All of New England's Problems Come To the Surface In Ugly Loss To Bengals

We all knew that the Patriots' 4-0 start this season was more a product of a favorable schedule than the makings of a powerful team. Still, it was disconcerting to have all those fears realized this afternoon at Cincinnati's (3-2 overall, 3-0 home) Paul Brown Stadium where the Bengals survived for a 13-6 victory over New England (4-1 overall, 2-1 away).

Former Patriot BenJarvus Green-Ellis (67 yards rushing) recorded this slopfest's only touchdown-a 1-yard run up the gut in the fourth quarter-where Vince Wilfork would have been-and New England's struggles on offense, particularly in the Red Zone or tough situations continued. This being the Bengals though, they weren't content to seize the game so instead they kept giving New England second and third chances (dumb penalties, bad clock management), but Tom Brady (18 of 38 for 197 yards, 1 INT) couldn't take advantage as he had one of his worst performances in recent years.. Adam Jones picked him off on a terrible deep ball to end it.

Danny Amendola (4 catches, 55 yards, 9 targets) returned but he was predictably rusty with a couple key drops. With no Stevan Ridley, LaGerrette Blount got the chance to be the top running back but he flopped gaining 51 yards on 12 carries but also losing a fumble (a tribute to Ridley?) that caused him to be briefly benched.

That wasn't even the worst turnover of the game as Andy Dalton (20 of 27 for 212 yards, 1 INT) threw across his body, easily picked off by Brandon Spikes (12 tackles, 7 solo, 2 tackles for loss, 1 pass deflected) in New England's red zone. Cincy also lost a fumble when rookie Giovani Bernard (62 yards rushing) got popped by Devin McCourty and Jerod Mayo (11 tackles, 7 solo, half a sack, 1 pass deflected and 1 quarterback hit) recovered it.

After a scoreless first quarter (when does that ever happen in today's NFL?), the teams traded field goals. Mike Nugent hit from 39 and Stephen Gostkowski received a gift-a 42-yard kick thanks to three straight runs and a punt by the Bengals right before halftime. Nugent's 50-yard field goal in the third were the only points in the frame. By the time Green-Ellis rumbled in from a yard out early in the fourth, I felt like a two-score deficit to overcome given New England's offensive struggles and Cincinnati's excellent defense was too much to ask for.

Gostkowski's 19-yard field goal provided the final points as the Patriots couldn't punch it in and took the points instead. A scary moment for the Pats occurred when Tommy Kelly went down with an apparent knee injury when he was chasing Dalton and nobody touched him. The good news was that he returned to the game shortly thereafter.

New England will have its hands full on Sunday (4:25, Fox) as they play one of the three remaining unbeaten squads in the NFL: Saints (5-0) at Gillette Stadium.

UPDATE 10/8: Yesterday the Pats re-signed Marquice Cole and waived the Kannoris Davis and Ja'Gared Davis. There are two open spots on the practice squad with their names on it.

UPDATE 10/9: The Davis brothers (just kidding, they're not related but they might as well be) were re-signed to the practice squad) and New England signed defensive tackle Andre Neblett to the 53-man roster.

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Thanks For Everything BenJarvus Green-Ellis, No Really

It is only fair that we salute BenJarvus Green-Ellis, one of the most underrated Patriots of the last four seasons, as he heads out to his new NFL home: the Cincinnati Bengals.

BenJarvus or "StackJarvus" (since he gets stacked up often) as my buddies like to call him has never been known for his long runs or electrifying highlights. However, you could always count on him to get a positive gain and most importantly, never fumble the ball. That's right, between his college career at Mississippi and his four seasons in New England (53 games, 510 carries), he never had a fumble. That's insane.

He made the team as an undrafted rookie in 2008 and over time, he beat out first-round bust Laurence Maroney and a broken-down Fred Taylor. He was a touchdown machine, quiet, dependable and he had no ego whatsoever which is what made him a quintessential Patriot.

His best season was 2010 when he got his first chance to be the feature back. Green-Ellis gained 1008 rushing yards on 229 carries (4.4 yards per carry) with 13 touchdowns. Last season, he had to split time with Danny Woodhead and rookie Stevan Ridley so Green-Ellis had worse numbers (181 carries, 667 rushing yards, 3.7 yards per carry, 11 touchdowns).

With Ridley expected to get more carries, not to mention Shane Vereen (who basically did nothing last season as a rookie) and Woodhead still being around, it makes perfect sense for BenJarvus to head to the Bengals. He gets a three-year deal, something I'm sure the Patriots didn't want to do and with Cedric Benson still a free agent, Green-Ellis will likely be the No. 1 running back on a team that went to the playoffs in 2011.

I hate nicknames for professional athletes but The Law Firm was definitely on my very short list of favorites. He was a good player and seemed like a decent guy that didn't take anything for granted. In other words, all you can ask for from someone on the team you root for. Best of luck in Cincinnati BenJarvus!

I'd love to see the Patriots bring in free agent Michael Bush to replace Green-Ellis. They don't need another rookie running back, that's for sure. Obviously, they'll need another body or two since I'm 99% sure that Kevin Faulk will retire at some point this offseason.

The other player to leave Foxborough today was defensive end Mark Anderson, who cashed in on a nice season in 2011 (10 sacks) to the tune of a four-year deal in Buffalo worth $27 million with $8 million guaranteed. This is a guy who has bounced around, the Bills will be his fourth team in seven years so I'm not surprised at all that he wants to get paid.

Good for him, the Pats basically took a flyer on him and he definitely overachieved for what anybody could have expected in his only season for New England. The only thing that I care about now is that New England either re-signs defensive end Andre Carter, sign somebody else that can get after the quarterback (one of their biggest weaknesses) or draft somebody in the first round that is all about sacks (unlikely since they never go that route).

Veteran cornerback Will Allen, formerly of the Dolphins (2006-11) and Giants (2001-05) was the one player that was added to the Patriots today. He's 33 so he might not make the team but I'm all for bringing in a guy with experience since New England has almost all young guys in one of the most important positions-cornerback.

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Patriots Are Headed Back To The Super Bowl After A 23-20 Win Over The Ravens

It had been four years since the New England Patriots reached the Super Bowl. For most of this season, I never would have believed that this current edition of the Pats had a prayer of reaching Super Bowl 46 in Indianapolis but thanks to many breaks and good fortune, they put themselves in the AFC Championship game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Through another series of insane events, the Patriots (15-3) beat the Ravens (13-5) 23-20 this afternoon at Gillette Stadium. With the Giants' (12-7) 20-17 overtime win in San Francisco (14-4), New England will meet New York on February 5 in a rematch from four seasons ago.

As I look over the box score from today hours after the fact, I still can't really explain how the Pats managed to hold off the Ravens. It seemed like New England did everything in its power to self-destruct and lose but somehow they found a way to win thanks to Billy Cundiff missing a possible game-tying 32-yard field goal right before the fourth quarter ended.

New England was in great shape when their defense finally forced a turnover, in the fourth quarter. Joe Flacco (22 of 36, 306 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) was picked off on an incredible effort by Brandon Spikes. With six minutes and change plus the ball at midfield, the Pats just needed to get a decent drive and put some more points on the board. That's when offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien decided that was the perfect time to have Tom Brady (22 of 36, 239 yards, 0 TDs, 2 INTs) throw a bomb to Matthew Slater. Did I mention that Slater was triple-covered?

Jimmy Smith picked off Brady's pass and returned it 39 yards. The Patriots defense forced a turnover on downs after that but New England's offense went 3 and out and that's when the Ravens went right down the field before Cundiff choked in the most epic fashion. Sterling Moore saved the season as he knocked the ball out of Lee Evans' hands (what would have been a TD) then broke up another pass in the plays leading up to the ill-fated kick. The Ravens had to go for the field goal and the rest is history.

New England's 10th straight win was marked by the first time in 36 games that Brady didn't throw a touchdown pass. It doesn't matter though since he's going to his fifth Super Bowl, tying John Elway's record. This will be Bill Belichick's fifth Super Bowl, only Don Shula (6) has coached in more. Brady needs one more Super Bowl win to tie Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana's record (4).

I don't know how Baltimore lost a game when A) Flacco outplayed Brady, B) They won the turnover battle 3-1 and C) New England's defense outplayed its offense. I'll freely admit that the Patriots got lucky in some sense but on the other hand, the team that took more risks (going for it on 4th down) was rightfully rewarded while the team that was too conservative (kicking a field goal on 4th and 1) was ultimately punished.

We all wondered what would happen when Brady and Co. weren't hanging 30+ on an opponent. That transpired today yet the much-maligned Patriots defense, led by Vince Wilfork (6 tackles, 1 sack, 3 tackles for loss), Spikes (9 tackles) and Moore made just enough plays to survive.

Another crazy stat: BenJarvus Green-Ellis (15 carries, 68 yards, TD) had one more rushing yard than Ravens superstar Ray Rice (21 carries, 67 yards).

Baltimore did about as good a job as one could expect against Rob Gronkowski (5 catches, 87 yards), Aaron Hernandez (7 catches, 66 yards), Wes Welker (6 catches, 53 yards) and Deion Branch (2 catches, 18 yards) yet they still lost.

