Week 3: Patriots vs. Raiders Injury Report

The traveling freak show that is the Oakland Raiders (0-2) makes a rare stop at Gillette Stadium on Sunday (1, CBS) to face the Patriots (1-1). In their 2014 home opener, New England is by far the biggest favorite in the NFL this weekend and with good reason, as usual the past decade the Raiders are a complete disaster. Oh and that joker with the bowl cut up above is the late Al Davis' mysterious son Mark that hit the genetic lottery (well kind of) and he's now the current owner of these losers.

The injury report was released this afternoon with six Patriots listed as questionable, one Raider already out and seven others questionable. Defensive lineman Michael Buchanan (ankle), Jamie Collins (thigh), Alfonzo Dennard (shoulder), safety Don Jones (hamstring), Shane Vereen (shoulder) and center Ryan Wendell (knee) are the guys on New England who could be out for what should be the easiest win of the season. Collins, Dennard and Vereen are the most notable; the first two were out last week in Minnesota while Vereen is a new addition.

UConn safety Tyvon Branch returns to New England with Oakland as a starter but his fellow Husky alum linebacker Sio Moore (ankle) has already been ruled out. The Raiders who are most in danger of missing out on this beating are cornerback Chimdi Chekwa (knee), Maurice Jones-Drew (hand), offensive tackle Matt McCants (knee), linebacker Nick Roach (concussion), cornerback Carlos Rogers (knee), defensive lineman Antonio Smith (back) and wide receiver Rod Streater (hip). Jones-Drew, Rogers and Smith are all former stars that might be washed up (why else would they come to Oakland?).

Sunday could be the last summer like day of the year in these parts so enjoy it but check in for my update before kickoff regarding the inactives.

UPDATE 9/21: The Patriots inactives are Dennard, Jones, Wendell, DL Zach Moore, WR Aaron Dobson, OL Josh Kline and RB James White. The Raiders inactives are Chekwa, Jones-Drew, Moore, Roach, QB Matt Schaub, OL Matt McCants and OL Tony Bergstrom.

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Patriots Run Over Colts En Route to Their 3rd Straight AFC Championship Game

(30 for 30 voice) What if I told you that the Tom Brady would go 13 of 25 for 198 yards and zero TDs but the Patriots would beat the Colts 43-22 at Gillette Stadium in the AFC Divisional Round? The seemingly impossible actually happened tonight as New England rode a team-record six rushing touchdowns (4 from LeGarrette Blount and 2 from Stevan Ridley) along with four interceptions of Andrew Luck to their third AFC Championship Game in a row and eighth in the past 13 seasons.

The Pats host the Chargers if they upset the Broncos in Denver tomorrow. If the Broncos win, New England heads to Mile High for a super hyped game between Brady and some guy named Peyton Manning. Despite the fact that Indy only trailed 29-22 heading into the fourth quarter, we never really sweated this one out since Luck had too many turnovers and more importantly, the Colts defense is atrocious (in two playoff games this season they allowed a combined 87 points).

Blount (24 carries, team-record 166 yards) showed that the last few weeks of the regular season weren't a fluke. It was also nice to see Ridley (14 carries, 52 yards) chip in. The problem with New England's passing game is that it only really has two legitimate targets: Julian Edelman (6 catches, 84 yards) and Danny Amendola (3 catches, 77 yards). Aaron Dobson (foot) missed the game and Kenbrell Thompkins only had one target and no catches (plus he might have picked up a concussion on that one play). Depending on who they play next Sunday (3, CBS), the Patriots have to find a way to squeeze more out of their receivers cause you have to figure Blount will be their main focus defensively.

On the third play of the game, Luck (20 of 41, 331 yards, 2 TDs, 4 INTs) threw nearly a pick-6 to Alfonzo Dennard who returned it to the 2. The next play was a two-yard TD run by Blount. He did the same thing a little more than six minutes later for a 14-0 Patriots lead. Playing from behind for the second week in a row against a smarter and better coached team was too much for Luck.

Granted, he made some sick throws like the 38-yard pass to LaVon Brazill that put the Colts on the board. Another 2-yard TD run by Blount made it 21-7 Patriots before Indy got a 36-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri and a safety on a bad snap to punter Ryan Allen (who also hurt his shoulder on the play). New England only led 21-12 at halftime.

A 21-yard field goal by Vinatieri was as close as Indianapolis would get (21-15). Ridley had a 3-yard TD run and 2-point conversion. Brazill's only other catch was a 35-yard touchdown (at least he makes them count). The fourth quarter belonged to the Pats and their offensive line. Blount ran for a 73-yard TD and Ridley capped it off with a 1-yard TD run.

