The Patriots Will Welcome Back Most Wide Receivers, Unless You Are Named Randy Moss

When you spend enough time on Twitter like I do, you can start to anticipate moves that your favorite professional sports teams will make. When I saw that Jabar Gaffney was released by the Washington Redskins yesterday, I tweeted that the Pats should pick him up.

Obviously somebody in Foxborough is following me (@RichSlate) since that's exactly what the Patriots did today: he will reportedly sign a two-year deal to return to New England.

You might remember Gaffney from such seasons as 2006-08. The Patriots were the second stop on what has been a four-team tour of the NFL (Texans, Pats, Broncos, Redskins). He didn't put up huge numbers when he was here earlier: he combined for 85 catches, 1059 yards and eight touchdowns. The last two years, he was stuck behind some guys named Randy Moss and Wes Welker, ever hear of them?

Gaffney's career has actually taken off more since he left Gillette. His catches and yards totals have both increased in each of the past three seasons, for teams that weren't exactly offensive machines (Denver, Washington). In fact, last season he set career highs in catches (68), receiving yards (947) and first downs (50) while tying his mark in touchdown catches (5). He did all that with Rex Grossman throwing to him.

Bottom line, it's a great move for the Patriots. He's very comfortable with Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, Josh McDaniels (his coach in Denver) and New England's playbook. There shouldn't be much of a learning curve for the former Florida Gator (are you listening Chad Johnson?). Gaffney is ultra durable too since he's played in 16 games in nine of his 10 NFL seasons. He only missed five games in 2006 because he was released by the Eagles in the preseason then out of the league for the first five weeks of the season.

Washington was 5-11 last season and they're rebuilding with Robert Griffin III, their No. 1 pick. For an excessive outburst on Twitter where he went after his cousin (Lito Sheppard) and soon to be ex-wife, the 31-year-old Gaffney was deemed expendable. Seems a little harsh, especially considering how bad Washington has been over the last few years. Oh well, the Patriots will happily take him.

New England woke up and realized that its lack of wide receiver depth is one of the things that came back to bite them in the Super Bowl loss to the Giants. Now instead of Tiquan Underwood, Julian Edelman and Matthew Slater running routes, the Pats will have Welker (please sign him!), Brandon Lloyd, Gaffney, Deion Branch and Donte' Stallworth. It's funny that Branch, Stallworth and now Gaffney have all been invited back after leaving to go elsewhere.

UPDATE 5/3: Underwood was released today. Hey, at least it wasn't the night before the Super Bowl like last time.

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

Brady-O'Brien Sideline Spat Overshadows Patriots 34-27 Win Over Redskins

It is almost unheard of that drama on the sidelines during a Patriots game (by them) overshadows the actual play on the field but as far as I'm concerned, seeing Tom Brady and offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien yell at each other and have to be separated was much more interesting than New England's (10-3) 34-27 win over the Washington Redskins (4-9) this afternoon at FedEx Field.

New England kept pace with the Steelers, Ravens and Texans, who all won this weekend and remain tied atop the AFC at 10-3. The Pats could have clinched the AFC East today with a Jets loss but Rex Ryan's guys smoked the Chiefs to keep their playoff hopes alive and well.

It sounds insane that I never thought this one was in doubt, especially since Washington was driving for the tying score at the end, but did you really believe Rex Grossman (19 of 32, 252 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) would beat the Patriots?

For their fifth straight win, New England benefited on a huge break (or bounce as it were) when Grossman's pass went off Santana Moss' (3 catches, 81 yards, TD) hands and was picked off on an outstanding diving play by Jerod Mayo (his second INT in the last two games).

Brady (22 of 37, 357 yards, 3 TDs, INT) got into it following the previous drive as the Patriots could have iced it with another score but his pass into the end zone-intended for Tiquan Underwood (1 catch, 7 yards)-was picked off by Josh Wilson.

TB12 is prone to emotional outbursts when he walks to the sideline and being a prick when he's on the bench. In this case, I think they both had their faults. 1) It wasn't a good pass by Brady so I have no problem with O'Brien calling him on it. 2) That was the best option, really? Forcing it in to the fifth receiver? So I can also understand Brady's frustration. This moment will be the talking point for the next week and I don't blame anyone since it was way more memorable than this completely forgettable game (at least as far as the Pats defense was concerned).

Rob Gronkowski (6 catches, 160 yards, 2 TDs) broke the NFL touchdown record for tight ends (13, held by Antonio Gates and Vernon Davis). Honestly, I think he could put up 20+ now that he has 15 with three games remaining.