Anquan Boldin (6 catches, 101 yards) and Torrey Smith (3 catches, 82 yards, TD) benefited from Flacco's solid performance.

Stephen Gostkowski had the only points of the first quarter, a 29-yard field goal. Cundiff tied it with a 20-yard field goal early in the second quarter. Green-Ellis gave the Patriots the biggest lead of the game, at 10-3, with a 7-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. The Ravens and Flacco responded with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Dennis Pitta. Gostkowski's 35-yard field gave New England a 13-10 halftime lead.

New England's red zone offense struggled all day and the third quarter was no different as they settled for a 24-yard field goal by Gostkowski and a 16-10 lead.

Flacco found Smith for a 29-yard touchdown pass when the former Maryland Terp broke not one but two weak tackle attempts by the Patriots secondary. Compounding that bitter feeling, Danny Woodhead fumbled the ensuing kickoff. The Patriots defense held Baltimore to a 39-yard field goal by Cundiff and a 20-16 deficit entering the fourth.

New England answered with their biggest drive of the season which ended with Brady diving over the pile at the goalline for a touchdown on 4th and 1.

This will be the sixth Super Bowl for Patriots owner Robert Kraft (a record). Overall, it is the seventh Super Bowl appearance for the franchise which puts it one behind Dallas and Pittsburgh. The Patriots are 7-1 in AFC Championship games, 4-0 at home. Brady and Belichick are the first QB-coach duo to win five conference championships in the Super Bowl era. Brady tied Montana for most playoff wins (16) all time.

Gronk suffered a brutal ankle injury in the third quarter but he somehow returned later in the game so I think that with almost two weeks of rest and care, he should be able to play in the Super Bowl. Only a bionic guy like him could survive getting rolled up by Bernard Pollard (yes that man), something that would hurt most mortals.

In the next 12 days, we'll talk much more in depth about the Giants and the stakes in this incredible matchup. For now, let's enjoy this improbable win which puts the Pats one win away from the top.

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For The Second Straight Season, New England Earns The No. 1 Seed In The AFC

I've seen plenty of fake life stuff from the New England Patriots this season but fittingly, on the first day of 2012 (and the last day of the regular season), they topped anything else they had done in 2011.

One week after spotting the Dolphins a 17-0 halftime lead, the Pats (13-3) raised the stakes a bit higher by handing the Bills (6-10) a 21-0 advantage in the first quarter at Gillette Stadium. Luckily, it was still Buffalo so just like Miami they quickly coughed it up as New England rolled to a 49-21 victory (yes 49 unanswered points).

With the win (their eighth straight), the Patriots clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC to go along with home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and the bye they had already secured. We found out tonight that New England will host either Cincinnati, Pittsburgh or Denver on Saturday, January 14 at 8 p.m. depending on who wins in the divisional round next weekend.

Mostly since the game was announced by the preseason hero unit of Don Criqui and Randy Cross, I'm not too interested in going to in depth on this absurd contest.

Tom Brady (23 of 35, 338 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception) went over 5000 yards (5235) for the season, the first time he's done that in his career. He also finished second all-time (behind Drew Brees) for yards in a season.

Also setting records was tight end Rob Gronkowski (8 catches, 108 yards, 2 TDs). He now has the most yards in a season for a tight end (1327). Bill Belichick will always pretend to not care about statistics but it's a proven fact that the Patriots gun for historical numbers like this. How else can you explain Brady playing at the end of blowouts and Gronkowski breaking the record on the last non-kneel of the regular season?

Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (29 of 46, 307 yards, 2 touchdowns), one of my favorite Harvard alums, was in a giving mood as he threw four interceptions. Sterling Moore made the first two picks of his career, the second of which he took back 21 yards for the final Patriots touchdown. Devin McCourty (who played some safety) and Antwaun Molden had the others.

Stevan Ridley (15 carries, 81 yards) and BenJarvus Green-Ellis (2 rushing touchdowns) proved to be a 1-2 rushing combination for the Pats. Look for New England to stick with that duo in the playoffs. Ridley has the explosive burst in the open field and Green-Ellis is better by the goalline.

I don't know if I've ever seen a quarter of football better sum up a franchise or a city than the first quarter today for the Bills. Buffalo got off to the perfect start thanks to a 4-yard run by Tashard Choice, an 18-yard catch by Steve Johnson and a 15-yard catch by C.J. Spiller.

In an omen of things to come, Johnson was flagged for a personal foul by lifting up his shirt to reveal an undershirt that said "Happy New Year." You can't make this stuff up. Bills head coach Chan Gailey decided to sit the talented Johnson for the rest of the game; Gailey made his point and I doubt that Johnson (who will be a free agent) will return to Buffalo next season. Way to be an idiot.

Green-Ellis' 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter got New England on the board and woke up the hungover and even more quiet than usual Gillette crowd. After that, Aaron Hernandez (7 catches, 138 yards) turned in the play of the game with a 39-yard catch and run for a score.

Brady threw an interception on the last drive of the first half but it didn't matter since the Pats had all the momentum and received the kickoff to start the second half.

Two Stephen Gostkowski field goals (47, 20) cut it to 21-20 Buffalo in the third quarter before Gronkowski put his team ahead for good with a 17-yard catch. Danny Woodhead added the two-point conversion run and New England led 28-21 late in the third quarter.

Things got silly in the fourth as Fitzpatrick threw it up for grabs on basically every play and even the Patriots' terrible secondary could take advantage of that. Green-Ellis added a 3-yard touchdown run and Gronkowski had a 7-yard touchdown catch before Moore's pick-six which was a big play for his confidence.

The crazy part about this team is that even after 16 games, nobody can say they know what will happen when the Pats have to face a worthy opponent and not a team that will piss down its leg and hand the game to them. They can beat anybody in the AFC playoffs and they can also lose to any of those same teams.

The offense can score plenty of points (49 was a season-high) but they basically have to be flawless to make up for the bumbling defense. Along those lines, if the defense can make a big stop or better yet force a turnover, the Patriots have an exponentially improved chance of winning.

All I know is that this team was in the same position last season with the No. 1 seed and a seemingly easy path to the Super Bowl. We all know how that ended up. New England has lost its last three playoff games and they've lost their openers for two years straight at home. That all has to change starting on January 14 and for the record, I don't want to face the Steelers. Bring me the Broncos or Bengals and I like the Patriots chances to get to the AFC Championship Game.

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Another Season, Another AFC East Title (9th in 11 seasons) As Patriots Top Broncos 41-23

The hardest thing to achieve in the NFL is consistency. For that alone, the New England Patriots need to be lauded as they picked up their ninth AFC East title in the last 11 seasons (third in a row, 8th in the last 9 seasons) with a 41-23 win (their sixth straight) over the Broncos this afternoon at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

New England (11-3) was able to knock off the NFL's flavor of the month, Denver (8-6), who had won six games in a row before today. I'll dare to call it the Pats biggest win of the season thus far, given the hype and the fact that nobody in the NFL besides the Packers was hotter than the Broncos.

It is certainly easy to pick holes in the Patriots terrible defense but in a season like this, where there is no dominant team in the AFC, they have as good a shot as any to reach the Super Bowl based on their superb offense, quarterback and head coach.

Broncos quarterback/messiah/global icon Tim Tebow (11 of 22, 194 yards passing; 12 rushes, 93 yards, 2 TDs) was slowed down when the Patriots figured out the obvious solution to stopping him: building up a big lead, which forces him to throw the ball (not his strong suit).

The fact that John Fox is the Broncos head coach means that they'll never outcoach any other team. Talk about riding Tebow's coattails, Fox is the luckiest guy in the country that he gets to coach him and therefore has kept his job. Other than the one random Super Bowl appearance with the Panthers, what has Fox ever done? He's another bozo in a league full of them.

Also, Denver was careless with the ball, they fumbled three times and the Patriots converted those into 13 points.

After a very shaky start, trailing 16-7 early in the second quarter, New England was able to run off a 34-7 run to close it out and win the division (the Jets also lost although all the Pats had to do was take care of their own business).

The only negative that tempers this win is the fact that defensive end Andre Carter left on the last play of the first quarter with a knee injury and early reports seem to indicate that the Pats defensive MVP (an oxymoron) is done for the season.

If that's true, it's a huge blow to their Super Bowl hopes since he's their only real pass rusher. However, Mark Anderson (3 tackles, 2 sacks) continues to quietly have a nice season and he'll be counted on for much bigger things if Carter is out. Likewise, rookie Markell Carter will probably be activated from the practice squad.

Denver's defensive gameplan was clearly to limit Wes Welker (4 catches, 41 yards) and Rob Gronkowski (4 catches, 53 yards). They were successful at doing that but unfortunately they forgot about Aaron Hernandez (9 catches, 129 yards, TD), who set career-highs in catches and yards.

Demaryius Thomas (7 catches, 116 yards) was Denver's only effective option in the passing game while Patriots rookie running back Stevan Ridley (11 carries, 65 yards) came back out of hiding after not seeing much of the field for months. Strange considering he's been New England's most explosive running back for most of the season.

