Adios To The Other GOAT-Adam Vinatieri-Who Also Should Have Been A Patriot For His Whole Career

 

    I am old enough to remember when the Patriots once employed the greatest player in NFL history at his respective position. Yes of course I could be talking about Tom Brady but in this case, I'm referring to Adam Vinatieri who kind of announced his retirement from the NFL this afternoon on the Pat McAfee Show. There have been plenty of great kickers in the NFL but I am pretty certain that nobody will ever have a resume that matches a guy from South Dakota State that went undrafted and once played in NFL Europe before catching on with the Pats. He won four Super Bowls (3 with New England and 1 with Indianapolis that we won't talk about), was a three-time All-Pro and a three-time Pro Bowler.

    Much like Brady, Vinatieri's longevity and durability-granted kicker isn't the most physically demanding position in football-are legendary. He didn't play in 2020, but even so he played in 24 seasons in the NFL which is insane. He was 47 years old in 2019 when he last appeared in 12 games for the Colts. He also made kicking a little cooler which is hard to do for such a specialized role that is usually so isolated from teammates except for the long snapper and holder. He was tough (check YouTube for his tackle of Herschel Walker on a kickoff in Adam's rookie season) and he could throw the ball on the rare trick play (like the sweet touchdown pass that he threw to Troy Brown in 2004). 

    His records are endless: he's the NFL's all-time leading scorer (2673 points), he made the most field goals (599), had the most postseason points (238) and hit the most overtime field goals (12). More than anything though, he was incredibly clutch. His kicks in the blizzard against the Raiders in the 2001 playoffs are some of the greatest plays in any sport that I've ever seen. He had last second game-winning field goals in New England's Super Bowl upset over St. Louis that season followed by two years later, he did basically the same thing in another Super Bowl victory this time against Carolina. Finally, he capped his Patriots career with a field goal and three extra points in their Super Bowl 39 win vs. Philadelphia. All three of those Super Bowls were three-point wins by the Pats which was not a coincidence. 

    After playing for 10 seasons in New England, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick thought it was time to go with a younger kicker (that sounds loosely familiar) so they drafted Stephen Gostkowski (a fine kicker in his own right who also won 3 Super Bowls with the Pats but no Vinatieri). Adam left in free agency for the Colts where he would play for 14 seasons. In his first season in Indianapolis, they won their lone title under Peyton Manning as they beat the Bears in the Super Bowl (he had 3 field goals and 1 extra point) in the 12-point win. Through it all, Vinatieri never showed any ego and appeared to be the nicest guy in pro sports. He is a lock of the century to reach the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2025-the first year that he's eligible to go in. Not bad for a quiet guy from South Dakota.

The Pats Continue To Shuffle Their Roster As They Release Longtime Kicker Stephen Gostkowski

As our daily lives get stranger by the day due to the coronavirus epidemic, the Patriots are doing their best to become a completely different looking team when (fingers and toes crossed) they have a season this fall. Today, they released kicker Stephen Gostkowski-the franchise's all-time leading scorer-who was the longest-tenured Patriot for a few days since Tom Brady officially signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (puke) on Friday. Now, special teams ace Matthew Slater fittingly has been here longer (2008) than any other player. if you connect the dots, Gostkowski's oft-criticized career here will almost certainly echo whomever has the unenviable task of following Brady's once-in-a-lifetime career arc. Your move, Jarrett Stidham.

Pats fan or not, I think that we can all agree that Adam Vinatieri (much like Brady for quarterbacks) is the greatest in NFL history at his position. Way back in 2006, Bill Belichick thought that it was time to move on from Vinatieri so off he went to Indianapolis (where technically he still plays). After winning another Super Bowl-his fourth-and adding to his unparalleled legacy of clutch field goals, it's safe to say that is one of the most notable whiffs that Belichick has made roster-wise in his life. Think about it though, when he was drafted in the fourth round in 2006 (118th overall), Gostkowski was walking into an impossible situation. No matter what, he'd never live up to Vinatieri who had been at the forefront (which is ultra rare for a kicker-the red-haired stepchild of NFL positions) of New England's first three championships.

It's not Gostkowski's fault that while he was in Foxborough, the team became a juggernaut year after year so they weren't in nearly as many tight games, even in the playoffs. By extension, this also meant that he did not make too many notable (ie. game-winning) field goals because who remembers three points when the Patriots were winning by double-digits? The record shows that New England won three more Super Bowls while Gostkowski was here, he went to four Pro Bowls and was named an All-Pro (the highest individual honor) twice. Would having Vinatieri have bought the Pats another title? Probably, you have to think that they could have won at least one of the three (two losses vs. the Giants and another vs. Eagles) since they were all decided by one score (eight points).

I'm not claiming to be the biggest Gostkowski fan and I will admit that particularly over the last few years when he got extra shaky since the league moved PATs back to 33 yards and it was no longer an automatic point, I had lost confidence in him. Like most moves with the Patriots, this was a cost-saving move since he was quite overpaid at this juncture in his career and he's 36 years old coming off a season-ending hip injury so he figures to only have a few decent seasons left at best. However, let's remember what a clownshow it was after he went down as Belichick cycled through three more kickers (Ryan Nugent, Kai Forbath and Nick Folk) before finally finding one to somewhat depend on. At best, New England's ceiling next season is most likely nine or ten wins tops. That means that the kicking game will take on more importance than it has in years since their offense is going to be weak, they'll struggle to score overall, they are sure to be in many close games and playing from behind more than they've been used to.

Gostkowski was a pro and never complained that he was put in such a tough spot from Day 1. You never called him the top kicker in the NFL but he had a great run where he was unquestionably one of the best. We can only hope that Stidham or whatever lucky guy is the long-term solution to "replace" Brady has as much success as Gostkowski did in New England. If we take a realistic look at the totality of Gostkowski's career as a Patriot, we can fully understand how difficult it is to replace a legend and now magnify that times a thousand since a quarterback has way more of a say in almost every final result than a kicker. Ugh, so how is your self-quarantining and social distancing otherwise going?

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Until Further Notice, The AFC East Continues to Run Through Foxborough, MA

If the Bills are the biggest threat in the AFC East to the Patriots in 2015, it should be another cakewalk to a meaningless division title. Poor Buffalo (1-1 overall, 1-1 home) was all geared up for the annual Rex Ryan (who is now 4-10 against the Patriots in his career as a head coach) Week 2 Super Bowl vs. New England (2-0 overall, 1-0 away). In fact, the Bills looked the part of a true contender for the opening drive of the game and then in the fourth quarter which was mostly garbage time until they made it interesting in an eventual 40-32 loss at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Tom Brady (38 of 59, 466 yards, 3 TDs), Julian Edelman (11 catches, 97 yards, 2 TDs), Rob Gronkowski (7 catches, 113 yards, 1 TD) and Dion Lewis (98 yards receiving, 40 yards rushing, 1 TD) shredded what is supposedly one of the top defenses in the NFL. Other than Rex Ryan's crazy lack of discipline (14 penalties, 140 yards) and attention to detail, the biggest tangible question surrounding the Bills is whether Tyrod Taylor (23 of 30, 242 yards, 3 TDs, 3 INTs; 43 yards rushing) can be a starting quarterback on a playoff contender. Throwing mostly short yardage passes might work in the regular season against garbage defenses (hi Indy) but that's not how you get to the postseason.

Buffalo received the opening drive and went 80 yards in 10 plays: rookie Karlos Williams capped off the 5-minute drive with a 2-yard touchdown run. New England bounced back with an 8-yard touchdown catch by Edelman. The Pats then took advantage of two very short fields to go ahead 21-7 on Lewis' 6-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter and Gronk's 2-yard touchdown catch early in the second quarter. Former Dolphin Charles Clay's 9-yard touchdown catch cut it to 21-13 but Dan Carpenter missed the extra point. Those were Buffalo's last points until the fourth quarter when the Patriots had expanded their lead to 37-13.

New England's defense combined for eight sacks (their most since 2003) and three interceptions (by Duron Harmon, Logan Ryan and Malcolm Butler). The Bills have much higher paid defensive players like Marcell Dareus and Mario Williams but there was no question that Chandler Jones (6 tackles, 3 sacks) and Jamie Collins (11 tackles, 2.5 sacks) were the most dangerous guys on that side of the ball at least on Sunday. Stephen Gostkowski's 46-yard field goal made it 24-13 heading into halftime for the visitors. LeSean McCoy (89 yards rushing, 27 yards receiving) doesn't seem to be Rex's favored type of physical running back despite his superior talent.

