Another example of what Brady is working with or, more accurately, against. We have 2nd and 3 from the NE 34. Let me emphasis that the line of scrimmage is the 34.
The Patriots go shotgun with two receivers to Brady's right (Lafell split end with Edelman in the slot) and two tight ends to his left with Ridley off set right as the single back. The Patriots are using a tight-wing formation on the left with Gronkowski and Hoomanawanui.
First off, this is generally a run formation. Football can be both simple and a chess match - sometimes you show run and you run (power) and sometimes you show run and play fake into a pass (finesse). This play was neither of those.
The Chiefs are in their base 3-4 defense with a single high safety (while the other safety is ready to pick up Gronk if he releases into a route after the chip from the backer).
At the snap, Gronk stays in to block the outside backer and Hooman decides to just squat and watch him. Instead of rushing one of the outside backers, the Chiefs run a little stunt with the middle backer crossing with the left end and nose tackle. Stork is beaten badly by the stunt and receives late (read: no) help from Fleming. In fact, no one Patriot actually holds their block for more than a second aside from Gronk, completely away from the action. As the play progresses, Ridley, who had stayed in to block, releases into the flat where he is picked up by Houston.
If you can recall, the line of scrimmage was the NE 34. Brady received the snap from the shotgun at about the NE 29. And this is where Brady ends up because of the immediate pressure up the middle.
He delivers a pass off his back foot from just beyond the NE 15. As for his receiving options on the pass play...
Lafell is running a dig/square-in route and Edelman appears to run an out-and-up route. Both are well covered. Edelman, not quite seen in the shot above, is actually open on the out part of the pattern but, given the jailbreak facing Brady, he is not an option on the slow developing route. Ridley is also covered tightly in the flat (the ball would eventually be thrown incomplete in his direction - essentially a throw away).
I don't think the screen grab above gives justice to the amount of pressure Brady was facing - he had three free rushers coming right at him from the start, with no passing lanes, with no time to step up into a throw, nothing. His first read here, either Lafell or Edelman, were running medium to deep routes that needed some time to develop. And his safety valve (Ridley) did not get much separation.
But then, back to the tight ends. Hooman is still watching (I mean, has he even taken a step in any direction) and Gronk never releases as a receiving option. The play is FUBAR from the start so Brady never looks to the tight-wing side of the formation anyway. I am really not sure what either was supposed to do here, but they may have well played with 10 players on this play design given the statue-like performance from Hooman.
The little red dots in the last screenshot show the LOS, where Brady received the snap, where Brady is and where he ends up throwing it. I had to review this 10 times to make sure I wasn't screwing up the the original LOS. In sum, the Patriots essentially leave 8 in to block 4 rushers and simply can't buy Brady any time. The design of this play from the start was puzzling (what is Hooman supposed to be doing aside from watching Gronk's backside?) and the execution was abysmal.
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