Patriots Get Back On Track With 30-7 Win At Minnesota

In case you haven't noticed, the Patriots don't lose many games (particularly in the regular season) so naturally when they do lose, we all collectively overreact like you read about. New England (1-1) went to TCF Bank Stadium this afternoon and blew out Minnesota (1-1) 30-7 in a contest that didn't feel nearly that competitive. It marked the seventh instance in a row where the Pats bounced back from a loss with a win the following week.

This also served as a perfect reminder not to read too much into early results, especially after Week 1. The Pats had lost 33-20 at Miami while Minnesota rolled 34-6 at St. Louis. You simply can't (or at least you shouldn't make any grand statements about teams after only a few games) but this served notice of what each team's reasonable expectations are for this season.

Of course, not having Adrian Peterson certainly might have been the biggest factor in this one and he wasn't even in the stadium. Without the NFL's best running back, the Vikings had to rely on Matt Cassel (19 of 36 for 202 yards, 1 TD, 4 INTs, sacked 6 times) and you can tell by his numbers how that worked out for them.

The most intriguing part of the beatdown for the Patriots is that their offense didn't even do that much, meaning that they could execute at a much higher level than that. This felt like a throwback to the good old days that we always talk about (2001-2005) where New England got contributions from all three phases of the team and a host of different players.

Stevan Ridley (25 carries, 101 yards, TD) was the Patriots' top offensive weapon along with the ever versatile Julian Edelman (6 catches, 81 yards, TD; 4 punt returns, 66 yards) who has become Wes Welker without the Adderall problem. The weird part about this game was that Minnesota took the opening drive 80 yards in just seven plays capped off by Cassel hitting fullback Matt Asiata (AP's replacement) for an easy 25-yard touchdown.

It was all downhill from there though for Minnesota as the Pats reeled off 30 straight points to end it. Devin McCourty's interception return for the Vikings' 1-yard line set up Ridley for a 1-yard plunge. Stephen Gostkowski's 48-yard field goal on New England's next possession gave them a 10-7 lead late in the first quarter that they would never relinquish.

Tom Brady (15 of 22 for 149 yards) really didn't have to do anything besides a pretty 9-yard touchdown pass to Edelman in the corner of the end zone which gave the Pats a 17-7 lead midway through the second quarter. Unquestionably, the turning point of the game and a play that we'll be seeing for years was Chandler Jones' (6 tackles, 2 sacks) blocked field goal then 58-yard return for a TD with eight seconds left in the first half. The Vikings were about to cut it to seven points, instead they headed to the locker room at halftime completely demoralized.

Darrelle Revis had his first interception as a Patriot, likewise for rookie Dominique Easley. Logan Ryan notched the other interception for New England who won the turnover margin 4-0. If you passed out in the second half or left to do something else, you didn't miss anything besides two more Gostkowski field goals (47. 27). I wondered if Cassel would be pulled in favor of rookie Teddy Bridgewater but I guess head coach Mike Zimmer didn't want to sacrifice Teddy like that.

New England finally gets their 2014 home opener-next Sunday (1, CBS) vs. Oakland (0-2), who is still one of the worst teams in the NFL so I pity the poor suckers that pay for tickets to that stinker. The best you can hope for is good tailgating weather since I don't expect the Raiders to be very competitive. Then again, it's the NFL so it'll probably go to overtime.

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Devin McCourty Separated His Shoulder Last Night, Expected To Miss 2-3 Weeks

Well if you watched the Patriots-Jets game last night, and if you're reading this I'm going to guess that you did, you saw that Patriots cornerback Devin McCourty left in the second quarter with an injury.

I feared it was a broken collarbone but WBZ in Boston reported last night that he suffered a separated right shoulder when rookie safety Sterling Moore (in his first NFL start) ran into his teammate while they both attempted to tackle Jets wide receiver Plaxico Burress.

McCourty didn't return to the game and it is feared that he'll miss 2-3 weeks (Kansas City, at Philadelphia, Indianapolis). He's having a terrible season after an incredible rookie campaign but McCourty is still the Patriots most talented cornerback (sorry Kyle Arrington). We'll see if he ever regains his surprising performance from 2010 but regardless, it's going to be tough to see the likes of Philip Adams and Antwaun Molden trying to replace him.

On the bright side for New England, Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel is expected to miss next Monday's night game at Gillette (his first meeting with his former team). That means Tyler Palko (former Pitt scrub) will take the reins for Kansas City which is a huge break for the Pats. Likewise, the Eagles are pretty much guaranteed now of missing the playoffs and we know that the Colts won't win a game this season so maybe this injury came an opportune time (as much as they ever can be).

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And that's a wrap: the 11-5 Patriots sit out January

I promise not to whine, too much. The New England Patriots finished 11-5 with their 13-0 shutout of the Bills yesterday and yet they didn't advance to the playoffs. They are the first team since the playoffs expanded to 12 teams to miss out with 11 wins.

Since the loss to the Steelers, the Patriots' playoff fate was partially out of their hands. They won their last four games (and were playing their best football of the season) but they still needed the Ravens to lose to the Jaguars or the Jets to beat the Dolphins. As expected, neither scenario came through.

I could go on (and on and on) about how pathetic Brett Favre is (retire already) or that Eric Mangini is a terrible coach (he was fired this morning) but I'll leave that to everyone else in New England. This was the first season in a while that the AFC East was competitive and the fact that the AFC West and NFC West were terrible is irrelevant. Division strength is cyclical in football and there were two losses you can point to (Colts, Jets) that if the Pats had pulled out, we wouldn't be having this discussion.

