Week 8 rewind

5-3. That's where the Pats stand after eight games. That's exactly where the Pats were after eight games last year. They won their next ten games to get to the Super Bowl. I wouldn't bet on the Pats going on a ten game winning streak this year but I sure would bet on them winning another AFC East title. Especially if they play like they did Sunday in London.

GOOD

• The Gronk is back. Rob Gronkowski caught touchdown passes #6 and #7. He had eight receptions for 146 yards. And he had two ridiculously Gronked-up spikes. Gronk is back. He's only the best offensive weapon in football. And the most entertaining.   
• Stevan Ridley is leading the AFC in rushing. That's right. Stevan Ridley has more rushing yards through eight weeks than Arian Foster, Darren McFadden, and Ray Rice. Meanwhile, my guy BenJarvus is doing nothing in Cincy. Isn't Belichick sick of being right? The running combo of Ridley, Bolden, Vereen, and Woody is the big difference in this year's Pats.
• Special teams play -- often overlooked -- is starting to be a factor. McCourty's touchdown return against the Jets was one of the five biggest plays of the season so far.  He may not be able to play corner any more but he can return kicks. Gosty made two huge field goals against NY and his kickoffs are often going going gone. Then there's Zoltan. The third-year punter is only 29th in average. That needs to get better. But he's also third in the league in the number of punts inside the 20. And that's impressive considering he doesn't punt as much as most other guys because he plays on the team with the highest scoring offense. 
• Of all the stats that are cited in the NFL -- QB rating, passing yards allowed, sacks, sacks allowed -- the most important one is turnover ratio. "Take care of the ball" is rule one two and three. The Patriots are following all three rules. They are tied for first in turnover ratio at +13. The defense leads the league with 11 fumble recoveries. 

BAD

• Just one thing. What else? The pass defense. On the Rams' opening drive the defense gave up a 50-yard bomb. It didn't look good. It still doesn't. The Pats are among the worst in the league in giving up big pass plays. Ras-I Dowling is done for the year. Chung and Gregory have missed most of the first half. McCourty looks better at safety than corner -- again. But there's hope. Chung and Gregory should be back soon and their veteran presence at safety should help. Youngsters Ebner, Dennard, and Wilson have made some mistakes but when the veterans come back the experience they have gained in the first half should only help down the stretch.

5-3. Not great. But it's only October. The time for great isn't now. It's in January and February. The Giants have taught everyone that lesson.

Mind the gap

WEEK 8
Just three minutes into today's game, Rams quarterback Sam Bradford let a bomb go deep down the middle of the field and 50 yards later it landed gently in the hands of Chris Givens who was -- of course -- a step behind safeties Tavon Wilson and Devin McCourty. Touchdown. It looked just like the end of the Seattle game. Not even the most optimistic Pats fan (me) could deny at that moment that the team was in trouble.

Tom Brady knew it too. He came out and responded, leading the offense on a quick and impressive eight-play drive that ended with him hitting Brandon Lloyd on a perfect corner pattern to tie the game. Brady was more fired up than usual as he smashed helmets after the drive. Brady knew it.

The offense scored touchdowns on its first five drives on the way to a 45-7 blowout in merry old England. And after giving up that early touchdown, the defense had its best game in years. The Pats head into the break at 5-3 with a chance to get healthy and get ready for a second half loaded with home games. The team could be in a better position if they hadn't let leads against the Ravens and Seahawks slip away, but all considered they are in a pretty good spot to battle Baltimore and Denver for the second seed.

Many in the Blabosphere will spend the next two weeks reminding everyone that the Rams aren't that good. That would be the same blabbers who were warning everyone that the Rams should not be taken lightly. That's what makes this win so encouraging. Just like the opener against a decent Tennessee team. If the Pats are truly one of the best teams in the league -- and they are -- then they should be able to dominate the lesser teams. Not always. But more often than not. That's the sign of a real contender. The gap between most NFL teams is not that great. But the gap between the contenders and the rest of the league is bigger. When one of the better teams plays up to its capabilities the lesser opponent really doesn't stand much of chance. As they say in London ... mind the gap.

The Pats get a week off and then play back-to-back home games against Buffalo and Indy. Two more teams that are decent but should not be able to stay with Brady and the Pats -- if Brady and the Pats play like they did today.

Time to enjoy the bye week. No Pats game next week? Hello, Red Zone. Here I come.

It's good! It's good!

Ten years ago today I sat on the floor in my parent's den -- a foot from the TV -- as Vinatieri's kick sailed right at me and right through the uprights.

Maybe Gostkowski can recreate that moment Sunday. I'll be in the same spot. But with a better TV.

Pats lose, still 0-0

Bill Belichick is not a happy man this morning. Or is he? The Patriots played their third preseason game last night and made more mistakes against the lowly Rams than they did in their previous two against the Saints and the Falcons. The coach will have plenty of things he can use to remind his team that they still have a lot of work to do. That's when he's at his best.

BELICHICK: The D stinks.

The next two weeks leading up to the home opener against Cincy will probably not be a lot of fun around Gillette. I think Belichick prefers it that way. It wasn't a disaster of a game as far as preseason goes (no injuries that I saw), but it was bad enough to get the team's attention. Lots of penalties. Lots of players out of position. The offense put up 35 points, but the defense gave up 36. Lots of work to do.

The game started off on a great note as second-year wide receiver Brandon Tate took the opening kick-off 97 yards for a touchdown. He looks like he'll have a spot on the roster at a very competitive position. Then the defense took the field and it seemed like they never left.

Rookie QB Sam Bradford led the Rams on a 10 play, 72-yard drive to tie the game. The Rams would add scoring drives of 8 plays, 7 plays, 9 plays, 15 plays!, 11 plays, and 9 plays. The last one led to the game winning field goal as time expired. I'm not sure how Brady and the offense were able to score any points considering how long the Rams held the ball. The spotlight will shine brightly on the Pats' defense over the next two weeks. The last preseason game next week against the Giants might turn out to be than just a scrimmage for the defense. They have something to prove.

It's a defense that is sorely lacking a leader. Mayo. Meriweather. Wilfork. They are all solid players but not the Richard Seymour, Rodney Harrison, Tedy Bruschi kind of guys. Meriweather spends too much time howling after making a tackle when his team is losing. Make the tackle. Get up. Get back to the huddle. Make another tackle. When the game is over and you've won you can howl. Rodney knew that. Tedy knew that. The young players on the defense have to learn it. Asante Samuel might have been able to teach them. Mike Vrabel definitely could.

The defense's inability to make stops on third down was a problem last year and could be again. A lot of that has to do with a lack of pass rush. That was a problem last year and almost certainly will be again unless the coaches can figure out schemes that will let some players loose. Last night Banta-Cain was that guy but he kept committing penalties. Carson Palmer, Ochocinco, and T.O. are going to put the D to the test right out of the gate. They better be ready.

The offense will be ready. Brady hit some big passes. Moss looks committed to having a big year. The tight ends are making plays all over the field. Gronkowski dragging a defender across the goal line was Ben Coates-like. Welker looked like vintage Wes last night. The running game didn't do much but that's par for the course with the Pats. One week they'll run the ball 30 times. The next week the running backs might as well stay home and watch on TV. Overall the offense looks fired up. They're going to have to be because they may need to score 30 points a game to win consistently.

Lots of work to do.