Wes Welker (7 catches, 86 yards) and Aaron Hernandez (5 catches, 84 yards) both had solid performances in supporting roles to Gronk. Truthfully, Brady didn't have a great game even though his numbers look good. He missed way more passes than he normally does but what can you do? As usual, O'Brien had no commitment to any semblance of a running game, putting way too much pressure on Brady to carry not only the defense but also a one-dimensional offensive gameplan.

Two ex-Patriots: Jabar Gaffney (6 catches, 92 yards, TD) and Donte' Stallworth (4 catches, 96 yards) torched their former team which dare I say, had its most pathetic defensive performance of the season so far, all things considered. Andre Carter (5 tackles, 2 solo, sack, 3 quarterback hits) had a good game against his former team the Redskins.

Vince Wilfork recovered a Grossman fumble (caused by Carter) in the end zone for a touchdown (the first of his career) and an early 7-0 lead for the Pats, 2:54 into the game. However, other than that, Mayo's interception (the last play) and a couple pass breakups by Devin McCourty, New England's defense was beaten all over the field by Redskins rookie running back Ray Helu (27 carries, 126 yards) and an otherwise awful offensive unit.

Washington went down the field on its next drive but were forced to settle for a 26-yard field goal by Graham Gano.

Gronkowski's first touchdown-from 11 yards out-was trumped by the catch and run he made on the previous play. He went 49 yards, dragging and/or running over multiple Redskins while staying inbounds on the sideline. At 14-3 a little more than midway through the first quarter, New England looked like they might blow out Washington.

Turns out that Gaffney and Co. responded right away. He had a 9-yard touchdown grab (burning McCourty) that cut it to 14-10. I'm not going to pretend he's a great wide receiver but don't you wish the Pats had him over the likes of Underwood and Chad Johnson (1 catch, 15 yards)? Gaffney's a pro; a good route runner that makes plays.

The second quarter started with a play that might only work in Pop Warner, probably not even in Madden. Yet there was returner Brandon Banks taking an end-around and throwing a terrible spiral to Moss (uncovered) for a 49-yard touchdown. Washington led 17-14.

New England's red zone offense stalled and Stephen Gostkowski was forced to kick a 23-yard field goal to tie it at 17. Ditto for the Redskins as Gano hit a 25-yard field goal before the two-minute warning. Gostkowski's 24-yard field goal at the end of the first half knotted it at 20.

The back and forth scoring extended to the third quarter as Gronkowski caught a 37-yard touchdown on New England's first drive of the half. David Anderson tied it with a 6-yard touchdown catch from Grossman before Welker broke loose for a 24-yard TD after Brady bought some time in the pocket.

It was shocking that nobody scored in the fourth quarter, not to mention the fact that the Patriots defense forced two punts and the interception.

I have been waiting for next Sunday's game in Denver basically since the Jets game way back on November 13. The Pats have played one joke team (Kansas City, Philadelphia, Indianapolis, Washington) after the next during this winning streak so it's time to see them face the Broncos (8-5), who lead the AFC West and are riding a six-game winning streak and 7-1 run under the incomparable Tim Tebow.

The only disappointing part is that it won't be on Sunday Night Football so that it truly gets the hype it deserves but I can't argue against Brady vs. Tebow at any time. Denver is likely going to win their division and make the playoffs; they have a nice defense and it is always tough to win in the high altitude of Denver (snow would be cool too).

I speak for all Patriots fans when I say, it's about time they faced someone they could potentially see in the playoffs. Enough with these garbage opponents in games that are almost predetermined before kickoff.

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

Are the Arizona Cardinals the worst playoff team in NFL history?

I mean honestly, I know the Cardinals clinched the NFC West two weeks ago but could a team put up less of a fight than Arizona showed yesterday in the snow/sleet at Gillette Stadium.

The Pats (10-5) embarrassed the Cardinals (8-7), 47-7, and kept their playoff hopes alive going into the final week of the regular season.

For a team that can't win on the road, especially on the East Coast and in bad weather, it was comical when Arizona came out and tried to run the ball (even though they have statistically the worst rushing attack in the NFL).

After the first three-and-out and a 28-yard punt return by Wes Welker, the Patriots moved the ball downfield until LaMont Jordan (20 carries, 78 yards) scored from a yard out. Another Arizona three-and-out and another Jordan TD (3 yards) gave New England a 14-0 lead barely 11 minutes into the game.

