the refs didn't win the game for the pats, but they do give them an unfair advantage. jags played soft D all 4th quarter and cost them. maybe part of the reason they softened up was to avoid flags...
Basically. They were playing man in the first half, and it worked great until that last drive where they racked up huge penalties. Then in the second half I noticed them playing lots of zone.
They didn't get as much pressure on Brady as I figured they would. Looking at that Philly defense last night...gotta think they knock Pats o-line around a bit right?
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Major lesson of the the playoffs? You need a run game and a good defense brehs. Jags got an elite defense and run game...wack QB. Almost got to the Super Bowl. Eagles rolling with Foles due to a great defense and explosive run game. New Orleans, Minnesota, Atlanta...also good defense+run. Meanwhile the Lions have a QB but no run game and a wack d-line (our secondary has some holes but overall is good).
The DE market is pretty ehhh this year free agent wise (Ziggy Ansah is prob the second best end on the market and we could just franchise tag him I guess). I'd prefer to sign a DT via free agency and then draft the best DE available. Go heavy on the d-line in the draft and also get an RB. Bring in a full back and really go ham at fixing our run game.