Rookie linebacker Jamie Collins (6 tackles, 3 solo, 1 sack, 1 interception, 2 tackles for loss, pass deflected, 3 quarterback hits) hadn't done anything during the regular season but in his playoff debut, the second-round pick out of Southern Mississippi was the star of New England's resilient defense. Donta' Hightower (8 tackles, 3 solo, 1 pass deflected, 1 interception) had been bashed all season for all his obvious flaws but he was great in this one. To show you how few plays that he's made in two seasons, that pick was the first of his career. Dennard wrapped it up with his second interception.

We know that the Patriots in many ways are lucky to be one of the final four teams left in the NFL but at the same time, you have to marvel at their resilience through all the major injuries. No matter if it's the Broncos or Chargers, New England will have to take its game to another level and improve in many departments. Clearly, we'd prefer San Diego to win tomorrow since that would mean the Pats only need another win at Gillette to get to the Super Bowl. However, Denver is a tougher opponent on paper (keep in mind New England already beat them this season) but there is something to be said for going into Denver and knocking them off.

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Injury Report: Divisional Round-Patriots vs. Colts

It is about that time folks. Tomorrow night (8:15, CBS) the Patriots host the Colts at Gillette Stadium with a trip to the AFC Championship Game on the line. Today the injury reports came out and unlike the regular season, they weren't cluttered with fake injuries and jokes.

For New England, wide receiver Aaron Dobson (foot) is out. For Indianapolis, wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey (hamstring) is also out. The only guys that are questionable for either team are Patriots wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins (hip) and cornerback Alfonzo Dennard (knee/shoulder).

Dobson's injury certainly hurts the Pats but it's not something that should prevent them from beating the Colts. He missed four games during the regular season so having him out isn't a complete shock plus given that and the fact that he's a rookie, he never really seemed completely comfortable. Sigh, hopefully his sophomore campaign is much better in terms of health and production. They need someone with big play ability that can stretch the field, is he that player?

As for Heyward-Bey, he was Indy's fifth receiver so that's not a big loss. The ghost of Deion Branch should be a suitable replacement for that bum that can't catch anything, R.I.P. Al Davis!

UPDATE 1/11: Patriots inactives are Chris Barker, Dobson, D.J. Williams, Jake Bequette, Isaac Sopoaga, Justin Green and Steve Beauharnais. Colts inactives are Josh Lenz, Sheldon Price, Daniel Adongo, Khaled Holmes, Joe Reitz, Heyward-Bey and Branch.

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Week 11 Injury Report, Monday Night Football special edition: Patriots at Panthers

You are not alone if it feels like five months since the Patriots last played (their blowout win over the Steelers) a game. Since then, they had a bye week and now we have to wait an extra day since they play Monday Night Football (8:40, ESPN) at Carolina (6-3). I can't say it's the game of the week since Denver hosts Kansas City on Sunday Night Football but the silver medal in this case is no small feat.

The injury reports were released today and there were a few notable items. Safety Steve Gregory (thumb) is out but you already knew that since his thumb is broken and he had surgery on it. Cornerback Alfonzo Dennard (knee) is also out, I had missed it during the week but I guess he got hurt in practice. Yikes, hope that's not too serious. Leon Washington (ankle), Kyle Arrington (groin) and Aqib Talib (hip) are all questionable for the Pats.

For Carolina who is arguably the hottest team in the NFC, tight end Ben Hartsock (knee), linebacker Chase Blackburn (foot) and guard Chris Scott (knee) are all out. Cornerback Drayton Florence (groin) is the only Panther that is questionable.

Enjoy another full day of NFL Red Zone tomorrow and at some point, I'll update this on Monday when more inactives became available.

UPDATE 11/17: Washington is out, he hurt his ankle in Week 5 and hasn't been seen since. I don't understand why he's not on IR, this is a waste of a roster space if he never is on the field.

UPDATE 11/18: Shane Vereen will be activated for tonight's game, his first appearance since Week 1 when he broke his wrist. The four other inactives for the Pats are LB Steve Beauharnais, Brandon Bolden, DL Jake Bequette and OL Chris Barker. The inactives for Carolina: WR Tavarres King, WR Marvin McNutt, RB Kenjon Barner and DE Frank Alexander.

