FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- In film study of the New England Patriots' 27-10 victory over the Washington Redskins, one thing that stood out was the effort and execution of the team’s receivers as run blockers.
LeGarrette Blount's 14-yard run in the second quarter was one play of note, as Julian Edelman took on safety Dashon Goldson to help pave the way.
On that play, Edelman vs. Goldson. Edelman's win helps turn 4-yard run into 14 after Gronk & Andrews/Mason/Vollmer help with initial opening
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) November 9, 2015This was also one of the areas that head coach Bill Belichick highlighted in his weekly breakdown of key plays on Patriots.com.
“One thing that really helped us in the game was blocking from the wide receivers,” Belichick said. “Those guys just haven’t gotten enough credit.”
Belichick pointed out the work of Edelman, Danny Amendola and Brandon LaFell in this area, which is a reflection on receivers coach Chad O’Shea’s work as well.
A 21-yard run by Blount in the third quarter was also highlighted, as Edelman and Amendola blocked down to open up the outside.
The receivers aren’t alone in excelling blocking-wise.
Belichick also spotlighted Blount’s 10-yard run three plays prior, with tight end Michael Williams' trap block and center David Andrews/right guard Josh Kline getting to the second level to create the initial opening.
A few other plays of note from Belichick:
Defensive tackle Alan Branch's forced fumble (12:17, third quarter), which came on a stunt with linebacker Jonathan Freeny. Belichick touched on Branch’s long arms/length and how that helped create the turnover.
The quick passing game serving as an extension of the running game was pointed out with LaFell’s 13-yard catch-and-run (first quarter, 12:55), Amendola’s 10-yard catch-and-run (third quarter, 9:38) and LaFell’s 17-yard catch-and-run (fourth quarter, 7:25). In showing those plays, Belichick noted the speed that the Patriots have along the interior of the offensive line, as well as with tackle Cameron Fleming.