Besides a highlight reel sack on Brady in garbage time by Elvis Dumervil (2 tackles, 2 QB hits), him and Von Miller (1 tackle for loss) were completely held in check by New England's offensive line.

On a day when some truly wacky things happened around the NFL: Colts win, Packers lose, Reggie Bush ran for over 200 yards, it was fitting that Chad Johnson caught his first touchdown of the season.

Denver marched right down the field on the opening drive with Tebow running it in from nine yards out. That basically caused Twitter, ESPN and the Internet to simultaneously crash. Former Patriot Lonie Paxton's bad snap caused Denver to have no chance on the point after.

Tom Brady (23 of 34, 320 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs) went to work and tied it up with a 33-yard strike to Johnson, who was wide open. Stephen Gostkowski's point after made it 7-6 New England.

Lance Ball (11 carries, 64 yards) put the Broncos ahead 13-7 with a 32-yard touchdown run later in the first quarter.

Matt Prater's 26-yard field goal early in the second quarter gave Denver its biggest lead at 16-7 but from there, the Patriots woke up and the Broncos had no answer for anything they did.

Brady found Hernandez for a 1-yard touchdown which cut it to 16-14 Denver. On the next play, Ron Brace (remember that bum?) forced a Ball fumble that Rob Ninkovich recovered. New England's offense was stuffed in the red zone and they settled for a 21-yard field goal by Gostkowski. However, the Pats led 17-16 and they would never trail again.

Three plays later, Anderson forced a fumble by Tebow and recovered it. Brady and Co. were able to take advantage of it as he scored on a quarterback sneak. Brady put the cherry on top with a Gronk spike.

Quan Cosby was in a giving mood, it being the holiday season and all, so he fumbled on a punt deep in Denver's territory. No idea why he fielded it but Dane Fletcher was happy to pounce on it. Gostkowski's 34-yard field goal on the next play gave the Patriots a 27-16 halftime lead that truthfully felt like stealing.

Surprisingly, the Broncos barely showed a pulse in the second half after living off improbable fourth quarter comebacks during their absurd last two months. Danny Woodhead had a pretty 10-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, Tebow added a 2-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter and BenJarvus Green-Ellis closed it out with a 1-yard run.

We will watch Sunday Night Football tonight (Ravens vs. Chargers) and Monday Night Football (Niners vs. Steelers) tomorrow night in hopes that both AFC contenders will fall. The fraud Texans lost earlier today so it looks like a three-team race between the Patriots, Steelers and Ravens for that coveted top seed in the AFC playoffs.

No more road games in the regular season for New England. They host Miami on Christmas Eve then Buffalo on New Year's Day. Two more weeks and then things will really get interesting as the 2011 NFL playoffs roll around.

UPDATE 12/19: The Ravens got blown out last night by the Chargers and ditto for the Steelers tonight against the Niners which means your New England Patriots are in the driver's seat for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. They are one game ahead of Houston, Baltimore and Pittsburgh with two games remaining; win out and they lock it all up. Wow.

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We All Witnessed The Most Misleading One-Score Game In NFL History Today

Since simply watching today's Patriots-Colts game was the NFL equivalent of staring into the sun for almost three hours, I'll keep this briefer than usual.

We knew this wouldn't be a game and despite the final score: Patriots 31, Colts 24 at Gillette Stadium, don't think for a second that the outcome was ever in doubt.

New England (9-3) built up a 31-3 lead in the third quarter and then they shifted to cruise control in the fourth as Indianapolis (0-12) pretended to care.

The Pats picked up their fourth straight win thanks to Tom Brady (29 of 38, 289 yards, 2 TD, O INT) and Rob Gronkowski (5 catches, 64 yards, 2 TDs; 1 rush, 2 yards, 1 TD).

It might be December but this game had preseason written all over it. Don't believe me, well explain how Colts quarterback Dan Orlovsky (30 of 37, 353 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) piled up the yardage? This is the same former UConn star (haha) who has yet to win an NFL game.

Also, after Vince Wilfork (10 tackles, 5 solo, sack) who had his best statistical performance of the season, the Patriots next three highest tacklers were Nate Jones (9 total), Matthew Slater (7 total, 6 solo, forced fumble) and Niko Koutouvides (7 total, 3 solo). Those three bums actually started today, at safety, safety and linebacker respectively. Oh and something named Nick McDonald (moved up from the practice squad on Saturday) became the fourth player to start at center this season for the Pats. Fake life indeed.

Basically all that mattered for New England was that nobody important got hurt. Well mission accomplished even though Brady and Co. were out there until the last series of the game after the Pats recovered an onside kick to end it.

Wes Welker (11 catches, 110 yards) had a big game as apparently the Colts have yet to figure out that he's the key to New England's offense. Pierre Garcon (9 catches, 150 yards, 2 TDs) made the four people that stuck with him in Fantasy Football happy as he racked up two garbage time touchdowns.

I'll quickly run through the highlights since after writing this, I will undergo a "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" type procedure to rid this mindless contest out of my memory bank.

CBS sent one of its better announcing duos in Marv Albert and Rich Gannon to this drivel so you know they had to do the old sell job as the Pats got off to a slow start and only led 3-0 (Stephen Gostkowski hit a 39-yard kick) after the first quarter.

We were treated to some wonderful Orlovsky anecdotes: multiple references to him being from beautiful Shelton, CT and the fact that all his friends are Patriots fans (lol). Oh and his wife is expecting triplets, how fascinating.

As soon as Marv made a not so subtle reference to the 20-point spread, Bill Belichick's spider sense went into full gear and the Patriots woke up. Former Patriots legend Adam Vinatieri tied it with a 31-yard field goal early in the second quarter after the Colts failed to score a TD with first and goal from the 1. Shoot me now.

The worst part of the entire day was that so called Patriots fans booed Vinatieri. I wouldn't have believed it but I heard it with my own ears. Just a pathetic and completely misplaced reaction by a bunch of Pats pink hats. I give up.

Gronk caught his first TD of the game in the second quarter, making it 10-3 Patriots. It was an 11-yard catch from Brady. BenJarvus Green-Ellis added a 1-yard run with 13 seconds left in the half, the first time in NFL history a 14-point lead (in the second quarter) automatically signaled defeat.

Gronk added a 21-yard touchdown grab in the third quarter and at first, it appeared that he broke the NFL tight end record for touchdowns in a season with a two-yard catch later in the third. Unfortunately, since it was a lateral it went down as a rush. No biggie, I'm sure he'll get No. 14 next week (this was his fifth consecutive game with a TD). He broke Antonio Gates and Vernon Davis' record and frankly, he could come close to 20 which is absurd in his second pro season.

Another UConn product, Donald Brown, got the Colts' ill-fated comeback started with a 10-yard touchdown run. Garcon went to work with a 33-yard touchdown and a 12-yard touchdown. Too bad, it didn't mean one thing (other than killing gamblers hopes).

The only other notable play from the game was a nice diving interception by Jerod Mayo. It was the first of his career believe it or not, a sign that he might finally be healthy from that pesky knee injury that has slowed his development.

New England faces another tomato can next week as they travel to Washington (4-8) on Sunday to take on the Redskins, who lost 34-19 to the Jets today. It's clear that other than at the Broncos in two weeks the Patriots won't be pushed during the rest of the regular season. Unless you consider the typical good effort but poor result that will inevitably happen to Miami on Christmas Eve when they visit Foxborough.

The next two games are New England's final two road games of the regular season (last two are at home) and possibly the rest of the year if they secure the top spot in the AFC. Expect the game with the Broncos to be flexed tomorrow to a Sunday Night game (for now it's 4:15 p.m.). The world needs Brady vs. Tim Tebow in primetime.

New England is still tied with Houston, Baltimore and Pittsburgh for the top spot in the AFC but the Pats currently own the tiebreaker (7-2 vs. AFC opponents).

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The First 4-7 Dream Team In The History Of The World Falls 38-20 To The Patriots

It's hard to remember an NFL game that completely changed faster (not involving an injury) than today's Patriots-Eagles game at Lincoln Financial Field.

The Eagles (4-7) jumped out to a 10-0 lead less than seven minutes into the game but the Patriots (8-3) responded with a UConn women's basketball style 38-3 scoring run in an eventual 38-20 victory.

New England is now tied atop the AFC with Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Houston for the best record in the AFC.

Tom Brady (24 of 34, 361 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs and 27 yards rushing-his most in 5 years!) tied Peyton Manning with his eighth career 350+ yard, 3 TD, 0 INT performance in New England's third straight win. Embattled Pats offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien had one of his finest hours as Brady found Deion Branch (6 catches, 125 yards) and Wes Welker (8 catches, 115 yards, 2 TDs) early and often.

Aaron Hernandez (6 catches, 62 yards) and Rob Gronkowski (4 catches, 59 yards, TD) also had nice games. For anyone that missed Chad Johnson (nobody), who was home nursing a "hamstring injury," recently signed Tiquan Underwood (known mostly for his flat top) did his best Ochocinco impression by dropping a sure TD on his only target.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis (14 carries, 44 yards) didn't churn up the yards but he scored two rushing touchdowns to give New England's offense some balance.

