Patriots by six touchdowns!
The Jets ran out of fuel in Foxboro. New England nuked New York, holding Gang Green to three measly points in Monday night’s AFC East division showdown. Last night helped separate the pretenders from the players, and it wasn’t pretty for Rex Ryan and the showy Jets. The Patriot’s dismantled the Jets to the tune of a 45-3 romp and improved to 10-2. The Jets, winners of five consecutive games on the road, fell to 9-3. Second year signal caller for Gang Green, Mark Sanchez, threw three interceptions and kicker, Nick Folk, missed a try from 53 yards. Brady embarrassed the Jets’ defense in prime time with 326 yards and four touchdowns. Ryan was outcoached, the defense was outmatched and the Jets were outclassed on the road.
The Jets looked off guard and unprepared most of the evening, but stopped New England on their opening drive. Brady tossed three incompletions before handing the ball back to the visiting team. New England didn’t come up short very often the rest of the way. Shayne Graham’s 41 yard field goal made it 3-0 Patriots. New England took over at the 43 yard line after Ryan unsuccessfully gambled on Folk’s 53 yard field goal attempt. Benjarvus Green-Ellis plowed into the end zone from one yard out to give the Patriots their first touchdown and a 10-0 edge. Deion Branch completed the first quarter scoring with a 25 yard touchdown reception with one minute remaining.
The Jets were shut out in every quarter but the second. Folk’s 39 yard kick at 12:14 into the second stanza were the only points New England would afford the humbled team from New York. The Jets’ secondary struggled badly without safety Jim Leonard. The defense allowed 405 total yards, including Danny Woodhead’s 102 receiving for New England. The running back chewed up a yardage on just four receptions and Green-Ellis added 72 yards on the ground. Brandon Tate four yard catch midway through the second quarter made it 24-3 in favor of the home team at the half.
Sanchez was out of sync with his offense and was picked off by on three consecutive drives in the second half. Wes Welker was Brady’s favorite target, hauling down four receptions for 80 yards and a score. Welker caught an 18 yard pass from his MVP quarterback, the only points of the third quarter for either team. Brady was 21-of-29 in another efficient effort behind center. His fourth touchdown pass of the game came seconds into the final quarter after Devin McCourty intercepted Sanchez at the New England 45 yard line. Brady hit Aaron Hernandez following an eight play, 94 yard New England drive. Brady sliced up the Jets’ secondary on rout to his 26th straight regular season home win. Green-Ellis hammered the final nail in the coffin with his second touchdown run, a five yard scurry with 9:20 left in regulation. The Patriots appear to be the elite team in the AFC, tied with Atlanta at the top. Brady is making a strong showing for another MVP award, while the Jets are simply winning close games and losing the big ones. The Jets have finally hit a road block.
Parting Points: RIP Don Meredith.
Showing posts with label New England Patriots. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New England Patriots. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Saints Sail Smoothly with Solid Superdome Show
Drew Brees continues to solidify the Saints as Superbowl favorites. New Orleans hosted the New England Patriots Monday night in the most intriguing game of week 12 in the NFL. The Saints pursuit of perfection remained in tack following a 38-17 takedown of the AFC East leading Patriots. New Orleans ran their record to 11-0 and by far the best team in their division. Atlanta sits second in the NFC South with a 6-5 record. The Saints have a chance to run the table and are five victories away from matching the 2007 Patriots perfect record. They demolished that same team in Monday night football thanks to another stellar showing by the signal caller. Brees’ impressive season-high 371 yards helped add to his MVP campaign. The 30 year old quarterback outplayed Tom Brady in the Patriots’ first trip to the Superdome since the Superbowl. Brees carved up Bill Belichick’s defense with five touchdown passes, all tossed to different receivers. Brady left Monday night’s contest a loser and threw a pair of interceptions. He did surpass Drew Bledsoe’s mark in the third quarter to become New England’s all-time leading passer. The Patriots fell to 7-4 and still have a sizeable and comfortable lead in their division.