Gostkowski opened the scoring in the third quarter with a 21-yard field goal followed by a 22-yard touchdown catch by Edelman and a 50-yard field goal. After getting blanked in the third, the Bills showed some fight in the fourth on Robert Woods' 32-yard touchdown catch (that went right over Butler's hands). New England outsmarted themselves trying to run up the score when they just could have burned the clock and gotten out of Buffalo smoothly. Instead, they turned it over on downs and the Bills inched closer on Taylor's 7-yard touchdown run then truly made things interesting on a 24-yard touchdown catch by Sammy Watkins (who had burned Bradley Fletcher) following a fumble by Brady.

New England drove 72 yards in seven plays (3:01) and made it 40-32 on Gostkowski's 25-yard field goal with 1:15 remaining. Ryan iced it with his game-ending interception on an overthrow by Taylor. In the first two games this season, Lewis has been a revelation that looks like he'll be a very useful weapon if he can just hang onto the ball (he fumbled for the second week in a row). Today, the pleasant surprise was provided by Aaron Dobson (7 catches, 87 yards) who actually looked like an NFL player. New England only dressed three wide receivers and while Edelman can come close (tying his career-high with 19 targets), they need other guys to turn to once in a while. Danny Amendola had his customary one catch but at least it was a great one: a sweet diving 29-yard grab on the final drive.

So much changes from week to week in the NFL that is really silly to draw any type of conclusions from results between other teams, particularly this early in the season. With that said, the fact that Miami struggled so much in their Week 1 victory at Washington then followed that up with a 23-20 loss at Jacksonville (1-1) this afternoon shows that they seem to be their usual mediocre selves. How is Joe Philbin still employed there? If the Jets (1-0) lose tomorrow night in Indy (0-1) as expected, the Patriots will be up one game already on the rest of the soft AFC East.

New England's Week 3 meeting with the Jaguars next Sunday (1, CBS) has all the makings of a trap game: they are going into a bye week after that and they know that they can sleepwalk and still beat lowly (but improving!) Jacksonville. That's why I can picture the Pats looking terrible but still beating the Jags by a few scores. They always have a game like this, especially early in the regular season when they are getting the kinks out and some useless team (think Oakland last season) comes to Gillette for their beating. Prepare to be frustrated since I know that the Patriots will be double-digit favorites at home.

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Patriots Do Just Enough to Squeak By Jets 17-16, Clinch 1st Round Bye

As usual, today's Patriots-Jets game at MetLife Stadium was ugly. Offense was at a premium and neither team could separate from the other but as is usually the case in this rivalry, New England (12-3 overall, 5-3 away) came out on top 17-16 over New York (3-12 overall, 2-6 home). Vince Wilfork helped to block what would have been the go-ahead field goal by Nick Folk in the fourth quarter and the Pats survived what was surely Rex Ryan's last home game as the Jets head coach.

With no Dan Connolly, New England's shaky offensive line was a mess as Tom Brady (23 of 35 for 182 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) was constantly hurried which resulted in one of his worst games of the season. This is what you expect against Rex, his defense almost always shows up particularly when they play New England. In the right situation (with a good quarterback!), Ryan could be a good NFL head coach. Otherwise, he needs plenty of help since he can't coach offense at all. It doesn't help that New York has one of the worst rosters in the league, largely devoid of talent or any game-breakers.

Julian Edelman and LeGarrette Blount were also out with injuries so New England really struggled to move the ball (231 total yards) against New York's solid defense. Danny Amendola (8 catches, 63 yards; 5 kick returns, 91 yards; 3 punt returns, 63 yards) finally started to earn some of the money from that ridiculous contract. Brandon LaFell (7 catches, 64 yards) was the only other Patriot offensive player that could move the sticks.

After a scoreless first quarter, that we'll agree to never mention again, the Pats got on the board first with a 3-yard touchdown catch by Rob Gronkowski in the second quarter. The Jets responded with a 20-yard touchdown grab by their tight end-Jeff Cumberland from Geno Smith (17 of 27 for 210 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT). With 52 seconds left in the first half, Folk hit a 26-yard field goal to hand New York a 10-7 halftime lead.

New England's defense stood tall again in the red zone as they held Folk to a 23-yard field goal in the third quarter that made it 13-7. The Patriots cut it to 13-10 on Stephen Gostkowski's 24-yard field goal. Jonas Gray put the Patriots back ahead for good with a 1-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. Of course New York's last points came on Folk's 37-yard kick.

Jamie Collins (11 tackles, 6 solo, pass deflected) had the interception for New England while rookie cornerback Marcus Williams (not the former UConn point guard) can always tell his grandkids about the time he picked off Tom Brady. Dont'a Hightower and Sealver Siliga each had a sack for the Pats. New York combined for four sacks of Brady.

Depending on how Denver does tomorrow night in Monday Night Football at Cincinnati, the Pats would earn the No. 1 seed if the Broncos lose. If Denver wins, New England probably has to beat Buffalo (8-7) next Sunday (1, CBS) at Gillette Stadium in the regular season finale. The Bills pulled off a classic Buffalo sports moment this afternoon as they lost 26-24 at Oakland, thereby crushing their playoff hopes. For our interests, that means I can basically guarantee that Buffalo will have already mailed it in well before they take the field on Sunday.

UPDATE 12/23: Denver lost on Monday Night Football to Cincinnati which handed New England the No. 1 seed and home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.

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Patriots Blow Out Dolphins 41-13 To Win Their 6th Straight AFC East Title

I am as guilty as anyone of not respecting the AFC East so thanks to New England's 41-13 pasting of Miami this afternoon at Gillette Stadium, I can stand my by ruling that the AFC East is a complete mess every year. The Patriots (11-3 overall, 7-0 home) captured their sixth AFC East crown in a row which is a very impressive accomplishment regardless of how poorly their division has played outside of them. New England still holds the No. 1 seed in the AFC with two regular season contests left (at Jets, vs. Bills).

New England followed their recent pattern of playing poorly in the first half and that continued today as they slogged to a 14-13 undeserved lead at the break. Just like last Sunday in San Diego, the Pats exploded in the second half by outscoring Miami (7-7 overall, 4-4 away) 27-0 including 24-0 in the third.

LeGarrette Blount started that flurry with a 3-yard touchdown run then Stephen Gostkowski had to settle for a 35-yard field goal. No problem, Ryan Tannehill (29 of 47 for 346 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs) promptly threw his second interception of the game-to Patrick Chung (10 tackles, 5 solo, 2 passes deflected). The next play was a 27-yard touchdown laser pass from Tom Brady (21 of 35 for 287 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) to Rob Gronkowski (3 catches, 96 yards). Goodnight Dolphins, hope you have a safe flight home!

A few minutes later, Julian Edelman (7 catches, 88 yards) caught a six-yard touchdown catch to make New England's lead 38-13. The only points in the fourth quarter came off a 36-yard field goal by Gostkowski. Earlier in the contest, Gostkowski became New England's all-time leader in points scored, passing Adam Vinatieri in that very exclusive club.

The first big play of the game was so Dolphins in December at Gillette that it hurt. Caleb Sturgis' field goal attempt was blocked by Jamie Collins (5 tackles, 4 solo, 1 tackle for loss, 1 quarterback hit) and returned 62 yards for a touchdown by Kyle Arrington. Miami drove into New England's red zone but the Patriots' defense held them to a 24-yard kick by Sturgis that made it 7-3.

Tannehill's first interception was killer since Duron Harmon (yes he's still on the team) returned it 60 yards to Miami's 8-yard line. Three plays after that, Shane Vereen ran it in from three yards out for a 14-3 Patriots advantage. Miami got another field goal, a 53-yard bomb by Sturgis and then New England's bizarre play calls at the end of the first half helped the Dolphins add seven more points. Actually, Mike Wallace (5 catches, 104 yards) made it all happen with a ridiculous 50-yard touchdown catch that was originally ruled out of bounds but replay rightfully overturned it.

Chandler Jones (7 tackles, 4 solo, 1.5 sacks, 2 quarterback hits) played for the first time since Week 7 vs. Jets and he didn't show much rust at all. It was also nice to see Jonas Gray (11 carries, 62 yards) finally get out of Bill Belichick's doghouse. He's more talented than Blount and there is no reason that they couldn't at least split time between them.

