Is there any chance there will be a freak snowstorm in Dallas on Super Bowl Sunday? If so, and they decide to keep the roof open, the Patriots are going to be tough to beat. Of course that's getting ahead of things. Just a little.
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WEEK 14: Winter wonderland. |
I've been to many of the Pats memorable snow games. The Snow Bowl. The snowball game. Both playoff games against the Colts. But yesterday I was glad to be sitting on the couch in my parent's warm den, drinking beer and eating pizza with my nephew Steve. He too had been to one of the snow games of the past few years. He too was glad to be warm and dry and watching the snow on the television. It was a great show.
On the anniversary of the '82 Snow Plow game (yes, there are a lot of "snow" nicknames), the Pats plowed over the ferocious Bears defense with almost 500 yards of offense. I thought last year's game in the snow against Tennessee was a ridiculous offensive performance in ridiculous weather. Yesterday's was even better because it was against a defense that was allowing only 17 points per game in good weather. Tom Brady has completed his evolution from young star to veteran leader. He looks like Larry Bird in his prime. He's the best and he knows it. And he makes everyone on his team that much better. NFL Network might want to revise its list of top 100 players right now and move Brady up a few spots. Just a few.
I had started BenJarvis Green-Ellis on my fantasy team figuring in such brutal conditions that he would get the ball all day. (I benched Darren McFadden who put up 40 points. I won't be winning coach of the year in my league). So what did the Pats do? They came out in the shotgun. I should have known. BenJarvis and the running game was great, but it was Brady and the passing game that set the tone from start to finish. Again. Brady didn't spread the ball around quite as much this time. He mostly focused on Welker and Branch, with each catching eight passes. Those are two clutch receivers to have heading into the playoffs. Brady opened the game by leading the offense on scoring drives of 12 and 11 plays. By the time he hit Branch for a 59-yard touchdown on the last play of the half the game was over at 33-0.
Like the game against the Jets, the second half became a test of how mentally tough the defense has become. The answer is very tough. Even with rookie-of-the-year candidate Devin McCourty on the sideline with an injury (which I only knew because Steve read it on Yahoo, not because announcers Jim Nance or Phil Simms noticed he was missing), the young defense was stronger and faster than the Bears at every turn. The defense forced four turnovers, one of which was a fumble recovery that Gary Guyton took in for a touchdown. Guyton was filling in for suspended rookie Brandon Spikes. That's the kind of year it's been. A Patriot gets suspended and his replacement scores a touchdown.
That's how the team has survived injuries to key starters and a schedule that saw them playing -- and beating -- just about every playoff contender in the AFC. Week after week different players have stepped up. Regardless of the opponent. Regardless of the weather.
Who will step up next week at home against Green Bay? That's just as important of a question as what will we prepare for our tailgate feast? It's the Packers. Cheese must be involved. Lots of it. But hopefully no snow. Till the playoffs that is.
Here's a great video on the '82 Snow Plow game. The fact that years later Don Shula still loses sleep over this makes me happy to no end.
PATRIOTS VS. DOLPHINS SNOW PLOW GAME
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