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Week 3 Injury Report: Buccaneers at Patriots

It's funny how quickly we fall into familiar routines when it comes to the NFL season. The Patriots (2-0) last played on Thursday (9/12) and maybe because it was such a horrific game that we tried to put it out of our memories but that feels like it was a year ago. Today, the injury report was released for New England's meeting with winless Tampa Bay (0-2) on Sunday (1, FOX) at Gillette Stadium.

Matthew Slater (wrist) has already been declared out for the Pats who as far as I know haven't publically acknowledged his broken wrist which should put him on the shelf for a while. Danny Amendola (groin) is doubtful and you can basically guarantee that he won't play either. There are six Patriots that are questionable: Brandon Bolden (knee), Dan Connolly (finger), Nate Ebner (ankle), Rob Gronkowski (back/forearm), Will Svitek (knee) and Leon Washington (thigh). Of that group, I'm pretty sure that Connolly and Washington are the only guys to have played in the first two games.

The Bucs aren't messing around as they've already said three of their players are out: defensive tackle Derek Landri (knee), cornerback Michael Adams (knee) and offensive lineman Gabe Carimi (illness). Four Bucs are questionable: tight end Tom Crabtree (ankle), cornerback Rashaan Melvin (hamstring), guard Carl Nicks (foot) and tight end Luke Stocker (hip).

Check back on Sunday prior to kickoff as I'll update these when the inactive list becomes available.

In other Patriots news, the NFL finally came down with their fines from the Jets-Pats game. Vince Wilfork, Alfonzo Dennard and Michael Buchanan were each fined $7875 for unnecessary roughness while Chandler Jones was docked $15,750 for an earlier play where he hit Geno Smith.

UPDATE 9/22: The new inactives for the Pats are Washington, Gronk, Amendola, Steve Beauharnais, Svitek, and Chris Jones. The other inactives for the Bucs include Orlovsky, Adams, defensive end Steven Means and Stocker.

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No Seriously, What the Hell Did We Just Watch?

I have seen plenty of ugly football in my life, I used to cover high school football in Massachusetts after all, but tonight's Patriots-Jets debacle at Gillette Stadium was a new low. The Patriots (2-0) beat the Jets (1-1) 13-10 in their 2013 home opener that set the game of football back at least 20 years and made me want to huff ether.

How wretched did New England play against one of the worst teams in the NFL? Well I'm happy you asked. They had nine first downs, went 4 for 18 on third down conversions and only gained 232 total yards. Just like on Sunday when the Pats were lucky enough to be lining up against the hapless Bills, once again this evening they were rewarded by the NFL schedulemakers since there are only a handful of teams that would have lost to the Patriots with the level they played at.

New York lost because they had four turnovers (3 interceptions by rookie quarterback Geno Smith and a fumble by wide receiver Stephen Hill). Tom Brady (19 of 39, 185 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT) had one of the most mediocre games of his legendary career and it's easy to see why: Julian Edelman (career-high 13 catches, 78 yards on 18 targets) was his main weapon in the passing game. A confluence of factors contributed to this being such a stinkbomb: short week, no Danny Amendola or Rob Gronkowski, poor execution and lack of chemistry. That about covers it, no?

Rookie Aaron Dobson was left wide open and as a result of New York's boneheaded blitz call, his first NFL catch was a 39-yard touchdown. After Aqib Talib forced a fumble on Stephen Hill's (4 catches, 87 yards) 33-yard catch and recovered by Devin McCourty. He returned it 44 yards to the New York 8-yard line but the Pats had to settle for a 21-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski. Foreshadowing!

Nick Folk got the Jets on the board with a 37-yard field goal later in the first quarter and Gostkowski's 30-yard kick in the second quarter turned out to be New England's final points. That's right, the team that won this pig orgy didn't score for the final 34:55. New York made it somewhat competitive as Bilal Powell had a 3-yard touchdown run in the third quarter which cut it to 13-10. As you can see, neither squad scored in the listless fourth quarter. I feel bad for the poor saps that paid all that money to go to this awful game, get stuck in traffic for hours then sat through that complete with buckets of rain. Fun times!

Obviously the Patriots' defense was the key to the win: they had four sacks (2 for Chandler Jones and 1 for Tommy Kelly and Michael Buchanan), three interceptions (2 for Talib and 1 for Alfonzo Dennard) and they took advantage of the fact that they were playing a rookie quarterback for the second week in a row.