The Pats hit the road for the final time this regular season with a game on Sunday afternoon (1, CBS) at MetLife Stadium vs. lowly Jets (3-11 overall, 4th in AFC East). New York beat Tennessee 16-11 in a true rock fight this afternoon. The Jets actually gave the Patriots everything they could handle in that Week 7 meeting, a Thursday Night Football 27-25 win by the Pats that was as tight as it seemed. I'm not dumb enough to say that the Jets will beat them or even make it competitive again since they are a disaster and Rex Ryan is rehearsing for his upcoming role in "Dead Man Walking."

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Patriots Bounce Back (Like They Almost Always Do) With Convincing Win at Chargers 23-14

I might be the only person in the world that thought of this but I couldn't help but juxtapose the Revolution with the Patriots after they both played in big games today. While the Revs fell apart in an MLS Cup like they always do, similarly the Pats stayed true to their unique form by winning the week after a loss. It is lazy to just say one team knows how to win while the other doesn't but that's how it feels after the Patriots (10-3 overall, 4-3 away) beat the Chargers (8-5 overall, 5-2 home) 23-14 at Qualcomm Stadium.

Frankly, San Diego had no business being in this game since New England squandered numerous opportunities to put more points on the board in the first half but failed to due to a fumble, brutal interception by Tom Brady (28 of 44 for 317 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) and a pair of 22-yard field goals by Stephen Gostkowski. The good news for the Pats is that unlike any edition from the past decade, they are actually built to withstand performances when Brady and the offense aren't perfect. What a concept!

In fact, I'd go so far as to say that New England's defense dominated San Diego in front of more Patriots fans than Chargers fans (at least they were more vocal so they drowned them out). The Chargers led 14-3 in the second quarter thanks to an amazing 15-yard touchdown catch by Malcolm Floyd and a 53-yard fumble return for a score by Darrell Stuckey after Brandon LaFell inexplicably fumbled. No worries, those were the last points that San Diego would score all night. New England shut them out in the second half as they recorded their 12th straight season of 10+ wins.

Philip Rivers (20 of 33 for 189 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) fell to 0-6 lifetime vs. Brady and he struggled as usual vs. New England. Akeem Ayers had an interception, New England had four sacks and Jamie Collins (9 tackles, 8 solo, 2 sacks, 3 tackles for a loss, 2 quarterback hits) was all over the place at middle linebacker with Dont'a Hightower out and Darrelle Revis erased Keenan Allen (2 catches, 3 yards) like you read about.

The numbers are stunning: the Chargers only had 13 first downs on 216 total yards with 25:27 time of possession. One of the reasons that the Patriots' defense could look so fresh is that they only had to be on the field for 56 snaps (2nd fewest of the season behind 55 vs. Bengals). Did I mention that New England also got completely jobbed out of what would have been one of the top plays of the season? Brandon Browner absolutely demolished poor Ladarius Green coming over the middle and the ball popped up to Devin McCourty who returned it for a touchdown. The incompetent refs ruled it a helmet-to-helmet hit to a defenseless receiver which was a travesty. All I can say is that at least it didn't decide this game.

Brady and the offense finally woke up late in the first half as he found Rob Gronkowski (8 catches, 87 yards) for a 14-yard touchdown that cut it to 14-13 Chargers. They got great field position after Brandon Bolden blocked a Mike Scifres punt. Once again, genius Josh McDaniels completely abandoned the run when it looked like the Pats could do it all night on the Chargers' average defense. That resulted in the rare scoreless NFL quarter (the third).

A 38-yard field goal by Gostkowski early in the fourth quarter gave the Pats their first lead since 3-0 and Julian Edelman (8 catches, 141 yards) had the biggest play of the game in front of his homestate. A simple slant went 69 yards (somewhere Gronk chuckles) as he evaded multiple sorry tackle attempts by the overmatched Chargers.

New England kept pace with Denver (10-3) and they still control their destiny in terms of gaining the No. 1 seed in the AFC. The Pats now wrap up the regular season with three straight games against their Mickey Mouse Division of lightweights aka the AFC (L)East. Miami (7-6) lost 28-13 at home today vs. Baltimore so they are right on schedule for their usual December meltdown. Then the Pats host the Bills (7-6) and they conclude with the Jets (2-11). Probably at least one of those games will be close for whatever reason but I'd be shocked to see the Patriots lose any of them considering what they have to play for.

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Well That Was Unexpectedly Easy: Patriots Blow Out Broncos 43-21 to Grab AFC's Top Seed

Even in the wildest dreams of the biggest Patriots honk (and they are everywhere), I find it hard to believe that anyone could have predicted that New England would handle big bad Denver frankly so easily on Sunday afternoon. The Patriots (7-2 overall, 5-0 home) trailed 7-3 in the first quarter but then scored 24 unanswered points en route to a 43-21 victory over the Broncos (6-2 overall, 1-2 away).

The snow that covered the ground this morning had melted away by gametime but Peyton Manning's (34 of 57 for 438 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs) same old problems vs. Tom Brady (he fell to 5-11 against him) continued along with the fact that he needs so many different factors to be nearly perfect (weather, wind, temperature, etc.) to break all these records that ultimately mean absolutely nothing. It was the fifth straight win for the Patriots since their debacle on Monday Night Football in Kansas City a month ago.

The win really meant something for the Pats since this was their chance to go ahead of the Broncos in the all-important race for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Tom Brady (33 of 53 for 333 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT) continues to play at an MVP-level, a far cry from before this win streak when we all thought the world was ending (starting with him being an average quarterback).

Rob Gronkowski (9 catches, 105 yards, TD) is playing some of the best football of his career while Julian Edelman (9 catches, 89 yards, TD; 84-yard punt return for a TD) had one of the best games as a Patriot. Anytime you can hold a Peyton-led team to 21 points, your defense is doing something right. New England's offseason plan of acquiring Darrelle Revis (5 tackles, 1 pass defensed) and Brandon Browner (interception) sure looked like money well spent.

I don't know if I'd go so far as to call Denver soft but much like Manning, when things don't seem to go there way, they appear to let it get to them rather quickly. Emmanuel Sanders (10 catches, 151 yards) had a huge performance but New England kept him out of the end zone after he scored three times in the week before vs. San Diego. Demaryius Thomas (7 catches, 127 yards) is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL but again, the Patriots didn't allow him to score.

The first quarter wasn't exactly an instant classic as Stephen Gostkowski hit a 49-yard field goal and Ronnie Hillman had a one-yard touchdown run for the short-lived 7-3 Broncos lead. Gostkowski opened the second quarter with a 29-yard field goal and then it was the Edelman Show as he caught a five-yard touchdown pass then returned that punt (his 4th career punt return TD, a new Patriots record) 84 yards for the electrifying moment.

The Pats have made it a habit of scoring right before halftime this season and today was no exception as Shane Vereen caught a five-yard touchdown pass with eight seconds left in the second quarter. New England leading 27-7 at the break was a dream but the sobering memory from last year (the Patriots rallied from a 24-point halftime deficit to win in overtime vs. Denver) made us not get too ahead of ourselves, well at least a few of us.

Julius Thomas showed up for a minute in the third quarter, catching an 18-yard touchdown pass that cut it to 27-14. The Patriots continued to shred Denver's supposedly great defense with a 45-yard field goal by Gostkowski then Browner picked off Manning (who hung poor Wes Welker out to dry) and returned it for 30 yards down to the Broncos' 10-yard line. Brandon LaFell caught a touchdown on the next play and the rout was on.

Hillman made a nice play to dive around the pylon for a score after a 15-yard catch and run later in the third quarter. Gronk closed out the scoring with a one-yard touchdown catch early in the fourth. Rob Ninkovich had a key interception in the first half when it was still competitive and New England's defense held Denver to 3-for-11 on third down and 0-for-4 on fourth down.

The bye week comes at a good time (I know everyone always says that)-halfway through the regular season. The Patriots earned some rest and a little time away from football before they reconvene to start work on the Colts (5-3 overall, 1st in AFC South) who they meet for Sunday Night Football (8:25, NBC) at Lucas Oil Stadium.

You try not to read too much into one game since as we see every week in the NFL: things change rapidly and good teams lose to bad teams all the time. Still, as a Pats fan you couldn't have asked for a better showing from your favorite team against their biggest rival/threat in the AFC. Should these teams meet again in January (most likely in the AFC Championship Game), and you know the NFL wants nothing more than that, you'd have to like New England's chances if it was in Gillette again.

