There was luck, of course there was. Talking to a buddy of mine here this morning, there's always a big element of luck when it comes to special teams plays.
With that said:
a. One of the key, overlooked elements of when the 2001 team started to turn around was that they started to play much, much better on special teams.
b. Those special teams plays aren't being made unless the defense was revamped the way that it was. Those are the kinds of plays that are made by young, athletic guys - not guys like Tedi Bruschi and Willie McGinnest. Amazing when they did the starting lineup tonight, really the only holder on the defensive side of the ball is Vince Wilfork.
c. This is the kind of game that lends confidence to a young squad. Again going back to 2001, that team started to come together when they beat the snot out of the Colts. I remember Brian Cox nearly taking someone's head off. You can see the swagger starting to come back - and a defense that swaggers is a defense that plays with confidence and that plays better. Ray Lewis, double-murderer and all, his swagger on the field makes the Ravens a better defensive team.
You could see the young guys playing better, once they got a couple scores. Miami was moving up and down almost at will in the first half... but not the second. That's a big deal for the Pats, given how much they've **** the bed after halftime this season.
d. Mayo is back and turning into a real playmaker. 16 tackles.
e. Law Firm... he didn't hit the 100 yard mark, but he's such an improvement over Mauroney. Doesn't make negative plays. Doesn't dance needlessly, if there's three yards to be had, he gets three yards. I feel better about the run game with BJGE in the backfield.