John Carney’s 30 yard field goal in the first quarter put the home team on the scoreboard first in front of the second largest crowd to ever attend a Saints game at the Superdome. Pats’ running back, Laurence Maroney pounded in for seven on a fourth-and-one play to give New England a 7-3 lead. Cornerback, Mike McKenzie, in his 2009 Saints debut, intercepted Brady pass intended for Randy Moss to end the first quarter. The pick in New Orleans territory set up the Saints first touchdown of the night. Pierre Thomas caught a Brees screen spiral and scrambled for the 18 yard touchdown. Thomas lead the Saints in rushing with 11 carries for 64 yards, and is tied with Robert Meachem for the team lead with seven touchdowns. The touchdown department was in full in the second quarter last night. The Saints went on to score two more touchdowns to take a 24-10 lead into the locker room at the half. Brees connected with Devery Henderson a 75 yard hookup. The one-play, nine-second drive was the longest play from scrimmage for New Orleans this year. Henderson finished with a season high three receptions for 116 yards. It was his seventh 100 receiving yard day of the season, and seventh of his career. The Saints deep receiving corps and committee of gifted backs has them playing outstanding football into December.
Brady drove the Patriots all the way to the New Orleans 18 yard line following Henderson’s long grab from Brees. New England settled for a field goal to pull within a touchdown. Special teams star, Courtney Roby returned Stephen Gostkowski’s 72 yard kick 26 yards to the New Orleans 24. Brees drove the Saints into Patriots territory just before the two minute warning. The solid signal caller completed a 25 yard pass to David Thomas for a Saints first down with under a minute in the half. Meachem reeled in a 38 yard score for his fifth touchdown in the last four games.
Maroney’s two yard touchdown run in the third quarter finished the scoring for Monday night on the New England side. It was all Saints from that point on. Darnell Dinkins delivered the Saints fourth touchdown with 9:02 remaining in the third. It was the former Pittsburgh tight end’s lone reception, but it was good for seven New Orleans points. Brees spread the ball around in the one-sided second half, and extended his own franchise record with his 29th 300 yard passing game. After going three-and-out on their first possession of the final quarter, Brady was intercepted again, but not before Brees snagged his fifth touchdown. This time, the MVP candidate launched a 20 yard pass to Marques Colston on a second-and-five. Veteran safety Darren Sharper was the recipient of Brady’s second miscue. Sharper and the Saints kept Brady in check throughout the night. Defensive end, Will Smith, had four tackles and was credited with 1.5 sacks. Smith is one-half sack shy of his career high 10.5 set three years ago. Carney missed a 37 yard field goal in the middle of the fourth quarter. Brian Hoyer relieved Brady after the miss, but the backup quarterback was unable to put anything together. Hoyer was sacked on the final play of the game for an eight yard New England loss and crushing road defeat.
Parting Points: Song to start December- “All Cried Out” by All Saints
Fond farewell exit to Bobby Bowden and RIP to the Yankees’ “Old Reliable”
John Carney’s 30 yard field goal in the first quarter put the home team on the scoreboard first in front of the second largest crowd to ever attend a Saints game at the Superdome. Pats’ running back, Laurence Maroney pounded in for seven on a fourth-and-one play to give New England a 7-3 lead. Cornerback, Mike McKenzie, in his 2009 Saints debut, intercepted Brady pass intended for Randy Moss to end the first quarter. The pick in New Orleans territory set up the Saints first touchdown of the night. Pierre Thomas caught a Brees screen spiral and scrambled for the 18 yard touchdown. Thomas lead the Saints in rushing with 11 carries for 64 yards, and is tied with Robert Meachem for the team lead with seven touchdowns. The touchdown department was in full in the second quarter last night. The Saints went on to score two more touchdowns to take a 24-10 lead into the locker room at the half. Brees connected with Devery Henderson a 75 yard hookup. The one-play, nine-second drive was the longest play from scrimmage for New Orleans this year. Henderson finished with a season high three receptions for 116 yards. It was his seventh 100 receiving yard day of the season, and seventh of his career. The Saints deep receiving corps and committee of gifted backs has them playing outstanding football into December.
Brady drove the Patriots all the way to the New Orleans 18 yard line following Henderson’s long grab from Brees. New England settled for a field goal to pull within a touchdown. Special teams star, Courtney Roby returned Stephen Gostkowski’s 72 yard kick 26 yards to the New Orleans 24. Brees drove the Saints into Patriots territory just before the two minute warning. The solid signal caller completed a 25 yard pass to David Thomas for a Saints first down with under a minute in the half. Meachem reeled in a 38 yard score for his fifth touchdown in the last four games.