Smith did his part to piss the game away by tossing all three of his picks in the fourth quarter that some people call winning time. Dobson (3 catches, 56 yards on 10 targets) and KenBrell Thompkins (2 catches, 47 yards on 7 targets) were never on the same page with Brady. That's not to say that every throw was perfect to them but they each had numerous passes clank off their hands. There are reports of Amendola being out until Week 6 which is a scary proposition. I don't know who the Pats could get at this point but they need a dependable veteran that knows their system and can jump right in (Brandon Lloyd?) to help out the rookies-Josh Boyce didn't even get a snap for some reason.

With a very rainy night and nobody to throw to besides Edelman on like 5-yard catches, you figured that Stevan Ridley (16 carries, 40 yards) would get plenty of yards assuming (big if) he didn't fumble. There was no Shane Vereen so this was mostly Ridley in the running game but for the second straight contest he was held to under 50 rushing yards (granted Sunday he would have surpassed that if he hadn't gone to the doghouse).

Knock on wood, it seemed like the Pats made it through this game relatively unscathed despite the short week and quick recovery time. The best thing I can say for them is that now they get a couple extra days off before they host the Buccaneers (0-1) on Sunday, September 22 (1, Fox). For what it's worth, Tampa Bay lost to the Jets in Week 1 (on the luckiest sequence) which is good news for the Patriots. They need as much time as they can get to try and improve this sorry offensive unit.

UPDATE 9/14: It was a quiet day in Foxborough after last night's nailbiter vs. the Jets. The Patriots re-signed rookie guard Josh Kline to the practice squad and released offensive tackle R.J. Dill.

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Week 15: 49ers At Patriots Injury Report

The Patriots (10-3) host the 49ers (9-3-1) on Sunday night (8:20 p.m., NBC) at Gillette Stadium in what could be the regular season game of the year for 2012. Granted, we said the same thing about last Monday-New England vs. Houston-and we all know how that one turned out.

Rob Gronkowski returned to practice for the first time today since breaking his forearm on November 18 but don't get your hopes up: CSN's Tom E. Curran thinks that he'll sit out the rest of the regular season and who could argue with that? No need to rush him back when the Patriots' offense is still putting up crazy numbers without him.

Other than Gronk, there are 17 other Patriots that are listed as questionable. San Francisco only had wide receiver Mario Manningham declared doubtful. The three New England players to pay the most attention to are cornerbacks Aqib Talib (hip) and Alfonzo Dennard (hamstring) plus tackle Nate Solder (abdomen). Talib and Dennard left the Texans game with injuries while Solder was limited in practice today and popped up on the list.

Let's all pretend that Kyle Arrington (knee), Ron Brace (elbow), Patrick Chung (shoulder/hamstring), Dan Connolly (back), Aaron Hernandez (ankle), Dont'a Hightower (hamstring), Chandler Jones (ankle), Brandon Lloyd (knee), Kyle Love (not injury related), Logan Mankins (ankle/calf), Nick McDonald (shoulder), Brandon Spikes (knee/ankle), Sebastian Vollmer (back/knee), Wes Welker (ankle) and Tracy White (elbow) might not play. Yeah that's it.

This will be updated before kickoff on Sunday night as we find out who is missing out on this possible Super Bowl preview.

UPDATE 12/15: Manningham is out. The Patriots currently have 52 players on the active roster, meaning that they have one open spot and they will only need to make six guys inactive tomorrow night instead of seven. We'll have to see who they add in the next few weeks, it's hard to believe they would stay at 52 past this game.

In honor of the victims of the Newtown, CT tragedy, New England will wear black-ribbon logos on their helmets and light 26 white flares during a moment of silence before Sunday night's game. A nice touch that they might as well carry on for the rest of the season if you ask me.

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Blowing Out Indy Comes At A Huge Cost: Gronkowski Breaks Forearm, Expected Out 4-6 Weeks

A few measly hours, that's all the time Patriots fans got to bask in the glow of a resounding 59-24 blowout victory against the Colts this afternoon at Gillette Stadium. 59 points ties a Patriots team record set in 2009 vs. Tennessee (that crazy snow game).

Reality came calling way too soon as we all (7-3, 4-1 home) found out that Rob Gronkowski (7 catches, 137 yards, 2 TDs) broke his forearm and is expected to miss somewhere in the 4-6 weeks range. The worst part (well besides the injury) is that it happened in garbage time, on the final extra point with 3:55 left in the fourth quarter. Rightfully, that opens up Patriots head coach Bill Belichick to a deserved cacophony of criticism asking why the best tight end in the NFL was still out there. Ugh!