For the third week in a row, the Patriots had to play in ridiculous weather. They won in the pouring rain in Oakland. They dominated in a snowstorm last weekend at Gillette against the disinterested Cardinals and finally yesterday they won in god-forsaken Upstate New York where the winds were 30-40 m.p.h with gusts up to 50.

In likely his last game for New England, Matt Cassel only attempted eight passes but he still was outstanding and showed just how far he's come since September. He finished 6 of 8 for 78 yards with 19 yards rushing on three attempts (including two fourth-down conversions).

I've never seen a game where it mattered so much if you had the wind at your back. Stephen Gostkowski made a 33-yard kick in the first quarter and the Patriots led 3-0 at the half.

The Bills' miserable end to the season was best summed up by their last possession of the second quarter. With time running out (and no timeouts left), they ran the ball in the Patriots' red zone then took too much time to get back to the line before the clock showed zeros. Dick Jauron is from Swampscott, two towns over from my hometown, but he's clearly over his head.

Sammy Morris (20 carries, 84 yards) and LaMont Jordan (20 carries, 64 yards) continued their fine late-season play. If they could both stay healthy consistently (a huge if), I'd much rather prefer them over the more talented but enigmatic Laurence Maroney.

Jordan plunged in from two-yards out in the third quarter. It turned out to be the game's only touchdown as the inept Bills couldn't get out of their own way.

Marshawn Lynch sat out but backup running back Fred Jackson (27 carries, 136 yards) was great.

Gostkowski added a 23-yard kick in the fourth. He had a solid day even though he missed a 26-yard field goal in the second quarter and almost missed an extra point. The missed field goal was right down the middle then the wind hooked it wide right. During the extra point, the wind almost completely knocked it down as it barely went over the crossbar.

You're only kidding yourself if you think the Patriots would have won the Super Bowl this season with all their injuries and obvious flaws but with the way they'd been playing over the last month, it would have been interesting to see what Cassel would have done in the playoffs. Especially if they won the AFC East and hosted a home game or two.

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.

"How to ruin a once proud franchise" by Al Davis

It's hard to imagine two professional sports teams taking a more divergent path than the New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders after they met in the 2001 playoffs. The Patriots pulled out that controversial game in overtime, a springboard to their first of three Super Bowl titles in four seasons.

Sure the Raiders made the next Super Bowl but they lost that to the Bucs and then since then they've been living on NFL's version of skid row with the Detroit Lions.

How else can you describe such a putrid franchise after yesterday's joke of a game in Oakland?

After two weeks on the west coast, the Patriots (9-5) came home with a 49-26 win that wasn't anywhere near that close.

New England scored on its first three drives and led 21-0 with 3:43 left in the first quarter.

The Raiders (3-11) certainly scored some points of their own but the outcome of this one was decided in the first half.

Matt Cassel's dad died unexpectedly last week but any thoughts of that being a distraction were quickly erased as Cassel set a career-high with four touchdown passes. He finished 18-for-30 for 218 yards and an interception (which clanged off stone hands Ben Watson who was wide open).

Even more impressive was the Pats three-headed rushing attack that for one day at least resembled the Giants' vaunted trio.

Sammy Morris (14 carries, 117 yards), LaMont Jordan (12 carries, 97 yards) and Kevin Faulk (45 yards rushing, 66 yards receiving) ran through the biggest holes in California, this side of your garden variety porn stars.

Faulk began the barrage with a 7-yard catch and run for a score (with a great block from Wes Welker).

Ex-Raider Randy Moss (5 catches, 67 yards) got his revenge for a couple wasted years of his life by hauling in a 20-yard pass from Cassel.

Morris made it 21-0 with a 29-yard run.

Oakland got on the board late in the first quarter when JaMarcus Russell hit Johnnie Lee Higgins with a 56-yard TD.

Welker (6 catches, 69 yards) scored a rare TD with a 13-yard catch.

Then on back-to-back plays, the Raiders and Patriots had kickoff returns for touchdowns.

Justin Miller (91 yards) did the honors for Oakland while Ellis Hobbs (95 yards) answered for New England.

In the third quarter, Moss' second TD (9-yards) put the Pats up 42-14 and sent many of the Raider faithful back to their various prisons and rehab facilities.

Still, in a driving rainstorm and watching their team get embarrassed, there was something very captivating about fans sticking it out. They are called many things but Raider fans are not frauds.

Russell (17-for-31, 242 yards, interception) completed his erratic day with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Ronald Curry.

In garbage time, Jordan (another ex-Raider) scampered 49 yards (longest run of the year for New England) and rookie stud Darren McFadden (46 yards rushing; 68 yards receiving) ran in from 11 yards away.

There were only two bad things yesterday for the Patriots. Left tackle Matt Light left the game and appeared to have seriously injured his shoulder. Also, the Jets and Dolphins both hung on to win close games, meaning the Patriots are still tied with those two teams.

Only two games remain and the Patriots have to win out. They might not even make it if that happens but it would be surprising nonetheless.

The Cardinals, who have already clinched a playoff spot and are terrible on the road (especially on the east coast) come to Gillette next weekend. Hopefully Mother Nature helps the Pats out with some classic New England winter weather.

