Thoughts after Week 1, Bengals vs. Patriots

What a great win to start the 2010 NFL season! Here are my initial thoughts from the Patriot's 38-24 win over the Bengals.

Offense
Tom Brady looked comfortable in the pocket and under center. Brady faced little pressure thanks to a great job by the OL and he was able to scan the field and hit the open receivers. He did a relatively good job of spreading the ball around. 3 TDs and 0 INTs, can't ask for much more than that.

The OL did a great job of protecting Brady. They also did a pretty good job of opening holes when they ran the ball. If Dan Connolly continues to play like this consistently, Mankins look more and more like a goat.

It was great seeing Welker out there. 2 TD catches and a few key 3rd-down conversions. Moss had a relatively quiet game but I think he did a good job of creating space underneath for the other receivers as evidenced by the wide-open 45-yard reception for Hernandez.

Taylor ran hard and very effectively. He punished tacklers and reminded me of Corey Dillon. Hopefully he can continue to stay healthy because you can see what happens when he is. Having a running threat definitely helps keep the defense honest and allows for big gains with play-action.

The trio of TEs has me very excited for this year. One play that stood out was Gronkowski and Crumpler leading the way on a screen to Welker which resulted in a TD. Hernandez also looked explosive in his 45-yard catch and run as he cut back across the field to gain additional yards.

Defense
It's hard to analyze line-play from what they show on TV but it looked like Wilfork and company were stout against runs up the middle. They were also able to generate a decent amount of pressure on the passer from their interior rush. It's a pretty good sign that you don't always have to rely on pressure coming from the OLBs.

As for the OLBs, I think Banta-Cain and Ninkovich looked pretty good at getting after the QB. Banta-Cain also looked very good at setting the edge and I don't recall too many runs being bounced outside.

The ILBs played better than they showed in the preseason. Mayo looked faster than he has been at any point last year. Guyton had a great 59-yard INT return for TD after jumping underneath a pass intended for the Bengals' TE. Mayo and Spikes also were competitive in coverage and got their hands on a few balls thrown their way as well.

It was interesting not seeing Meriweather as much in this game. There were rumors that he may not get the start so that's something to keep an eye on. Chung was a beast and was all over the field. He definitely looks more confident in the system and where he needs to be and that has allowed him to play much faster. He also displayed good discipline in knowing when to wrap up the ball-carrier and when to bring the wood.

The very young secondary looked pretty good. McCourty has looked very impressive in pass coverage. He also delivered a great hit on Palmer as he ran toward the sideline. Butler looked pretty good early but was targeted a few times in the 2nd half. Perhaps some of that resulted from playing a more conservative, prevent style after going up 31-3 in the 3rd quarter.

Special Teams
The special teams looked a lot faster this year. They covered well in both kickoff and punt coverage. Tate's 97-yard kickoff return for a TD was an amazing play where he made a few guys miss and was able to pull away toward the end.

Gostkowski struggled a bit with a pair of missed FGs (47-yard, and 56-yard). It seems like he often misses FGs over 40 yards so it's something to monitor.

Other Thoughts
Overall, I think it was a great game and a great way to start the season. The offense looks more dynamic with the new TEs. Fred Taylor looked great running the ball. If the Pats continue to show the same level of commitment toward the running game, this offense should put up a ton of points.

One area of concern was that the offense stalled a little bit in the 2nd half, particularly in the 3rd quarter. That was a trend that plagued the 2009 Patriots. Thankfully, they were able to put together a nice drive in the 4th quarter with underneath throws to close out the game.

Another area of concern was the conservative play style in the 2nd half. The soft coverage allowed the Bengals to work their way down the field for consecutive TDs. Chad Ochocinco got the better of Butler on a few plays and was able to score a TD. When the Pats are up big like this, I'd like to see them have more a killer instinct deeper into the game and just finish off their opponents.

I can't wait for next week. Bring on the Jets!