Before I go to sleep depressed, let's remember that this was a very nice win. Indianapolis (6-4, 2-3 away) might have beaten up on some bad teams and taken advantage of a weak schedule but they are a good squad. Also, let's hold off the NFL Hall of Fame induction for Colts rookie quarterback Andrew Luck (27 of 50, 334 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs). After getting touchdowns on their first two drives of the game, Indy was outscored 52-10 the rest of the way. He looked rattled and made a couple terrible decisions/throws. What's more, he easily could have had a few more interceptions.

The Patriots scored touchdowns thanks to all three phases: offense, defense and special teams. Cornerback Aqib Talib's (7 tackles, 5 solo) debut for New England included a 59-yard interception return for a touchdown. Rookie Alfonzo Dennard (4 tackles) topped that with an 87-yard interception return for a score. Julian Edelman had the best game of anyone (and his anonymous career) since he scored on a 68-yard punt return, caught a 2-yard touchdown and also had an end around for 47 yards. Incredible.

Tom Brady (24 of 35, 331 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs) has put himself right in the thick of the MVP discussion (assuming people talk about that in mid-November) with another excellent performance. Wes Welker added seven catches for 80 yards.

Four turnovers by Indianapolis were way too much to overcome, especially since New England took care of the ball and never coughed it up. Rookie wide receiver T.Y. Hilton had six catches for 100 yards and two TDs while Reggie Wayne notched seven catches for 72 yards. Patriots icon Adam Vinatieri (47-yard field goal, 3 PATs) was repeatedly booed by the brain dead crowd at Gillette, those people can't be serious. Who does that to him?

Rob Ninkovich had a very solid game with eight tackles (four assists), a sack, two tackles for losses and two quarterback hits along with a forced fumble that he recovered. Stevan Ridley (3-yard) and Shane Vereen (4-yard) had touchdown runs in the fourth quarter when it spun way out of control for the Colts.

He didn't play today but Aaron Hernandez is expected back on Thursday night (8:30 p.m., NBC) as the Patriots visit the Jets (4-6) at MetLife Stadium. New York won 27-13 this afternoon in St. Louis and you'll remember that they choked against New England on October 21 in a game the Pats ended up winning 29-26 in overtime.

Ironically, that gift has propelled to New England to their current four-game win streak. The Jets are not a good team and they won't go to the playoffs this season but they usually play the Patriots tough and anything can happen in a short week, especially against a divisional rival and without one of your best players.

UPDATE 11/19: Deion Branch cleared waivers so he's a free agent. The Patriots signed wide receiver Kamar Aiken to the practice squad, he's previously been on the Bills and Bears after entering the NFL as a rookie free agent in 2011.

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Week 11: Patriots-Colts Injury Report

Sunday (4:25 p.m., CBS) should be a fascinating game as rookie quarterback Andrew Luck and the overachieving Colts (6-3) visit the underachieving Patriots (6-3) at Gillette Stadium.

Today the injury report was released and it features 16 Patriots that are questionable and two Colts that are out.

Logan Mankins (ankle/calf) is all banged up, illustrated in the fact that New England pulled out the doubtful label for the first time this season. Ron Brace (elbow), Deion Branch (hamstring), Patrick Chung (shoulder/hamstring), Dan Connolly (back), Steve Gregory (hip), Rob Gronkowski (hip), Aaron Hernandez (ankle), Dont'a Hightower (hamstring), Brandon Lloyd (knee), Nick McDonald (shoulder), Trevor Scott (hamstring), Brandon Spikes (knee), Sebastian Vollmer (back/knee), Wes Welker (ankle), Tracy White (foot) and Malcolm Williams (thigh) are all questionable.

It was reported by multiple sources that Hernandez was going to miss his fourth straight game so it is surprising to see him listed as 50/50. I tend to believe all the clued in reporters (ESPN's Adam Schefter foremost) rather than the Patriots.

For the Colts, rookie tight end Coby Fleener (Luck's teammate at Stanford) is out with a knee injury while former Dolphins cornerback Vontae Davis (reluctant star of Hard Knocks this summer) will miss this key AFC battle due to a shoulder injury.

With the late kickoff on Sunday afternoon, we probably won't know until an hour or two before who else will miss this game. Keep in mind, some names often pop up on Saturday nights so I'll have the latest information when I hear it.

It was a rough day to be a bank account in Foxborough as Spikes ($25,000), Jerod Mayo ($10,000) and Alfonzo Dennard ($7875) were all fined for unnecessary roughness (Spikes) or late hits (Mayo and Dennard) against the Bills last Sunday.

UPDATE 11/17: The Patriots made a flurry of moves today as they released Branch for the second time this season and also wide receiver Jarred Fayson off the practice squad. They activated cornerback Aqib Talib and wide receiver Greg Salas (from the practice squad).