If there was any question how this would end up, New England added 17 more points in the second quarter. Kevin Faulk caught a 15-yard TD from Matt Cassel (20 for 36, 345 yards, 3 touchdowns), pro-bowler Welker (7 catches, 68 yards) snagged a 11-yard TD pass and fellow pro-bowler Stephen Gostkowski hit a 38-yard kick in a swirling wind with two seconds left in the first half.

With nothing to play for, the Cardinals never really tried to play in the unfavorable elements. Anquan Boldin sat out the game and Kurt Warner might as well have done the same. Everybody's favorite Jesus freak (this side of Jon Kitna) was 6-of-18 for 30 yards before he got the hook in the third quarter.

New England is now 10-0 at Foxboro in the snow and 9-0 under Belichick with those conditions.

In the first play of the second half, Randy Moss took a bubble screen pass, made one move and was gone 76 yards for a score. Gostkowski hit three more field goals (35, 24, 30) which helped him break the single-season Patriots record for kicks.

Arizona finally got on the board in the fourth quarter when Matt Leinart (remember him? 6-for-14, 138 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) connected with Larry Fitzgerald (3 catches, 101 yards) for a 78 yard bomb.

Sammy Morris led the Pats with 88 yards rushing on 17 carries and Jabar Gaffney had a team-leading 90 yards on five catches.

The Ravens didn't do New England any favors by winning in Dallas Saturday night and the same goes for the Dolphins, who survived against Kansas City. Still, Brett Favre gave us a beautifully-wrapped gift when the Jets fell 13-3 in Seattle yesterday.

For New England to make the playoffs, they have to win in Buffalo on Sunday and either A) the Jets have to beat the Dolphins (which they did in the first game of the season) or B) the Jaguars have to beat the Ravens.

I feel very confident that the Pats can take care of the Bills, even though they knocked off the Broncos yesterday. The Jets game is a toss-up (the Jets are also still in the mix for a playoff spot) and Jacksonville is pretty unlikely to do anything other than lay down in Baltimore.

The good omen is that since the NFL expanded to six playoff teams in each conference (in 1990), no 11-5 team has ever missed the playoffs.

Matt Cassel accounts for 462 yards yet Patriots still lose to Jets in OT

A terrible start by the Patriots (facing a 24-6 hole in the second quarter) coupled with a defense that couldn't make enough stops led to a 34-31 overtime win by the New York Jets (7-3) last night at Gillette Stadium.

The win which vaulted New York into sole possession of first place in the AFC East was a gutcheck and while the Pats (6-4) admirably responded and forced overtime, they have nobody to blame for the loss but themselves.

New England wasted outstanding performances from Matt Cassel (30 for 51, 400 yards, 3 touchdowns; 62 yards rushing) and stud rookie linebacker Jerod Mayo (16 solo tackles, 4 assists).

All game, we waited for the inevitable Brett Favre (26 for 33, 258 yards, 2 touchdowns) backbreaking mistake but it never materialized.

Randy Moss forced overtime when he made a 16-yard touchdown catch with one second left in the fourth quarter. Moss somehow balanced himself in the corner of the end zone and snagged the pass while getting both feet inbounds. Ty Law was on his back the whole time but he was helpless to stop the play.

New York made a statement on its opening drive as they marched 62 yards and scored on a 7-yard catch and run by Leon Washington.

Stephen Gostowski kicked a 42-yard field goal to get the Patriots on the board on their first possession.

Jay Feely kicked a 22-yard field goal with six seconds left in the first quarter to give the Jets a 10-3 lead.

Once again, a promising Patriots drive stalled as they were forced to settle for three (a 31-yard Gostowski kick). This was magnified when Washington took the ensuing kickoff 92-yards for a touchdown.

Jerricho Cotchery's (5 catches, 87 yards) 15-yard catch and run for a score was an illustration of how bad New England's secondary is these days. They can't cover anybody and as the Jets (and Bills to a lesser degree on Sunday) showed, they can't tackle at all. In the off-season either through free agency or the draft, they have to address this glaring weakness.

Cassel and New England went into the locker room with some momentum as Jabar Gaffney (7 catches, 86 yards) hauled in a beautiful 19-yard TD pass with 15 seconds left.

The Jets finally made a mistake when Cotchery fumbled and Pats rookie linebacker Gary Guyton recovered it in the third quarter.

