Things Just Got Real: Patriots Put Spikes on IR & Colts Sign Branch

After their bye week (for the fourth season in a row), the Patriots have started preparation for their game on Saturday night (8:15, CBS) vs. the Colts at Gillette Stadium. New England opened up as a 7.5-point favorite against Indianapolis and that shouldn't changed based on today's roster moves but they are certainly something to chew on as they try to reach their third straight AFC Championship Game. The Pats put linebacker Brandon Spikes (knee) on IR while the Colts signed former Patriots star and Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch.

As primarily a run stopper, Spikes occupies a dinosaur position in the NFL that is quickly going extinct. Still, he played all 16 games this season (for the first time in his career) and totaled 48 tackles, 38 assists, one fumble recovery, one interception and eight tackles for loss. On a defense already missing Vince Wilfork and Jerod Mayo, Spikes brought some semblance of toughness and attitude, for that he'll be missed. Odds are he wouldn't have played a ton since the Colts mostly pass and use running back Donald Brown who can hardly be described as a punishing runner. The part that really stinks for him is that he's a free agent this offseason so this isn't the best way to cash in.

By signing Branch, the Colts resorted to some Jets type of mind games. There is little the Jets enjoy more than signing some former Patriots scrub the week before they are playing Bill Belichick and New England. Indy's fifth wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey will miss Saturday's game with a hamstring injury and apparently Branch lives in Indiana so the Colts had worked him out before. Sure sure. Whatever the case, don't count on a guy who hasn't played in an NFL game since the AFC Championship last season (with New England) to have any kind of impact.

In other moves, the Colts elevated receiver Josh Lenz from the practice squad while placing defensive end Fili Moala and cornerback Greg Toler on injured reserve. Thus far, the Pats haven't made a corresponding move with Spikes but you can bet that rookie Jamie Collins and Dane Fletcher will see way more playing time. I'm guessing they'll just make rookie linebacker Steve Beauharnais active although I think he's been a healthy scratch basically all season.

UPDATE 1/7: Patriots promoted linebacker Ja'Gared Davis from the practice squad and signed wide receiver Reggie Dunn to the practice squad.



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Just A Normal Tuesday In Foxborough: Stallworth Put On IR, Shiancoe Released & Branch Returns?

If you are going to play in one game in an NFL regular season and literally make one play, it's hard to top the way Patriots wide receiver Donte' Stallworth went out in 2012. He caught a 63-yard touchdown from Tom Brady (with one hand!) on Monday night which made it 28-0 New England and today, he went to IR with an ankle injury.

I guess it got lost in the shuffle of the 42-14 blowout victory over the Texans but apparently he sat out the last 25 minutes of the game. I don't remember one mention of that fact, I guess the Pats beat writers were too busy getting their stories done early. With Julian Edelman already on IR, the Patriots are very thin at wide receiver. That means that Deion Branch should be back as soon as tomorrow for the third time this season. His locker was kept just how he left it for him since he was waived on November 17-to deal with a hamstring injury.

In other Pats roster moves, they released tight end Visanthe Shiancoe from the 53-man roster and offensive lineman Tommie Draheim from the practice squad. To say that Shiancoe was a complete non-factor would be a big understatement. Hell even Kellen Winslow caught a pass the one week he was here. Haha bet you forgot about that. After going on IR (with the designation to return), Shiancoe "played" in the last four games but had zero impact-no catches.

All you have to know is that he was beaten out by Daniel Fells and Michael Hoomanawanui while Rob Gronkowski is out with his broken forearm. I doubt that New England would sign another tight end since they also have Aaron Hernandez and Gronk can't be that far away from getting back on the field. However, you never know with this team. Perhaps Ben Coates or Kyle Brady will return. Haha just kidding.

UPDATE 12/12: Today, New England signed wide receiver Tony Logan to the practice squad.

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Patriots Cap A Busy Day At Gillette By Bringing Back Deion Branch

When wide receiver Deion Branch was cut on August 31 as the Patriots trimmed their preseason roster down to 53 players, it was a pretty surprising development. However, I think most smart fans realized there was a good chance that he would be back soon enough this season in Foxborough.

It only took a little more than two weeks (and two games) and I'm happy to report that Branch has reached an agreement to return to New England. Apparently it was such a foregone conclusion that the team left his locker in place at Gillette Stadium. Aaron Hernandez's injury likely was the main catalyst for Branch's return since they'll need to find a way to duplicate Hernandez's production with multiple guys.

At 33, Branch is pretty long in the tooth for an NFL receiver but he put up decent numbers last season: 51 catches for 702 yards and five touchdowns in 15 games. Most importantly, he knows Tom Brady better than probably anyone that has ever played with him. Plus he's an outstanding leader and great teammate so you can always use a guy like that, especially in a time like this with the uncertainty surrounding the Wes Welker/Julian Edelman situation.

To make room for Branch and Kellen Winslow, the Pats released wide receiver Greg Salas, linebacker Mike Rivera and fullback Lex Hilliard. It's not hyperbole to say that those were probably the last three guys on the roster anyway. Salas never played since coming over from St. Louis a few weeks back, Rivera was only on special teams and Hilliard occupies a forgotten position.

It'll be interesting to see how much Branch and Winslow play on Sunday against the Ravens. It's shaping up to be a huge game since both teams are 1-1 and each are coming off a disappointing loss last Sunday. Baltimore has won 20 of its last 21 games at home so it is going to take a special effort from New England to beat them. If I had to put money on it, I would guess that Branch is more likely to see the field since he knows the playbook from last season and this preseason. One would think Winslow will need more time to get up to speed.

UPDATE 9/19: Filling that last roster spot, the Patriots also brought back linebacker Niko Koutouvides. He played in the last 11 regular season games and three playoff games last season. He was a staple of all four special teams units, which were a disaster on Sunday against the Cardinals.

Salas will return to the practice squad according to ESPNBoston.com's Mike Reiss.

UPDATE 9/20: With Salas back, wide receiver Kerry Taylor was released from the practice squad.