UPDATE 11/18: Hernandez, Mankins, Chung, Connolly, Daniel Fells, Jake Bequette and Justin Francis are all inactive for New England.

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On Second Thought, Maybe We Shouldn't Have Been So Worried About The Rams

In hindsight, we can all chuckle now that we were scared that the Patriots might actually lose to the Rams this afternoon at Wembley Stadium in London. All week, we created this false hype in our minds since New England (5-3, 3-2 away) has played painfully uneven football so far in 2012.

That all changed today as they punished St. Louis (3-5, 3-2 home) 45-7 in a game that didn't even feel that close. For whatever reason, the Pats enjoy their trips to the UK: this victory made them 2-0 there and they've outscored opponents (Tampa Bay in 2009) 80-14. Even better, in Bill Belichick's last two games against Jeff Fisher (formerly of the Titans), he has beat him to the tune of 104-7. Haha wow.

Week 1 seems like so long ago and that was a blowout of the Titans while New England also took out Buffalo in convincing fashion (52-28 in Week 4) but for all intents and purposes, today was the first time they put all three phases together: offense, defense and special teams. The crazy part is that they spotted the Rams a 7-0 lead as St. Louis went down the field on its first drive and when Sam Bradford (22 of 30, 205 yards, TD, INT) hit Chris Givens for a 50-yard TD, we all wanted to punch a hole in the nearest TV or wall.

No worries as the Pats proceeded to score touchdowns on their next five drives and end the game with 45 unanswered points. Tom Brady (23 of 35, 304 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs) had his best performance of the season and ditto for Rob Gronkowski (8 catches, 146 yards, 2 TDs) who more than covered for Aaron Hernandez's absence. Stevan Ridley ran for 127 yards and a touchdown on only 15 carries while Brandon Lloyd caught a pair of touchdowns.

The combination of a banged up/horrible offensive line and an injured/awful wide receiver core made the Rams the perfect combination as the Patriots' defense built up some confidence. Blitzing Bradford and pressuring him also help immensely. Rookie Alfonzo Dennard had his second interception in two weeks while fellow rookie Tavon Wilson intercepted former Jet Kellen Clemens in garbage time.

It got so bad, that I pleaded on Twitter for running time and the blind hope that Belichick would sit some of his starters lest they run the risk of a needless injury. You can exhale in that case since it looks like Wes Welker's (6 catches, 48 yards) ankle will be OK. I've never been so happy to see Ryan Mallett than I was in the fourth quarter today.

Lloyd's 19-yard touchdown catch tied it at seven midway through the first quarter. Shane Vereen scored on 4th and Goal from the 1-yard line early in the second quarter. Gronk's 7-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter was followed by his best celebration (imitating a Buckingham Palace guard) before his signature spike. A flurry of penalties by the Rams gifted Ridley a 1-yard score with 10 seconds left in the second quarter. At that point, down 28-7, St. Louis might as well have packed their bags for the long flight home.



Think of the second half as extended garbage time since New England finally learned how to step on a team's throat and put them out of their misery-something they couldn't against Baltimore, Seattle or the Jets. Lloyd caught a 9-yard touchdown pass on the Patriots' opening drive and later Stephen Gostkowski got some work with a 26-yard field goal. Gronk had one more highlight for his new legion of fans: a 14-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter.

I wouldn't take too much out of this one game-the eternal lesson of the Any Given Sunday NFL-but it felt nice to see the Patriots look like their old selves again for however long. They improved to 1-2 against the NFC West this season. After some delayed travel due to Hurricane Sandy, New England will come home tomorrow and then they get a week off.

UPDATE 10/30: The Patriots released linebacker Bobby Carpenter, who had played in four games on special teams since being re-signed on October 2.

As my friend Jim Nantz said during the telecast, the bye week couldn't come at a better time. They have played eight games (half a season), they have a week off then they play eight more. Thanks Roger Goddell! When we next see the Pats, Sandy will be long gone, ditto for Halloween and the presidential election. Buffalo travels to Gillette on Sunday, November 11 (CBS, 1 p.m.).

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Patriots Almost Suffer Another Crushing Loss, Recover To Beat Jets 29-26 In Overtime

The Patriots have pretty much left me speechless with their inability when it comes to closing out games this season. Today they were up 23-13 heading into the fourth quarter at Gillette Stadium against the Jets who came in with statistically the third worst offense in the NFL.