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The Patriots Turn Back the Clocks With a Good Old Fashioned Ass Kicking of the Bears, 51-23

It's safe to say that nobody saw Sunday's result (a 51-23 beating handed out by the Patriots to the Bears) at Gillette Stadium coming. New England (6-2 overall, 4-0 home) was last seen in a very sketchy 27-25 win over the Jets on Thursday Night Football. Plus, Chandler Jones is out for maybe the entire season so that temporarily cast a dark cloud over the team. Chicago (3-5 overall, 3-2 away) had lost to Miami 27-14 last Sunday so they desperately needed a win to turn their season around.

You'll never find me falling into the same trap that too many people do by getting wrapped up in a single win or loss. Yes the Pats looked incredible and the Bears appear headed nowhere fast but that doesn't mean anything once they snap the ball next weekend against different teams. That's what makes the NFL so great: each week and game counts so if you lose focus for a second, you'll fall off the map.

Tom Brady (30 of 35 for 354 yards, 5 TDs) was flawless, finding Rob Gronkowski (9 catches, 149 yards) for three touchdowns. Brandon LaFell is really coming along as a weapon, he set a career-high for catches (11) and receiving yards (124), he also added a touchdown. Finally, Tim Wright (7 catches, 61 yards) caught the other touchdown and New England's defense produced a score as Rob Ninkovich scooped up a fumble by Jay Cutler (20 of 30 for 227 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT) and returned it 15 yards to the end zone.

This was like a high school game between a top team and a bad team since the Patriots were up 7-0 after the first quarter before they exploded for 31 points in the second quarter (including three TDs in 57 seconds). The Bears had no idea what hit them and that made the second half nothing more than a preseason game in October. Stephen Gostkowski hit three field goals in the contest and Jimmy Garoppolo even got to take a few snaps at the end.

Gronk's most impressive touchdown was a 46-yard catch and run that was vintage Gronk. He broke a few tackles then outran some Bears defensive players that wanted no part of him. With his wide variety of injuries suffered the last couple seasons, I'm hesitant to play doctor and say "he's fully recovered" but he sure looks like a different guy than the tentative one that we saw earlier in the season.

Darrelle Revis shadowed Brandon Marshall (3 catches, 35 yards) into obscurity and added an interception at the end of the first half when Cutler threw an ill-fated hail mary. Another interesting aspect of the victory for New England was the emergence of Jonas Gray (17 carries, 86 yards) who looks like he could be Stevan Ridley Jr. while he's out for the season. In other words, he's the running back that can get those tough yards between the tackles that nobody else can (with Ridley out).

It'll be funny, at least for a few days, to hear everyone locally (and nationally) jump back on the Patriots' bandwagon. Let's not forget that Chicago is much more of a mess than we expected and it turns out that New England is in much better shape than we could have imagined. There is no doubt that the next team coming to Gillette-Denver (6-1 overall, 1st in AFC West)-on Sunday (4:25, CBS) will present a formidable challenge. The Broncos are the best team in the AFC, again, so the Patriots need to proof that they can beat them. Odds are, this outcome could decide home field in January. Let the Pats-Broncos hype begin!

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Only the Jets Could Lose A Game That They Dominated So Much With No Turnovers Either

It took seven weeks but we were finally treated to a competitive Thursday Night Football game. Unfortunately it had to involve the Patriots as they held on for a bizarre 27-25 victory over the Jets at Gillette Stadium. New York (1-6 overall, 0-3 road) actually had a chance to win it on the final play but Nick Folk's 58-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Chris Jones. That was ironic since his shady penalty last year cost New England (5-2 overall, 3-0 home) a win at Metlife Stadium.

The Pats won their third straight game while the Jets dropped their sixth in a row, leaving head bobo I mean coach Rex Ryan destined for the unemployment line sometime soon. In a short week, anything can happen-hence why the Thursday Night games are usually trash (plus NFL players can't recover that quickly between contests). The Jets deserved to win this as they amassed 12 more first downs (28-16), 100 more total yards (423-323) including 155 more on the ground (218-63) and over 20 minutes more time of possession (40:54-19:06) than the Patriots. Neither team had a turnover so you can't point to that for the reason that they lost.

The only explanation for why New England came out on top is because New York settled for four field goals (22, 47, 46, 27) by Folk in the first half. If just one of those, particularly the red zone opportunities, had been a touchdown then it would have been a different outcome. Life without Jerod Mayo and Stevan Ridley was rough for the Patriots, especially with so little time to readjust. They made the Jets look like a competent offense, led by Geno Smith (20 of 34 for 226 yards, 1 TD; 37 yards rushing) and Chris Ivory (21 carries, 107 yards, TD), which is pretty hard to do.

All that talk of Tom Brady being washed up that dominated our lives just a few short weeks ago seems silly now. He's played very well the last three weeks since all the Patriots/TB12 haters circled Foxborough. Tonight, he was 20 of 37 for 261 yards and three touchdowns. New England didn't muster much of a running game (63 total yards) but four guys had four or more catches: Shane Vereen (5 catches, 71 yards, 2 TDs), Rob Gronkowski (5 catches, 68 yards), Brandon LaFell (4 catches, 55 yards) and Julian Edelman (4 catches, 44 yards). Stephen Gostkowski made two field goals, a 39-yard kick at the end of the first half and a 36-yarder in the third quarter.

I guess with Chris Jones making the play of the game on defense for the Pats, it was only fitting that another nobody-Danny Amendola-had his biggest contribution in 1.5 years with New England. His one catch was huge-a 19-yard touchdown when Brady was scrambling in the pocket and it put the Patriots up 27-19 with 7:49 left in the fourth quarter. The Jets went right down the field and scored, Jeff Cumberland caught a 10-yard pass across the middle by Smith but they couldn't convert the two-point conversion as his fade intended for Jace Amaro went too far. Sweet play call.

It's been a busy stretch for New England with three primetime games in four weeks: Monday, Sunday night, Sunday afternoon and Thursday night. They earned the extra break and they'll need it since their opponents get way tougher starting with Chicago a week from Sunday (1, Fox) at Gillette. After not playing an above average quarterback in their first seven games, you could make the case that New England gets six elite quarterbacks in a row (Cutler, Peyton, Luck, Stafford, Rodgers and Rivers) sandwiched around a bye in three weeks.

The AFC East is still a dumpster fire and the NFC remains far superior so at least their non-division matchups look like they'll be a challenge. That should only help them as they go into the postseason.

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Well That Was More Like It: Patriots Win 37-22 at Bills Thanks to 4 TDs from Brady

Since my chosen occupation is sportswriter, I'd like to think that I can always find the right words, phrases or sentences to describe almost anything (within reason wise guys). However, tell me how you can sum up Tom Brady's 23-2 career record vs. Buffalo? For the second week in a row, New England (4-2 overall, 2-2 away) started to look like themselves again and this time they took their show on the road with a 37-22 win this afternoon vs. Bills (3-3 overall, 1-2 home) at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Brady (27 of 37 for 361 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs, 139.6 QB Rating) has quieted the doubters the last few games and he had another stellar performance. This one was vintage TB12: he hit 10 different receivers with passes led by Brandon LaFell (4 catches, 97 yards, 2 TDs), homeboy Rob Gronkowski (7 catches, 94 yards) and Julian Edelman (9 catches, 91 yards). The most promising part of the passing game (alliteration much?) was that Tim Wright (1-yard) and Brian Tyms (43 yards for his 1st career NFL TD) also caught touchdowns.

Without question, the win took a toll on the Pats though (how much we'll find out tomorrow) as Jerod Mayo and Stevan Ridley suffered potentially season-ending knee injuries. Plus it sounds like Dan Connolly picked up another concussion which is really bad news since Brian Stork was inactive, New England's offensive line is still a nightmare.

The pattern is usually that the Bills play the Patriots tight in Buffalo and then get blown out in late December at Gillette Stadium. For a while, Buffalo hung around today but they never led, not even once. New England was up 13-7 at halftime so they outscored the Bills 24-15 in the second half. Kyle Orton (24 of 38 for 299 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) was fine by his low standards but Jamie Collins picked him off and Chandler Jones forced and recovered a fumble. I still don't understand why the Bills benched E.J. Manuel for him but then again, they are the Bills so logic or intelligence rarely applies when talking about them.

Buffalo lost the turnover battle 3-0, capped off by a C.J. Spiller fumble right before halftime that the Pats converted into a 53-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski (3 field goals, 4 PATs). What was Buffalo doing, why didn't they just kneel like every other team in the league would have in a heartbeat?

After a scoreless first quarter, that set the NFL back 20 or 30 years, New England opened the scoring with a 1-yard play action pass from Brady to Wright. It was all set up by a pass interference penalty drawn by Edelman in the end zone.

Sammy Watkins (2 catches, 27 yards) took a one-way trip to Revis Island which left Scott Chandler (6 catches, 105 yards) and Robert Woods (7 catches, 78 yards) to pick up the slack. Woods caught a 7-yard touchdown from Orton which tied it at seven, the only that Buffalo knotted it up. Gostkowski missed a field goal earlier, because of Danny Aiken's garbage low snap, but he made up for it with a 42-yard kick then the bomb at the end of the second quarter.

I don't want to make too much out of it since it's the NFL and almost everyone makes a play at some point in their career (except for Danny Amendola) but Tyms' long post route and grab between two defenders was a revelation (and a replay of what he did multiple times in the forgotten preseason). Brady hasn't benefited from a legitimate deep threat since Randy Moss was traded to Minnesota. We'll need to see Tyms do it more often but at least this was a very positive start in his first game back since his suspension.

UPDATE 10/13: As we suspected, Ridley (ACL, MLCL) and Mayo (knee) are both done for the season due to their injuries. Yuck, those are two big holes for the Patriots to fill right when the team finally looks good.

The Bills didn't fold, well not right away, as Fred Jackson responded with a 1-yard touchdown run to cut it to 20-14 (as close as they would get for the rest of the contest). Gostkowski's 43-yard field goal put New England up two scores (23-14) heading into the fourth quarter. LaFell was the story in crunch time with a beautiful 18-yard catch and run and 56-yard bomb where he broke a tackle sandwiched around Chris "Hollywood" Hogan's 8-yard touchdown catch (and 2-point conversion by Woods).

It wasn't their best performance of the young season but the Patriots' defense did more than enough for a road win against a divisional "rival." Zach Moore (who?) recovering a fumble was neat and Collins' interception showed his game-breaking ability but my favorite part besides Revis blanketing Watkins was that Rob Ninkovich had three sacks among his six tackles (4 for loss). He was a ghost for the first five games so this was something to build on for one of their team leaders.

They are back in sole possession of the AFC East but there is no time to rest for the Patriots since they have the unfortunate honor of hosting the Jets (1-5) on Thursday (8:25, CBS). If you've learned anything this season, the Thursday Night games are a complete trainwreck. Without fail, every week one team has shown up while the other mostly gets their doors blown off. Since it is at Gillette Stadium and the Jets are playing like one of the worst teams in the NFL (not named the Raiders or Jaguars but do they count?), I'd expect the Pats to be a double-digit favorite.

New England could make a few roster moves in the short week too since they figure to need another running back, linebacker and possibly offensive lineman. Get some rest everybody!

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Patriots End Tumultous Week w/Statement Victory Over Bengals, 43-17 on Sunday Night Football

The main reason that it's so hard to bet on the NFL(and I never do it for real) was on full display tonight at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots (3-2 overall, 2-0 home) were coming off a horrific 41-14 loss to the Chiefs (2-3) on Monday Night Football so naturally, on a short week against a supposedly better team (than KC), they dominated for a 43-17 win. Everyone outside of their locker room legitimately doubted them so they responded with their best performance of the young season.

New England won their 32nd straight game at Gillette vs. AFC opponents (in the regular season) and kept pace with the Bills (3-2) who won 17-14 at the Lions. Tom Brady (23 of 35 for 292 yards, 2 TDs) had his top output of 2014 and the Pats got a 100-yard rusher (Stevan Ridley had 113 yards on 27 carries) which makes them 39-1 under Belichick when a guy reaches the century mark in rushing. Shane Vereen (9 carries, 90 yards) almost got there too for the Pats.

In many ways, this felt like the polar opposite of Monday night. The Pats jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter (first time this season that they scored on the opening drive), on a 1-yard run by Ridley and a 17-yard catch by Tim Wright (5 catches, 85 yards). Cincinnati had an extra week to prepare (coming out of a bye week) so it was somewhat stunning (though they are the Bengals after all) since it looked like they hadn't done anything special to get ready for New England's must-win in a primetime contest.

A 23-yard field goal by Mike Nugent averted the first half shutout for Cincinnati (3-1 overall, 1-1 away) while Stephen Gostkowski added two late field goals for the 20-3 lead. Not surprisingly given the final score, the Patriots' defense responded from Monday's embarrassment. They forced three fumbles: recovered by Jamie Collins, Duron Harmon (who stepped in for the injured Devin McCourty) and Kyle Arrington.

Cincy's quick strike offense was in effect when Andy Dalton (15 of 24 for 204 yards, 2 TDs) hit Mohamed Sanu for a 37-yard touchdown early in the third quarter that cut it to a two-score game (20-10). That was the last signs of life for the Bengals though as Rob Gronkowski (6 catches, 100 yards, TD) caught a 16-yard touchdown and six seconds later on the ensuing kickoff, Brandon Bolden forced a fumble and Kyle Arrington scooped it up and ran nine yards for the TD.

The great A.J. Green (5 catches, 81 yards, TD) caught a 17-yard touchdown late in the third quarter that made it 34-17 Patriots. Gostkowski stayed busy with three more field goals in the fourth that put the game way out of reach. They even survived an major scare as Darrelle Revis went down with a shoulder injury but returned to action later in the game.

Here are some numbers that show how much New England rolled and how it could have been an even bigger blowout if not for eight more penalties (12-4) called on them: they picked up 13 more first downs (30-17), were far better on third down (6 for 16 vs. 0 for 7), ran 34 more plays (82-48), gained 185 more total yards (505-320) and rushed for 141 more yards (220-79).

The Pats meet the Bills next Sunday (1, CBS) in Orchard Park. The two top teams (at this moment) in the AFC East will battle for first-place in the division with former Patriot Brandon Spikes leading an improved Bills defense. I won't waste anyone's time trying to predict how that will go. As we saw tonight, contrary to popular belief it's not time to count out Belchick, Brady and the Patriots just yet.

UPDATE 10/8: Patriots re-signed OL Chris Martin and DL Joe Vellano to the practice squad.

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Patriots Hang On 16-9 In Home Opener, Raiders Self-Destruct In Most Raiders Way Possible

It's only Week 3 of the 2014 NFL regular season but I am already going weary of describing a Patriots win as ugly and unfortunately, I think that will be a habit all season long. Of course, what's most important is that New England (2-1) came out on top of Oakland (0-3) 16-9 this afternoon at Gillette Stadium in their home opener. Still, we all know all that matters around here is the postseason and bad habits that creep up now will be nearly impossible to eradicate by then against quality opponents.

The good news is that I think that the Patriots' defense could be the best that they've had in years. For the second game in a row, they held their opponent to a single-digit point total and this time, they spiced it up but not allowing the hapless Raiders to get into the end zone. Clearly, Minnesota and Oakland's offenses are two of the worst in the NFL but we have to be positive about something, right?

New England's offense is the most worrisome aspect of their team, by far. Where to begin with their myriad problems? The offensive line stinks, they only allowed two sacks today but Tom Brady (24 of 37 for 234 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs) was hurried and knocked down numerous other times. The lack of weapons is also downright scary.

Julian Edelman (10 catches, 84 yards) is Brady's only trusted receiver with Rob Gronkowski (3 catches, 44 yards, TD) still working his way back into form and Brandon LaFell/Danny Amendola/Aaron Dobson (inactive again) nowhere to be seen. The running game carried the Pats last Sunday in Minnesota but today, they combined for just 83 yards on 29 carries. Yuck.

Against almost any other club, this would have gone to overtime. Luckily, it was the Raiders so when rookie Derek Carr (21 of 34 for 174 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT) drove them near the goal-line, they had a touchdown run by Darren McFadden called back for a holding penalty on a lineman. Naturally, on the next play his pass was deflected and intercepted by Vince Wilfork (his 3rd career interception, 2nd vs. Oakland).

The only points in the first quarter came from a 49-yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski. The Pats went up 10-3 in the second quarter with a 6-yard touchdown catch by Gronk and Stephen Gostkowski's 21-yard field goal to end the half after they couldn't punch it in from near the goal-line.