Making up for an earlier fumble in the third, Ben Watson (8 catches, 88 yards) caught a 10-yard score from Cassel as time ran out in the third. Gaffney pulled down the two-point conversion and the Pats were in business, down 24-21 headed into the fourth.

Gostowski tied it with a 47-yard kick. From there, New York worked the Pats defense over with a long drive that ended with a one-yard TD run by Thomas Jones (30 carries, 104 yards). The drive was filled with penalties and numerous mistakes by New England.

Facing fourth and 17 with two and a half minutes left, New England elected to punt (with one timeout left) but it paid off as they forced a Jets three and out.

They went 62 yards in eight plays with no timeouts. Wes Welker (7 catches, 108 yards) made some big gains on the tying drive.

With the crowd going crazy, the Jets won the cointoss and calmly moved down the field. The worst play for New England was third and 15 from deep in the Jets' territory. Dustin Keller (8 catches, 87 yards), who my buddy Curt said the Patriots look like Shannon Sharpe in his prime, gained 16 yards. If the Pats could have stopped the Jets on that play, they would have had great field position.

Feely clinched the win with a 34-yard kick that hooked left but stayed true.

The Patriots will have longer than usual to stew over this disappointing loss. They'll travel to Miami next Sunday for another huge AFC East game. The Dolphins smoked the Patriots earlier in the season and as they've proven since then, they're no longer a laughingstock.

File this under: some people will never learn

Through the past seven years while the Patriots have won three Super Bowls and been the model franchise in the NFL, they have taken every tiny criticism against them and used it as rallying points. The no respect act gets tiresome but you certainly can't argue with the results. Make no mistake, this isn't high school football. Bulletin-board material doesn't win or lose the games since they're all highly-paid professionals but nobody takes more pleasure in opponent's absent-minded trash talk then the Pats.

Enter Anthony Smith, a second-year safety out of Syracuse, who is currently starting for the Steelers only because Troy Polamalu is out with an injury. For some reason (probably to get famous), Smith guaranteed a victory against New England last Tuesday. Therefore this game was won back on Tuesday. It was the perfect motivational tool the Patriots needed after coming out flat and barely surviving against the Eagles and Ravens the past two weeks. There would be no letdown yesterday at Gillette as the Pats picked up a well-deserved 34-13 thrashing of Pittsburgh.

Now the Patriots (13-0) only have three regular season games left in their quest for perfection and with this win they gave head coach Bill Belichick his 100th career victory. Pittsburgh (9-4) came out sharp as they held New England to a three-and-out on their first possession. Next, the Steelers went 59-yards in 15 plays (taking 8:14 off the clock) before stalling in the red zone and settling for a 23-yard field goal by Jeff Reed.

New England quickly responded as kick returner Chad Jackson (remember him?) returned the kickoff 39-yards to the Patriots 48. Tom Brady (32 of 46, 399 yards, 4 touchdowns) drove the team 52-yards in nine plays which ended with a four-yard pass to Randy Moss (7 catches, 135 yards, 2 touchdowns) in the back of the end zone. Need proof that the Pats relished Smith's wake up call? After the first TD, Brady sought out Smith and was jawing with him, something that Moss also did on multiple occasions.

After a Pittsburgh three-and-out, the Patriots caught the Steelers secondary off-guard as Brady hit Moss in stride on a perfect, play-action pass, 63-yards for another score at the start of the second quarter.

The Steelers are a solid team (probably the third-best in the AFC) and they didn't fold as they came back with a touchdown of their own. Running back Willie Parker was sprung for a 30-yard gain and later on the drive, Ben Roethlisberger (19 of 32, 187 yards, 1 touchdown) found backup running back Najah Davenport in the end zone for a 32-yard TD pass. Somehow, Davenport did a wheel route down to the goal-line and Patriots cornerback Ellis Hobbs couldn't get over quickly enough to fully cover him.

The Pats caught a huge break as they recovered their own punt after the next drive. They had first-and-10 at the Pittsburgh 34-yard line but could only gain four yards in three plays. Stephen Gostowski missed a 48-yard field goal as the Steelers dodged a big bullet.

Pittsburgh later added a 44-yard field goal by Reed on a drive where they converted twice on fourth down. Gostowski had a 42-yard kick with less than a minute before the half to give the Patriots a 17-13 lead.

The Steelers took the kickoff to start the second half but couldn't do anything after Parker gained 19-yards on the first play. It was an omen of things to come as they were shutout in the second half.