Welker and Cassel make just enough plays for Pats to hold off hapless Seahawks

The 2008 New England Patriots' playoff hopes looked over yesterday in Seattle as they quickly fell behind 14-3 to a terrible Seahawks (2-11) team.

From there, New England woke up and outscored Seattle, 21-8. It wasn't a thing of beauty but the Pats (8-5) made just enough plays on offense and finally a few stops on defense to propel them to a crazy 24-21 at Qwest Field.

Everybody's favorite short, white receiver Wes Welker (12 catches, 134 yards; 2-PT conversion catch) could not be stopped as he took over in the second half. Did I mention he's small?

Matt Cassel (26-for-44, 268 yards, touchdown) made a bunch of big-time throws and Brandon Meriweather forced a Seneca Wallace fumble on Seattle's last drive as they tried to tie it up. Richard Seymour recovered the ball and the Pats just took a knee for the clutch win.

Earlier, they had made Wallace, the backup quarterback, look like a Hall-of-Famer as he went 20-for-28 with 212 yards, three touchdowns and 47 yards rushing.

Old friend Deion Branch made up for lost time (he has been injured and virtually useless since he left New England) by burning the Pats for 88 yards on four catches, including two vintage Branch touchdowns.

Branch had the first score of the game as he caught a 14-yard TD after burning Meriweather.

Stephen Gostkowski's 50-yard kick cut it to 7-3 Seahawks after one quarter.

Rookie tight end John Carlson (8 catches, 69 yards) had a 10-yard TD catch which put Settle up 14-3 early in the second.

Cassel and the offense responded as Benjamin Watson hauled in a 2-yard touchdown catch in the back of the end zone.

It was 14-10 Seattle heading into halftime.

Another Gostkowski kick (42 yards), cut the Seahawk lead to one point in the third.

Branch worked some more magic with a ridiculous 63-yard catch and run where he went from one sideline to the other, juking past (and using blocks) to get by almost every Patriots defender.

He topped that with a juggling, one-handed grab on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Wallace.

New England made it 21-16 with Gostkowski's third field goal of the day (27 yards) early in the fourth then Sammy Morris jumped over the goalline on a gutsy fourth-and-1 run. Cassel found Welker with the two-point conversion and then Seattle did what it's done best this year (fail).

With Vince Wilfork and Tedy Bruschi going down during the game and Gary Guyton getting pulled, recently re-signed linebackers Junior Seau and Rosevelt Colvin were back on the field for New England.

Neither of them made any big plays but it was a time warp to see them again. That's how desperate New England is for warm bodies, they had to bring these two experienced veterans in.

The Pats will stay out on the West Coast as they travel to Oakland next Sunday to face an awful Raiders team with nothing to play for. The Jets once again choked yesterday (against the 49ers) and the Dolphins beat the Bills, so the AFC East is currently a three-way tie at the top.

The Patriots defense is a complete mess that can't stop anybody but if they can just make the playoffs, anything can happen. Especially in an AFC that still has no clear top teams other than the Titans and Steelers.

Cassel and Moss unstoppable as Pats beat Dolphins in Miami

A day that most thought would never happen has come: Matt Cassel is a solid NFL quarterback on a playoff contender. I can hardly believe it myself but such is the storyline after Cassel and the Patriots (7-4) won 48-28 yesterday at Dolphin Stadium in Miami.

Cassel was 30 for 43 with 415 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. His second straight 400+ passing yards performance was the fifth time in NFL history that has happened.

His two main targets were Randy Moss (8 catches, 125 yards, 3 touchdowns) and Wes Welker (8 catches, 120 yards).

The Patriots needed all of the offensive fireworks as once again, the defense was awful.

Miami (6-5) quarterback Chad Pennington threw for a career-high 341 yards and three touchdowns.

Stephen Gostowski began the shootout with a 30-yard field goal on the Pats' opening drive.

The Dolphins responded with a touchdown on their first possession. Pennington found wide receiver Greg Camarillo (6 catches, 75) with a three-yard TD pass.

In the second quarter, both quarterbacks ran for touchdowns on broken plays. Cassel's eight-yard run put New England up 10-7 while Pennington scrambled seven yards for a 14-10 Miami lead.

With a little more than two minutes left until halftime, Moss scored his first touchdown of the day on a 25-yard catch and run into the end zone.

On its first drive of the second half, the Dolphins once again moved the ball at will on the Pats terrible defense. Fullback Casey Cramer ended it with a 2-yard catch from Pennington, putting the Dolphins up 21-17.

Cassel hit Moss with a beautiful 8-yard fade in the corner of the end zone to give the Patriots a 24-21 lead.

Set up by Welker's 64-yard catch and long run, Kevin Faulk (53 yards rushing, 52 yards receiving) ran up the gut for a 21-yard score on the last play of the third quarter.

From there, the Patriots' composure and big game experience finally showed in the fourth quarter as the Dolphins (led by head idiot Joey Porter) accumulated penalties and gave up huge plays.

Ricky Williams had Miami's last score with a 13-yard fade from Pennington, making it 31-28 New England.

The Patriots scored 17 unanswered points to finish it off.

Moss' final touchdown was a 29-yard catch. For some reason, the Dolphins chose to single-cover Moss all day which obviously yielded great results for Moss and the Patriots.

Gostowski kicked another 30-yard field goal and BenJarvus Green-Ellis scored a garbage time 1-yard TD with 37 seconds left. As Gostowski put the last extra point through, Patriots left tackle Matt Light and Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder started punching each other and both were subsequently ejected. Light seemed to get the better of the fight as he pulled Crowder's dread locks and pummelled him. Good stuff.

