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Every Wednesday during the NFL season, Kru’s Control will offer readers a pre-port. A pre-port is a first cousin to a pre-diction, but it’s not just a guess about the score of Sunday’s Patriots game, it is a full-length report about the game—before it ever happens—as if it had already happened. Think of having a time traveler come back each week to let you know the story of the game several days before the game is ever played.
I remember watching Raiders of the Lost Ark a long time ago. In spite of all sorts of dangers, I was sure the hero, Indiana Jones, would be okay until things got so bad that I completely changed my mind and became convinced he was a goner. Then, as soon as I was absolutely sure that ultimate doom was imminent, the hero made a miraculous escape and all was well.
Yesterday Tom Brady played the part of Indiana Jones as the Patriots won a real cliffhanger, beating Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs by a whisker, 21-20. Their formula was a familiar one: Play great defense and special teams, get key turnovers, and do just enough on offense to come out on the right end of the score.
The defense, which I am convinced is very good, but not quite in the class of those great all-time teams, held its own. Jamie Collins and a trio of defensive ends set the edge, keeping Patrick Mahomes contained. As a unit, the Patriots limited his scrambling to two runs of 14 and 10 yards, while collecting three sacks, numerous hurries, and a critical interception.
Special teams chipped in, with rookie punter Jake Bailey combining with Matthew Slater to down the ball three times inside the Chiefs 10 and forcing them to attempt long drives into the 20 mile per hour wind in the second and fourth quarters. Two missed field goals didn’t exactly help the Patriots cause, but I won’t even bother to mention the new kicker’s name, the fifth one this season, as his tenure will be a short one. I hear that Nick Folk, sans appendix, is likely to be back next week.
On offense, it wasn’t a masterpiece, but at least the New England quarterback, you know, the guy who has taken to alternate bouts of yelling and despair, had several really good moments. Although the Texans had had great success covering James White with a defensive back, Kansas City inexplicably decided that their linebackers could do the job. Wrong. Brady connected with White eight times for 79 yards, four of them first downs.
N’Keal Harry, back from receivers’ purgatory, made only one catch, but it was a great one for a 47 yard TD. That’s likely his ceiling for this season, one long reception per game, nothing more, nothing less. At least the defense has to respect his size and speed when he lines up outside, with the result that he opens up the field for other legitimate receivers as he runs down field, largely ignored by his quarterback. Phillip Dorsett looked like he finally had his head on straight, and Mohamed Sanu was back operating on two good legs this week, the former making four catches, the latter five.
And Julian Edelman was… Julian Edelman. On the Pats crucial fourth quarter drive, with New England down 20-14 and 90 ticks on the clock, Edelman scooped up a Brady pass millimeters off the ground for the winning touchdown on fourth and goal from 8 yards out. We sweated out a lengthy replay review, but Brady’s safety blanket, our man of miracles, had done it once again and the world was good.
Oh yes, Kansas City had over a minute and two timeouts to get into field goal range, but with Chase Winovich about to smother Patrick Mahomes, the KC quarterback heaved one thirty yards down field, where Duron Harmon, playing center field, swooped in front of Sammy Watkins for the INT.
Score: Indiana Jones 1, Bad Guys 0. Tune in next week to the continuing saga of our heroes as they pursue the Holy Grail, getting pushed hopelessly to the brink, and (with any luck) escaping with their lives again.