Philadelphia is nothing short of a train wreck and by the third quarter, the loyal Birds fans were chanting "fire Andy (Reid)!" so loud that viewers could hear it on CBS' broadcast.

If it is possible to have a quiet 400-yard passing game, Eagles backup quarterback Vince Young (26 of 48, 400 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) submitted it. VY was the poor soul who dubbed this low rent version of the 2011 Red Sox the "Dream Team" in the preseason so I guess it was only fitting he was at the helm for a game that featured some of Philly's favorite type of miscues: throwing it unsuccessfully from the 1 on 4th and 1 and numerous drops by DeSean Jackson (4 catches, 73 yards).

Eagles running back LeSean McCoy (10 carries, 31 yards; 4 catches, 30 yards) is one of the premier players in the NFL at his position but I guess nobody told the Eagles that since he didn't get the ball nearly enough when this game was still somewhat competitive.

Jason Avant (8 catches, 110 yards, TD) was the Eagles best receiver which is never good news for Philly, even with Jeremy Maclin sidelined.

Defensive standouts for the Patriots included Antwaun Molden (first interception with New England), Kyle Arrington (10 solo tackles) and Rob Ninkovich (3 solo tackles, sack and 2 tackles for loss).

McCoy's 2-yard touchdown run and a 42-yard field goal by Alex Henery gave Philadelphia a 10-0 lead at 8:19 in the first quarter. New England responded with a long drive, punctuated by Green-Ellis' 4-yard touchdown run.

A 2-yard TD run by Green-Ellis early in the second quarter gave the Pats a 14-10 lead, one that they would never relinquish. The Eagles were fooled badly on a play action fake and Welker got loose for a 41-yard TD catch.

Henery's 22-yard field goal cut it to 21-13 but Stephen Gostkowski atoned for an earlier miss from 39 yards with a 45-yard kick before halftime. The Patriots led 24-13.

After Welker's 9-yard catch and run, diving just inside the pylon, made it 31-13 to start the third quarter, it was over.

Gronk added a 24-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter before Avant scored on a 1-yard catch with 32 seconds left and most of the crowd long gone.

I don't normally give the Pats an automatic win a week before kickoff but they are facing the 0-11 Indianapolis Colts next Sunday (1 p.m.) at Gillette Stadium. With Curtis Painter still under center, Indy is doing everything in its power to ensure a winless season and the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft (Stanford QB Andrew Luck) next April. New England will roll and Brian Hoyer should see even more playing time than he did today.

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Patriots Open Up Two-Game Lead In The AFC East With Easy 34-3 Win Vs. Chiefs On MNF

It's rare that an NFL game follows a script that everybody expects, that's what makes the league the best of the four major American sports and so exciting. It is usually so unpredictable from week to week.

Well once Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel went down with a hand injury last week and it was announced that he'd sit out, with backup Tyler Palko taking his place (for his first career start), the stars began to align for the rare 2011 New England Patriots blowout. That's exactly what happened as the Pats (7-3) took advantage on Monday Night Football with a 34-3 win that didn't even seem that close.

The poor Chiefs (4-6) have seen their season slip away due to major injuries to some key players: tight end Tony Moeaki, safety Eric Berry, running back Jamaal Charles, etc. Yes I know that every team in the NFL has injuries but it's impossible to top that list (Cassel was placed on IR today).

The MNF crew tried to sell the audience on Palko's (25 of 38, 236 yards, 0 TDs, 3 INTs) limited abilities and for a spell, it kind of worked as Kansas City led 3-0 after the first quarter thanks to a 26-yard field goal by Ryan Succop.

It took a while for Tom Brady (15 of 27, 234 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs) to get going but once New England's offense was in gear and Palko started to give the ball away like it was on fire, this one was over quick.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis had his best game in weeks as New England racked up 157 yards rushing as a team. He had 20 carries for 81 yards and added a 25-yard catch.

Rob Gronkowski (4 catches, 96 yards, 2 TDs) woke up his team and the Gillette Stadium crowd from their collective slumber with a 52-yard catch and run touchdown with 4:18 left in the first half. Stephen Gostkowski's PAT made it 7-3 and he added a 21-yard kick with 10 seconds left in the half after Brady and Co. couldn't punch it in.

Things started to get silly in third quarter as Gronk scored a 19-yard touchdown which ended with him hurdling a guy and then falling right on his neck. No worries though, the cyborg was fine. I'd worry about a concussion with him but could you really tell if he had one or not?

Gronk set a record by getting to 20 career touchdowns (in 26 games) faster than any tight end in NFL history. Also, Bill Belichick jumped ahead of former Patriots head coach Bill Parcells for ninth all-time on the NFL win list with 118 career victories.

It was time for nearly every player on the roster to make a contribution as Kyle Arrington picked off two passes (he leads the NFL with 7); along with extensive time on defense in the secondary, Julian Edelman returned a punt 72 yards for a score (his second career punt return TD); Philip Adams had his first career interception while Mark Anderson (1.5 sacks) and Andre Carter (.5 sack) continued to wreak havoc on mediocre quarterbacks (hi Sanchez!).

Gostkowski's 19-yard field goal closed out the third quarter and then even rookie running back Shane Vereen (8 carries, 39 yards) made a cameo appearance in the fourth. Vereen scored his first career touchdown with a four-yard jaunt. Those were the first carries of the regular season for the mysterious 2011 second-round draft pick out of Cal.

It kind of felt like 2008 (old times) as no doubt the national media will be whining about the Patriots running up the score.

New England started off slow tonight but nobody will remember that since they woke up in time to pummel an awful team. With the Jets and Bills tied at 5-5 and meeting next Sunday, the Patriots are sitting pretty with their two-game advantage. In addition, New England is tied with Houston and Pittsburgh for the best record in the AFC.

The Pats will travel to Philadelphia (4-6) on Sunday to meet the desperate Eagles. Philly pretty much has to win out to have a shot at the playoffs and we shall see if Vince Young or Mike Vick gets the start at quarterback for a team which is loaded with talent but has really struggled to find consistency and/or close out wins in the fourth.

Matt Light left late in the game after getting rolled up on by Tamba Hali. Rookie Marcus Cannon got his first snaps as a pro at right tackle. That situation will be something to monitor as this short week goes on.

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Patriots Take Care Of The Jets, 30-21

When you live in or around a place that has four pro sports teams (that are all usually playoff-bound), sometimes games don't get the proper hype or buildup that they deserve.

I'll admit that for once, the New England Patriots-New York Jets game that occurred this afternoon at Gillette Stadium wasn't filled with the usual garbage during the week but after watching the Pats (4-1) hold off the Jets (2-3) 31-20, I'm also going to say that I don't really care and it was refreshing not to hear Rex Ryan and Co. have verbal diarrhea over and over again.

Due to the Red Sox' upheaval and the Bruins' first couple games of the new season, this contest somehow was on the backburner until it snuck right up on this Columbus Day weekend. The result was very satisfying, especially since the New England defense and running game were the units that made the most contributions to the win. However, call me back when the Pats can do this in New Jersey (Sun. Nov. 13) in the rematch or more importantly, in the playoffs.

The Jets are currently a mess so the fact that Bill Belichick moved to 3-3 in his last six games against Ryan wasn't as sweet as it would normally seem. New York's defense can only take it so far. Quarterback Mark Sanchez (16 for 26, 166 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INT) still can't carry the offense and the running game is usually non-existent although Shonn Greene (21 carries, 83 yards, TD) came out of hiding today to have a nice performance.

The last two games, rookie running back Stevan Ridley had pushed for more playing time and more touches. I guess it shouldn't come as a surprise that he was completely shut down by the Jets' physical defense. Ridley carried the ball seven times for 13 yards. Luckily, BenJarvus Green-Ellis picked the right time to have a career day as he rushed for a career-high 136 yards on 27 carries with two touchdowns.

Pats quarterback Tom Brady (24 for 33, 321 yards, TD, INT) had another nice day thanks to New England's relentless no-huddle attack. However, New York's pressure (four sacks) coupled with a bad break (Aaron Hernandez dropped a sure touchdown right before halftime) meant that Brady's numbers weren't as smooth as flawless as they should have been.

Wes Welker (5 catches, 124 yards) and Deion Branch (7 catches, 74 yards) were the best wide receivers on the field, proving that contrary to popular belief Jets All-World cornerback Darrelle Revis can only cover one guy at a time, not five or six. One of my favorite parts of the win was when CBS announcer Phil Simms had just gotten done with about his tenth tongue bath of Revis when Welker caught a 73-yard bomb on him to start the second half. Truth be told, it wasn't really Revis' fault since the safety blew the coverage (zone) but still, sometimes it's nice to be reminded that as good as Revis is, he's human.

Santonio Holmes (4 catches, 60 yards, TD) and Plaxico Burress (3 catches, 42 yards) were relatively quiet but that was nothing compared to tight end Dustin Keller (1 catch, 7 yards) who didn't do anything for the Jets in their third straight loss.

New York didn't record a first down until the second quarter and New England took advantage as BJGE had a 3-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter (Stephen Gostkowski PAT) for a 7-0 Patriots lead.