Janikowski's two field goals in the third quarter (37, 47) helped rack up the fantasy points for fans. Gostkowski hit two more field goals (20, 36) in the dull fourth quarter as New England continued to falter in the red zone (another main issue).

This contest set football back about 20 years so be thankful that it didn't drag on any longer. New England gets an extra day to prepare for their first nationally broadcast game of the season: next Monday (8:30, ESPN) at Kansas City (1-2). The Chiefs looked terrible in Week 1 (26-10 loss to Titans), almost rallied vs. Denver in Week 2 (24-17) before finally putting it together this afternoon with a 34-15 win over the Dolphins (1-2). Predictably, Miami has played poorly since that big Week 1 win over New England.

If Jamaal Charles misses another game, I like New England's chances to go into Arrowhead Stadium and pick up what would be a nice road win. Kansas City's defense is depleted and Alex Smith is the type of game manager that will put up good numbers vs. New England but probably won't beat them especially now that they have Darrelle Revis.

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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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Dolphins Outscore Patriots 23-0 In The Second Half to Take 2014 Season-Opener, 33-20

I don't want to have to resort to using it already in the opener of the 2014 season but how else can you explain the Patriots-Dolphins game other than saying it was a tale of two halves? After allowing a blocked punt and subsequent TD following their opening drive, New England (0-1) recovered to outscore Miami (1-0) 20-3 for the rest of the first half. It was similar to a basketball game in the second half as the Dolphins gained all the momentum and ran away with it by outscoring the Pats 23-0 for a 33-20 win at Sun Life Stadium.

If it feels like a while since New England dropped their first contest of the regular season, it has been. 2003 in Buffalo (right after they released Lawyer Milloy) was the last time it had happened. Apropos of nothing, the Patriots bounced back quickly from that drubbing to go 14-2 and win their second of three Super Bowl titles in three years. Besides the obvious disappointment of a loss to a division rival, who look like their biggest threat, the most frustrating aspect of this for the Patriots had to be how their supposedly improved defense wilted in the swampy Miami weather.

Ryan Tannehill (18 of 32 for 178 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) was OK while Knowshon Moreno (24 carries, 134 yards, 1 TD) tore New England to shreds for the second time in a row (he also did that with Denver last season). Tom Brady (29 of 56, 249 yards, 1 TD) couldn't do it by himself and he wasn't perfect either missing a couple throws that he normally makes in his sleep. The easy way to diagnose the loss was that the Patriots' offensive line was a mess with the Logan Mankins trade looking awful at least for the near future.

A few plays later after the blocked punt set them up in great field position, Miami punched it in the end zone on a four-yard touchdown run by Lamar Miller. You couldn't script a much worst start for the Pats or dream scenario for the Dolphins but it didn't last long as New England scored on their next drive (13 plays, 80 yards, 6:36) thanks to a 2-yard run by Shane Vereen.

Miami started to turn the ball over like it was going out of style, allowing New England to convert on three straight possessions. Miller and Mike Wallace (7 catches, 81 yards) both fumbled while Tannehill was picked off on an errant deep ball by Alfonzo Dennard. Stephen Gostkowski gave the Patriots their first lead at 10-7 with a 47-yard field goal late in the first quarter.

As expected, Rob Gronkowski wasn't on the field for a ton of snaps (4 catches on 11 targets, 40 yards) but he made it count with a 6-yard touchdown catch midway through the second quarter. Miami cut it to 17-10 with 1:59 left in the half on a 38-yard field goal by Caleb Sturgis but New England answered with a 45-yard kick by Gostkowski with six seconds left.

It's not an excuse since they both had to play in it, plus New England has practiced in the heat and humidity for a while, but just stating a fact that they usually struggle in Miami (they fell to 15-35 all-time there). I don't think being there for Week 1 helped them either. The third quarter was all Dolphins as they scored 13 points to take a 23-20 lead. Two Sturgis field goals (24, 22) were sandwiched around a 14-yard touchdown catch by stone hands Wallace.

Back to New England's offensive line, they really struggled since they allowed Brady to get sacked four times (and pressured numerous times) while the running game only produced a paltry 89 total yards. Cameron Wake as usual was a force with two sacks and two forced fumbles (Miami recovered both). Moreno iced it with a four-yard touchdown run with 3:29 left and Strugis' 27-yard field goal closed it out.

It's only one game but still I'm bracing myself for a week of complaining and second-guessing which should at least make for some good talk radio. Julian Edelman (6 catches, 95 yards; 2 carries, 21 yards) was unstoppable in the first half but he got completely bottled up in the second half. Darrelle Revis' much-anticipated Patriots debut wasn't particularly memorable: he was beaten by Wallace for the TD (well sort of) but he deflected two passes away and recovered a fumble. Jerod Mayo (10 tackles, sack, fumble recovery) played well in his return from the pectoral injury from last season.

0-1 is not the end of the world but 0-2 looks more realistic for the Patriots because the Vikings (1-0) drubbed the Rams 34-3 in their opener this afternoon in Minnesota. New England will travel to new TCF Bank Stadium next Sunday (1, CBS) to play Brady's former backup Matt Cassel who at least for now is the Vikings' starting quarterback. Fixing the rushing defense I'm sure will be the main focus this week with Adrian Peterson, still the best running back in the NFL, awaiting New England next weekend.

Miami will try to go to 2-0 on Sunday (1) when they travel to Orchard Park, NY to face the 1-0 Bills. The Dolphins make their annual pilgrimage to Gillette Stadium on December 14 (Week 15) when you know it will be cold and miserable (advantage New England as always). Along with Buffalo's surprising 23-20 overtime win at Chicago, the Jets took care of the Raiders 19-14 meaning that the Patriots are at the bottom of the AFC East for once.

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Patriots Clinch No. 2 Seed Thanks to LeGarrette "Walter Payton" Blount's Career Day

It wasn't pretty but what would you expect from a regular season finale vs. the Bills in a freezing rain that pounded Gillette Stadium for the entire game? The Patriots (12-4 overall, 8-0 home) wrapped up the No. 2 seed with a 34-20 win over Buffalo (6-10 overall, 2-6 away). The Pats are off until Saturday, January 11th when they will host either the Bengals, Chiefs or Colts at 8:15 p.m. in the AFC Divisional round.

LeGarrette Blount was a man among boys with 24 carries for a career-high 189 yards and two TDS. He also added two kick returns for 145 yards to set a new Patriots record for total yards by one player in a single game. Football players never make excuses for some of the absurd elements they have to play in but tonight's pounding storm affected everything, namely Tom Brady (14 of 24 for 122 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT) and New England's passing game. However Julian Edelman (9 catches, 65 yards) was still able to over 1000 yards for the season and 100 catches as well. Who would have thought he would become so indispensable?

Stephen Gostkowski also set two records: most field goals in a season for a Patriot and most points. He had two field goals in the first quarter (43, 35) sandwiched around a 51-yard kick by Dan Carpenter. Blount's 36-yard TD run in the second quarter was just the start of the best game of his NFL career while Gostkowski added a 29-yard field goal at the end of the half for a 16-3 Pats lead.

Behind the immortal Thad Lewis (16 of 29 for 247 yds, 1 TD, 0 INT)-their backup quarterback-and C.J. Spiller (19 carries, 105 yards) Buffalo hung around with a 12-yard touchdown catch by T.J. Graham in the third quarter which cut it to 16-10. Shane Vereen caught a 5-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter but the Bills answered with a 5-yard TD run by Fred Jackson.

Gostkowski's 35-yard field goal was matched by Carpenter's 37-yard kick. Blount's 35-yard touchdown run was the one that finally put away the stubborn Bills. PS the last time they made the playoffs was 1999. Where Blount's emergence leaves Stevan Ridley (12 carries, 74 yards) is anyone's best guess. He's still more talented but Blount has really come on late in the season plus can you trust Ridley in a close game not to fumble? I think not.

Of the three teams I mentioned, I believe the Pats would match up best with the bi-polar Colts. They already lost to the Bengals and the Chiefs are decent (good defense and Jamaal Charles would eat them alive). Either way, I like New England's chances in a cold weather night game against any of those three teams at Gillette. I think I speak for the entire world when I say we want Patriots-Broncos in the AFC Championship Game. Of course, that means Peyton Manning has to win one home game (which he couldn't do last year) to set it up. Regardless, see you in two weeks.

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Pats are AFC East Champions Again but the Real Story is How Badly They Kicked Baltimore's Ass

So it turns out that nobody circles the wagons like the 2013 Patriots. Just when everyone (myself included) was starting to seriously doubt them this season, they turned in a vintage performance worthy of their past Super Bowl winners: they blew out Baltimore (8-7 overall, 6-2 home) 41-7 tonight at M&T Bank Stadium.

The Patriots (11-4 overall, 4-4 away) added two garbage time defensive TDs (fumble recovery by Chandler Jones and 74-yard interception return by Tavon Wilson) to help capture their 10th AFC East title in the last 11 years. It is the fifth straight year that they've won their sorry division but this means the No. 2 seed is still theirs to lose, they just have to beat Buffalo (6-9) in the regular season finale next Sunday (4:25, CBS) at Gillette Stadium.

We'll have to wait and see if this was a sign of bigger things to come or just a crazy set of circumstances, facing Baltimore's terrible offense and a hobbled Joe Flacco (sacked 4 times, threw 2 interceptions to Logan Ryan). The best part of this for the Pats is that their defense showed signs of life after being MIA for months. Of course, they had to suffer another serious injury (concussion to Devin McCourty).

This was such a big game for both teams that you kept waiting for the Ravens to make it competitive but they could never do it. LeGarrette Blount (16 carries, 76 yards) had a 1-yard TD run on New England's second drive and they cashed in on Flacco's first interception with a 4-yard TD pass from Brady (172 yards) to Shane Vereen, who later exited with a groin injury.

The Patriots led 17-0 at halftime after the lone points of the second quarter came on Stephen Gostkowski's 45-yard field goal. He added a 42-yard kick in the third quarter for a 20-0 advantage. Meanwhile, Baltimore got stuffed at the goal-line and continued to falter including a missed field goal by Justin Tucker (snapping a streak of 33 made in a row).

The Ravens avoided the shutout with Flacco's 1-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter but Blount's 7-yard TD run was more than enough to clinch it. Julian Edelman had another very solid game with seven catches for 77 yards.

Denver won 37-13 at Houston although that is somewhat misleading because the Texans hung around for a while. Still, it's hard to see anything but a Broncos-Patriots AFC Championship Game in around a month or so. Obviously anything can happen, the two best teams in the AFC can lose their first game but it's hard to see it happening. This win proved to Patriots fans that the next few weeks at the very least will be more interesting than we thought.

UPDATE 12/26: Marquice Cole was released for the second time this season. Keep in mind, the other time was when he was injured and then he got re-signed. I expect the same thing to happen this late in the campaign.

UPDATE 12/27: Austin Collie was released too, leaving New England with two open spots on the active roster. Sounds like two practice squad heroes will get the promotion for Sunday's game.

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Nothing Will Be Easy For The Patriots From Here on Out This Season

It was a very weird day in the AFC: the Patriots had a golden opportunity this afternoon to take control of the No. 1 seed with a win in Miami (after Denver loss to San Diego on Thursday). Unfortunately, the Dolphins (8-6 overall, 4-3 home) had other plans though as they beat New England (10-4 overall, 3-4 away) 24-20 at Sun Life Stadium. The Pats just missed out on another last-second victory as Michael Thomas picked off Tom Brady (34 of 55 for 364 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) in the end zone to wrap it up. The night ended with plenty of help from the Bengals as they lost 30-20 at the Steelers to remain in the No. 3 spot in the conference.

I'd like to come up with a more creative reason or a viewpoint not already shared by most but New England's biggest issues: injuries on defense and not having Rob Gronkowski particularly in the red zone (1 of 4) were a major factor in this loss. Julian Edelman (career-high 13 catches, 139 yards, 1 TD) and Danny Amendola (10 catches, 131 yards) were locked in with Brady, they combined for 33 of 54 targets (61%). Miami clearly focused on shutting down Shane Vereen (2 carries, 13 yards; 3 catches, 8 yards) and without Aaron Dobson and Kenbrell Thompkins, that's pretty much where Brady's options sit.

This is to take nothing away from the Dolphins, they are a good team and with their last two games at Bills then hosting the Jets, they could very well find themselves in the postseason as well. Ryan Tannehill (25 of 37 for 312 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs) is improving and they are tough to beat when Mike Wallace (6 catches, 105 yards, 1 TD) is involved in the game-plan.

The first three quarters were actually pretty dull, setting the stage for a wild fourth in the heat. New England went 16 plays for 83 yards on their opening drive but they had to settle for a 22-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski (remember that). Michael Hoomanawanui made his first touchdown catch as a Patriot a memorable one: he speared it with one-hand to give the Pats a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter.

Wallace shook loose for a 39-yard touchdown catch and run with 32 seconds left in the first half. It was a huge momentum swing for the Dolphins and conversely against the Patriots' defense which had pitched a shutout up to that point. A 32-yard field goal by Caleb Sturgis was the only score of the third quarter and it tied things at 10.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, the Dolphins went up 17-10 on a two-yard touchdown catch by Daniel Thomas. Apparently New England had never seen a swing pass before. The Pats had another long drive (15 plays, 67 yards) stall in the red zone (sense a pattern here?) and Gostkowski's 23-yard field goal cut it to 17-16.

After a timely stop by New England's defense, yes this really happened, Edelman caught a 24-yard touchdown (similar to Wallace's) that gave his team a temporary 20-17 lead. Of course Miami went right down the field and Tannehill found Marcus Thigpen for a 14-yard touchdown. Dont'a Hightower was burned by that nobody, proving yet again that he can't do anything right.

New England is at Baltimore (7-6) next Sunday afternoon (4:25, CBS) at M&T Bank Stadium in the game that was flexed out of Sunday Night Football for Bears-Eagles (huh?). The Ravens are in Detroit tomorrow night for Monday Night Football so hopefully that important game takes something out of them along with the short week of preparation. The Ravens are always a tough matchup for the Patriots and this will be the first time they've met since last season's AFC Championship shellacking by Baltimore at Gillette Stadium en route to their unexpected Super Bowl triumph vs. San Francisco.

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Gronk's Torn ACL Overshadows Another Video-Game Like Comeback by the Patriots

As a sports fan, besides big losses, there are few things more depressing than a serious injury to a star player. Unfortunately, the Patriots will wake up tomorrow having to game-plan the rest of the season and playoffs without Rob Gronkowski who reportedly tore his ACL on a brutal hit by T.J. Ward (helmet to knee). Sure New England (10-3 overall, 7-0 home) rallied for another insane 27-26 comeback victory over Cleveland (4-9 overall, 1-5 away) at Gillette Stadium but forgive us if our minds were wandering a bit. Plus who ever believed the Browns would hand the Pats their first home loss of 2013 (7-0)?

You can't overstate Gronk's importance which is why the Pats had morphed into the top-scoring offense in the league again after he returned from arm/back surgeries. This will be the third straight postseason that he's been hurt which makes you wonder if the poor guy will ever have a fully healthy season (regular season and playoffs) in the NFL.

I said the same thing last week when the Texans gagged a game away to the Patriots but today was the epitome of a certain win that only a few miserable squads can successfully hand over to the opposition. The Browns were up 19-3 late in the third quarter on Josh Gordon's (7 catches, 151 yards; 34-yard run) 80-yard catch and run.

Shane Vereen (12 catches, 153 yards) took over on the next drive and earned his way to a six-yard touchdown run. Julian Edelman (6 catches, 64 yards) caught the two-point conversion as the momentum started to swing towards New England.

Stephen Gostkowski's 50-yard field goal cut it to 19-14 but Jordan Cameron (9 catches, 121 yards) appeared to put it away with a four-yard touchdown catch from Jason Campbell (29 of 44, 391 yards, 3 TDs) on a basic play action pass. Tom Brady (32 of 52, 418 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) calmly drove down the field and threw a two-yard touchdown to Edelman who was drilled but hung on (and stayed in the game).

Gostkowski's onside kick was the play of the game though as Kyle Arrington recovered it at Cleveland's 39. Haha only the Browns. By that point, New England getting one last touchdown felt inevitable and so it went with Danny Amendola catching a one-yard touchdown pass with 31 seconds left.

New England actually left too much time on the clock for Cleveland's horrible offense and Campbell sort of got them in field goal range. I don't think fans of Cleveland teams can actually feel any lower but the Browns tried to toy with their emotions a little more as Billy Cundiff of all people was dragged out for a 58-yard field goal attempt in the last seconds. Do I even have to tell you that it was short?

