Woohoo! We’re 4-3!

Nope, that’s not a typo.  That’s just an admission that we will not be able to beat the Patriots.  That’s OK.  We don’t match up well.  They’re a better team right now. But that’s what makes this narrow victory all the more important.

To be honest, I didn’t see the whole game.  Direct TV screwed me, and it was not available to me.  But I saw large chunks of it on their Red Zone channel (which is a fantasy player’s dream, by the way, if you haven’t checked it out) including the end.

Without seeing the game, I can’t comment on some of the things I normally would. But there are some stats I want to share:

12 for 18 on passing attempts for 95 yards.

28 rushes for 73 yards and an average of 2.6 yards per carry.

It would be easy to rant on and say that this is unacceptable and we are fatally flawed.  It would be easy to say that this is a sign of a crumbling, injury riddled offensive line.  And sadly that is probably right.

But I prefer to talk about how despite the offense having a miserable day we still won because of a brilliant defense. Check out these numbers:

London Flether 13 tackles

Rocky McIntosh 9 tackles

Laron Landry 9 tackles.

Shawn Springs 7 tackles at the CB slot.

We forced three fumbles and took in two INTs.

This is a dominant defense now.  It is one of those defenses that can win games single-handedly.  It is the kind of defense that we can rely on while we’re waiting for Jason Campbell to continue his maturation process.  It is the kind of defense that will keep our head above water until the offensive line can gel and become a strength again.

And the best part of it is that Greg Williams is showing he is a real defensive coordinator.  Every week, he has shown a willingness to change strategy and to go against his tendencies and preferences to design a defense for the team we are playing. He used tough, bump and run, man-to-man defense against the Eagles, and used soft, umbrella zones against Detroit.  This is now one of the smartest, most flexible, speediest defenses in the league.

It will actually be fun to see if Williams can pull one more rabbit out of his hat and slow down the Pats.  Can we confuse Tom Brady?  Can we slow down Randy Moss without just opening things up for Welker and Stallworth? I believe he can slow them down.  We can probably hold them to under 30.  But unfortunately, I just don’t see this offense right now being able to handle the Pats D.

But all this week I will do my best to come up with ways to imagine it happening. I just hope Coaches Gibbs, Saunders, and Williams are working on it, too.  Because they’re a lot smarter than me.

-DW