Brady was hardly disastrous in New England's bad games -- he completed fewer than 60 percent of his passes and averaged less than 7 yards per toss, but threw eight touchdowns with only one interception. On the ground, however, the Patriots were neutralized. They averaged only 72.0 yards per game and 3.1 yards per carry. Their average rush offense DVOA was -26.9%, which would have been the worst in the league over a full season; their average pass offense DVOA was 7.2%, which would have been in the middle of the pack. Shutting down the ground game and forcing Tom Brady to throw isn't the first tactic that springs to mind when facing New England, but it has been most effective against the Patriots this year.
