Cowboys.

Move over Deontay Wilder, this is the real heavyweight fight of the weekend.

The Patriots hope the long-awaited return of left tackle Isaiah Wynn will finally settle down a struggling offense that has made quarterback Tom Brady the unhappiest man in the room. Never mind the fact that the team is 9-1 and in control of the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoff picture. Brady has been around long enough to know what a championship offense looks like, but even a blind man could see this isn’t it.

The bright side is he won’t have to stand toe-to-toe with the No. 1-ranked defense like Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. There were too many skeptics ready to jump the gun when the Patriots got rolled by the Baltimore Ravens. Then they went on the road and held the Philadelphia Eagles to 10 points after shutting them out for the entire second half of the game. It’s safe to say there’s nothing imaginary about The Boogeymen.

The Patriots will enter this marquee match-up with the Cowboys as -5.5 favorites with the over/under being 46.5.

Why you should pick the Patriots

Gillette Stadium has long been the NFL’s version of the Upside Down world for opposing quarterbacks. There is a long list of great players that have looked strangely ordinary when stepping onto the field against what has typically been a subpar defense.

But not this year.

The Patriots are at home and spearheaded by a defense that could be mentioned among the all-time great units when everything is said and done. It is expected to be a cold, rainy mess of a November Sunday in Foxborough to remind Prescott and the Cowboys what outdoor football really feels like.

There isn’t one signature win from the Cowboys on the road this season. Quite the contrary, they’ve had some ugly showings in losses to the New York Jets and a New Orleans Saints team without Drew Brees at quarterback. It took a herculean effort from Prescott just to carry them past a Detroit Lions team with Jeff Driskel at quarterback last week.

The Patriots should finally be able to get the running game going with Wynn back in at left tackle. For all of the talk about Brady’s lack of receiving targets, the key that unlocked the team’s Super Bowl run last season was dominating at the line of scrimmage and handing the ball off to running back Sony Michel.

Why you should pick the Cowboys

Leighton Vander Esch being ruled out of this game with a neck injury is a huge loss for the Cowboys, but the sputtering Patriots offense hasn’t looked like much of a threat since their Week 2 win over the Miami Dolphins. Those were the good, old days when the team had Antonio Brown, Josh Gordon, Julian Edelman and Phillip Dorsett at receiver.

They’ll likely just have Edelman on Sunday.

The Patriots have a significant injury list for Sunday.

QB Tom Brady, WRs Mohamed Sanu, Julian Edelman and Phillip Dorsett, tackle Marcus Cannon and CB Jason McCourty are among those listed as questionable. pic.twitter.com/jM8rUOVoKc

— Henry McKenna (@McKennAnalysis) November 22, 2019

At least from a Patriots perspective, the Brown saga seems to be dead in the water, and Gordon is now catching passes from Russell Wilson in a Seattle Seahawks uniform. Dorsett still hasn’t been cleared from concussion protocol, and Mohamed Sanu, the team’s “big-ticket” free agent option, is hobbled with an ankle injury. Throw a frustrated Brady into the mix, and things could get bad on Sunday.

The Cowboys could bludgeon a generous Patriots defensive front with running back Ezekiel Elliott coming out of the backfield. He’ll certainly provide a much stiffer test than they saw with Miles Sanders and the Eagles. We’ve also seen the Patriots defense struggle against the rushing attack in games against the Ravens and Cleveland Browns.

Elliott has the potential to setup the necessary body blows for Prescott to land the knockout over the top with receivers Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup.

Trends

Via Covers.com

Cowboys are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games after earning more than 350 total yards in the previous game.
Cowboys are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games after earning more than 250 yards passing in the previous game.
Cowboys are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games after scoring over 30 points in the previous game.

Prediction

The smart pick is the Cowboys and the under on Sunday.

Brady’s top receivers could be Edelman, Jakobi Meyers and N’Keal Harry against a Cowboys defense that ranks seventh in yards allowed this season. Meyers is an undrafted rookie that worked his way onto the team, and Harry is a rookie first-round draft pick only playing in his second NFL game. The degree of difficulty for Brady and company is reaching asinine levels of ridiculous.

Foxborough serving as the backdrop and the Patriots’ terrifying defense wouldn’t give me much confidence in picking the Cowboys to outright win this game, but they are good enough to keep it closer than a touchdown.

Wynn being back on the field isn’t going to magically snap the Patriots back into being a dominate offense again. The Cowboys will find some success with their running attack in a game where I can see them coming away with at least two touchdowns. It won’t be the air raid we’ve seen from them in previous weeks, but they’ll at least move the ball enough to be competitive.

The resourceful Patriots will ultimately figure out a way to win at home, but I’m still taking the Cowboys and the points on Sunday.

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What Bill Belichick wouldn’t say in Week 12 while preparing for Cowboys

Ahead of the New England Patriots’ matchup against the Dallas Cowboys, here’s a look at the topics Bill Belichick wouldn’t address.

Bill Belichick was happy to dive deep into his feelings about Thanksgiving and his high school matchups against “the Falcons” when he was a youngster. He reflected upon how much he loves dessert during the holiday season, and how Thanksgiving brings his favorite things together: family, food and football. But he was fairly light on the issues that mattered (Shocking, I know.)

With a Week 12 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys looming, Belichick touted quarterback Dak Prescott and receiver Amari Cooper. But Belichick was was vague about his young wideouts (N’Keal Harry and Jakobi Meyers) while dodging questions on Antonio Brown and Nick Caserio.

1. How do you feel about Tom Brady’s frustration surrounding the offense?

What Bill Belichick said on WEEI: “Yeah, we talk on a regular basis and I think Tom’s attitude has been good,” he said. “He works hard in practice and I feel like we are getting better in all three phases of the game. … Well, I think we can do things better in every area of the game and we’ll keep working to do that. Nothing has changed there.”

What we think he’s thinking: Brady’s apparent issues with the offense became one of the biggest storylines of the weeks. The Patriots offense is beginning to establish its identity, and it’s easy to imagine Brady isn’t content with what he’s seeing on film, particularly when looking at himself. Brady is a perfectionist who would probably prefer to put the team on his back, rather than force his defense and special teams units to carry the team to a win. So he doesn’t seem comfortable with the fact that his offense is the weakest link. Brady’s struggles in 2019 may also have a bigger impact — he’s set to enter free agency in 2020. How might his struggles impact his ability to stay with the Patriots (or sign elsewhere)? But perhaps in an effort to reset the conversation, Brady met with reporters on Wednesday instead of Friday and took a more positive tone. Perhaps Belichick instructed Brady to tweak his mindset — or at least the way Brady presents that mindset to reporters.

2. Are the Patriots monitoring the NFL’s investigation of Antonio Brown after the WR apologized to ?

What Bill Belichick said: “You’d have to talk to Robert (Kraft) about that. I mean, every week you guys ask me about a player who’s not on our team and every week it’s going to be the same answer.”

What we think he’s thinking: Not long after WEEI’s Christian Fauria suggested the Patriots were “kicking the tires” on Brown, there were multiple reports that the Patriots had no intention of signing Brown. Essentially, Brown burnt the Patriots just days after they signed him the first time. Why would they subject themselves to his baggage again?

3. Do you feel like the offense needs to be better to win a Super Bowl?

What Bill Belichick said: