Patriots Pick Up Jake Ballard For That Super Bowl Winning Experience They Lack

In what seems like a daily event, the New England Patriots signed another tight end. Unlike like most of the other ones that are either washed up (Bo Scaife) or never will bes (Jeremy Urban), this guy is a proven winner and a Super Bowl champion.

Former Giants tight end Jake Ballard, who was waived/failed a physical for New York on Monday, was claimed by the Patriots this afternoon. It's an intriguing move since Ballard is expected to miss most if not all of the 2012 NFL season after tearing his ACL in Super Bowl XLVI in Febuary vs. New England. The thinking is that the Patriots will stash Ballard on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list or injured reserve before the start of the regular season.

From ESPNBoston.com
In a statement released by his agent, Ballard said on Tuesday: "While this was very sudden and I am still experiencing a great deal of differing emotions, I wanted to take a moment to say Thank You and place some closure on a wonderful chapter in my life. I will greatly miss my teammates, the fans, the organization, and albeit short-Iived, I will forever cherish all the great memories that we created during my time in a Giant uniform. Simultaneously, I am humbled by the opportunity that the Patriots have afforded me and as I have always done, I will bring nothing but hard work, professionalism, and integrity to what is already a world class organization."

I'm surprised that the G-Men would give up Ballard (who's only 24) so easily since he was their top tight end last season, in only his second year in the NFL out of Ohio State. He caught 38 passes from Eli Manning for 604 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 14 games. He averaged 15.9 yards per catch and his longest catch was 41 yards. He's an exclusive rights free agent after this season, meaning that New England would control his rights heading into 2013 presumably when he'll be much closer to 100% health-wise.

Rookie tight end Brad Herman went on IR after suffering an injury in OTAs last week.

If you're looking for a precedent of this kind of stealth move, the Pats did the same thing with safety Josh Barrett after they claimed him off waivers from the Broncos two summers ago. He was on injured reserve in 2010 but returned in 2011 to start in four games before missing the rest of the season with another injury. For his sake, I hope that Ballard has better luck than Barrett. Regardless, we all know that he's a much more valuable player. Barrett is a scrub while Ballard could be a real gem when he's back on the field for good.

If you need a refresher on what Ballard can do, we just need to look back at Week 9 last season when the Giants rallied for a 24-20 victory at Gillette Stadium. Ballard got it done with a goal-line touchdown grab with 15 seconds left in the fourth quarter. In that game, he had four catches for 67 receiving yards including a 30-yard catch.


He was hurt all throughout the playoffs but he suited up for all three games (Atlanta, Green Bay and New England) before going down with the painful injury. Who could forget the scene on the sideline after he got hurt and he was trying to walk? That was rough to say the least. In the playoffs, he had five catches for 43 receiving yards.

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Not Again: Giants Beat The Patriots In Another Super Bowl, 21-17

For the second time in four seasons, the New York Giants topped the New England Patriots in a Super Bowl.

New York quarterback Eli Manning (30 of 40, 296 yards, 1 TD) secured his legacy as he picked up his second Super Bowl MVP trophy with a 21-17 Giants victory at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Ironically, the win in Super Bowl 46 gave him more rings (two) than his more overrated choke artist brother Peyton (one), who plays in Indy.

Including the regular season, New York has now beaten New England three straight times and they've scored the winning points in the last minute every instance.

Everyone knew it was a joke that the Patriots (15-4) were favored coming into tonight since the Giants (13-7) not only had their number but they were a more balanced team. The painful part for Pats fans is that despite a shaky defense, not much of a running game and a lack of receivers, this was one they truly let slip away.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (27 of 41, 276 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) and the offense were up 17-15 and driving for another score late in the fourth quarter-a touchdown would have ended it-but Wes Welker (7 catches, 60 yards) dropped a pass that he makes 49 times out of 50. That mistake didn't cost New England the game but when you couple it with Giants receiver Mario Manningham's (5 catches, 73 yards) absurd 38-yard grab on the ensuing drive, they were two of the most pivotal plays in such a tight game.

New York seemed to make a mistake as Ahmad Bradshaw (17 carries, 72 yards) fell into the end zone with 57 seconds left, rather than drop at the one and kill the clock before a chip shot field goal. That ended up being a moot point since with less than a minute, one timeout and no deep threats, Brady couldn't get it done. He converted on 4th-and-16 to Deion Branch (3 catches, 45 yards) for a 19-yard gain but it ended with a hail mary into the end zone that was inches away from Rob Gronkowski's (2 catches, 26 yards) hands.

Speaking of Gronk, without him New England's options in the passing game were limited. Aaron Hernandez (8 catches, 67 yards, TD) played well but he also made a key drop, on the last-minute drive. Danny Woodhead (4 catches, 42 yards, TD) was effective but as expected, Chad Johnson (1 catch, 21 yards) had minimal impact. With Gronkowski clearly hobbled, the Patriots couldn't match the weapons of New York.

Hakeem Nicks (10 catches, 109 yards) was the best skill position player in the game while the Patriots contained Victor Cruz (4 catches, 25 yards, TD) but he did catch a touchdown.

New York owned time of possession-37:05-22:55 thanks to more balance (40 passing attempts, 28 rushing attempts vs. 41 passing attempts, 19 rushing attempts for the Patriots). It also helped that they fumbled three times (!) but recovered two and the other was nullified by too many men on the field for New England. Add in a bad interception by Brady and you start to understand why New York won it; they made virtually all the big plays.

New England spotted New York a quick 9-0 lead as Brady was flagged for intentional grounding out of his own end zone on the Patriots' first play. The Giants drove 78 yards on the ensuing punt and Cruz capped it off with a 2-yard catch.

The Patriots finally got on the board early in the second quarter as Stephen Gostkowski cut it to 9-3 with a 29-yard field goal.

Somehow despite sleeping through the first quarter and not converting in the red zone until the end of the second quarter, the Patriots entered halftime with a 10-9 lead thanks to Woodhead's 4-yard touchdown catch with eight seconds left. It was a stunning turnaround for a team that should have been behind by more but was still in it thanks to their defense.

Since they deferred as always to start the game, the Pats got the ball to begin the second half and looked like a different team after the 30-minute halftime. Hernandez made a 12-yard touchdown catch after breaking a tackle and New England was up 17-9 with 11:20 left in the third.

Who would have thought that would be the final points for the Patriots? Once again, the defense kept them in it as they held the Giants to a pair of field goals (38-yard and 33-yard) and New England led 17-15 heading into the fourth.

Brady forced a deep ball to Gronkowski on the second play of the fourth and it was picked off by Giants linebacker Chase Blackburn. If I'm making excuses, it's easy to say a healthy Gronk at least knocks that down but like in the AFC Championship game against the Ravens, an objective Pats fan has to ask, why did Brady put it up for grabs like that?

It didn't end up costing New England since their defense had one last stop in them before Welker's drop and Manningham's catch (challenged unsuccessfully by Bill Belichick) totally swung the momentum of the game.

The Patriots have the core to make another run at a Super Bowl next season and for the near future as long as Brady and Belichick are still around. Jerod Mayo (11 tackles), Brandon Spikes (11 tackles), Patrick Chung (6 tackles) and Vince Wilfork (3 tackles) are the key pieces to a defense that really came together in the postseason. However, there are a few areas that the team needs to address if they want to reach the next level and not lose their third consecutive Super Bowl.

New England needs to spend money in free agency and they also need to hold onto draft picks or trade up rather than trade down as they usually do. They need wide receivers, cornerbacks, running backs and pass rushers and they needed them yesterday. This loss was certainly painful but when you look at the roster, you realize that Belichick squeezed everything that he could out of this group and they still had a great chance to steal a win. Is there anyone you would rather have with the chance to make a play than Brady and Welker?

There's no reason to lament Gronk's injury since it's football and that comes with the territory. It's damn impressive that he played the entire game but he was only a shell of himself.

The clock is ticking on Brady and Belichick but with the right moves this offseason, there is no reason why this team can't reach this point again. They just better hope that they don't have to go through the Giants since until further notice, New York owns them. There is no way to dispute that, the better team won Super Bowl 46.

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Finally, Some News From Super Bowl Week

It took nearly a week but there's final a nugget of news from the endless hype and bluster of Super Bowl week in Indianapolis: tonight in a weirdly timed move, the Patriots released wide receiver Tiquan Underwood and promoted defensive end Alex Silvestro to the 53-man roster.

There's a couple way to read this move which basically swaps the last guy on the team for a guy on the practice squad that played in one game earlier this season. A) The Patriots want to rotate their defensive ends and linemen often and B) Chad Johnson is going to be active.

I can't argue that this transaction on the surface seems heartless but you have to think it serves some purpose, otherwise why would New England take a risk like this on the eve of its biggest game in four years?

With two weeks to talk about Super Bowl 46, many have come to the silly conclusion that Johnson, who was on the field for one play against Denver and wasn't active vs. Baltimore in the AFC Championship, could be a sort of secret weapon. I wish I could be that delusional but the fact is that if Chad had 15 catches all season, what makes you think he'll do anything in the Super Bowl? What has he done in 2011-12 to show you that he's a clutch performer? I rest my case.

Let's be real, Underwood was lucky to get a free trip to the Super Bowl. He is a fringe NFL player at best and nobody in the world would recognize him or know who he is if he didn't sport an absurd Kid N' Play style high top fade. Don't feel bad for him, he had three catches in five games this season. He was playing on borrowed time.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Getting Set For Patriots-Giants On Sunday

There is so much to talk about as the New York Giants (5-2) visit the New England Patriots (5-2) on Sunday. These teams will always be linked due to Super Bowl 42 and it's interesting to note that this is the first time they have played since that pivotal night in Arizona (preseason games don't count).

It's not going out on a limb to say that the Pats haven't been the same since; Tom Brady got hurt the next year and they missed the playoffs in 2008 then in the last two years they've been regular season heroes but they've lost at home in their first postseason games.

More than ever, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is being questioned; not so much for his coaching ability but his terrible draft picks over the last decade. It's become apparent that he has too much power and nobody in the franchise ever so much as thinks to question anything he does.

New York appeared ready to take the next step after the unexpected Super Bowl championship but they've done nothing to dispel their reputation of being completely up and down. The Giants have missed the playoffs two out of the last three seasons.

On the injury front, New England has to be pumped that New York's best running back-Ahmad Bradshaw (broken bone in his foot)-and wide receiver-Hakeem Nicks (hamstring)-are both listed as doubtful for Sunday's contest. The Patriots defense is a train wreck but they have a much better chance of containing Brandon Jacobs, Mario Manningham and Victor Cruz.

Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul is listed as questionable after he possibly picked up a concussion in practice yesterday. Again, that would be a huge break (no pun intended) since he's one of the best pass rushers (I had to look up the term myself) in the NFL.

New York center David Baas is doubtful with a knee injury too. Tackle Stacy Andrews is out with a back injury while fullback Henry Hynoski is questionable with a neck injury.

For the Patriots, Wes Welker (neck), Josh Barrett (thumb), Shaun Ellis (ribs), Kevin Faulk (knee), BenJarvus Green-Ellis (toe), Albert Haynesworth (back), Aaron Hernandez (knee), Jerod Mayo (knee) and Sebastian Vollmer (back) are all questionable. As always, that's probably semantics and just injury report tomfoolery by Belichick. Dane Fletcher (thumb) is the only Patriot that has been declared out with his lingering injury.

In other news, Patrick Chung and Faulk were both fined $7500 for plays in the loss to Pittsburgh last Sunday. Chung grabbed Antonio Brown's facemask and pulled him down while Faulk committed a chop block.

Finally, in the neverending Ray Ventrone/practice squad transactions, I wasn't even going to bother to mention that Ventrone was released yesterday for the millionth time. However, New England resigned its 2011 seventh-round draft pick Malcolm Williams (a cornerback). Another cornerback, Josh Victorian, was dumped off the practice squad.

I'll keep you posted if any other injury news or pertinent information comes out in the next few days. Now excuse me while I go pray that New England's defense starts to show a pulse. If all these scrap heap bums don't get coached up, it looks like another one and down playoff trip is basically a certainty.

UPDATE 11/5: Ron Brace has been activated off the PUP list and he'll make his 2011 debut tomorrow for the Patriots. Maybe the 2009 second-round pick and defensive lineman from BC will make an impact after being nothing but a bust for his first two seasons in New England. He fills the spot that was vacant on the 53-man roster.

New England's Taylor Price (hamstring) was also added to the injury report today, he's questionable for tomorrow. Ironic, considering he's likely to get more snaps/targets than ever tomorrow if he plays.

Bradshaw, Nicks and Baas were both declared out today, advantage Patriots. New York activated WR Ramses Barden to take Nicks' spot for this weekend at least.

UPDATE 11/6: The Patriots inactives are Price, Faulk and Ellis.

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Hurtin' for Certain: 18-1

We had become too overconfident. There I said it. Amidst all the plans of a victory parade, the championship books and DVD's accompanying the perfect season (19-0), the Patriots didn't come through with a win in the most important game of the season. The New York Giants beat the New England Patriots, 17-14 in Super Bowl 42, held in Glendale, Arizona. It's too soon (and the wounds are too fresh) to fully comprehend how big an upset this was but let's just say it was one of the great upsets in NFL history and one of the most exciting (albeit not exactly well-played) Super Bowls ever.

Eli Manning (19 of 34, 255 yards, 2 TD's, 1 INT) earned the MVP honors, making it two years in a row that a Manning has knocked the Pats out of the playoffs. Ugh. Aside from the fourth quarter touchdown drive, Tom Brady (29 of 48, 266 yards, 1 TD) never seemed to get into a rhythm as the Giants defensive line (5 sacks) was relentless. That was the story of the game as Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck and co. dominated New England's hyped offensive line which included three Pro-Bowlers (Matt Light, Logan Mankins and Dan Koppen). The older I get, the more I realize that for all it's X and O's and endless highlights from the skill positions, football games usually come down to the line play. This is rarely as obvious as last night.

The Giants opened the game with the ball and marched 63 yards in 16 plays before stalling in the red zone. Lawrence Tynes started the scoring with a 32-yard kick. Laurence Maroney took the ensuing kickoff 43 yards and eventually finished off the drive with a 1-yard burst on the opening play of the second quarter.

The fact that Las Vegas had New England as 12-point favorites coming into the game was a joke and everyone predicting a high-scoring game already looked stupid by the second quarter.

Manning's one big mistake (that cost him) was an interception by Ellis Hobbs. In truth, it was a decent pass that Giants receiver Steve Smith (5 catches, 50 yards) had go off his hands into Hobbs'. Taking over at their own 33-yard line, the Patriots went three-and-out.

Another disaster was averted by the G-Men as Ahmed Bradshaw fumbled and Patriots backup linebacker Pierre Woods fell on it. Give Bradshaw credit though as he wrestled it away from Woods and the Pats had another missed opportunity.

The Giants had another fumble that didn't hurt them. Adalius Thomas (2 sacks) hit Manning, causing him to fumble. Bradshaw hit it forward and it was recovered by Smith but you can't hit it forward. New York still retained possession.

New England was driving at the end of the half but Umenyiora crushed Brady, forcing the fumble near midfield. The game was 7-3 New England going into halftime and surprisingly it stayed that way into the fourth quarter. One of the key moments came in the third quarter when New England stalled at the Giants 31-yard line. Facing fourth-and-13, Belichick elected to go for it as Brady threw a duck out of bounds in the end zone. That missed three points came back to haunt them big time. It was an impossible call: try a long field goal with a shaky kicker (Gostowski); punt it and risk getting a touchback; or go for the fourth down against a Giants secondary that was keeping the Pats in check? New England obviously has no faith in Stevie which is reason enough to start looking for his replacement this summer.

The Giants put together a six play, 80-yard scoring drive in the fourth, the biggest play being a 45-yard catch and run by rookie tight end Kevin Boss. Receiver David Tyree (3 catches, 43 yards) caught a five-yard touchdown catch to put the Giants up 14-10.

Brady and his receivers finally woke up in the fourth quarter, capping off a 12 play, 80-yard drive with a 6-yard pass to Randy Moss (5 catches, 62 yards). Wes Welker (11 catches, 103 yards) had been unstoppable that possession, repeatedly beating the Giants underneath with beautiful catches and runs. Kevin Faulk (7 catches, 52 yards) made his requisite big plays and all looked in place for a Pats win as they were up 14-10 with 2:43 left.

The stakes couldn't have been any higher and Eli delivered in a drive that will be immortalized forever. The G-Men covered 83 yards in 12 plays in 2:07. It all would have been over if Asante Samuel had held onto a sure-fire pick but he dropped it on the sideline. Without a doubt, the play of the game was delivered by Manning and Tyree right after Samuel's drop. Eli escaped Richard Seymour and Jarvis Green and threw up a prayer that Tyree came down with while Rodney Harrison (12 tackles) did everything he could do to knock it away. It was a 32-yard gain. After Smith converted a third-and-11 by gaining 12 yards, Eli found a wide-open Plaxico Burress with the go-ahead 13-yard touchdown pass. Burress was isolated on Hobbs and with one move completely burned the overmatched cornerback.

New England got it back one more time with 36 seconds left but they didn't have a chance. Jay Alford sacked Brady and after two deep heaves to Moss went incomplete, the game was over.

There were many people to blame for the loss, the Pats O-Line, Maroney (14 carries, 36 yards), Hobbs but eventually you have to admit the Giants deserved it. Between great plays, fortuitous bounces and lack of execution on the Patriots part, New York was the better team.