The Pats took over as Brady hit Moss (22 yards), Donte' Stallworth (9 yards) and Kyle Brady (7 yards) with passes before the play of the game. With 1st-and-10 at their own 44, Brady threw a lateral to Moss on the right. Moss fumbled the bad pass then tossed it back across the field to Brady. By that time, Jabar Gaffney (7 catches, 122 yards) was wide open down the field. Brady hit him just in time as he caught the 56-yard bomb in the end zone, right in front of our boy Smith.

The Pats stepped on the gas and went up 31-13 as Brady finished another drive with a two-yard pass to Welker. Wes had been held in check until then but he was on fire early in the fourth quarter as he caught five passes in a row at one point before Gostkowski notched a 28-yard field goal, the final score. At any level of football, have you ever seen five catches in a row on the same drive by one player? The Pats had broken the Steelers will.

The last signature moment of the game was provided by the Patriots defense as they stuffed the Steelers on a goal-line opportunity. For some reason, Pittsburgh chose to give a handoff to Hines Ward on fourth-and-goal from the 2. Pats safety Rodney Harrison (9 tackles, 2 assists) corralled Ward and also had a key deflection in the end zone on the preceding play: a fade to Santonio Holmes in the corner. It was a great game for Harrison, who had a tough season up until then. Since returning from the four game suspension, Rodney had looked a step slow. He's still the emotional leader on a gritty, veteran Patriots defense. Vince Wilfork (7 tackles, 1 sack) was another guy, who seemed to have his best game. He's usually battling multiple blockers in the trenches but he got some glory yesterday, even recording a sack of Big Ben in the third quarter. Vince fittingly celebrated with the Superman (thanks Soulja Boy) which finally made me realize that's what Moss has been doing all season after TD's.

Parker had 124 yards rushing but it didn't really matter as the Steelers passing game was never much of a factor. The Pats only ran nine times the whole game but that seemed to be a function of the game-plan. The Steelers came in with the top-ranked defense and the long ball was their obvious weakness in the secondary so the Pats went repeatedly for the kill with much success.
The numbers for the Pats are staggering. Brady has 45 TD's, four shy of Peyton Manning's record. Moss has 19 TD's, his personal best and a Pats record. He's three shy of the NFL record set by Jerry Rice. New England has 503 points (the 11th team in history to top 500), the record of 556 from the '98 Vikings is well within reach. Ditto for the touchdown record: the Pats have 65 and the '84 Dolphins had 70. Finally, Welker has 93 catches (4th best in Pats history) and is only eight behind Troy Brown's record.

The Jets (3-10) come to Gillette next Sunday and honestly, the Pats are going to bury them after all the Spygate drama from the season-opener. The Jets are a garbage team and New England could put up 50 or 60 next Sunday, look out.

Ravens Choke, Patriots Move to 12-0

For the second straight week, the Patriots let a bad team hang around (and lead in the second half) before eventually escaping with a heart-pounding win. This week's choke job was provided by the Baltimore Ravens (probably one of the most unlikable teams in professional sports and yes I know the Pats are near the top of that same list these days for many people). It was a boxing match all night as the team's traded body blows and the Pats looked to be on the ropes in the fourth quarter but just like A.J. Feeley and the Eagles last week, the Ravens led by bust QB Kyle Boller did just enough to lose, 27-24 at a fired up M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.

The Patriots (12-0) looked uncomfortable from the start as they had to settle for a field goal on their first possession as tight end Ben Watson had one touchdown catch deflected away by Ravens spiritual leader/middle linebacker, the insufferable Ray Lewis. Watson also dropped a sure touchdown on the same drive.

Surprisingly, the Ravens (4-8) marched down field on its first possession, topped off by a 4-yard pass from Boller to Derrick Mason. Baltimore added a field goal in the second quarter to go up 10-3.

As the Patriots advanced downfield later in the second quarter, they caught a huge break as Tom Brady was picked off by Ravens all-world safety Ed Reed. Reed returned it 32 yards into New England territory but he was hit by Kevin Faulk and stripped by Faulk, who recovered it for a crazy Pats first down. New England would go on to score on that second chance as Heath Evans bulldozed in from a yard out to tie it at 10 going into the half. That Faulk play (which was eerily reminiscent of Troy Brown's strip against the Chargers in last year's playoffs) was one of the key plays people will look back and most remember since the Pats somehow ended up winning this game.

Any thoughts of the Pats waking up at halftime and blowing out this terrible Ravens team were quickly put to bed as Baltimore came out and scored on its first drive of the second half. The Pats couldn't stop Ravens running back Willis McGahee (30 rushes, 138 yards; 4 catches, 21 yards) and that drive was when he really stepped up. He rumbled in from 17 yards to put Baltimore back on top, 17-10.

New England answered with a nice drive, capped off by a 3-yard touchdown from Brady to Moss. With that score, Brady became just the fourth QB (Kurt Warner, Peyton Manning, Dan Marino) to throw 40 touchdowns in a season. Moss also made some history as he tied Curtis Martin's Patriot record of 17 touchdowns for a receiver or running back.

The game entered the fourth quarter with the teams tied 17-17 and the Ravens clearly playing inspired ball. Boller hit tight end Daniel Wilcox for a 1-yard score to open the final quarter and the Ravens suddenly led 24-17.

The Pats moved the ball to the red zone on the next drive but stalled and Stephen Gostowski hit a 38-yard field goal to cut the lead to four.

After forcing two Baltimore three-and-outs, sandwiched around a Patriots punt, New England stepped up with the predictable but still damn exciting, 13-play, 73-yard drive that ended with Jabar Gaffney catching a 8-yard pass in the corner of the end zone. There were just 44 seconds left in the game when he caught the pass so the call for the instant replay came from the booth. Luckily, the catch was upheld and the Ravens got the ball back with under a minute left (and they had to score a touchdown).

On the game's final play, Boller completed a 52-yard hail mary to receiver Mark Clayton but he was stopped by a gang of Patriots at their 3-yard line. The Pats had escaped with another win that they probably didn't deserve.

The Pats final drive was absolutely nuts as they had three cracks at a fourth-down conversion. It was fourth-and-1 from the Baltimore 30 when Brady was stuffed on a sneak. The play didn't count though as the Ravens for some inexplicable reason, called a timeout right before the snap. Next, the Pats had a false start on Ross Hochstein that wiped out Evans being stopped once again on a run. Finally, on fourth-and-6, Brady had tons of time and ended up running 12 yards for the first down. Baltimore also got a 5-yard penalty on an illegal contact call. Later in the drive, the Ravens were flagged for defensive holding (5-yard penalty) which moved the ball to the 8 and set up Brady for that final dagger.

The Ravens showed their true colors after the final touchdown as Bart Scott (a Pro-Bowl player) got two penalties for unsportmanslike penalties. He was frustrated with all the calls against his team on the drive so he picked up a ref's flag and threw it into the stands in a WWE-like spectacle of stupidity. On the ensuing kickoff, the Pats kicked off from the Ravens 35-yard line (which I've never seen before).

Brady had his toughest night of the season by far, he was 18 of 38 for 257 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Moss (4 catches, 34 yards) outside of his TD and Wes Welker (3 catches, 18 yards) were pretty much non-existent. Dante' Stallworth (3 catches, 68 yards) and Laurence Maroney (13 rushes, 44 yards; 2 catches, 79 yards) helped fill the stat sheet.

Outside of McGahee, Mason (6 catches, 67 yards, 1 TD) was the only consistent weapon for the Ravens. Kyle Boller (15 of 23 for 210 yards, 2 TD's, 1 INT) played very well (especially for him) except for like Feeley, he made an awful decision when it mattered most. With the Ravens up 24-17 and deep in New England territory he threw a pick by the goal-line when there were three Patriots around one Baltimore receiver. Pats safety James Sanders returned that 43 yards and that's when Gostowski later hit the field goal to make it a four-point deficit.

The Patriots are the sixth team in history ('05 Colts, '98 Broncos, '85 Bears, '72 Dolphins and '34 Bears) to start 12-0. Still, there are lot of worrisome things with the Pats performances the last few weeks. They've held on and won both games which is a testament to how mentally strong they are (and conversely, how inexperienced/shitty the other team's QB's are) but it's clear that they can't keep this up in the playoffs. Playing like they did last week or last night against the Colts, Steelers, Jaguars or Cowboys won't get it done. Common sense said that after the game against the Eagles, the Patriots would come out and throttle the Ravens, who had nothing to play for but pride but that never materialized.

The Patriots defense has looked pretty poor these last two games and their running game has proven to be a real weakness. New England won't be able to pile up the early season ridiculous passing numbers in the playoffs. The postseason is dictated by defense and the running game, currently the Pats two biggest question marks.

The Steelers come to Gillette next Sunday for a 4:15 game. Outside of the Colts, the Steelers are the next best team in the AFC so they should provide a real test for a Patriots team that has to right itself before the games really start to mean something.