Maroney’s two yard touchdown run in the third quarter finished the scoring for Monday night on the New England side. It was all Saints from that point on. Darnell Dinkins delivered the Saints fourth touchdown with 9:02 remaining in the third. It was the former Pittsburgh tight end’s lone reception, but it was good for seven New Orleans points. Brees spread the ball around in the one-sided second half, and extended his own franchise record with his 29th 300 yard passing game. After going three-and-out on their first possession of the final quarter, Brady was intercepted again, but not before Brees snagged his fifth touchdown. This time, the MVP candidate launched a 20 yard pass to Marques Colston on a second-and-five. Veteran safety Darren Sharper was the recipient of Brady’s second miscue. Sharper and the Saints kept Brady in check throughout the night. Defensive end, Will Smith, had four tackles and was credited with 1.5 sacks. Smith is one-half sack shy of his career high 10.5 set three years ago. Carney missed a 37 yard field goal in the middle of the fourth quarter. Brian Hoyer relieved Brady after the miss, but the backup quarterback was unable to put anything together. Hoyer was sacked on the final play of the game for an eight yard New England loss and crushing road defeat.
Parting Points: Song to start December- “All Cried Out” by All Saints
Fond farewell exit to Bobby Bowden and RIP to the Yankees’ “Old Reliable”
Monday, November 16, 2009
Belichick's Baffling Blunder
Fourth and two on your own 28 yard line. Your team is winning by six points and the clock reads 2:08 remaining in the game. The opposing quarterback is future Hall-of-Fame passer, Peyton Manning. You’re punting the ball if you’re the head coach of any team, right? Not if you’re Bill Belichick.
The Patriots masterful head coach is the subject of scrutiny in the sports media today. There's a public outcry because the result did not work last night. Belichick cost his team a win against the rival Colts when he inexplicably chose to go for a fourth and two. New England failed on the stunning gamble in their own territory. Tom Brady’s completion to Kevin Faulk came up a yard short of the first down, and Belichick’s infamy became instantaneous. Melvin Bullitt, replacing the injured veteran, Bob Sanders, drove Faulk into the ground to stifle the Pats. The Colts, playing at home in a Sunday night AFC battle, took over on downs. It took Manning just two throws to take give his team the lead. The prolific passer connected with Reggie Wayne in the end zone with 13 seconds left to rally Indianapolis to a 35-34 win. The Colts remained undefeated, but the bigger story was the questionable decision by the championship coach on the opposing sideline.
The Lucas Oil Stadium crowd sensed the Colts’ chances slipping away along with the team’s 18 game regular season winning streak. Indianapolis trailed by 17 points in the fourth quarter before the improbable comeback. Manning’s two interceptions were close to as uncharacteristic as Belichick’s call in the fourth quarter. Joseph Addai hauled in a Manning spiral from 15 yards out to give the Colts an early advantage. New England running back, Laurence Maroney, poked into the end zone for a one yard touchdown to even the score before the first quarter ended. The Patriots and Colts were equally humble in the backfield, but both teams scored a rushing touchdown a piece. Addai scored on a four yard scramble following a six play Colts drive in the final quarter.
New England padded the lead in the second quarter after Stephen Gostkowski’s 31 yard field goal split the uprights. Brady found Randy Moss and Julian Edelman for 63 and 9 yard touchdown receptions, respectively. Wayne’s 20 yard heave from Manning before the half put the Colts within ten points. The receiver caught 10 passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns. Neither team scored in the third quarter. Manning was 28 for 44 on the night, with four touchdown passes. He threw two in the fourth, the first a rocket to Pierre Garcon from 29 yards. The second was the game-winning launch to Wayne. Brady totaled 375 yard and three touchdowns in this AFC shootout. The 2007 MVP found Moss in the end zone for the second time Sunday during the fourth quarter. Moss finished 21 yards shy of 200 yards, with nine receptions and a pair of touchdowns. Belichick’s aggressive game strategy has often made him a winner. Last night, he made a poor, unconventional choice. The Colts punted seven times on fourteen possessions. They weren’t playing their best and Belichick should have had more faith in his own men. The Patriots’ demoralized defense was an obvious scene when they came out to stop Manning from the 28 yard line. Sunday marked the first time the Pats lost when leading by at least 13 points in the final period in Belichick’s tenure as head coach. You can’t give Manning three timeouts and over a minute with the ball when all the All-Star needs is one touchdown to win. Jim Caldwell’s team has not lost and now lead the Patriots by three games. Belichick’s morose monotone is always the same, win or lose. This time, he needs to take the heat for putting his team in position to lose. Head coaches are supposed to put their teams in a position to win, but Belichick was unafraid to go for it on fourth down. His decision shows how little he thought of his own defense, and of Manning. The ridiculousness of the call is quite evident. Belichick is perhaps the only NFL coach to get away with it. The Belichick error doesn’t undermine the Patriots coughing up a 14 points lead in four minutes. The dubious decision can be dissected and discussed, however, because the Patriots outplayed the Colts for 56 minutes. Belichick believed Brady would come through, and his Bean town team would run out the clock. Not so. Not in Indianapolis. Not against an undefeated team. Sunday’s disconcerting one point loss will stand as the defining moment of the season for New England. November games are meant to solidify your position in the NFL. Belichick risked the game and made the wrong call. Do the former Superbowl Champions bounce back and move on, or does this interfere with Belichick’s legacy?