Jabar Gaffney and Ten Ginn Jr. each finished with five catches for 88 yards while Davone Bess had five catches for 87 yards.

The Jets knocked off the unbeaten Titans yesterday and hung onto their one-game lead in the AFC East over New England. Buffalo and Miami are tied for third with matching 6-5 records.

New England is still on the outside of the playoff picture but at 7-4 with a favorable schedule down the stretch, the Pats are in a good position.

Their toughest remaining regular season game is next Sunday as the Pittsburgh Steelers come to Gillette Stadium. Pittsburgh can be great or Big Ben and his team can be awful. Who knows which version of the Steelers will show up?

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.

Patriots pick up key AFC East win over free-falling Bills

If you heard that Matt Cassel ran for a 13-yard touchdown (along with going 23 for 34, 234 yards), BenJarvus Green-Ellis ran for 105 yards on 26 carries including a touchdown, Ellis Hobbs had an interception and Deltha O'Neal also had a pick, what month would you think it is? August? Wrong, it all happened in November as yesterday the New England Patriots used another team-wide effort to dispose of AFC East foe the Buffalo Bills, 20-10 at Gillette Stadium.

I was a witness with five of my friends as the Patriots (6-3) methodically outlasted the Bills (5-4) and knocked them out of the three-way first-place tie in the division.

It's getting redundant to say it but Cassel continues to improve while his teammates around him also make plays and help the cause. He will never be a Pro-Bowler and he might not be a starter after this season (unless he goes somewhere else or Tom Brady continues to get Third-World quality medical care) but Cassel has been a more than suitable backup thus far.

After the New England D forced a Buffalo three-and-out on its first drive, Cassel drove the Patriots downfield and capped it off with a 13-yard run up the middle. It wasn't designed that way but he correctly improvised and used his decent running ability to get into the end zone.

In the second quarter, Stephen Gostowski hit a 32-yard field goal to put New England up 10-0. Buffalo kicker Rian Lindell ended the shutout as he booted a 25-yard kick on the next Bills drive that stalled in the red zone.

Bills quarterback Trent Edwards who looked so good early in the season (as Buffalo started out 4-0) made a couple costly mistakes yesterday. He badly overthrew a receiver which led to Hobbs' interception and in the fourth, he tossed another interception into double coverage that O'Neal caught.

Buffalo's other offensive weapon, running back Marshawn Lynch (14 carries, 46 yards) could never get started as the Pats defense held the Bills to 10 first downs.

In the second half, New England used a ball-control offense to put it away. Gostowski had a 37-yard kick in the third then Cassel and the offense went on a 19-play, 92-yard, seven minute drive in the fourth that ended with a Green-Ellis 1-yard TD plunge, giving New England the 20-3 lead.

It might have been the tailgating Bud Lights and Sam Adams talking but I seriously debated with my buddy Kev how Green-Ellis is more suited for the Pats' style than Laurence Maroney. He correctly pointed out that Maroney has much more talent but he wasn't utilized properly. Green-Ellis won't be going to Canton anytime soon but his simple, straight ahead running style is just what the team needed.

Edwards threw a garbage time 14-yard TD pass to rookie James Hardy with under two minutes left in the game.

Wes Welker finished with 10 catches for 107 yards while Randy Moss had five catches for 56 yards.

The Patriots have no time to enjoy yesterday's win since the 6-3 Jets come to Gillette on Thursday night. The Jets smoked the Rams, 47-3 yesterday and they've been playing good football lately (winning three in a row).

The Pats-Jets game in Week 2 seems like a year ago but expect another tight, low-scoring game Thursday night as one of the team takes sole possession of first place. Every divisional game is hard this year as the Dolphins moved to 5-4 with a win over Seattle yesterday.

Mental mistakes by players and coaches cost Patriots a win

With the Indianapolis Colts fighting for their playoff lives (in Week 9), the New England Patriots let them off the hook and let Indy walk away with an 18-15 win last night at Lucas Oil Field.

Down by three (18-15) and driving late in the fourth quarter, the Pats (5-3) made a costly mistake. Tight end David Thomas committed a stupid personal foul penalty which moved his team back 15 yards (and out of field goal range). After failing to make any headway on third down, New England made a curious move by going for it on fourth-and-16. The Colts (4-4) blitzed, hit quarterback Matt Cassel (25 of 34, 204 yards; 20 yards rushing), who threw up a duck that was intercepted.

The Patriots got the ball back with 20 seconds left but with no timeouts and deep in their own territory, the win was virtually impossible. The fact that the Pats didn't have any timeouts remaining was another fatal error. In the third quarter, Bill Belichick had challenged that the Colts had 12 men on defense. It failed and the Pats lost a key timeout.

While we're on the subject of plays that would have changed the game in New England's favor, receiver Jabar Gaffney was wide open and would have had a sure touchdown in the third quarter but he dropped the ball.

It was that kind of night for New England. This is the type of game that we've grown accustomed to seeing them win over the last seven years but not anymore. Not with so many injuries to our running backs (LaMont Jordan and Sammy Morris were both out again) and our secondary.

Peyton Manning (21 of 29, 254 yards, 2 touchdowns) wasn't as great as his numbers would make you believe. Maybe, I'm just jealous because I know anybody could tear apart the Patriots' cornerbacks.

Anthony Gonzalez (4 catches, 55 yards) began the scoring with a 12-yard TD catch in the first quarter.

Two Stephen Gostowski field goals (29 yards and 35 yards) in the second quarter cut the Colts' lead to 7-6. Clearly, the Patriots wanted to play keepaway from the Colts offense. This made for a fast-moving game, that was dominated by long drives for both sides.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis (15 carries, 57 yards; 1 catch, 8 yards) scored from six yards out, to put New England up 12-7 in the third. Kevin Faulk (10 carries for 60 yards; 5 catches, 38 yards) tried to run the two-point conversion in but he was stuffed right before crossing the goalline.

Gonzalez caught the other TD pass from Manning, this one from nine yards away to put Indy up 13-12. The Colts went for two and were successful as Reggie Wayne (5 catches, 65 yards) caught the ball between two defenders and held on despite a big hit by Pats cornerback/safety Brandon Meriweather.

Gostowski added another 25-yard kick to tie it at 15 early in the fourth but the Pats could have had more. They had fourth-and-short inside the Colts 10-yard line when Cassel snuck for the first down. Unfortunately, Belichick had called timeout before the play started.

In a game so influenced by kickers, good ol' Adam Vinatieri somehow hit a kick from 52-yards to give the Colts the lead for good. Mr. Clutch has never been known for his big leg but it figures that he would step as usual.

Randy Moss had six catches for 65 yards and Wes Welker had seven catches for 37 yards.

The Patriots will have to turn the page quickly as they have three supremely important AFC East games coming up in a row. If New England could have pulled out a win last night, they would have held a one-game lead on the Bills (5-3) and Jets (5-3). As it stands now, the Patriots, Jets and Bills are in a three-way tie. The Bills come to Gillette Stadium next Sunday afternoon (in a game I will be attending) and then the Jets come to town on the following Thursday night.

The division is much improved as even the Dolphins (4-4) are playing consistent ball. It would have been beautiful to put Peyton and the Colts out of the playoffs last night but failure to execute killed the Patriots.

When he's not smokin' trees at Lil' Wayne concerts, Kevin Faulk is a hell of a player

Can we just let Kevin Faulk start writing his speech for the Patriots Hall of Fame? When talking about Faulk (just like it used to be with Troy Brown), you run out of original thoughts. Faulk is the consummate professional, who always steps up and makes plays when his team needs him most.

With Laurence Maroney on IR, Sammy Morris and Lamont Jordan out with injuries, Faulk made the biggest play of the game as the Patriots held off the St. Louis Rams, 23-16, at Gillette Stadium yesterday afternoon.

Faulk had 13 carries for 60 yards and four catches for 47 yards. With the game tied at 16 late in the fourth quarter, Faulk split out wide and caught a 15-yard TD pass from Matt Cassel (21 of 33, 267 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs).

On a day when both Randy Moss (7 catches, 102 yards) and Wes Welker (7 catches, 79 yards) dropped passes they would normally haul in, Faulk showed why he is Mr. Patriot (now that Brown is retired and Brady is on IR).

There were plenty of reasons why New England (5-2) should have lost: their running game as alluded to was a mess, their secondary sucks and that's compounded by the fact that everyone is going down with an injury. Cassel, his receivers and the Patriots front seven wouldn't let that happen.

As predicted, the Rams (2-5) came out looking to win after knocking off the Redskins and Cowboys in consecutive games. New England caught a major break when Steven Jackson was held out of the game with a thigh injury. Still, Marc Bulger (18 of 34, 301 yards, TD, INT) had no trouble gashing the Pats for long gains.

Rookie receiver Donnie Avery (6 catches, 163 yards) was unstoppable on deep balls all day.

The Rams went for it on 4th-and-1 on their opening day and eventually scored on Josh Brown's 20-yard kick.

New England answered with a 2-yard TD run by rookie Benjarvus Green-Ellis.

In the beginning of the second quarter, Avery caught his second long reception. This time it was 69 yards for a score as two Patriots defenders ran into each other as Avery elluded them both.

Two Stephen Gostowski field goals (30 and 27 yards) let New England take a slim 13-10 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The only score of the third quarter was a 44-yard kick by Brown. Cassel had bad luck on two drives as a pass to Moss, bounced off Moss' hands and into O.J. Otogwe's. Later, Welker slipped, allowing Fahkir Brown to pick another pass off.

Brown added a 25-yard boot at the beginning of the fourth quarter to give St. Louis a 16-13 lead. From there, the Patriots buckled down. They tied it on Gostowski's 41-yard kick then went ahead for good with 3:13 left on Faulk's grab.

Adalius Thomas (7 tackles, 2 sacks), Richard Seymour (7 tackles, 1 sack), Tedy Bruschi (11 tackles) and Ty Warren (sack) were all standouts on the defensive side of the ball for New England.

Even Deltha O'Neal made a play, picking off Bulger as the Rams tried to tie it at the end.

It wasn't pretty but it was a step forward for Cassel and the Patriots, who are now tied atop the AFC East since Buffalo lost to Miami yesterday.

There are no great teams in the AFC (assuming the Titans come back to earth) so the Patriots are in good shape to win their division and make the playoffs. We couldn't ask for much more at this point.

The Pats travel to Indy next Sunday night for a showdown with their biggest rivals, the Indianapolis Colts. It'll be interesting to see how the Colts do tonight against the Titans; Peyton and the Colts could easily be 1-5 rather than 3-3.

Uh, Didn't See that one Coming

And you thought the New England Patriots had issues? The Denver Broncos came to Gillette Stadium last night for Monday Night Football and laid an even bigger egg than the Patriots' recent losses to the Dolphins or Chargers (which is pretty hard to do). All was right in Foxboro (for one night at least) as the Patriots rolled, 41-7.

Since the Patriots won the Super Bowl in 2002, I don't think I've ever gone into a game with lower expectations than last night. Part of that was the simple fact of the Red Sox hangover from the night before, when Boston was eliminated in game 7 of the ALCS by the Rays. The other thing was I thought it was clear the Patriots had way too many issues to be any kind of factor in the NFL this season. Maybe, they'd sneak into the playoffs, but they wouldn't win a game in January.

I was completely wrong and I couldn't be more happier about it. We have to temper our expectations until the Pats do this in consecutive games but at least it makes the season seem much more promising.

Denver (4-2) fumbled on its first two possessions in New England territory but the Pats could only convert two Stephen Gostowski field goals: from 31-yards and 40-yards.

Sammy Morris had probably the game of his life and it all came in the first half as he left with a knee injury in the third quarter. He carried the ball 16 times for 138 yards. Ironically, this happened on a night when New England placed Laurence Maroney on season-ending IR.

A four-yard burst by Morris put the Pats up 13-0 and they opened up a 20-0 halftime lead as Matt Cassel (18 of 24, 185 yards, 3 touchdowns) found Randy Moss (5 catches, 69 yards) for a 13-yard touchdown.

The second half was more of the same as the Patriots' offensive line and every running back they plugged in completely dominated the Broncos. Jay Cutler (17 of 26, 168 yards) hurt his pinkie on the first play of the game and was inneffective the whole night. He tossed two picks, to James Sanders and Brandon Meriweather.

It was a game to remember for Moss and Wes Welker (6 catches, 63 yards). Moss turned a screen into a 27-yard touchdown and Welker found the end zone with a 6-yard catch and run.

Former Pats tight end Daniel Graham broke the shutout with a 10-yard catch early in the fourth quarter, making it 34-7 New England.

Rookie running back Benjarvus Green-Ellis (13 carries, 65 yards) scored his first NFL touchdown, plunging in from one yard out.

Another rookie, inside linebacker Jerod Mayo continued to impress with eight tackles and a fumble recovery.

The injury bug was contagious on both sides: All-Pro cornerback Champ Bailey left with a strained groin and Patriots safety Rodney Harrison was carted off with yet another knee injury. It did not look good for Harrison, who has had a terrible string of injuries the last few seasons. Every opposing fan hates him but it would be sad to see such a great career like his end like that.

The St. Louis Rams, fresh off impressive wins over the Redskins and Cowboys come to Gillette on Sunday afternoon. Who knows what to expect from either team? People will no doubt be jumping back on the Patriots' bandwagon but if we've learned anything so far this year, it's that they are schizophrenic.

Maybe this season won't be a complete waste after all

After stewing for two weeks (during a bye) following the thrashing by the Dolphins, the Patriots played a complete game yesterday in San Francisco, beating the 49ers, 30-21.

New England (3-1) started slow but ultimately controlled the game as they held a 39:52-20:08 time of possession advantage over San Francisco (2-2).

Matt Cassel answered many critics-myself included-with his best performance of the young season. He was 22 of 32 for 259 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. The touchdown pass was the highlight of the game as he found Randy Moss (5 catches, 111 yards) for a 66-yard strike which tied the game at 7-7 in the first quarter.

Wes Welker was his favorite target as he hauled in eight catches for 73 yards.

Things did not start out so well for the Pats as Cassel was hit by Takeo Spikes on the first drive and was intercepted. J.T. O'Sullivan (130 yards, 3 touchdowns, 3 interceptions) promptly threw a pick right back as Brandon Meriweather did the honors. Shortly after, the 49ers got on the board as running back Frank Gore (54 yards rushing, 24 yards receiving) split out wide and beat Ellis Hobbs for a 16-yard TD catch.

Right after the Moss bomb, San Francisco retook the lead when O'Sullivan found 98-year old Isaac Bruce (49 yards, 2 TDs) for a 6-yard score.

The Patriots offensive line (which has famously been terrible since the Super Bowl) finally started to give Cassel some time in the second quarter while Cassel also got rid of the ball a little sooner (one of his issues). Stephen Gostowski's 35-yard field goal cut it to 14-10 San Francisco in the second quarter and the Patriots took a 17-14 lead into halftime after a Kevin Faulk (32 yards rushing, 29 yards receiving) 2-yard direct snap with six seconds left.

Lamont Jordan got hurt in the first half and Laurence Maroney didn't get off the sideline after the first few series but nevertheless, the Patriots' running game established the balance the team so desperately needed. Sammy Morris (16 carries, 63 yards) was his typical productive yet unspectacular self.

At the same time, the rested New England defense stepped up when it had to. Rodney Harrison made an interception in the second half, Tedy Bruschi made a stop on Gore and Adalius Thomas showed why he's such a beast.

Another 2-yard run by Faulk put New England up 24-14 in the third before Gostowski added another field goal (this one from 40-yards out).

Old man Bruce caught another score, from 5-yards out but a final kick by Gostowski (49 yards) iced it as the Pats got a satisfying win on the road.

One win over a pretty average team doesn't mean much, especially so early in the season but still New England fans have to be encouraged after the nightmare they witnessed two weeks ago. The Patriots look like they made some serious strides in practice and watching film. They'll stay out in California as they travel to San Diego next Sunday night for a game against the struggling Chargers (2-3).

I don't Want to Live in a World Where Joey Porter is a Prophet

After a misleading win over the Jets last Sunday, the New England Patriots started to realize what they're missing since Tom Brady went down with a season-ending injury. The Miami Dolphins-losers of 18 of their last 20 games-came into Foxborough and thoroughly dominated the Pats, leaving with a 38-13 win that didn't even seem that close.

A fully healthy Ronnie Brown was the best player on the field. He ran 17 times for 113 yards (with a nine-yard catch), 4 touchdowns and he threw a 19-yard TD pass to tight end Anthony Fasano. Miami used a Wildcat formation (the Wildhog look that Arkansas used the last few seasons with Darren McFadden). Apparently, the Pats and none of their coaches have turned on a college game lately as Brown and Ricky Williams (16 carries, 98 yards; 2 catches, 21 yards) repeatedly gashed the New England defense for huge gains.

Things never seemed right from the start, even against such a bad team in a very winnable game at home. Brown started his scoring binge with a 2-yard plunge in the first quarter. Once again, Matt Cassel (19 for 31, 131 yards, touchdown, interception) and the Patriots offense struggled in the red zone. Stephen Gostkowski got New England on the board with a 37-yard kick in the beginning of the second quarter.

Brown answered with a 15-yard run to put Miami (1-2) up 14-3. Clearly, the Pats (2-1) couldn't keep settling for field goals when their defense wasn't making any stops. Gostkowski added a 44-yard field goal and New England was lucky to get that. Cassel's pass for Wes Welker (6 catches, 55 yards; 1 carry, 19 yards) went through a Dolphin's arms and Welker grabbed it for a 21-yard gain.

Cassel threw an interception to Miami defensive end Randy Starks, who returned it eight yards. Brown's 5-yard TD run with less than a minute left in the half was a killer as it put Miami up 21-6 going into the break.

New England would make radical adjustments at halftime, right? Not really. Chad Pennington (17 for 20, 226 yards) kept finding open receivers down the field while the Patriots' D could never get off the field.

Fasano hauled in the 19-yard pass from Brown to give the Dolphins an insurmountable 28-6 lead in the third quarter. New England received a temporary boost when Cassel found Jabar Gaffney for a 5-yard TD pass but it was too little too late.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Brown went 61 yards for his final score. Dolphins kicker Dan Carpenter added a 39-yard kick to make the final margin 38-13.

Randy Moss (4 catches, 25 yards) was completely nonexistent for the second week in a row. The bye week actually comes at a fitting time for New England as they have to go back to the drawing board. This ultra-conservative play-calling isn't working and they have to figure out how to improve things on defense or else there will be a bunch more ugly games like yesterday.

Their schedule is still cake and although the Bills are 3-0 (and probably the class of the AFC East), their division is still miserable. It's one game and it will probably force the Patriots to look in the mirror and realize that Brady ain't coming back this season so they have to develop a new identity. They can't get much lower than yesterday.

In a sign of how bad it was, the best player for New England was probably Ellis Hobbs who returned six kicks for 237 yards, including an 81-yard burst. Joey Porter, who is washed up and talked trash during the week to the three people that paid attention, backed it up with three sacks.

After next week's bye, the Pats will travel to San Francisco then San Diego.

Sorry haters: the Patriots are still the team to beat in the AFC East and maybe the AFC

Sorry ESPN, every expert and non-Patriots fan around the country. You would have thought it was a national holiday last weekend when Tom Brady went down with a torn ACL and MCL. The Patriots are done, why bother playing the rest of the season? The Jets were better, the Bills were now the team to beat and even the Dolphins would be improved (which isn't saying much since they won 1 game last season).

How would Matt Cassel respond? This is a guy that hadn't started a football game since 1999 (in high school). All week, all we heard was how the Pats and Matt Cassel were going to take a page out of the 2001 Tom Brady/underdog Patriots script.

Everything went well in Cassel's first start yesterday at the Meadowlands against the Jets. New England (2-0) came home with a 19-10 win over the overhyped Jets (1-1) and over-the-hill Brett Favre.

The key difference between the Patriots in 2001 and now is that New England has so many weapons these days outside of Brady. Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Adalius Thomas, Vince Wilfork, Richard Seymour, etc.

We just have to get used to the games this season not looking like the ridiculous blowouts of last year. Defense, special teams, the running game and Cassel managing the game will be stressed for the rest of the season.

The Jets' first drive of the game was one of its best but they came up empty when Jay Feely missed a 30-yard field goal.

Stephen Gostowski will be another star in this new Patriots pecking order. The red zone was the one area where Cassel (16 of 23, 165 yards) and the offense really struggled. That was OK though as Gostowski was 4 for 4 on field goals. Stevie opened the scoring with a 21-yard kick, 12 minutes into the game.

Gostowski hit a 37-yarder in the beginning of the second quarter. The Jets had first and goal at the 3 but after three straight running plays, they had to settle for a 21-yard Feely kick (6-3 Patriots).

In a game where scoring was scarce, Sammy Morris' 1-yard plunge that put New England up 13-3 early in the third quarter was huge.