Will Moss be back next year? Is there any chance the Patriots resign Samuel who will get big bucks somewhere? Will Junior Seau and possibly Tedy Bruschi retire? What will they do with the No. 7 pick in the draft? There are many questions to ponder but for now, it is crazy to think how close New England (19-0) was to something that is next to impossible. This one will sting for awhile folks.

Straight Cash Homey: 16-0

The 2007-2008 Patriots further cemented their place in history last night as they completed the first ever 16-0 regular season with a 38-35 comeback win over the New York Giants.

The win was made even more special given the circumstances: all the records broken and the fact that they took place in a tight contest rather than a blowout filled with both teams backups.

In a game that meant nothing to the Giants (10-6), New York chose to play the starters all game and as a result, they almost pulled off one of the great upsets in NFL history. With Eli Manning at the helm however, one had to feel like that was quite unlikely. After playing the first half of his life, Eli made a couple of his now routine blunders (a long sack and bad pick) in the second half to ensure that nobody would remember this edition of the Giants in the future.

In the process of going 16-0 last night at the Meadowlands, the Pats set the three biggest records in the NFL (the perfect record obviously trumping everything): Tom Brady threw two touchdown passes to go to 50 on the season, one more than Peyton Manning. Randy Moss caught both touchdowns, giving him 23 on the year and also putting him one ahead of the great Jerry Rice. As a team the Patriots also set the scoring record for a season since all they needed was six points to top the '98 Minnesota Vikings.

From the opening kickoff, the Giants showed that they weren't going to be pushed around in a game in which nobody gave them a chance. They were just the second team all season (Pittsburgh) to score on the first drive against New England and first to make it a touchdown as Eli found Brandon Jacobs on a 7-yard pass for a score. The big play of the drive was a 52-yard bomb from Manning to Plaxico Burress who was "covered" by the Patriots single weakest link, cornerback Ellis Hobbs.

New England moved the ball on their first possession but were forced to settle for a 37-yard field goal by Stephen Gostowski. It was 7-3 Giants after the first quarter.

The touchdown passes and catches record were tied with the first play of the second quarter as Brady found Moss on a 4-yard pass. Moss got a taunting penalty after the score which was key as the Pats had to then kickoff from their own 15-yard line.

Wouldn't you know the Giants returned that kick for a touchdown. Domenik Hixon (most famous for temporarily paralyzing the Bills Kevin Everett) took it 74-yards to the house.

New England started to get stops on defense but could only cash them in for three points, on 45-yard and 37-yard kicks. Any thoughts of the Pats going into halftime with the lead were erased when Manning found rookie tight end Kevin Boss on a 3-yard toss just before the break. 21-16 G-Men at halftime. It was the second time all season (Indy) that New England trailed at the half.

New York scored first in the second half as Manning found Burress with a nice 19-yard pass. The 12-point deficit was the largest New England had faced all season.

The Pats chipped away, getting seven points back on a 6-yard run by Laurence Maroney (19 carries, 46 yards).

That started a run of 22 straight points for New England as Brady fittingly found Moss on a 65-yard touchdown in the start of the fourth quarter. Amazingly enough, the score came one play after Moss had dropped a big gain (it was underthrown but you never see him do that). What a way for him and Brady to shatter their respective records.

The crowd that had been so fired up all game, suddenly realized the window was closing, the Patriots weren't letting this one get away. Manning obliged New England by throwing an interception to Hobbs (his first of the season). Maroney scored from five yards out on the ensuing drive and 16-0 was firmly in their grasp.

Burress added another touchdown, from three yards out but Mike Vrabel snared the onside kick and with that, the Patriots were perfect.

Wes Welker had a huge game (11 catches, 122 yards) and he also broke Troy Brown's team record for catches in a season. Another unsung hero was Kevin Faulk (8 catches, 64 yards) who made two clutch first downs in the second half for the Pats, plays which he has been making his whole career in New England. Brady finished 32 of 42 for 356 yards and two touchdowns, breaking the NE single-season passing record as well.

Who would have expected that type of performance from Eli (22 of 32, 251 yards, 4 touchdowns, 1 INT)? I wouldn't say it's anything but a fluke until he proves me wrong by doing it next week against the Bucs in the playoffs. Jacobs had some good runs (15 carries, 67 yards) and Burress (4 catches, 84 yards) was great when they called his number.

The Patriots have the top seed in the AFC playoffs and home-field throughout. All they have to do is win three games in five weeks, to go 19-0 and truly be hailed as the greatest NFL team of all-time. There's plenty of things to sure up (the passing defense and special teams foremost) but for now, they have a few days to sit back and enjoy the unbelievable season they've already had.