A solid half, and doesn’t it feel like NE should be up by 17 points right now. Both Miami scores are off Pats turnovers. Sammy Morris will hear about his fumble at halftime. The pick?? You’re just talking bad luck.
Here are my halftime grades for the Pats
Offense
Line (C) … Too many penalties, not handling the blitz, saved by Matt Cassel all half. Their inability to open holes for the backs have made this offense totally one-dimensional.
Backs (C) … Morris fumble was the low, some nice work in the screen game by Kevin Faulk has been the high. Other than that, a non-factor.
Receivers (B+) … Can’t tell from my couch if Ben Watson is healthy, alive or dressed. Welker and Moss have been very sharp, and Gaffney is going his job nicely. They should be having fun with the Pats throwing basically on every down.
QB (A+) … Another giant half, hitting 72 percent of his passes for 205 yards.
Defense
Line (B) … Making plays against the run, not really impacting vs. the pass.
Linebackers (C) … Silent first half, other than a Mike Vrabel sack. Not a lot of chances, though.
Secondary (C) … Deltha O’Neal celebrates an awful lot for a guy whose back side is burnt to a crisp this season.
Overall, I still smell blowout, and a Pats second-half runaway.