Wouldn't you know it, New England (4-3, 2-1 home) nearly blew it as New York (3-4, 1-2 away) rallied for 13 straight points. Thankfully for once, the Pats were able to drive for the tying score and then won it with another field goal in overtime as their 29-26 win put them in sole possession of first place in the AFC (L)East. Buffalo lost earlier today and Miami had a bye week.

I suppose there are two ways to look at this win if you are a Patriots fan. 1) If they struggled so much against a team as bumbling as the Jets, what will happen when they play a legitimate playoff contender? 2) The AFC is awful and other than Houston (who got blown out last week at home by the Packers), who else is there to fear? Don't get me wrong, I don't know if I've ever felt less satisfied after a victory but bigger picture, I hope that maybe this game will serve as some sort of rallying point for a team that was going nowhere fast.

Perhaps most disheartening for New England was that they made Mark Sanchez (28 of 41, 328 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) look like a quality NFL quarterback. Of course, the clinching play was a strip-sack of Sanchez and recovery by Rob Ninkovich (6 tackles, 4 solo, 1.5 sacks, 2 tackles for loss, 2 quarterback hits). Nobody better illustrates the up and down nature of this team like Devin McCourty (5 solo tackles): the much maligned cornerback/safety had a 104-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. He also coughed up the ball on a kickoff late in the fourth quarter that led to New York's go-ahead field goal.

Tom Brady (26 of 42, 259 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs) wasn't at his best but he was able to lead New England to the tying field goal-a 43-yard kick by Stephen Gostkowski-as regulation expired. Likewise, after the Patriots received the kickoff to begin overtime, he led them down the field for what turned out to be the game-winner: a 48-yard kick by the suddenly clutch Gostkowski.

Both quarterbacks spread it around to eight receivers. Jeremy Kerley set a career-high with seven catches for 120 yards while Dustin Keller added seven catches for 93 yards. Rob Gronkowski (6 catches, 78 yards) had one of his best games of the season with two touchdowns while the Jets neutralized Wes Welker (6 catches, 66 yards) and Aaron Hernandez (5 catches, 54 yards). Brandon Lloyd's first dose of the Patriots-Jets rivalry was not a memorable one as he had one catch for six yards. I shudder to think what he would do if Darrelle Revis had played.

New England's rushing attack didn't seem to miss Brandon Bolden that much as Stevan Ridley (65 yards), Shane Vereen (49 yards) and Danny Woodhead (17) combined for 131 rushing yards in the win. After blowing up against the Colts last weekend, Shonn Greene (54 yards rushing, TD) was back to his usual level.

New York scored a touchdown on its opening drive, a sign of things to come in this nail-biter. Greene ran it in from a yard out. McCourty's kick return to paydirt answered that and Gronk's first TD put New England up 14-7 after the first quarter. It was a diving grab from 17 yards out, proof of why Brady needs to target Gronkowski more in the red zone than he has so far this season.

In the most Jets play of all-time, Sanchez fumbled a handoff to Greene when they were backed up near their own end zone. Rather than have Vince Wilfork (7 tackles, 5 solo) or another Patriot recover it, Sanchez kicked it out of the back of the end zone for a safety. It was New England's first two-pointer since Week 1 in 2006 (miss you Ty Warren).

Nick Folk showed that he has a bigger leg than we knew by drilling a 54-yard field goal with two seconds left in the first half. New York only trailed 16-10 at halftime in one of the strangest halves of football in recent memory.

New England got a red zone stop so the Jets had to settle for a 21-yard goal from Folk to cut it to 16-13 early third quarter. Gronkowski's 2-yard touchdown catch put the Patriots up 10 (23-13) and I think naively that's when we thought they would pull away.

In basically a four-minute span late in the fourth quarter, Keller caught a 7-yard touchdown (Sanchez's best throw of the day) then Folk hit identical 43-yard field goals. I had little faith that Gostkowski would make not one vital kick but two. I'm happy to say he proved many people wrong and maybe that will get him over that mental hurdle.

The Patriots linebacker crew of Jerod Mayo (11 tackles, 10 solo), Brandon Spikes (10 tackles, 7 solo) and Dont'a Hightower (7 solo tackles, sack) all had big games. Kyle Arrington added seven solo tackles and rookie Alfonzo Dennard recorded the first interception of his NFL career.

Next Sunday, the Patriots play the Rams (3-4) in London (1:00 p.m., CBS) at Wembley Stadium. I won't get into how the NFL should just give up on trying to market the league in the UK and simply hope that the Patriots don't keep getting sent there. St. Louis lost 30-20 to Green Bay today at home, their second loss in a row. They present a somewhat similar challenge that the Seahawks did. They have a very solid defense and their offense remains a question mark led by inconsistent quarterback Sam Bradford. After losing to Seattle and Arizona, New England can ill-afford another loss to an NFC West squad they should beat.