Gostkowski's 44-yard field goal made it 10-0 early in the second quarter but Greene answered with a 3-yard touchdown run of his own late in the first half. As mentioned before, the Pats left points on the board as Hernandez (5 catches, 56 yards) bobbled an easy catch right to Jets cornerback/father of the year Antonio Cromartie.

Branch's 2-yard touchdown catch to start the second half gave New England some breathing room (17-7) but Sanchez and rookie wide receiver Jeremy Kerley responded with a 9-yard strike.

Green-Ellis did everything on a late third quarter drive, including his second 3-yard touchdown run. It felt like New England would put it away with another touchdown to start the fourth quarter but Gostkowski had to settle for a 24-yard field goal (27-14).

Yet again, Sanchez made some plays when he had to as he found Holmes for a pretty 21-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter. Thanks to New England's determined running game, they were basically able to keep the ball away from the Jets and Gostkowski ended the comeback attempt with a 28-yard kick.

This was the 13th straight time that New England has scored 30+ points, that's only one behind the NFL record set by the Rams' Greatest Show on Turf (1999-2000).

New England will try to win its third consecutive game next Sunday afternoon as they host the Dallas Cowboys (2-2). Not to underestimate Tony Romo and his teammates but they're exactly the type of squad that the Patriots almost always defeat. You can count on Romo to make a couple outrageous mistakes and I'd be shocked if Dallas' defense (coached by Rob Ryan) can do much to stop Brady and this prolific offense.

The Buffalo Bills (4-1) won again today, beating the Eagles, so they're tied atop the AFC East with the Patriots and they hold the tiebreaker. New York is in third place and Miami (0-4) had a bye week so at least they can say they didn't lose today.

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Oh Norv Turner, You Always Have The Most Well-Prepared, Smart Teams

Stop me if you've heard this before: an NFL team coached by Norv Turner that is full of talent yet continues to underachieve thanks to costly turnovers and dumb plays/penalties.

Yes the San Diego Chargers were at Gillette Stadium this afternoon for the New England Patriots' 2011 home-opener and as always, they were in a giving mood. The Chargers (1-1) had four turnovers to zero for the Patriots (2-0) and wouldn't ya know, New England won 35-21 in a very entertaining game.

The NFL is undoubtedly run by quarterback play so it's no surprise that Tom Brady (31 of 40, 423 yards, 3 touchdowns) and Philip Rivers (29 of 40, 378 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions) both had great performances.

As you can tell from Rivers' numbers, he made three critical mistakes (also a fumble) and for good measure, Mike Tolbert (73 yards receiving) had a killer fumble.

New England's defense is still a work in progress but they displayed some real improvement from Monday night when they made Chad Henne look like an All-Pro. At least Rivers is legitimately a star. It helps too that he had Vincent Jackson (10 catches, 172 yards, 2 touchdowns) on a day when Antonio Gates was held without a catch by Patriots safety Patrick Chung and his teammates.

Six New England players had two or more catches, led by Deion Branch (8 catches, 129 yards), who continues to be on the same page as Brady and can always be counted on to pick up key first downs and Wes Welker (7 catches, 81 yards). Second-year tight ends Rob Gronkowski (4 catches, 86 yards, TD) and Aaron Hernandez (7 catches, 62 yards, TD) also have quickly become the best pair of pass catchers at their position. Chad Ochocinco doubled his production from last week as he had two catches for 45 yards, including a nifty 30-yard grab.

After forcing San Diego to punt on its first drive, New England went 93 yards in 12 plays, capped off by a 14-yard jump ball from Brady to Hernandez that he grabbed over the ghost of Bob Sanders. Stephen Gostkowski's PAT made it 7-0 Patriots.

The Chargers answered on the ensuing drive as Ryan Matthews (64 yards rushing, 62 yards receiving) ran it in from 10 yards out. Nick Novak tied it up with his PAT.

New England's next drive stalled in the red zone and they were forced to settle for a 22-yard kick by Gostkowski, 10-7 Patriots.

San Diego drove down to the 1-yard line on their next possession but Tolbert was tackled on fourth-and-goal by Jerod Mayo (11 tackles, 8 solo). New England cashed in on that momentum with Brady finding Gronkowski for a 10-yard touchdown pass after a 10-play, 104 yards (with penalties) drive. Gostkowski's PAT gave the Pats a 10-point lead (17-7).

The Chargers looked to get some points before halftime but none other than Vince Wilfork made his first career interception. One of the game's best defensive tackles showed off his athleticism as he knocked down Rivers' pass, caught it then raced 28 yards. The super slo-mo replay of Wilfork returning it was like watching similar replays of Serena Williams at the US Open a few weeks ago, lots of jiggling. After two passes to Branch (11 yards, 7 yards) Gostkowski extended the lead to 20-7 at halftime.

New England's first drive of the second half resulted in a punt and for the second drive in a row, San Diego's ended with an interception. This one was near the goal-line as Patriots safety Sergio Brown likewise made his first career pick by stepping in front of Gates.

New England went three-and-out and San Diego was driving as the third quarter ended with no scoring in it.

Rivers finally threw his first touchdown pass early in the fourth, a 3-yard toss to Jackson. Novak's PAT brought the Chargers within six at 20-14.

San Diego's defense forced another stop on New England's suddenly ineffective offense but Tolbert fumbled after getting hit by Mayo, Rob Ninkovich (1 sack) recovered it. Brady and Co. wouldn't let that chance pass them by as he hit Gronk for 17-yard touchdown. Danny Woodhead added the two-point conversion rush up the middle for a 28-14 advantage.

Rivers wouldn't go down easily though as he responded with another strike to Jackson, this time from 26 yards away. It was a perfect pass and a perfect catch, high level stuff from one of the NFL's top QB-WR duos. Novak's PAT cut it to a one score game again (28-21).

When it counted, New England's offense marched 75 yards in nine plays with BenJarvus Green-Ellis (17 carries, 70 yards) going in untouched from 70 yards out.

The Chargers got the ball one more time but Rivers was strip-sacked by Mark Anderson with Kyle Love recovering the ball.

New England is tied atop the AFC East with the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets. The Miami Dolphins lost again to fall to 0-2; Tony Sporano is on the hot seat for sure.

Next Sunday, the Patriots travel to Ralph Wilson Stadium to take on a team that they have owned for the last decade. Ryan Fitzpatrick is playing well and the Bills have picked up two impressive wins (blowing out the Chiefs and getting a big comeback against the Raiders today) but that group has to prove they can get it done against Brady and the Pats. Buffalo goes into the game having lost its last 15 straight games to New England.

Good luck to any defense trying to stop the Pats this season.

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Green-Ellis Re-Signs With Patriots Along With Many Other Roster Moves

Running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis re-signed with the Patriots today although as a restricted free agent, it's not clear if the fourth-year veteran got a new deal or simply signed a one-year restricted free agent tender.

Going into 2011, Green-Ellis is the lead back in a very crowded running back depth chart. He's coming off a breakout campaign in 2010. He carried the ball 229 times and gained 1008 yards (4.4 average) with 13 touchdowns, 62 first-downs and zero fumbles.

He was undrafted out of Ole Miss so he's already far exceeded expectations that anybody could have ever had for him by getting his first career 1000-yard season. He's small, not particularly fast or shifty but he doesn't make mistakes and unlike a former Pats first-round pick who shall remain unemployed he doesn't dance around a hole, he simply picks a lane and goes.

New England added some more bodies for its offensive line, signing veteran guard/centers Chris Morris and Jonathan Compas along with undrafted rookie running back Richard Medlin (Fayetteville State).

Morris, 28, worked out for the Patriots on Tuesday. He was originally drafted in the seventh round by the Raiders in 2006, and spent four seasons in Oakland before joining the Panthers in 2010. He has played in 51 career games, making 11 starts.

Compas, 25, entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Raiders, and played in two games as a reserve with the Buccaneers in 2009. He was released by Tampa Bay on September 24, 2010 and spent the remainder of the season out of football.

Additional roster moves included the release of running back Thomas Clayton and rookie free agent guard Mike Berry.

Finally, the Patriots worked out former Raider and Dolphin outside linebacker/defensive end Quenton Moses today.

A third-round pick of the Raiders in 2007, Moses has played 44 games over the past four seasons for the Dolphins. Last season, Moses played in 15 games, recording 18 tackles and one sack. He has tallied 3.5 career sacks.

Moses has experience as both a 4-3 defensive end and an outside linebacker in the 3-4 scheme.

The name is familiar but I can't remember the guy ever making any impact (as his numbers show). I'd much rather the Pats sign Matt Roth or Raheem Brock, who they worked out on Monday.

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Pats wrap up regular season with preseason type blowout full of scrubs making plays

Everywhere you looked yesterday at Gillette Stadium, it seemed like August. The temperatures were mild, the sun was out, the crowd was full of schmoes that never go to Patriots games and most interestingly, backups, reserves, never-weres and never will bes were making highlight reel plays.

The New England Patriots wrapped up their 2010 regular season with one more beating, 38-7 over the quarterback-less Miami Dolphins.