Gronk is having an MRI tomorrow but countless NFL reporters said his season is over after this game so I'll go with that until I hear otherwise. The Patriots can clinch the AFC East title with a win on Sunday (1, CBS) at Sun Life Stadium in Miami vs. the Dolphins (7-6 overall, 2nd in AFC East). They beat Miami 27-17 in Week 8 at Gillette Stadium but New England always struggles in Miami for whatever reason (the clubs?).

UPDATE 12/9: The news about Gronk couldn't be much worse as he also tore his MCL in his right knee along with the ACL and also suffered a concussion so he was put on IR. Yikes. The Patriots re-signed tight end D.J. Williams to take his place on the 53-man roster; this is the third season in a row that Grnonkowi's missed important games at the end of the season.

UPDATE 12/10: I can't really explain why but the Patriots-Ravens game in Week 16 was flexed from Sunday night to a 4:25 p.m. start. Bears-Eagles will take its place, I guess we should be content with more time to sleep after so many late-night games this season for New England.

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The Patriots Prove Once Again That The First Half is Overrated

Coming off their epic comeback victory over the Broncos, the Patriots naturally had a major letdown the following week. Luckily for them, they were playing the Texans (2-10 overall, 1-6 home), one of the true dredges of the NFL in 2013. New England (9-3 overall, 3-3 away) escaped Reliant Stadium with a 34-31 win. Houston has lost 10 games in a row and truthfully, if the Pats had played almost any other team they would have fallen short.

The first half was an abomination for New England as they fell behind 17-7 vs. backup quarterback turned starter Case Keenum (272 yards) and backup running back turned starter Ben Tate (22 carries, 102 yards, 3 TDs).The Patriots outscored the hapless Texans 27-14 in the second half. After wasting some time before I wrote this, I can only conclude that (cliché alert!) a win's a win in the NFL and you take them any way that you can. The only thing that matters is that New England kept pace with Denver (who won at Kansas City) and retained the No. 2 spot in the AFC playoff picture.

You know it's a weird one when James Develin scores his first career NFL TD, Stevan Ridley is inactive with fumbleitis, LeGarrette Blount scores a rushing TD and Stephen Gostkowski hit not one but two 53-yard field goals. Tom Brady (29 of 41 for 371 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) was great save for one awful underthrown pass intended for Rob Gronkowski (6 catches, 127 yards, 1 TD). Julian Edelman (9 catches, 101 yards) also had an excellent performance, making up for Danny Amendola's (5 catches, 54 yards) quiet day.

Houston got off to a fast start as Tate ran for an 8-yard score in the first quarter and Randy Bullock hit a 43-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead. Gronk caught a 23-yard touchdown that was inches off the ground; you know he's back at full speed since it was his fourth straight game with a TD grab. The Pats did nothing in the second quarter and Tate added a 20-yard rushing touchdown for a surprising 17-7 halftime advantage. Logan Ryan had picked off Keenum but Gostkowski missed a 55-yard field goal attempt on the ensuing drive.

Aqib Talib had a rough outing as Andre Johnson (8 catches, 121 yards) showed why he's still one of the best wide receivers in the game. New England went ahead momentarily with a quick succession of TDs: a bruising 1-yard run by Develin (who went to Brown University) where he broke numerous tackles and a 9-yard catch by Shane Vereen. Houston regained the lead-24-21-with a 5-yard run by Keenum. Wait what?

Blount's 7-yard run made it 28-24 Patriots early in the fourth quarter but Tate had one last burst-10 yards for the touchdown. New England's offense sputtered but Gostkowski bailed them out on that hazardous turf.

Expect more of this same crappy brand of football next week as the Pats host the Browns (4-8, 4th in AFC North) on Sunday (1, CBS) at Gillette Stadium. As if you haven't noticed, New England plays down or up depending on its level of competition this season. That is not a good sign since Cleveland lost 32-28 today at home vs. Jacksonville. It doesn't get much lower than that.

UPDATE 12/4: The Patriots released tight end D.J. Williams who played a grand total of three snaps vs. Houston. New England now has a roster spot open.

UPDATE 12/5: New England re-signed veteran wide receiver Austin Collie. That tells you that Aaron Dobson and Kenbrell Thompkins are still banged up, he's also insurance for Julian Edelman (knock on wood).

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Patriots Set a Franchise Record by Rallying from 24-0 Deficit, Beat Broncos 34-31 in OT

Sunday night's game at Gillette Stadium between the Patriots and Broncos defied explanation. Denver (9-2 overall, 3-2 away) stormed out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter and led 24-0 at halftime. New England (8-3 overall, 6-0 home) began by fumbling time after time before playing like a whole different team in the second half. Stephen Gostkowski's 31-yard field goal in overtime was the game-winner as the Pats beat the Broncos 34-31, a victory that will live forever in team lore since it set a record for the largest comeback in franchise history.

Tom Brady (34 of 50, 344 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs) improved to 10-4 in his career vs. Peyton Manning (19 of 36 for 150 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT). It was a throwback to the championship days of the last decade for the Patriots as Brady performed so well in frigid conditions while Peyton wilted in the spotlight. We can only hope that same thing happens in the postseason since these two teams looked destined to meet again come January.

New England's gameplan on defense was obviously to let Knowshon Moreno (career-high 37 carries, 224 yards, 1 TD) run it all the time and contain Denver's lethal passing game. In that sense, mission accomplished. Rookie Logan Ryan even had an interception of Manning.

Stevan Ridley and LeGarrette Blount fumbled on consecutive drives in the first half to they were benched for the rest of the game. Shane Vereen (60 yards receiving, 31 yards rushing) is making a case to start although you have to worry about his injury history. It makes you wonder if Ridley will ever get over this terrible affliction? Wes Welker's (4 catches, 31 yards) return to Foxboro was mostly forgettable save for the fact that the game was basically decided by his mistake. Fielding a punt in OT, he didn't yell at teammate Tony Carter enough so the ball bounced off him and was recovered by Nate Ebner at the Broncos 13. Game over.

After being a non-factor for weeks, Von Miller (8 tackles, 6 solos, 2 sacks, 3 QB hits) is definitely back on his proper "training regimen" (cough, cough). He returned Ridley's fumble 60 yards for a score then forced a Brady fumble that Denver turned into a 2-yard TD run by Moreno. Matt Prater added a 27-yard field goal and Jacob Tamme caught a 10-yard TD in the second quarter for a truly stunning 24-0 Broncos advantage.

With so much hype around Welker and Danny Amendola (3 catches, 17 yards), wouldn't you know the best slot receiver in the game turned out to be Julian Edelman (9 catches, 110 yards; 3 punt returns, 39 yards). He got the rally started with a pretty 5-yard TD catch. Brandon Bolden cut it to 24-14 with a 1-yard TD run. That was set up by Montee Ball's fumble, caused by Dane Fletcher and recovered by Brandon Spikes.

As usual, nobody on the Broncos could contain Rob Gronkowski (7 catches, 90 yards) who caught a 6-yard TD with 19 seconds left in the third quarter. The Pats ended up with 31 unanswered points as the injuries piled up for the Broncos secondary. Edelman put New England ahead 28-24 with a 14-yard catch and run then Gostkowski hit a 31-yard field goal.

The only time Peyton ever looked comfortable was on Denver's final drive of regulation when they tied it on a beautiful 11-yard catch by Demaryius Thomas. Denver lost the coin toss in overtime but the always clever Bill Belichick chose to take the 20+ mph wind, trusting his defense not to allow a TD on the Broncos' first drive (thus ending it).

As of right now, there isn't another team over .500 remaining on New England's schedule. To use Dan Shaughnessy's favorite phrase, it's one tomato can after another. This means that the Patriots will win the AFC East for the millionth time in a row (duh), get the No. 2 seed and go from there. Truthfully, in the AFC who do you fear besides the Broncos? I say nobody. Tonight's incredible win, especially the way it played out should go a long way for this team (and hopefully have the opposite effect on Denver).

Next Sunday (1, CBS), New England visits Houston (2-9, 3rd in AFC South) who have lost their last seven games in a row including 13-6 today at Reliant Stadium vs. similarly hapless Jacksonville.

UPDATE 11/26: The Patriots made a bunch of minor roster moves today. They signed tight end D.J. Williams and released defensive tackle Marcus Forston. Defensive tackle A.J. Francis was claimed by the Dolphins from New England's practice squad. Finally, the Pats waived cornerback Justin Green but he has practice squad eligibility so he should be back there and they tried out former offensive lineman Nick McDonald. Got that all?

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