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Alfonzo Dennard Is The Latest Patriots Rookie To Sign A Deal

Other than first-round picks Chandler Jones and Dont'a Hightower, no Patriots rookie will have a bigger microscope on him, at least off the field in 2012, than cornerback Alfonzo Dennard.

The seventh-round pick (224th overall) out of Nebraska signed a four-year deal today. He was reportedly a second or third-round talent before he was arrested on April 21 on suspicion of assaulting a police officer. Not that there's ever a good time for something like that but it was especially dumb since it came only a few days before the 2012 NFL Draft.

With Brandon Spikes and Aaron Hernandez being recent examples, the Patriots have proven to not be shy about drafting guys with so called character issues. However, as far as we know all that Spikes and Hernandez did at Florida was smoke some weed. Dennard's incident is a whole other story.

From ESPNBoston.com
After the draft, Patriots coach Bill Belichick said on Sirius XM NFL Radio, "We just don't feel that's who he is, or even how the account of the incident came out in some places, that's what happened. But we'll see. Bottom line is we were comfortable with him, and that if he did make a mistake like so many of us have, that he'll be able to represent our organization and our team the way we want it represented and we were comfortable taking him."

On May 15, Dennard waived his right to a preliminary hearing. He will be arraigned May 30 in Lancaster County District Court.

This was a player that was the top defensive back in the Big Ten last season so New England decided that he was worth the risk, especially in the seventh round. Let's all cross our fingers that Dennard can get his life in order and not get caught up in any other off the field issues while he's in Foxborough.

Dennard became the third Patriots rookie, joining defensive back Tavon Wilson and wide receiver Jeremy Ebert, to sign their first professional contracts in the past week.

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The 2012 NFL Draft Is Over: Mel Kiper Can Go Back Into His Cave Now

By the time the third and final day of the NFL Draft rolls around, who besides the paid professionals can muster enthusiasm anymore?

The New England Patriots made their final three selections today and as you'll see by their random resumes, they will be all long shots to make the 53-man roster in the regular season let alone do anything memorable. The Pats only had one pick, that is before they flipped it (5th round, 163 overall) to the Packers for three later picks.

Without further ado, say hello to Ohio State safety Nate Ebner (6th round, 197 overall), Nebraska cornerback Alfonzo Dennard (7th round, 224 overall) and Northwestern wide receiver Jeremy Ebert (7th round, 235 overall).

I'll sum up those three guys in a few sentences. Ebner was a former rugby player and walk-on for the Buckeyes that potentially could make it based on special teams. Dennard is pretty talented but he got arrested (assaulting an officer and resisting arrest) last week and also was ejected from a Bowl game in 2011 for fighting South Carolina wide receiver Alshon Jeffrey. Clearly, he's a bozo but Bill Belichick must think he's worth the risk (not that a seventh-round pick is much of a risk). Finally, Ebert was the leading receiver for the Wildcats the last two seasons and he's a white slot receiver that converted from quarterback in high school. In other words, he's Julian Edelman 2.0.

All seven members of the Patriots' Draft Class of 2012 are on Twitter so do yourselves a favor and give them a follow, that is if you're on Twitter yourself. Chandler Jones-@chanjones99; Dont'a Hightower-@zeus30hightower; Tavon Wilson-@TavonWilson3; Jake Bequette-@JakeBequette91; Nate Ebner-@Natebner34; Jeremy Ebert-@Jebes11.

It is dorky but definitely one of the best aspects of when the Celtics/Patriots/Red Sox/Bruins acquire a new player is to see if they are on Twitter. Most of these days, a majority from the NFL and NBA are on it. MLB is getting there but sadly NHL is still in the dark ages (only 1 Bruin-Tyler Seguin). It's the best way to connect to guys on your favorite teams.

UPDATE 4/29: The Patriots also signed rookie free agent Brad Herman, a tight end out of Iowa. The only shot he has to make the team is on the practice squad since New England has Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez and Daniel Fells all way ahead of him on the depth chart.

UPDATE 4/30: Kentucky wide receiver Matt Roark will join the Pats. He is yet another converted quarterback who also plays special teams and blocked seven kicks for the Wildcats (6 extra points, 1 field goal). I guarantee this scrub won't make it out of mini-camps or August. No chance.

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