The Pats (14-2) let Tom Brady (10 of 16, 199 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions) play enough to boost his MVP candidacy to the point where if you don't vote for him, you're a joke. Once again, he didn't throw an interception, extending his NFL record and he also clinched or extended a million other streaks that I'm too lazy to look up again.

Perhaps the most satisfying development out of yesterday's glorified exhibition game was the fact that BenJarvus Green-Ellis carried the ball 20 times for 80 yards and a touchdown. That got him over 1000 yards for the season (1008) and made him the first New England running back to get over the century mark since Corey Dillon in 2004 (it's crazy it's been that long but then you remember how long we tried to squeeze Chicken Salad out of Chicken Shit - Laurence Maroney).

The other unsung guy that you had to feel good for was Julian Edelman. The king of preseason, who was a high fantasy draft pick for know it all Patriots fanboys, finally came through with a nice game in the 2010 regular season. He had three catches for 72 yards, including a sweet 40-yard gain. He also took a reverse 13 yards and most impressively, broke a team record with a 94-yard punt return for a score.

Wes Welker, Deion Branch and Aaron Hernandez all sat out which makes you wonder how badly New England would have beat the already-on-vacation Dolphins (7-9) if those studs suited up.

Everyone else on the Patriots added to their great individual seasons: rookies Devin McCourty (seventh INT) and Rob Gronkowski (6 catches, 102 yards, 1 touchdown) continued to show why they are two of New England's best draft picks possibly ever.

Finally, Brian Hoyer (the most anonymous pro athlete in New England) got his first NFL touchdown pass and actually looked pretty decent: 7 of 13 for 122 yards. A beautiful 42-yard toss to Brandon Tate. The always tricky Bill Belichick changed it up by having Hoyer go in for Brady in the middle of a drive, simulating what would happen if Brady gets hurt in a game.

From here we have almost two weeks without a playoff game. As the No. 1 seed in the AFC, the Patriots will play either the Jets, Chiefs or Ravens on Sunday, January 16, 4:30 p.m. at Gillette Stadium.

New England earned everything that comes with this extended break, they had an unbelievable regular season which is all well and good but as Coach Hoodie remarked today: "yesterday we were 14-2, today we're 0-0."

It's Super Bowl 45 (in Dallas) or bust for this outstanding team and coach.

Patriots clinch AFC East title & home field throughout the 2011 playoffs

The New England Patriots just made things much easier for themselves moving forward by absolutely humiliating the hapless Buffalo Bills in front of their sad-sack fans at Ralph Wilson Stadium yesterday in Buffalo.

The 34-3 beating thrown by the Pats (13-2) to the Bills (4-11), their seventh straight victory, clinched another AFC East title for them. More importantly, it ensured they would have home field throughout the AFC playoffs and the No. 1 seed.

So all the Patriots have to do is win two home playoff games and then they'll be in the Super Bowl, February 6 in Dallas. Let's not get too ahead of ourselves though, they've still got plenty of work to do before we're talking Duck Boats and rolling rallies. However, they've done everything they possibly could do in the regular season.

Buffalo had actually come into yesterday winners of four out of their last six but as usual for the last couple years, they gave the Patriots one tough game (38-30 on Sept. 26) at Gillette then laid down at home late in the season.

Tom Brady (15 of 27, 143 yards, 3 touchdowns) set the NFL record for consecutive pass attempts without an interception. Bernie Kosar had the old mark (308) but Brady is already well ahead of it (319). He hasn't thrown an interception since his two vs. Baltimore (Oct. 17) which is insane.

Equally impossible to wrap your mind around is the fact that it's been nine games since New England has had a turnover. They only have nine total this season; the NFL record for fewest in a season is 13.

The Bills lost yesterday because they had seven turnovers (4 fumbles, 3 interceptions). Buffalo quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (18 of 37, 251 yards, 3 interceptions) has had a nice season but you wouldn't know it from yesterday's debacle. He looked like he was back at Harvard if the Ivy Leaguers had traveled to face an SEC school, just completely overmatched.

Buffalo received the opening kickoff and marched down the field, mostly behind Fred Jackson (13 carries, 81 yards), but they had to settle for a 26-yard field goal by Rian Lindell. Ironically, that would turn out to be the only points for the Bills.

Danny Woodhead (93 yards rushing, 32 yards receiving) answered with a 29-yard rushing touchdown later in the first quarter.

New England sewed up the game and the AFC East with 17 straight points in the second quarter. Buffalo native Rob Gronkowski hauled in his first of two touchdown catches (8 yards), Shayne Graham kicked a 34-yard field goal and veteran Alge Crumpler added a 4-yard touchdown catch (his first of the season). It was nice to see the former All-Pro, who is primarily a blocking machine for the Patriots, get rewarded with a goal-line look.

Gronkowski's second 8-yard touchdown grab, in the third quarter, tied him with Ben Coates for the Patriots' rookie tight end touchdown record (9). With Aaron Hernandez sitting out yesterday with a hip injury, Gronk took advantage and helped boost his candidacy for NFL offensive rookie of the year.

Graham's 26-yard kick in the fourth quarter was the game's final points.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis had 104 yards rushing on 19 carries. Patrick Chung, Dane Fletcher and Jarrad Page registered interceptions while Jerod Mayo, Sergio Brown, Eric Moore and Fletcher recovered fumbles.

The Pats host the Dolphins on Sunday in the regular season finale. The game means nothing at all to either team so it'll be interesting to see how much New England's stars (Brady, Branch, Welker, Wilfork, McCourty, Mayo, etc.) play. As you'll remember, Bill Belichick hates to sit anybody that is healthy and with a bye week in the playoffs, expect everyone to play a decent amount.

Patriots play like garbage but still win, gotta be a good sign

Every season in the NFL, your favorite team will undoubtedly have a what the fuck type of game. Last night, it was the New England Patriots' time to play terrible yet still limp away with a bizarre 31-27 win over the Green Bay Packers at Gillette Stadium.

Who could have predicted that with star quarterback Aaron Rodgers out and Matt Flynn starting that Green Bay (8-6) would give the Patriots (12-2) everything they could handle? That is before the third-year backup predictably choked when it mattered most.

Without question, no play summed up this strange game more than a 71-yard (NFL record) kickoff return by Patriots offensive lineman Dan Connolly. Yeah the Dan Connolly that is like 315 pounds and a nondescript backup lineman. That play (which is unlike anything we'll ever see again, even if we figure out how to live forever) fired up the Pats and helped them cut it to a 17-14 deficit at halftime.

In truth, this was a game that the Packers deserved to win. They had a nearly flawless gameplan, controlling the clock for 40:48 and keeping Tom Brady (15 for 24, 163 yards, 2 touchdowns) off the field. Where they failed is that they had to depend on Flynn (24 for 37, 251 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception) to thrive in situations he hasn't faced in a real game since his college days at LSU.

You knew Green Bay was playing for keeps when they attempted and recovered an onsides kick to start the game. New England held them to a 31-yard field goal by Mason Crosby but that showed the Packers wouldn't be deterred with their leader on the sidelines in one of those ugly camo team jackets.

On New England's first drive, BenJarvus Green-Ellis broke loose for a career-long 33-yard touchdown run.

Brandon Meriweather did what he does best - screwing up plays - as he ran into Devin McCourty (10 tackles) in coverage and allowed James Jones (5 catches, 95 yards) to catch a 66-yard touchdown to start the second quarter.

Greg Jennings' 1-yard touchdown catch gave the Packers a 17-7 lead with 2:17 left in the second quarter but that's when Connolly struck. If the Patrots win the Super Bowl, you know that improbable play will be front and center. It was insane. Not only did he throw a stiff arm, he also found the edge on the sideline and went all the way down to the 4-yard line.

Brady hit Aaron Hernandez for a 2-yard touchdown with 1:08 left in the half.

Another invisible player made a game-changing play for the Patriots early in the third quarter as Kyle Arrington picked off a terrible pass by Flynn, broke four tackles and returned it 36 yards for the score.

Down 21-17, you had to think maybe Flynn and the Pack would start to fold then but to their credit they didn't. They left that to the more epic moment.

John Kuhn's 6-yard touchdown catch gave Green Bay a 24-21 lead in the third quarter then Crosby added a 19-yard kick early in the fourth quarter (not going for it on fourth-and-1 proved costly).

Shayne Graham hit a 38-yard kick to cut it to a 27-24 Green Bay advantage. Then the Patriots defense finally got a three and out Brady hit Hernandez for another touchdown (10 yards).

The ending was ugly (how else would it be?) but a Dane Fletcher sack and a Tully Banta-Cain sack and forced fumble (recovered by Vince Wilfork) ended it.

Brandon Jackson had 22 carries for 99 yards as the Packers ran much better than they should with the bums they used.

Danny Woodhead led New England with 59 yards rushing on just nine carries. Green Bay was the first team to shut down both Wes Welker (3 catches, 42 yards) and Deion Branch (2 catches, 33 yards).

Jerod Mayo led the Patriots defense with 16 tackles.

With two games left (at Buffalo and vs. Miami), the Patriots just need one more win to clinch the AFC East and home-field throughout the playoffs.

Be honest homers: How many times did you have to pinch yourself last night?