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Every Year At Cutdown Day, We're Reminded That The NFL Is The Coldest Sport Of Them All

At this point, basically nothing surprises me when it comes to the Patriots trimming their roster down to 53 players before the start of every regular season.

Still, even though we all saw Dan Koppen's release coming (he has nothing left), Brian Hoyer getting let go was a surprise and saying goodbye to Deion Branch was borderline shocking. Additionally, Jeff Demps was placed on IR and he's not on the 53-man roster which means he can't return this season under the new rule.

First things first, with Koppen and Branch gone, now Tom Brady is the only Patriot left who started for them in Super Bowl XXXVIII and XXXIX (pours out Sam Adams in the gutter). Clearly Branch had lost a step or two the last few seasons but I think we all figured that after the Pats let Jabar Gaffney and Donte' Stallworth walk earlier this preseason, that he had won the No. 3 wide receiver spot. Turns out, that position is basically irrelevant since Julian Edelman will fill it followed by Matthew Slater.

There is always the chance that Gaffney or Branch could return later in the season since New England wouldn't have to pay them as much or God forbid Wes Welker, Brandon Lloyd, Edelman, etc get hurt.

Seeing Hoyer leave isn't a big deal in itself, he is at best average but it means at least for now that Ryan Mallett is Brady's backup quarterback. Gulp. Have you seen Ryan Mallett play football? He looked woefully overmatched in preseason games against scrubs.

Speaking of nobodies, these are the rest of the players released by the Patriots to get to 53: safety Sergio Brown, guard Derek Dennis, receiver Jeremy Ebert, receiver Jesse Holley, fullback Eric Kettani, safety James Ihedigbo, offensive lineman Matt Kopa, linebacker Niko Koutouvides, linebacker Aaron Lavarias, defensive back Derrick Martin, tight end Alex Silvestro, linebacker Jeff Tarpinian, receiver Kerry Taylor, tight end Tyler Urban, offensive lineman Dustin Waldron, guard Jeremiah Warren, offensive tackle Darrion Weems and defensive back Malcolm Williams.

New England is actually down to 52 players so expect them to make at least one roster move and claim someone off waivers that was released by another NFL team.

Almost all of those guys are what I would describe as August heroes, they got a majority of the time in preseason games but you'd be in big trouble if they actually had to see the field in the regular season. Of that list, Ihedigbo is probably the biggest name since he played 67% of the defensive snaps in 2011, not to mention plenty of special teams. Here's hoping the UMass product and Northampton native finds a new NFL home. He proved that he can definitely play in the league.

UPDATE 9/1: Patriots defensive back Ross Ventrone received an injury settlement and was released from injured reserve on Friday, a source confirmed.

Since the injury settlement occurred within five days of being placed on injured reserve, Ventrone is eligible to return to New England later this season.

Ventrone can return six weeks after the length of his injury settlement, which was unspecified.

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Deion Branch Sticks Around For What Should Be Another Fun Year In Foxborough

Well I'm no NFL agent but I'm pretty sure the negotiations between Deion Branch's agent and the New England Patriots probably took a grand total of 10 seconds this off-season.

The team confirmed something today that many expected since the Super Bowl ended: Branch will be back for another season with the Pats. He signed a one-year deal which keeps him with the team that has re-energized his career.

Yes he has slowed down but there's something to be said for the inane connection that he still shares with Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Last season, his first full one back in New England, was a solid one for Branch: 51 catches, 702 yards, 5 touchdowns as the team's No. 2 receiver.

He will probably never be a 1000-yard receiver again in his career but then again, his game was never about numbers. He is still absurdly clutch and his hands are still there. With the addition of Brandon Lloyd and hopefully the return of Wes Welker (who was franchised), Branch should slide into the more comfortable spot as No. 3 receiver. When you have Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, Wes Welker and Brandon Lloyd, Branch is a pretty nice fifth option.

Branch is one of the most beloved Patriots from his era and I doubt that he'll leave Foxborough again before his career ends. He deserves to end it here and then have his number retired at Gillette Stadium. A true pro, a good dude and a great teammate, basically all you can ask for in a football player. Deion is the man and I'm psyched that he's not going anywhere; he has earned another shot with Brady and Belichick.

UPDATE 3/22: The Patriots also agreed to a two-year deal with fullback/linebacker Spencer Larsen. You read that right, he plays both of those positions, hence why New England must have coveted him for his versatility.

UPDATE 3/23: Backup quarterback Brian Hoyer signed his restricted free-agent tender with the Patriots today. He was tendered at the second-round level ($1.9 million). This was expected, it's noteworthy because he now counts on the 80-man roster (whereas he didn't before).

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Patriots Trounce Broncos 45-10 To Advance To The 2012 AFC Championship Game

It didn't take long tonight to figure out that the Denver Broncos weren't going to put up much of a fight against the New England Patriots, who looked sharp after their bye week.

In an AFC Divisional Round game at frigid Gillette Stadium, the Pats (14-3) jumped out to a 35-7 halftime lead and rolled to a 45-10 win.

New England's first playoff win since 2009 (technically the 2008 season) vaulted them into the AFC Championship game next Sunday, 3 p.m. at Gillette against the winner of tomorrow's Houston at Baltimore matchup.

Despite all of the attention on Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow (9 of 26, 136 passing yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs; 13 yards rushing) coming into this divisional round game, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (26 of 34, 363 passing yards, 6 TDs, 1 INT) showed that any comparisons between the two are laughable.

Brady's six touchdowns tied an NFL record while tight end Rob Gronkowski (10 catches, 145 yards) also tied a postseason record with three touchdown catches.

The limitations in Tebow's ability to throw intermediate routes and Denver's refusal to open up the playbook basically guaranteed that the Broncos were just happy to be here. They shocked Pittsburgh last week, which was a huge break for the Patriots, but they were an overmatched team in every sense of the word tonight.

Deion Branch (3 catches, 85 yards), Wes Welker (6 catches, 55 yards) and Aaron Hernandez (4 catches, 55 yards; 5 carries, 61 yards) each had a touchdown catch from Brady.