Favre (18 of 26, 181 yards), who's always good for a costly mistake or two, came through with an awful pick in the third quarter. Brandon Meriweather recorded the first interception of his NFL career and returned it six yards. Gostowski added another field goal, this one from 28 yards to put the Patriots up 16-3.

Laveranues Coles had a 54-yard catch, the biggest play of the day. He finished with 3 catches for 72 yards.

The Jets finally showed some life in the fourth quarter when Favre found Chansi Stuckey for a 2-yard touchdown pass. From there, New England played keep away as the Jets defense couldn't stop Kevin Faulk (4 catches, 50 yards; 3 carries, 16 yards) or Lamont Jordon (11 carries, 62 yards). Laurence Maroney left in the second quarter with a typical mysterious injury (shoulder) but the running game didn't skip a beat.

Gostowksi had one more field goal, a 29-yarder, with five minutes remaining to put the game out of reach (19-10).

And when Bill Belichick and the rest of the team woke up today, the Chargers (0-2), Jaguars (0-2), Browns (0-2) and Colts (1-1) are all behind the Patriots. You can't make too many conclusions in the first few weeks of the NFL regular season but this much is clear: with a cake schedule, the Patriots will make the playoffs.

Nobody in the NFL is more talked about than Brett Favre and that's unfortunate. He's a Hall-of-Famer who took the Packers hostage and as a result, will play out a few meaningless years in New York. He makes the Jets only marginally better while the Packers with Aaron Rodgers seemed to have improved with Favre out of there.

Miami comes to Gillette Stadium next Sunday afternoon. The Dolphins are 0-2 and still one of the worst teams in the NFL.

One of the few worries coming out of the game was Randy Moss (2 catches, 22 yards) being a distraction over his lack of production. After the game, Moss (who's a captain this season) was fine with the way things went which is a good sign. Cassel had one opportunity to find Moss deep but he underthrew him in the third quarter.

The Patriots defense looked solid as rookie linebacker Jerod Mayo (7 tackles) continues to impress. Richard Seymour and Adalius Thomas each had a sack. Thomas's was particularly entertaining as he tossed Favre and Leon Washington (who tried to block him) for a long loss.

And there goes the 2008 season for the Patriots

110 consecutive starts. That's the third longest current streak for an NFL quarterback and it's likely to have ended as Tom Brady seriously injured his left knee yesterday in the Patriots' season-opener against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Backup quarterback Matt Cassel and the Patriots hung on for a 17-10 win at Gillette Stadium but make no mistake, without the 2007 NFL MVP (Brady) healthy, the Patriots will struggle to make the playoffs, let alone the Super Bowl.

The game got off to a strange start as New England turned it over on their first two possessions. The normally sure handed Wes Welker and Randy Moss both fumbled after making catches. Moss's fumble happened after he hauled in the pass that Brady threw before getting hit on the knee by Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard.

Was the hit dirty? It was low and Pollard was basically out of the play after Sammy Morris blocked him to the ground but stuff like this happens in football. Brady has been incredibly durable so it's not like he's Donovan McNabb (going down with an injury every season).

Cassel (13 for 18, 152 yards, 1 touchdown) made the biggest throw of his life on the last play of the first quarter. With the Pats backed up on their own 1, Cassel looked deep and found Moss (6 catches, 116 yards, touchdown) for a 51-yard gain. It sparked the offense as New England eventually scored on a 10-yard toss from Cassel to Moss in the back of the end zone.

Chiefs kicker Nick Novak hit a 40-yard field goal right before halftime as New England went into the locker room with a 7-3 lead.

Credit Cassel and the Patriots offense for not completely falling apart without Brady at the helm. Sammy Morris (10 carries, 53 yards; 5 catches, 34 yards) looked great after missing most of last season. Laurence Maroney had his typical (10 carries, 51 yards) flashes of brilliance but overall nothing special performance.

Kansas City had quarterback problems of its own as starter Brodie Croyle (11 for 19, 88 yards) separated his shoulder in the third quarter after an Adalius Thomas hit. Backup Damon Huard (who's gotta be pushing 60 years old) came in and things surprisingly went well. Huard finished 8 of 12 for 118 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception.

Morris scored on a 5-yard run, with three minutes left the third quarter as the Pats went up 14-3.

The Chiefs wouldn't go away though-which is a real bad sign for New England-as Dwayne Bowe caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Huard two minutes into the fourth quarter.

Stephen Gostowski made it a seven-point game with 2:26 left by hitting a 37-yard field goal. Ellis Hobbs gave the Pats great field position with a 51-yard kickoff return. The much-maligned cornerback had a great game (by his standards) with an interception and sack.

Things got dicey as Kansas City marched down the field with a 68-yard catch and run from Huard to Devard Darling. The Chiefs had first-and-10 at the Pats' 5 but couldn't cash it in with four chances.

Big picture: without Brady, the Patriots will struggle to go 8-8. Kansas City is a young team, one of the worst in the league and New England had a real hard time putting them away, at home. The AFC East is still nothing special but Buffalo is getting better and the Jets are certainly more dangerous than they were last season. New England has one of the easiest schedules in the league but it's hard to think that Cassel will consistently play like he did yesterday. There's no use in crying or whining since the Patriots have had a remarkable run the last seven years. Injuries occur all the time, we're frankly lucky that Brady had never missed regular season time before. Now the ultimate question will be answered: can a great team survive without its best player?

Cassel's first NFL regular season start will be next Sunday at the Jets.