In a million years, I never would have dreamed that the biggest game of the regular season last night would turn out the way it did.

With likely an AFC East title on the line and a No. 1 spot in the AFC playoffs hanging in the balance, the New England Patriots absolutely destroyed the New York Jets, 45-3 at cold Gillette Stadium on Tedy Bruschi night.

Just like last year where the Jets (9-3) won the first game of the series and then the Patriots (10-2) won the one later in the season that really counted (which help them win the AFC East), Bill Belichick's squad showed up when it mattered.

Nothing changes more than the NFL from week to week so I'm not going to make too big a deal of this result (taking a cue from my beloved Patriots) since after all, it was only Week 13.

That being said, hot damn. This was the first complete game the Pats have played all season and possibly the best performance (in the regular season) that I've ever seen from them given the stakes.

Tom Brady continued to play at an MVP level, coming through with his second straight game of four touchdowns and no interceptions. He was 21 of 29 for 326 yards.

Mark Sanchez looked like the second-year quarterback that he is, throwing three interceptions and going 17 of 33 for 164 yards.

More shocking than that was how easily the Patriots' picked apart the Jets' excellent defense and conversely, how New England's bad defense completely flummoxed Sanchez and his head coach Rex Ryan.

Not to pile on here (but if not now, when?) but Rex looked way over his last night from the start. He challenged a spot on fourth and 1 (lost it), got the first down but eventually had erratic kicker Nick Folk try a 53-yard field goal in swirling winds. How do you think that went? Not so well friends.

Other than Brady, would you guess who was the biggest star for New England? Danny Woodhead, the pint-sized ex-Jet. He had four catches for 104 yards and two carries for 11 yards. Wes Welker (7 catches, 80 yards, 1 TD) and Deion Branch (3 catches, 64 yards, TD) also shredded the Jets' secondary despite Brady never throwing in the direction of Darrelle Revis.

The Patriots received the opening kickoff and moved down the field until stalling outside the Jets' red zone. Shayne Graham's 41-yard kick gave the Pats a 3-0 lead.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis (18 carries, 72 yards) increased it to 10-0 with a 1-yard run later in the first quarter.

When Branch had a 25-yard catch and run for a score, making it 17-0 New England late in the first quarter, it was clear the Jets were rattled (and they never recovered from there).

Folk hit a 39-yard field goal early in the second quarter but that turned out to be New York's only points in the miserable night for Gang Green.

Brandon Tate hauled in a 4-yard touchdown from Brady in the second quarter and strangely enough, Ryan didn't challenge it even though Tate looked to only get one foot and one arm down. 24-3 Patriots.

After halftime, the Jets moved the ball down field and looked like they might make it competitive but Sanchez threw a bad pick on the goal-line to rookie linebacker (and amateur porn star) Brandon Spikes.

Welker's 18-yard touchdown in the third quarter (where he hauled a Jets defender the last five yards or so) was proof that this might be the same old big talking but no substance Jets.

The blowout was complete in the fourth quarter with Aaron Hernandez (3 catches, 51 yards) adding a 1-yard touchdown catch and Green-Ellis notched another touchdown, this time from five yards out.

Rookie cornerback Devin McCourty had his sixth interception as this one started to get ugly and James Sanders wrapped it up (sound familiar Peyton) with one last pick.

Part of the reason you have to move on fast from this one is that the Patriots have two very good NFC teams up next: at Chicago on Sunday and hosting the Packers a week from Sunday night.

Not to get all footie pajamas on you but that's why you have to feel good with Belichick and Brady on our side. They're still the best in the business and there's no debate.

It is all they've got but please get the Lions off of Thanksgiving

If there is one thing more predictable than getting sick of your relatives in about 10 minutes during a holiday, it is watching the Detroit Lions throw up all over themselves each and every Thanksgiving. In a perverse way, you've got to hand to them as they seem to have it down to a science at this point.

Yesterday, the New England Patriots were in Detroit on Turkey Day for the first time since 2002 and despite a slow start (17-10 deficit at the half), they turned it on in the fourth quarter and left that miserable city with a 45-24 win.

Detroit (2-9) has now lost seven straight Thanksgiving matchups so let me be the millionth person to ask, can we break the lame tradition of having them and the Cowboys host a game every year on Thanksgiving?

The Patriots (9-2) kept pace with the Jets (9-2), who beat the Bengals 26-10 last night, and set up the game of the year on Monday Night Football: December 6 as the Jets come to Gillette for a game that will likely determine the AFC East, possibly the top seed in the AFC and home-field advantage.

Ho hum, Tom Brady had a perfect passer rating, the second time he's done that in his storybook career (first time was in 2007 vs. Miami). Brady was 21 of 27 for 341 yards and four touchdowns. Deion Branch (3 catches, 113 yards, 2 touchdowns) and Wes Welker (8 catches, 90 yards, 2 touchdowns) had the best game they've ever had together.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis, that touchdown machine, added two more as he ran for 59 yards on 12 carries. Devin McCourty continued his rapid ascension to stardom as he picked off two passes, giving him five interceptions on the season.

Lions quarterback Shaun Hill (27 of 46, 285 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions) kept his team in it for a while with plenty of help from Calvin Johnson (4 catches, 81 yards, 1 touchdown) and Maurice Morris (55 yards rushing, 2 touchdowns) but Detroit completely fell apart in the fourth quarter as they were outscored 21-0.

Detroit tight end Brandon Pettigrew added five catches for 67 yards.

Patriots kicker Shayne Graham opened the scoring with a 19-yard field goal as New England couldn't punch it in during their first red zone trip.

Johnson answered with a 19-yard touchdown catch on the final play of the first quarter. It's too bad he's not on a decent team because he would be a superstar for real.

Morris' first score (1-yard run) gave Detroit a 14-3 lead in the second quarter but Green-Ellis ran up the middle for a 15-yard touchdown.

Dave Rayner's 44-yard field goal as time expired in the first half gave the Lions a 17-10 halftime lead and no doubt caused a couple of your clueless relatives to start freaking out.

Welker and the Pats moved the ball on their first drive of the third quarter and scored when Welker dragged a couple Lions into the end zone on a 5-yard catch and run.

Detroit's final score was another 1-yard run by Morris which gave them a temporary 24-17 advantage.

From there it was a clinic as Brady and the Patriots receivers put on a clinic, particularly picking on Lions cornerback Alphonso Smith.

First Branch hauled in a 79-yard touchdown catch (longest play of the season for New England and longest catch of his career) where he no lie juked Smith three times. The third quarter ended tied at 24 but New England had finally gained the momentum.

Next, Branch added a 22-yard touchdown on a perfectly threaded pass from Brady. Thanks to McCourty's pair of interceptions (and nice returns), the Patriots defense pitched a shutout in the fourth quarter. Welker caught a 16-yard touchdown pass and Green-Ellis scored on yet another 1-yard touchdown run. Game over, drive home safely Lions fans.

After a cramped schedule with the Steelers, Colts and Lions in a short span of time, the Patriots deservedly are off until Monday and then they can get to work on the Jets. This game is a must-win for the reasons I already mentioned plus New York dominated New England 28-14 in Week 2 which seems like ages ago.

Brady wins this round in Patriots-Colts epic rivalry

Nothing will ever change fourth and two gate, Bill Belichick's worst playcall of his life last season that helped speed up the Patriots' chokejob to the Colts.

Indy came into Gillette Stadium yesterday afternoon having won five of their last six against New England. It was a far cry from Tom Brady's first six games against Peyton Manning (6-0).

That is only the tip of the iceberg why New England's nail-biting 31-28 win meant so much for this season and James Sanders' clutch pick could be a hallmark moment of a team with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations (yes I said it).

Recent history has shown that the winner of this game - the best rivalry in the NFL at the moment - goes farther in the playoffs so it was nice to see the Pats (8-2) come out on the right side of a chokejob by Manning (3 INTs).

It never should have been that close since just like last year, New England was up 17 points in the fourth quarter (31-14) but the offense couldn't close on a terrible Colts (6-4) defense.

Brady (19 for 25, 186 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INT) and the offense were clicking in the first half. Manning (38 for 52, 396 yards, 4 TDs, 3 INTs) began the game with a overthrow that was picked off by Mr. Big Bang Clock himself Brandon Meriweather and returned 39 yards.

Brady made quick work of the short field and found Wes Welker (5 catches, 58 yards) with a picture perfect 22-yard touchdown pass.

Aaron Hernandez made it 14-0 early in the second quarter but any thoughts of a Pats blowout were ignorant given the opponent and how last year not to mention the 2006 AFC Championship game played out.

I hate to use injuries as an excuse (and it was tough this season with the Red Sox) and football is a brutal game but I will admit that the Colts have about as many important players out as I can ever remember. It's basically Peyton, Reggie Wayne (8 catches, 107 yards) and a bunch of scrubs.

One of those bums - Gijon Robinson - pulled in a 1-yard touchdown pass from Manning to cut it to 14-7 in the second quarter. BenJarvus Green-Ellis (21 carries, 96 yards) answered with a 5-yard touchdown run, his fifth straight game with a TD.

Wayne kept it close as he reeled in an 11-yard touchdown pass from Peyton with four seconds left in the first half, making it 21-14 Patriots.