After getting gashed in the first quarter against Denver in December by their running game, New England's defense tightened it up and only allowed 144 yards on 40 carries (3.6 yards per rush). The Patriots recorded 5.5 sacks, including a couple kill shots on Tebow, who lacks much pocket presence or awareness.

Oddly enough, turnovers weren't a factor at all in the game since Brady had an interception and Stevan Ridley had a fumble. Denver only had one turnover, a fumble by Tebow that was caused by Dane Fletcher and recovered by Brandon Spikes.

For once the Patriots chose to receive the opening kickoff and the move paid off since Welker scored on a 7-yard touchdown catch less than two minutes into the drive.

Gronk scored his first touchdown in the first quarter, a 10-yard grab.

Willis McGahee (17 carries, 76 yards) got the Broncos on the board with a 5-yard touchdown run to start the second quarter but that's as close as Denver would get.

Once again, Denver failed to account for Gronkowski in the red zone as he caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from Brady. Even more pathetic, the Broncos allowed two touchdowns in the last two minutes of the half.

Branch tightroped down the sideline for a 61-yard touchdown catch and then Gronk caught a 19-yard touchdown with five seconds left in the half.

The second half got so pathetic that I hoped for running time. A bunch of Broncos got hurt which only prolonged the agony for them.

Hernandez had the final Patriots touchdown, a 17-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter.

Denver elected to kick a 41-yard field goal by Matt Prater when they were down 42-7 later in the third.

Stephen Gostkowski needed some work too so he was called on for a 20-yard chip shot in the fourth quarter.

The most interesting play in the fourth quarter was in garbage time when Broncos rookie linebacker Von Miller decided to take a cheap shot against Dan Connolly on a punt return. It sparked a rare football brawl on the sideline.

This game couldn't have worked out any better for New England. They avoided the Steelers, a team that they probably would have beaten but at least would have been much tougher than the Broncos. This win gives them plenty of confidence after two brutal losses the past few seasons in the playoffs, both at home.

Clearly, we're all rooting for the Texans tomorrow to upset the Ravens. With Baltimore's defense plus Ray Rice, they present many more challenges for the Patriots. Houston has a good defense and Arian Foster but I feel like the Pats could stack the line and make the immortal T.J. Yates beat them (unlikely).

Regardless, we should all be very happy at the moment. The Patriots are in the AFC Championship Game and regardless of who they face, they will be favored. Win once more at home and they'll be in the Super Bowl for the fifth time in the last 11 seasons.

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The Dolphins Prove A 17-Point Halftime Lead Means Nothing At Gillette Stadium

If you claim to have ever seen something like this version of the New England Patriots, I'm going to call bullshit. From series to quarter to half to game, there is no way to mentally prepare for what the Pats give us each week.

Regardless of how ugly it gets, New England (12-3) clinched a first-round bye in the AFC playoffs this season with a come-from-behind 27-24 win against the Miami Dolphins (5-10) this afternoon at Gillette Stadium on Christmas Eve. It was the seventh straight win for the Patriots.

To say that the Patriots played terrible in the first half would be way too generous. They trailed 17-0 at halftime as Tom Brady (27 of 46, 304 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT) was either getting sacked or throwing passes at his receiver's feet. Bizarre doesn't begin to describe it.

Still, New England managed to wake up in time to score its first 17-point rally and victory in nine years.

Just when it looked like Dolphins quarterback Matt Moore (17 of 33, 294 yards, 3 TDs, INT), running back Reggie Bush (22 carries, 113 yards rushing; 26 yards receiving) and wide receiver Brandon Marshall (7 catches, 156 yards, TD) would combine for one of the biggest upsets in the NFL this season, Miami reverted back to its usual loser ways.

The Dolphins built up their beefy lead thanks to a 47-yard field goal by Dan Carpenter in the first quarter then a 19-yard touchdown catch by Marshall and a 1-yard touchdown grab by something called Charles Clay.

New England couldn't do anything offensively in the first half as their first six drives ended prematurely with Zoltan Mesko punts then Stephen Gostkowski badly yanked a 51-yard field goal attempt on the second to last play of the half.

Things started to go the Patriots' way to begin the second half as they finally got on the board with a 45-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski. Three plays later, Moore inexplicably fumbled the ball right to Vince Wilfork.

New England went to work as Brady found Deion Branch for a 1-yard touchdown on the ensuing drive to cut it to 17-10. After the Pats defense forced a punt (thanks to two sacks by Brandon Deaderick and Rob Ninkovich), they managed to tie it before the third quarter ended. Brady scored on his first of two 1-yard quarterback sneaks to knot it at 17.

With all the momentum swung over to their side, Moore gave the Pats another absolute gift early in the fourth quarter. His pass intended for Brian Hartline turned into a duck that Devin McCourty (9 tackles, 4 solos, 4 passes defensed, 1 tackle for loss) picked off-his first of the season!

Gostkowski's 42-yard field goal following that second turnover gave New England a lead they would never relinquish. The Pats defense forced a punt and Brady scored his second quarterback sneak for a 10-point lead (27-17) with 2:56 left.

It wouldn't be a Patriots game in 2011 without them failing to close the door on an inferior team so it was entirely predictable that Moore would drive the Dolphins right down the field for a touchdown. He threw a 15-yard strike to Davone Bess with 1:48 remaining on the clock.

Miami elected to kick it deep but they couldn't get a stop. Brady iced it with a six-yard throw to Wes Welker (12 catches, 138 yards) who had a monster performance. He was targeted an absurd 19 times.

Rob Gronkowski was kept out of the end zone for the second straight game but he had seven catches for 78 yards while rookie Stevan Ridley ran hard (season-high and career-high 13 carries, 64 yards).

Jerod Mayo (13 tackles, 4 solo, 2 sacks, 1 tackle for loss) had a solid game while Shaun Ellis notched his first sack of the season (haha he beat a fullback to get to Moore).

Matt Light was a surprise inactive today and things got even worse for New England's makeshift offensive line when Logan Mankins went down with a knee injury and never returned. Marcus Cannon replaced him with Nate Solder shifting over to left tackle. Keep in mind that Sebastian Vollmer was still out.

