A Team Award for a Vintage Win

I'm surprised that QB Matt Cassel was voted as the AFC Offensive Player of the Week. Sure he completed 75 percent of his passes for 185 yards and three touchdowns, his best performance this season. But he doesn't do this without his teammates.

Offensively the team rushed 38 times for 257 yards. With the ground game working so well, Cassel was able to just manage the game and avoid taking risks. He didn't throw an interception and no one fumbled the ball.

Cassel was further assisted by a defense that limited Denver's passing game, ranked second overall before the Monday night game, to just 187 yards. And Cassel benefited from short fields as the D forced five turnovers.

This is how the Patriots must play for their best chance of winning. It reminds me of 2001.

This isn't about comparing Cassel to QB Tom Brady. That has been done before. More importantly, when the Patriots play well in all areas, it eases the burden of winning on the passer. In other words, less from Cassel is best for the Patriots. It worked for Brady in 2001.

Looking back on Brady's first season as a starter, of his eleven wins, eight times the Pats rushed more than Brady attempted passes.  The average yards rushed in those eleven games is 126 yards. Seven times in those wins the Patriots forced more turnovers than they committed. And Brady threw just six interceptions in eleven wins.

The story for losses reflects the fact that the Pats lost as a team. All three times Brady threw more than the team rushed, the rushing average dropped to 83 yards per game, they tied or lost the turnover battle every time, and Brady threw six interceptions in three losses.

What worked for Brady back then is working for Cassel now. In Cassel's wins as the starter (not including Kansas City), New England ran more than they passed, averaged 168 rushing yards, and forced more turnovers. Cassel's losses are the opposite: more pass attempts than rushes, 91.5 yards per game on the ground, and the team turned the ball over more than they forced.

This method is nothing new. This is how a team must protect an inexperienced passer when pressed to play.

So while Cassel's name is on the weekly award, he knows there's a lot of other players that helped him earn it.