The only score of the third quarter was an electrifying 33-yard run by Danny Woodhead where he left multiple Colts defenders with broken ankles. Almost as bonerific as that was the fact that on the ensuing kickoff, Woodhead raced down the field and made the tackle. You know you'll be buying a pink Woodhead jersey this Christmas for your wife, girlfriend or favorite stripper/hooker.

Shayne Graham's 25-yard field goal, after Julian Edelman couldn't snag a fastball from Brady on the goalline, gave New England its final points at 31-14.

From there, Manning went into Madden rookie level mode. Blair White (5 catches for 42 yards), who was subbing in for Austin Collie (5 catches, 60 catches) when he picked up another concussion, had a 5-yard touchdown catch then an absurd 18-yard touchdown catch that left it at 31-28 New England with a lifetime (4:46 left) remaining in regulation.

New England's offense picked up one first down before punting back to the Colts. Peyton got greedy though at the end as he had gotten Indy well into field goal territory but he rushed to the line and threw a terrible pass that wasn't close to any receiver.

Devin McCourty had the other interception in the third quarter and he added six tackles (five solo). Jerod Mayo had 15 tackles (11 solo) and Gary Guyton posted nine tackles (six solo).

It's a very short week for New England as they go to Detroit for the 12:30 p.m. Thanksgiving day game vs. the Lions. I mean where would you rather be on Thanksgiving?

The stinker against the Browns a few weeks back should safeguard against any letdown on Thursday. The Patriots are tied atop the AFC East with the Jets, who picked up their third straight lucky win, and they both possess the best record in the AFC and tied with the NFC's best (Atlanta Falcons).

The NFL is filled with punks and criminals but Big Ben & Jeff Reed take the cake

There's something immensely satisfying about beating a team that's fans think they're the shit. Clearly, that is why so many people outside of New England love it when the Patriots lose but is their a bigger group of frauds than Steelers fans?

Cheering for a scumbag like Ben Roethlisberger like he is a choir boy is sickening. The guy can play tackle football but yikes, the hard-working people of Pittsburgh are better than that right? No, I guess they're just like the fanboys of the Vikings who fell hook and sinker for Brett Favre. How's that going? End of rant.

After the Pats shit the bed last week in Cleveland, to put it politely, they obviously were just setting themselves up for their best performance in years: a 39-26 last night at Heinz Field.

New England (7-2) dominated this game of the AFC's best (not named the Jets) and the Steelers (6-3) scored a pair of garbage time touchdown catches by Mike Wallace (8 catches, 136 yards) to make it respectable for their fans who were already headed back to the steel mills and coal mines (stereotype much?).

Tom Brady (30 for 43, 350 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs) ridiculous hair and all (still no haircut) was the star of stars and his matchup with Big Ben (30 for 49, 387 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT) never really materialized since the Pats sacked Roethlisberger five times (I know, unreal) and James Sanders returned the pick 36 yards for the clinching score (29-10).

After a brutal game last week, rookie tight end Rob Gronkowski showed why he is such a stud, hauling in all three touchdown passes from Brady. Overall, he had five catches for 72 yards.

The playbook for New England was back to spreading the field and using all their weapons: Wes Welker had his best game of the season by far (8 catches, 89 yards), Deion Branch (7 catches, 71 yards) looked healthy again and Brandon Tate had a 45-yard catch. Somewhere Randy Moss gets released.

You can't run on the Steelers' top ranked rushed defense, except BenJarvus Green-Ellis put up 87 yards on 18 carries. His 17-yard rush in the first drive of the game was the longest given up by Pittsburgh all season.

In fact, Gronkowski's impressive 19-yard touchdown grab on New England's opening drive, was the first TD the Steelers had allowed this season. New kicker Shayne Graham added a 31-yard field goal for the early 10-0 lead.

That drunk kicker/goofball Jeff Reed hit a 22-yard kick in the second quarter which would be the game's only scoring.

Brady and the Patriots showed the first half was no fluke as once again he found Gronk for a 9-yard touchdown early in the third quarter. Brady even ran for a 3-yard touchdown late in the third quarter, putting New England up 23-3 late in the third quarter.

Steelers rookie wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (in for a concussed Hines Ward) gave the Steelers some hope with a 6-yard touchdown catch early in the fourth quarter but then Sanders iced it.

The last four scores for strictly for fantasy football purposes: Wallace's 15-yard TD catch, a 25-yard touchdown catch by Gronk - completing his hat trick according to Al Michaels - a 33-yard score by Wallace and a 36-yard kick by Graham.

Patrick Chung was back in action for the Pats and he made his presence felt with 11 tackles, six solo including a couple serious pops. Devin McCourty continued to ball with 11 tackles, nine solo. Finally, Jerod Mayo had nine tackles, four solo.

It will take another effort like this next week as Peyton Manning and the Colts (6-3) come to Gillette Stadium. As much as Brady (6-1 career record against them) has the Steelers' number, Indianapolis has seemingly always beat the Patriots the last few seasons. Should be another good one.

Happy Halloween from the Minnesota Vikings

As expected, the Minnesota Vikings coming to Gillette yesterday was similar to the circus coming to the TD Garden.

There was plenty of media coverage and in the end, the team with more substance (the Patriots) beat a team loaded with way more talent (the Vikings) but completely held back by their joke of a quarterback (Brett Favre) and powerless, enabler of a head coach (Brad Childress).

New England (6-1) won their fifth straight game overall, 28-18 over Minnesota (2-5) and surprisingly Favre (22 of 32, 259 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT) didn't cost them the game. However, since he couldn't win, he still had to get some attention and he successfully did that by acting like he was dead after a fourth quarter hit.

His pathetic 41-year old body was dragged off the field and he was laid on the training table. My buddy compared it to the Undertaker of WWF fame cause once the Vikings scored on the next play after he left, he raised his arm then sat up like nothing happened. Sure, he had a nasty laceration on his chin (which required eight stitches) but I feel no pity for the biggest fraud in sports and possibly on the planet.

Nobody with the Vikings has the balls to sit him down when he clearly can't help this Super Bowl contender as they fade faster than Randy Moss (1 catch, 8 yards) in crunch time.

Ah yes, it was Moss' return to Gillette after his surprising trade four weeks ago. The only thing more predictable than Favre's attention whore tendencies are seeing Moss completely disappear against our average secondary. Moss is done, over the hill, case closed.

He opened the field up for his teammates but he can't be counted on to do anything other than that anymore. It's all reputation with him now, his skills have really diminished. Seeing him reflect on his days as a Patriot after the game was strange but that's typical for his post-game stream of consciousness diatribes.

Adrian Peterson (92 yards rushing, 50 yards receiving) is still the best running back in the NFL, sorry Chris Johnson, but for the most part, the Pats contained him. He started off the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run to start the second quarter. It's a moot point since he probably would have gotten in on the next play (third down) but it didn't look like he broke the plain since Jerod Mayo (14 tackles) met him in the air and sent him flying back with a shoulder thump.

New England answered on the next drive with a 3-yard touchdown run by everybody's favorite folk hero Danny Woodhead (58 yards).

Childress had a chance to take a 10-7 lead into halftime but decided to predictably run up the gut with Peterson on fourth down late in the second quarter and he was stuffed.

Ryan Longwell gave the Vikings a 10-7 lead on their first drive of the third quarter with a 24-yard kick.

That's when the luck and bounces started to go the Patriots' way. Brandon Tate caught a 65-yard touchdown pass from Brady on a broken play. Brady had absolutely nobody to throw to but he bought time with a spin move and then found Tate (101 yards receiving) wide open on the sideline after his defender bit on a short pass.

After that, Percy Harvin (6 catches, 104 yards) had a reception ripped from his hands by Devin McCourty, who returned it 37 yards. How much of a stud is McCourty? Nobody knew who he was when he was drafted late in the first round this April but he's proven to be a solid all-around football player: he can cover, tackle and play special teams. What's not to like about him?

From there, it was the BenJarvus Green-Ellis (career-high 112 yards rushing) show. He used the short field to get a 13-yard TD run which put the Pats up 21-10 late in the fourth quarter.

Minnesota was in the red zone halfway through the fourth quarter when Favre got crushed by bum Myron Pryor. On the next play, Tavaris Jackson threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Naufahu Tahi and then found Harvin for a nice grab in the corner of the end zone on the two-point conversion.

I'm not dumb enough to say Tavaris Jackson is the answer but how long can the Vikings stick with Favre? This season is pretty much a wrap already unless they win out or go on a crazy run (which is quite unlikely).

The Pats iced it with a long, clock-killing drive, including a 16-yard catch and run by Woodhead on third-and-12. Green-Ellis put it away with a 2-yard touchdown run, his first two TD game of his career.

Don't look now but New England is in first place in the AFC East, thanks to the Packers' shutout of the Jets, and they have the best record in the NFL. That doesn't mean anything in the middle of the season but it's crazy how much progress they've already made this season.

The Patriots go to Cleveland next Sunday afternoon to play the Browns. I'm not going to break out my Super Bowl DVDs quite yet but this season is quickly starting to feel like one of those magical years.