Keys to a Patriots Victory Review: Week 15

A review of how the Patriots fared in their keys to a victory laid out for them prior to their Week 15 win.

The New England Patriots got back to their winning ways after beating the Cincinnati Bengals 34-13 on Sunday. It wasn’t pretty, but the Patriots desperately needed a win and that’s all that matters. 

Let’s break down how New England fared in the Week 15 keys to a victory.

1) Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels

Josh McDaniels is the engineer of the Patriots offense. It is his job to call the plays and put the Patriots best players in a position where they can succeed. 

There was a clear plan for McDaniels and New England's offense in Week 15. The first part of that plan was to establish the run. The Patriots did just that with 175 yards rushing as a team. Sony Michel led the way with 89 yards and Rex Burkhead re-emerged with 53 yards and a touchdown. A strong running game can take some pressure of Tom Brady and the opposing teams pass rush.

McDaniels also said he needs to find a way to get rookie wideout N’Keal Harry more involved. Harry definitely was more involved than the Chiefs game. Harry had four passes thrown his way for two catches and touchdown. Harry also had two rush attempts. It's baby steps for the first-round pick.

2) N’Keal Harry Steps Up

N’Keal Harry was called out by his offensive coordinator and he stepped up. Harry had a 33-yard catch taken away after a false start by Julian Edelman. On his touchdown catch, Harry was able to move and find the open spot in the back of the endzone and he made a great diving catch on a pass from Tom Brady.

There is a lot of pressure on Harry to be the savior for the Patriots' offense. If Harry learns the offense and gets on the same page as Brady, he can be the weapon on the outside that New England has been searching for since they released Antonio Brown.

With Julian Edelman battling a knee injury and his health not at 100 percent, there will be even more pressure heaped on N’Keal Harry going forward. 

3) The Boogeymen Return

After a scary start for the Patriot defense, when they allowed Bengals running back Joe Mixon to run all over the field and lead Cincinnati to an opening drive touchdown, New England figured things out and shut down Andy Dalton and the Bengals' offense.

Stephon Gilmore continued his Defensive Player of the Year campaign with two interceptions, including one that he returned for a touchdown. JC Jackson contributed with two interceptions of his own as the Patriots secondary continues to be the greatest strength of the team.

New England's defense controls the fate of the team. The Patriots will go as far in the playoffs as the defense takes them. And we all know that defense wins championships.