Also, Patrick Chung and Brandon Spikes missed yet another game. You can't count on everybody to be healthy when the playoffs roll around but the Patriots need at least a few of these guys back by then.

New England closes out the regular season next Sunday at Gillette against the Buffalo Bills (6-9). Before today, I thought the Bills had completely given up but they snapped a seven-game losing streak by blowing out the Denver Tebows 40-14. So I guess they will show up next week.

With a win or losses by the Steelers and Ravens, the Patriots clinch home-field throughout the playoffs. Not that the Pats need additional motivation but Buffalo beat New England 34-31 in Week 3 at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Merry Christmas everybody, thanks for reading!

UPDATE 12/26: Ross Ventrone was released from the 53-man roster today along with Cedric McKinley from the practice squad.

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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 Take A Time Machine Back To The Glory Days, Demolish Jets 37-16

There wasn't a Jets-Patriots game in recent memory that had such a lack of hype. Riding a two-game losing streak, looking extremely vulnerable and fatally flawed in so many ways, the Pats were becoming as irrelevant as I can ever remember in the last decade.

Well thankfully for us, a funny thing happened on the way to morphing into also-rans of the AFC East and the NFL, New England (6-3) showed their still the team to beat in the division with a 37-16 win tonight at MetLife Stadium on Sunday Night Football.

With the loss, the Jets (5-4) not only fall to second-place but they also drop the season series (2-0) to the Patriots which could be a factor in playoff tiebreakers.

Tom Brady (26 of 39, 329 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs) and head coach Bill Belichick became the winningest QB/Head Coach duo in NFL history with their 117th win (sorry Dan Marino/Don Shula).

Another interesting stat that was highlighted on NBC's typically superb broadcast: New England hasn't lost three straight games since 2002-the fourth longest streak in NFL history.

The way that this one played one was shocking since New England's secondary suffered another injury (separated shoulder to Devin McCourty) with guys like Sterling Moore, Philip Adams, Antwaun Molden, Ross Ventrone (he exists!), Sergio Brown and James Ihedigbo all getting playing time. Oh and Patrick Chung didn't even suit up.

The reason the Patriots defense played so well was mostly because of two incredible performances: Andre Carter set a team-record with 4.5 sacks while Rob Ninkovich had two interceptions including his first career interception.

Did I mention that Jeff Tarpinian got his first career start (at linebacker) along with Moore (at safety)? Yup, this is real life.

It is amazing though what a pass rush can do. The Patriots had 15 sacks in their first eight games of 2011; they got a third of that total tonight alone. Mark Anderson had half a sack and he added some pressure from the defensive end position as well. Of course, facing Mark Sanchez (20 of 39, 306 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs) and the plodding Jets offense is a big help too. Still, New York had been playing great coming into this pivotal matchup, winners of its last three games.

I can't believe it took me this long to mention him but Rob Gronkowski (8 catches, 113 yards, 2 TDs) was the best skill position player on the field. With Wes Welker (6 catches, 46 yards) held in check by the incomparable Darrelle Revis, Gronk stepped up as he usually does.

Hell, even Chad Johnson (2 catches, 65 yards) made a couple plays, including a 53-yard catch on a blown coverage by Kyle Wilson. Deion Branch (5 catches, 58 yards) made it four consecutive games with a score against the J E T S.

Santonio Holmes (6 catches, 93 yards) was the only Jets receiver or running back to really stand out. Shonn Greene (13 carries, 61 yards) had a decent game but as the deficit piled up, New York was forced to abandon the run-something they're loathe to do.

New England lead 6-0 after the first quarter thanks to a pair of field goals (50-yard and 36-yard) by Stephen Gostkowski. Nick Folk missed a 24-yard chip shot on New York's opening drive, an omen of ineptitude to come by his mouthy teammates.

It looked like a replay of last weekend's loss to the Giants as the Patriots defense slowly started to crumble. It wasn't there fault that New York got on the board by forcing an intentional grounding by Brady in the end zone, which was a safety.

Sanchez gave the Jets their only lead of the game as he took a quarterback draw two yards for a touchdown. New York led 9-6 with 1:20 left in the first half but they left Brady and Co. too much time on the clock.

Looking much more precise than he did earlier in the half (when he could have had three interceptions), Brady hit Gronkowski for a momentum turning 18-yard touchdown pass with eight seconds left in the half.

Unlike the Giants game or any other contest this season, New England's defense got better in the second half while the offense worked in conjunction with it. What a concept!

After a 27-yard field goal by Gostkowski in the third quarter (thanks to Niko Koutouvides' fumble recovery on a muffed punt), Ninkovich made his first pick of Sanchez on what Cris Collinsworth termed a "triple tip." Somewhere Bibi Jones drools to death. Speaking of everyone's favorite porn star, her boy Gronk caught a 5-yard touchdown on the ensuing drive to give New England a commanding 23-9 lead. A two score lead against Sanchez and the Jets is analogous to a 30-point lead against most normal teams.

Plaxico Burress gave temporarily hope to Fireman Ed and his many friends (haha yeah right) with a 7-yard touchdown catch to begin the fourth quarter.

From there, Branch (8-yard TD) and Ninkovich (12-yard interception return) clinched it with a pair of scores in the span of three plays.

What this win gives Patriots fans more than anything is hope which is something that has been lacking with this team for longer than we care to admit. The Bills (5-4) got embarrassed today by the Cowboys, 44-7, so they're quickly coming back to Earth. Most promising, as Al Michaels pointed out late in the broadcast, the Pats have statistically the easiest remaining schedule in the NFL.

We all know that nothing really matters until this team proves it can win in the postseason. Making the playoffs is still basically a forgone conclusion. When the 2011 playoffs roll around, it will be four years since the last Patriots playoff win.

The road to respectability for this defense continues next week in another primetime game: Monday night at Gillette vs. the Kansas City Chiefs (4-5) and Matt Cassel.

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Steelers Offer The Latest Blueprint To Stopping New England's Offense: Don't Let Them Have The Ball

Scores in NFL games can be very misleading and look no further than Sunday's Patriots-Steelers game from Sunday afternoon to illustrate that gambler's truth.

Pittsburgh (6-2, 4-0 at home) won 25-17 at Heinz Field over New England (5-2, 2-2 on road) so at first glance, you think well it was a one-score game so it must have been close. Theoretically this was true since the Pats got the ball back down six points late in the fourth quarter.

Truthfully, without any timeouts and under the two-minute warning plus pinned way back in their territory, the Patriots had no chance. Mercifully, it ended soon after as the Steelers forced a fumble that went out the back of the end zone for a safety. This came after Bill Belichick chose to try an onside kick rather than pin the Steelers deep following the score which trimmed Pittsburgh's lead to 23-17.

Despite having insane results every week (see today: the winless Rams beating the Saints), every NFL expert loves to make conclusions after each game (as stupid as that tends to be) since ESPN's family of networks has a lot of programming slots to fill. Today's lesson: keep the ball away from Tom Brady (24 for 35, 198 yards, 2 TDs, O INTs) and New England's offense.

Even without a great running game (98 yards), the Steelers were able to own time of possession: 39:22 to 20:38. Rashard Mendenhall paced Pittsburgh with 70 yards on 13 carries while Kevin Faulk led New England with 32 yards on six carries (plus 5 catches, 20 yards) in his first game back in 13 months.

Ben Roethlisberger (36 for 50, 365 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) did his best Brady impression by spreading it around to nine different receivers. Heath Miller (7 catches, 85 yards), Mike Wallace (7 catches, 70 yards) and Emmanuel Sanders proved to be better than Rob Gronkowski (7 catches, 94 yards), Wes Welker (6 catches, 39 yards) and Deion Branch (4 catches, 36 yards) If Pittsburgh was a little better in the red zone (2 for 5), this one wouldn't have been so misleadingly close.

When passing around the blame pie for the Patriots, it's hard to say who's more responsible: the defense that couldn't get off the field or the offense that started each half with 3-and-outs? It's the boring answer but I'd say they're equally culpable. New England's defense actually did some nice things (5 sacks, 10 tackles for losses) but as usual, their secondary looked awful and the entire team tackled about as well as your local Pop Warner B team.

For whatever reason, the Pats abandoned the running game (43 total yards) pretty much right away and instead relied Gronk who was the only receiver who constantly got open and fought for extra yards after the catch. Pittsburgh shut down Welker and Branch save for 2-yard score from Branch.

The Steelers' first drive of the game foreshadowed the rest of the contest as they went 11 plays, 69 yards in 5:52. Roethlisberger hit Mewelde Moore for a 5-yard touchdown which was way too easy, 7-0 Steelers.

New England had the first of their aforementioned 3-and-outs before Pittsburgh closed out the first quarter with another lengthy drive. Vince Wilfork sacked Big Ben on 3rd-and-Goal from the 9 to limit the Steelers to a 33-yard kick by Shaun Suisham.

The Pats' next drive at least got into Pittsburgh territory but Lamar Woodley (2 sacks) ended it with a 14-yard sack on 3rd-and-15. Roethlisberger made one of his typical bonehead mistakes (residual effects from that motorcycle crash?) as he threw an easy interception to Gary Guyton three plays later.

Guyton returned it 17 yards to Pittsburgh's 8-yard line. After two plays, Brady hit Branch for a 2-yard TD and the Patriots were seemingly right back in it trailing 10-7.

Impressively, the Steelers weren't fazed and they went on another long drive: 10 plays, 76 yards, 5:39. Roethlisberger found Antonio Brown (9 catches, 67 yards) for a 7-yard touchdown. New England got some points on its abbreviated last drive of the half with a 46-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski. Pittsburgh led 17-10 going into halftime.

By failing to score let alone pick up a few first downs to begin the second half, New England started to let this game get away from them. The Steelers had another decent drive (14 plays, 55 yards, 7:06) but they had to settle for a 21-yard field goal and a 20-10 lead.

The Patriots were moving the ball and seemingly getting into a rhythm but it stalled as they tried to pass on every down. Even worse, Gostkowski's 42-yard field goal went off the goalpost. Not making excuses because Gostkowski is one of the NFL's better kickers but Heinz Field has always famously been a hard place to kick.

Believe it or not, the Steelers had another long drive (11 plays, 69 yards, 5:54) but yet again, they had to take a 23-yard field rather than a touchdown that likely would have ended it early in the fourth quarter.

The teams traded punts before Brady and his receivers channeled their two minute drill against the Cowboys from two weeks ago. Aaron Hernandez caught a 1-yard TD to cut it to 23-17. A 3-and-out by the Pats' defense would have given the offense the ball back but they were gassed and they couldn't stop Isaac Redman on the 3rd-and-1 run that iced it.

New England had burned all of its timeouts and it was under two minutes when Big Ben curiously decided to drop back for passes on two straight plays. The Pats got the ball back but it was too late to do anything productive, game over.

The Buffalo Bills (5-2) shutout the Washington Redskins in Toronto earlier today meaning they lead the AFC East (by tiebreaker) even though they have the same record as New England. The New York Jets (4-3) were idle and the Suck for Luck Dolphins (0-7) continued to do what they do.

Next Sunday, the New York Giants (5-2) visit Gillette Stadium for a rematch of Super Bowl 42. The G-Men are always one of the tougher teams to predict since in some weeks Eli Manning looks good and their defensive line is one of if not the best in the league. Then other times, they almost lose to Miami (today) and appear to be their own worst enemy.

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Cowboys Fall To The Patriots And It's Not Even Tony Romo's Fault

I will be the first to admit that in the past week, I never once was scared of the Dallas Cowboys or particularly their bipolar quarterback Tony Romo.

I'm not enough of a honk to say I could never imagine Dallas beating New England but can we all admit that the Cowboys are the NFL equivalent of Notre Dame football? Just a completely delusional team and fanbase that think they're championship bound every season.

The Patriots (5-1) had to sweat it out at Gillette Stadium this afternoon against the Cowboys (2-3) but as usual Tom Brady (27 of 41, 289 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs) came through with a two-minute drive to clinch it, 20-16 thanks to an 8-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Hernandez (8 catches, 68 yards) with 22 seconds remaining.

With its third straight victory, New England has now won 20 straight regular season home games while Brady and Bill Belichick tied Dan Marino/Don Shula's NFL record of 116 wins for a QB/coach combo.

Rob Gronkowski (7 catches, 74 yards), Deion Branch (3 catches, 69 yards) and Wes Welker (6 catches, 45 yards) made up for a lackluster running game (101 total yards) that had performed very well the last two weeks.

Ironically, Romo (27 of 41, 317 yards, TD, INT) makes a living of blowing all varieties of games in every way possible but this time, you couldn't really blame Jessica Simpson's ex. Wide receivers Dez Bryant (4 catches, 78 yards) and Miles Austin (7 catches, 74 yards) along with tight end Jason Witten (4 catches, 48 yards) are a formidable trio of weapons in the Cowboys passing game.

I mean if you want to get specific, the Dallas offensive coordinator and head coach Jason Garrett are most to blame as they got the ball back (up 16-13) at their own 28 with 3:36 left in the fourth quarter but they proceeded to run three safe and predictable runs. They knew Romo's late game problems so they basically took it out of his hands; I can't say I blame them but giving Brady the ball at his own 20 with 2:31 left is a recipe for disaster.

Penalty problems didn't help the Cowboys either as they were flagged 10 times for 77 yards. The Patriots only were called for five penalties totaling 35 yards.

Nevermind that New England's offense was sloppy all day (2 interceptions and a fumble, plus a fumbled kickoff), when they had to produce they did: 10 plays, 80 yards and not enough time for Dallas to do anything but have Romo end the game by throwing a hail mary out of bounds (short of the end zone).

The Cowboys defense came in with a good reputation, thanks to new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan (Rex's brother). It's way too easy to make fun of the Ryans but you have to admit that they know how to coach defense, especially against Belichick. Rob's Browns team last season was the last one before today's effort that held the Patriots under 30 points.

Dallas cornerback Terence Newman had an interception and a fumble recovery while linebacker Sean Lee had 12 tackles, six solo and an interception. Safety Gerald Sensabaugh added a fumble recovery on special teams.

The Patriots much-maligned defense earned some praise with this effort since they showed that they can survive a non-perfect outing from Brady and the offense (unlike Week 3's meltdown in Buffalo). Kyle Arrington (11 tackles, 7 solo) made his fourth interception of the season while Gerard Warren recovered a fumble. Hell, Andre Carter (5 tackles, 4 solo) even provided a semblance of a pass rush with two sacks.

You had to think Romo was in for a long day when he threw a bad interception on the first Dallas drive. New England brought it to the red zone but DeMarcus Ware (5 tackles, 2 sacks) sacked Brady on third down so the Pats had to settle for a 31-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski.

The Patriots forced a punt on Dallas' next drive but Brady gave it right back as his pass intended for Branch was picked off by Newman. New England's defense was faced with a short field (at their own 23) but they pushed the Cowboys back as they had to settle for a 48-yard field goal by Dan Bailey.

On the ensuing kickoff, Matthew Slater fumbled. Luckily, Tashard Choice fumbled it right back to the Pats five plays later as the teams were tied 3-3 after one quarter.

New England's first drive of the second quarter stalled again in the red zone as Gostkowski hit a 26-yard field goal. After forcing a Dallas punt, the Patriots got the ball back and made it 13-3 with Brady's 5-yard touchdown pass to Welker. On the field he was ruled out but it was clear that was the wrong call so Belichick challenged it and it was reversed.

Romo answered with his best drive of the game, finding his boy Witten for a 1-yard touchdown pass with 33 seconds left in the half.

New England got the ball first to start the second half but they couldn't do much so they punted to Dallas.

Romo got the Cowboys down to the 7-yard line but Carter's 11-yard sack on second down forced Dallas to get more conservative (foreshadowing!) as Choice took a dump pass to the 4-yard line. Bailey tied it with a 22-yard field goal.

A 12-play drive seemed promising for Brady and Co. but they were forced to punt yet again. However, Dallas bailed them out by running into Zoltan Mesko. Four plays later, Hernandez fumbled after a hit by Bradie James.

The Cowboys couldn't take advantage of that as they eventually punted on the ensuing drive. The Patriots weren't content with three turnovers as Lee picked off Brady in Dallas territory.

The red zone proved to be a major issue as Dallas couldn't punch it in again. A shovel pass (really?) to Choice on 3rd-and-Goal from the 5-yard line shockingly enough didn't work. Pats linebacker Brandon Spikes (8 tackles, 6 solo) made the play in what was one of his best performances as a pro. Bailey's 26-yard field goal still put the Cowboys up 16-13 and in position to pull off a major upset.

New England went three-and-out on their next possession but no worries since Dallas wouldn't dare let Romo throw the ball no matter what.

You always want a bye week later in the season when injuries have really mounted but at 5-1 and sitting in first place in the AFC East, I can't complain too much about the Patriots having next week off. Their next game is Sunday, October 30 at Pittsburgh and who knows, maybe Jerod Mayo will be back by then. The Steelers are always one of the AFC's top teams but in the last decade, I feel like the Patriots usually find a way to beat them home or away.

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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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Another Season, Another Bunch Of New Records Already For The Patriots

There are very few things you can count on in life like the greatness of Tom Brady.

Sure it makes you sound like a Patriots honk but sometimes you just have to sit back and say "wow, I'm damn lucky to have seen this guy play in his prime."

The 2011 season started for Brady and the New England Patriots tonight at Sun Life Stadium against the Miami Dolphins and it was a memorable one. Brady set a Monday Night Football and franchise record with 517 yards passing (32 for 48, 4 TDs, 1 INT) as the Pats pulled away in the second half for a 38-24 win.

Miami (0-1) hung around for a while as quarterback Chad Henne (30 for 49, 416 yards passing, 2 TDs, 1 INT; 59 yards rushing) had the best game of his career. Typical to being Chad Henne, it still wasn't good enough although to be fair, it was mostly his defense's fault.

