Patriots roll past Jets, 31-14

The New England Patriots got things going early and often in a 31-14 victory over the New York Jets.

The Patriots intercepted rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez four times and also recovered a fumble.

Quarterback Tom Brady threw for nearly 300 yards but didn’t seem as sharp as he usually is.

Wide receiver Randy Moss was also pretty quiet, but he did managed to haul in a touchdown pass.

The win was big for the Patriots because it padded their lead in the AFC East and also avenged their early season loss to the Jets.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009 at 6:19 pm by steve

Patriots Get Revenge, Blow Past Jets, 31-14

Last week, the Patriots held a 31-14 lead in the fourth quarter, and managed to lose the game with one of the most controversial coaching decisions of the decade.

This week, the Patriots had no thoughts of another upset, as they manhandled their divisional rival New York Jets, 31-14.

“There was a lot of emotion from last week, not finishing the game,” linebacker Leigh Bodden said. “We definitely wanted to finish this game.” Bodden had three of the Patriots’ four interceptions on the night, including a 53-yard run back for a score to break the 0-0 tie.

The Patriots abused the Jets’ once vaunted defense, as WR Wes Welker had a career day with 15 catches for 192 yards. If you had Welker in a points-per-reception league in fantasy football, you probably won on Sunday.

Randy Moss didn’t have such a bad day himself - while he only finished with five catches for 34 yards, Moss did catch a 4-yard TD from Brady that gives him bragging rights over feisty Jets corner Darrelle Revis.

QB Tom Brady had yet another brilliant day, completing 28 of 41 passes for 310 yards, which was his fifth straight game with 300 yards passing.

Now, the Patriots turn their attention to the Superdome and the 10-0 Saints, who they face next week.

Monday, November 23, 2009 at 10:05 pm by bryan

Patriots Stunned by Colts, Lose 35-34

With four minutes left in a game, an 11-point lead, and Tom Brady at the helm, any team in the NFL would have expected to pull out a victory in that situation.

Yet a questionable call from coach Bill Belichick left the Patriots stunned on Sunday, as the Indianapolis Colts stole a victory from the hands of the Patriots, despite being down 17 points in the fourth quarter at one point.

The Patriots offense looked stellar all game, with Brady and WR Randy Moss re-establishing their once near-psychic connection. Moss finished with nine catches for 179 yards and two touchdowns, while Brady worked his way into a 29-of-45 day for 375 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception.

But the play that will be talked about for a long time came on fourth-and-2 from the Patriots 28-yard line with 2:08 remaining. Brady and the offense remained on the field, with no timeouts left, presumably to draw the Colts offsides and to generate the potential game-sealing first down. That is… until Brady snapped the ball, threw complete to RB Kevin Faulk on a short pass, but because Faulk bobbled the catch on the way down, he did not gain enough forward progress to move the chains… and the ball was Indy’s with two minutes left.

Needless to say, Colts QB Peyton Manning went to work, hitting WR Reggie Wayne for the game-winning touchdown with 13 seconds left.

“We tried to win the game on that play,” Belichick explained. “I thought we could make the yard. We had a good play, we completed it. I don’t know how we couldn’t get a yard.”

The Patriots were shell-shocked after the game, as they fell to 6-3 on the season and lost out on an unbelievable opportunity to wrestle away home field advantage from the Colts. Now, it looks like the road to the Super Bowl will be going through Indianapolis this year.

Monday, November 16, 2009 at 11:25 pm by bryan

Patriots edged by Colts, 35-34

The New England Patriots had a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter but couldn’t hold on in a stunning, 35-34 loss to the rival Indianapolis Colts.

The Patriots had a chance to run out the clock, going for it on fourth-and-two from their own 28-yard line with just over two minutes to play, but a short pass to Kevin Faulk came up inches short of the first down.

It was a big night for quarterback Tom Brady and wide receiver Randy Moss, who hooked up on two touchdown passes. Brady threw five touchdown passes on the evening while Moss had nearly 200 yards of receiving.

Still, like the AFC championship game the year the Colts won the Super Bowl, the Patriots defense appeared to run out of gas in the second half.

The Patriots defensive gameplan worked to perfection in the first half, frustrating quarterback Peyton Manning into some uncharacteristically poor throws.

at 6:14 pm by steve

Patriots take down Dolphins, 27-17

The New England Patriots used Joey Porter’s trash-talk to their advantage and dumped the Miami Dolphins, 27-17.

The loss was very damaging to Miami’s playoff hopes, as the Dolphins now sit at just 3-5.

It was a big day for wide receiver Randy Moss, who had 143 yards receiving, including a 71-yard touchdown.

The New England defense has had its problems in the past with the Wildcat offense but did a nice job handling it Sunday.

The Patriots have now established themselves as the team to beat in the AFC East, which seems about right.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009 at 1:48 pm by steve