The Patriots masterful head coach is the subject of scrutiny in the sports media today. There's a public outcry because the result did not work last night. Belichick cost his team a win against the rival Colts when he inexplicably chose to go for a fourth and two. New England failed on the stunning gamble in their own territory. Tom Brady’s completion to Kevin Faulk came up a yard short of the first down, and Belichick’s infamy became instantaneous. Melvin Bullitt, replacing the injured veteran, Bob Sanders, drove Faulk into the ground to stifle the Pats. The Colts, playing at home in a Sunday night AFC battle, took over on downs. It took Manning just two throws to take give his team the lead. The prolific passer connected with Reggie Wayne in the end zone with 13 seconds left to rally Indianapolis to a 35-34 win. The Colts remained undefeated, but the bigger story was the questionable decision by the championship coach on the opposing sideline.
The Lucas Oil Stadium crowd sensed the Colts’ chances slipping away along with the team’s 18 game regular season winning streak. Indianapolis trailed by 17 points in the fourth quarter before the improbable comeback. Manning’s two interceptions were close to as uncharacteristic as Belichick’s call in the fourth quarter. Joseph Addai hauled in a Manning spiral from 15 yards out to give the Colts an early advantage. New England running back, Laurence Maroney, poked into the end zone for a one yard touchdown to even the score before the first quarter ended. The Patriots and Colts were equally humble in the backfield, but both teams scored a rushing touchdown a piece. Addai scored on a four yard scramble following a six play Colts drive in the final quarter.
New England padded the lead in the second quarter after Stephen Gostkowski’s 31 yard field goal split the uprights. Brady found Randy Moss and Julian Edelman for 63 and 9 yard touchdown receptions, respectively. Wayne’s 20 yard heave from Manning before the half put the Colts within ten points. The receiver caught 10 passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns. Neither team scored in the third quarter. Manning was 28 for 44 on the night, with four touchdown passes. He threw two in the fourth, the first a rocket to Pierre Garcon from 29 yards. The second was the game-winning launch to Wayne. Brady totaled 375 yard and three touchdowns in this AFC shootout. The 2007 MVP found Moss in the end zone for the second time Sunday during the fourth quarter. Moss finished 21 yards shy of 200 yards, with nine receptions and a pair of touchdowns. Belichick’s aggressive game strategy has often made him a winner. Last night, he made a poor, unconventional choice. The Colts punted seven times on fourteen possessions. They weren’t playing their best and Belichick should have had more faith in his own men. The Patriots’ demoralized defense was an obvious scene when they came out to stop Manning from the 28 yard line. Sunday marked the first time the Pats lost when leading by at least 13 points in the final period in Belichick’s tenure as head coach. You can’t give Manning three timeouts and over a minute with the ball when all the All-Star needs is one touchdown to win. Jim Caldwell’s team has not lost and now lead the Patriots by three games. Belichick’s morose monotone is always the same, win or lose. This time, he needs to take the heat for putting his team in position to lose. Head coaches are supposed to put their teams in a position to win, but Belichick was unafraid to go for it on fourth down. His decision shows how little he thought of his own defense, and of Manning. The ridiculousness of the call is quite evident. Belichick is perhaps the only NFL coach to get away with it. The Belichick error doesn’t undermine the Patriots coughing up a 14 points lead in four minutes. The dubious decision can be dissected and discussed, however, because the Patriots outplayed the Colts for 56 minutes. Belichick believed Brady would come through, and his Bean town team would run out the clock. Not so. Not in Indianapolis. Not against an undefeated team. Sunday’s disconcerting one point loss will stand as the defining moment of the season for New England. November games are meant to solidify your position in the NFL. Belichick risked the game and made the wrong call. Do the former Superbowl Champions bounce back and move on, or does this interfere with Belichick’s legacy?
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