In a lot of ways, this was the perfect opener for Bill Belichick. The Patriots (1-0) went on the road and picked up a divisional win against a team that usually gives them problems at home. New England's offense was almost flawless but on the other side of the ball, their defense was way too vulnerable to a pretty average Dolphins offense.

No surprise, with the fifth-most passing yards in NFL history, a bunch of Patriots receivers had monster games. Wes Welker led the way with eight catches for 160 yards, Aaron Hernandez had seven catches for 103 yards, Deion Branch had seven catches for 93 yards and Rob Gronkowski had seven catches for 86 yards. Things were so silly that Matthew Slater made his first NFL catch and it was for 46 yards!

It was interesting to note that Branch still appears to be Brady's most reliable guy not named Welker in the receiving corps. Chad Ochocinco had a very quiet Patriots debut, he only had one catch for 14 yards. He needs to pick it up as the season progresses.

Brandon Marshall led the Dolphins with seven catches for 139 yards. Davone Bess had five catches for 92 yards and Anthony Fasano added five catches for 82 yards.

What will probably go down as the highlight of Miami's season was their very first drive of 2011. They held the ball for over seven minutes and Henne scored on a 9-yard quarterback draw (has to be the first of his life). Typical of the Dolphins after a big celebration, it was all downhill from there.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis and New England answered on their first drive as they went right down the field and the Law Firm punched it in with a 4-yard run.

It was tied at 7 after the first quarter and the Patriots went ahead 14-7 with the only touchdown of the second quarter: a 10-yard pass from Brady to Gronk.

On the first drive of the second half, Dolphins defensive end Jared Odrick intercepted a deflected pass by Brady (intended for Julian Edelman on a bubble screen) and returned it 39 yards into the red zone. To Miami's credit, they tied it up at 14 as Brian Hartline hauled in a 10-yard touchdown pass from Henne. That's when New England seemed to pick up the intensity a notch. Welker scored his first touchdown of the game (a 2-yard grab) to give them a 21-14 lead.

For once, the Pats' defense stepped up and held the Dolphins to a 20-yard field goal by Dan Carpenter (cutting it to 21-17) in a subsequent red zone chance.

By that time, Brady's no-huddle attack had the Dolphins completely warn out. They couldn't catch their breath and as a result, they couldn't stop anything that Brady and Co. did. After getting stopped at the 1-yard line following a 30-yard catch and run, Hernandez got another crack at it as Brady went right back to him on the next play for a 1-yard touchdown pass. New England led 28-17 after three quarters.

Stephen Gostkowski missed a 48-yard kick (his first attempt of the season) at the end of the first half but he atoned for it with a 20-yard kick early in the fourth quarter. The highlight of the contest by far was New England's last score: a 99-yard bomb from Brady to Welker. Brady was in the shotgun (in the end zone) when he took the snap and Welker had one-on-one coverage. After throwing it, Miami's safety on that side took a bad angle and whiffed (hi Big Bang Clock), that allowed Welker to catch it and all he needed was one minor stiff arm to create separation.

For fantasy football fans, Reggie Bush (56 yards receiving, 38 yards rushing) made sure his night wasn't completely forgettable as he tacked on a 2-yard touchdown catch in garbage time. Danny Woodhead led the Pats with 14 carries for 69 yards.

Kyle Arrington picked off Henne on the last play of the game, a fitting reminder that this was still Henne. Devin McCourty (11 tackles, 10 solo, 1 tackle for loss, 2 passes deflected) had a busy night since he was matched up with Marshall. Patrick Chung (9 tackles), Mark Anderson and Andre Carter all recorded sacks while Myron Pryor and Vince Wilfork shared one. New England will need to get much more pressure when the games are still close.

The one major injury (that we know of so far) for New England is center Dan Koppen went down with an ankle injury in the first half. He was on crutches on the sidelines and based on the look of the play, I'm saying he has a broken ankle. Dan Connolly played center with Koppen out; he did a fine job but that's something to worry about moving forward since Koppen is one of the NFL's best.

The Patriots come home to face the San Diego Chargers (1-0) on Sunday (4:15 p.m.) at Gillette Stadium. My best guess is that it will be a shootout since Philip Rivers and the Chargers can put up points with the best of them. Let's see what changes Belichick and his assistant coaches can implement to this leaky defense; the offense already appears to be in midseason form.

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When did the New England Patriots turn into the Indianapolis Colts?

If the NFL playoffs have taught us anything, especially this season, being a top seed or favorite doesn't mean anything these days. Last week, the New Orleans Saints lost to the Seattle Seahawks, the Indianapolis Colts lost to the New York Jets and on Saturday, the Atlanta Falcons got creamed by the Green Bay Packers.

Those were all trumped by the epic no-show, choke job pulled off yesterday by the New England Patriots who lost 28-21 to the Jets in the AFC Divisional Round at Gillette Stadium.

New York took the rubber game of the season series with New England and advances to its second straight AFC Championship game, on Sunday in Pittsburgh.

Everything was falling the Patriots' way before the loss; all they had to do was win two games at home (against teams they had already beaten this season) and then top an NFC team that they would be favored over and they'd have their fourth Super Bowl title of the decade.

However, unbeknownest to myself and most of the fan base, we have become the Colts or San Diego Chargers, team built to rack up mostly meaningless regular season games and then turtle in the playoffs.

It's time to face facts: the Patriots haven't won a playoff game since the 2007 AFC Championship. Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have lost their last three playoff games and each has been in horrific fashion: losing the perfect season to the New York Giants in Super Bowl 42, getting crushed by the Baltimore Ravens last season at Gillette and then yesterday, losing to your most bitter rival.

While we're dealing with some real talk, can we also admit that Rex Ryan despite all his ridiculousness (foot fetish videos, diahrea of the mouth, etc.) can coach a football team and his method works. All week leading up to the game, it was endless trash talk from the Jets and you had to hope that the Pats would let their play on the field do the talking. Who knows if it had any effect but clearly, there's more than one way (Belichick's no fun model) to win in this NFL.

Patriots honks are the most delusional fan base around here so it'll be interesting to see if this makes them admit the truth, that Belichick and Brady aren't perfect. What is the excuse for yesterday? There is none not that it will necessarily stop them from whining.

I hate the Jets but I have to admire the way they play loose and back up their big talk. They still have to win two games to capture a Super Bowl but this was the biggest win for them in a long, long time.

I want to be really bitter about this defeat but what can you say if you're a Patriots fan? They didn't get screwed by the refs (a loser's excuse) or a random play (tuck rule), they simply didn't execute as well as New York and they seemed rattled from the beginning of the miserable game until the end.

Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez (16 for 25, 194 yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions) played better than Patriots icon Tom Brady (29 for 45, 299 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception) and that was supposed to be the one area where New England had the biggest advantage.

All day, the Patriots receivers were covered by the Jets' outstanding secondary or simply thrown off their routes. Whatever the case, Brady had to wait too long and getting sacked five times didn't help his confidence either.

Shayne Graham had the only points of the first quarter, a 34-yard field goal. Brady threw a terrible pick, on a screen pass but New England's defense held the Jets to a field goal attempt which Nick Folk promptly missed.

New York got on the board in the second quarter when LaDainian Tomlinson scored on a 7-yard pass from Sanchez.

Braylon Edwards gave the Jets a 14-3 lead with 33 seconds left in the half when he fought through tackle attempts by Patriots cornerback Devin McCourty and safety Brandon Meriweather to reach the end zone.

That late score was the biggest one of the game and it came as a result of a bizarre call which will go down in Patriots' lore as one of the worst in history. Apparently, Patrick Chung called for a direct snap on a punt. The problem was he fumbled it then couldn't get a first down and that gave New York prime field position deep in New England territory. Why would you ever make that choice in that spot? Mystifying.

Alge Crumpler got the Patriots back into the game with a 2-yard touchdown catch from Brady late in the third quarter, the frame's only points. Sammy Morris took a direct snap on the two-point conversion and ran it in to cut it to 14-11 Jets.

In the biggest quarter of the season, New York made the plays. Santonio Holmes, one of the most clutch players in the NFL, made an absurd 7-yard touchdown catch and Shonn Greene had a 16-yard touchdown run when the Jets were running out the clock.

Shayne Graham's field goal in between those New York touchdowns had made it 21-14 but there was only 1:57 left. Deion Branch (5 catches, 59 yards) caught one last touchdown with 24 seconds left but New England couldn't recover an onside kick (it couldn't get the one after Graham's kick either) and the upset was official.

This one will take a while to get over. The Patriots overachieved all season with a collection of young players and no-names that combined to go 14-2 in the regular season. Still, when it mattered not enough of them showed up to beat a team they knew very well. And I hate to be a realist but the window on Belichick and particularly Brady closes a little more since they'll both be a year older when the team gets back together for training camp in August.

The unstoppable juggernaut that is Tom Brady and Bill Belichick will not be denied

Why do we put up with Bill Belichick's boring interviews and personality and Tom Brady's ridiculous hair and sponsorships (Uggs, really?), because the two happen to be the best in the NFL and when it's all said and done, they will be on the short-list of all-time greats in NFL history.

The New England Patriots clinched a playoff spot yesterday and took two steps forward to winning the AFC East (thanks Dolphins) with a 36-7 blowout at Solider Field against the Chicago Bears, who were supposedly one of the NFC's top contenders.

Embarrassing a team that's led by quarterback Jay Cutler (12 for 26, 152 yards, 0 touchdowns, 2 interceptions) is not surprising at all but absolutely shredding Chicago's good defense in the wind, snow and freezing temperatures was unexpected.

However, after winning five in a row, smoking the Jets on Monday Night Football and going into Chicago and absolutely tearing the Bears apart (33-0 at halftime), nothing short of a Super Bowl victory will be tolerable in this season of amazing improvements.

Brady (27 for 40, 369 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions) continued his MVP landslide with more Madden numbers and efficiency (he hasn't thrown a pick in two months). Deion Branch (8 catches, 151 yards, touchdown) and Wes Welker (8 catches, 115 yards) have become the league's most formidable receiving duo while New England (11-2) still possesses plenty of other weapons: BenJarvus Green-Ellis (87 yards rushing), Danny Woodhead (rushing touchdown) and Rob Gronkowski (5 catches, 43 yards, touchdown) just to name a few.

It was enough to make you feel bad for the Bears (9-4) and the fine folks of Chicago until you remembered Cutler and Brian Urlacher are the two meatheads leading them to nowhere.

New England's defense is perhaps its biggest surprise since they've gone from a complete liability to dependable and capable of making big plays at any turn. They had four turnovers yesterday (2 interceptions by Gary Guyton and Brandon Meriweather and 2 fumble recoveries by Guyton and Jerod Mayo).

Gronkowski started the hit parade with a 7-yard touchdown catch from Brady at 5:47 in the first quarter.

The second quarter was when the Patriots put this one away with authority. Woodhead had a 3-yard touchdown run then Devin McCourty forced a fumble by Bears receiver Johnny Knox and Guyton returned it 35 yards for a score. Shayne Graham added two field goals (30, 25) and the final nail was a 59-yard touchdown pass from Brady to Branch on the last play of the first half. Lovie Smith is apparently a defensive genius but why his secondary wasn't playing prevent defense is beyond me. 33-0 Patriots at halftime after Graham missed the last point after.

The entire second half was elongated garbage time that basically revolved around whether the Bears would ever score (barely) and if Brady would come out at some point (yes). Graham had a 29-yard field goal and Chester Taylor finally got Chicago on the board with a 1-yard touchdown run.

From here, New England gets set for another prime time game: Sunday at Gillette vs. the Green Bay Packers. They might have caught a break (not that they need it) when Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers picked up his second concussion of the season yesterday in a loss to the Lions. Green Bay's only hope of winning (and making the playoffs) is if Rodgers is healthy enough to play. Matt Flynn was not good at LSU and I'm pretty sure that hasn't changed in the NFL.

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).