Patriots 34, Bills 3

What else is new?  The Patriots blasted the Bills, 34-3 (their 15th consecutive victory over the Bills), the win secures an eighth division title under Bill Belichick and the coveted #1 playoff seed in the AFC.  So it'll be home cooking in the playoffs, and as long as they continue winning their next plane trip would be for the Super Bowl in Dallas.  Next week Miami visits Foxboro for what is essentially a meaningless game, except for the importance of avoiding injuries.

This one was a laugher early on.  The Bills ran the ball well on their first drive and got a field goal, but the Patriots adjusted to shut down the run and put the pressure on quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.  (Trivia question: did the Bills have more rushing yards on their first drive or in the rest of the game?  Answer below.)  And once the game was on the quarterback, he wilted under the pressure, fumbling twice and throwing three interceptions.  For the game the Bills had seven turnovers, which is almost as many as the Patriots have all year (9), and the Patriots scored 34 unanswered points to cruise to victory.

It was mostly good on both offense and defense.  Tom Brady was nearly flawless in the snow again, missing only a few passes where wind may have been a factor.  His streak of consecutive passes without an interception now stands at an NFL record 319 attempts over 10 games, which is absolutely remarkable.  He did a great job managing things, throwing underneath most of the day and not once putting the ball at risk.  And his numbers would have looked even better if Wes Welker (of all people) held onto the ball.

Welker was the only dim bulb among the receivers, dropping at least three catchable balls.  He's had a few drops lately, and he'll need to straighten that out if the team expects to make a serious playoff run.  Welker did get three catches on the day, and Rob Gronkowski (4 catches for 54 yards and 2 touchdowns) and Danny Woodhead (3 for 32 yards) picked up the slack.  Gronk impresses every week, both as a practically-uncoverable receiver and a blocker in the running game, and given the limitations of the passing game on Sunday, it's a good thing the Patriots can run it and the Bills can't stop the run.

Danny Woodhead started the Patriots scoring with a 39-yard scamper right through the Bills defense.  Woodhead almost notched 100 yards (he had 93), while bruiser-back BenJarvus Green-Ellis did break the century mark with 104.  They controlled the ball with the run, racking up a 5:00 advantage in time of possession and wearing down the Bills defense until the players looked like didn't want to be there in the second half.

And of course, no running or passing could happen without the offensive line, which was stellar.  They left behind the problems of last week, plowing through the defense on running plays and providing great protection in the passing game.  Center Dan Koppen and tight end Alge Crumpler impressed me the most, doubling the interior line and opening huge holes for the backs.  The Bills hit Brady just twice (one sack), and when the protection broke down, Brady bought time in the pocket or ran for the first down.  Just a great day by the O-line and the offense, under less than ideal conditions.

Most of the defense played great, putting together a solid performance with hard hits, sure tackles (except for the first Bills possession), and timely turnovers.  Patrick Chung makes a difference every game he plays, defending two passes on Sunday with jarring hits and intercepting a pass when the Bills were driving to make it a one-score game.  Devin McCourty continues his solid play in the secondary, and even Darius Butler pitched in and played surprisingly well.  James Sanders missed the game with an illness, but Brandon Meriweather stepped in and played okay; though the team really needs Chung and Sanders in there for the playoffs.

Jerod Mayo had a great overall game: 5 tackles, 1 QB hit, 2 passes defended, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery.  Not a lot of players hit as hard as he does and go sideline-to-sideline in run support.  And he added excellent pass coverage against the Bills, which is the weakest part of his game.  His ILB partner, Gary Guyton excelled, too: 6 tackles, 1 sack, 2 passes defended, and 1 forced fumble of his own.  You should still hope that Brandon Spikes returns to form after his league-suspension ends next week, but for now Guyton is doing well.

The weak spot on defense was the outside linebackers.  Jermaine Cunningham missed the game with an injury, and that put Rob Ninkovich opposite Tully Banta-Cain.  Ninkovich didn't make any really bad plays, but Banta-Cain guessed wrong about half the time, allowing big running plays and losing his outside contain on the pass rush.  This was not an injury thing; he just got abused by the Bills' play-calling and game plan.  Banta-Cain topped the team with eight tackles; but that is a lot less impressive given that he gave up huge plays on the first drive and was repeatedly lost.  He's been here long enough to know the defense, and we best hope this game was an aberration.

Vince Wilfork played great again, and his mates on the defensive line bottled things up and made effective adjustments during the game.  And those other D-linemen: Kyle Love, Eric Moore, Ron Brace, and Gerard Warren -- weren't exactly expected to burn it up this year.  Love is a rookie, Brace was awful last year, Warren was supposedly too old, and Moore played in the UFL earlier this year.  Give credit to the defensive line coach, Pepper Johnson, for great work with a lineup that changes every week because of injuries and that is missing Ty Warren (out for the year) and Mike Wright and Myron Pryor (both out with injuries lately).

Special teams did okay.  Shane Graham's kickoffs were shorter but higher, giving the coverage team a chance to make the tackle... which they did.  Average kickoff return by the Bills was 15.5 yards, and in fact they had zero yards on punt returns, which is a credit to punter Zoltan Mesko.  But overall, Graham's kickoffs were better.  He won't be the weapon Gostkowski was, but if his kicks are like they were against Buffalo that would be fine.

So where does that leave us?  13-2 guarantees them a first round bye in the playoffs and home games through the AFC Championship if they continue winning.  Regardless of next week's outcome, the Patriots are two wins away from the Super Bowl; how many pundits predicted *that* before the year started?  So the big thing against Miami is to stay healthy... no last-minute injuries like last season.

Statistical Oddity of the Week:  The Patriots and Bills each committed exactly 6 penalties for exactly 40 yards.

Weekly Water-cooler Wisdom: "Here's hoping the Bills never move out the division -- we *own* them."

Keep the faith,

- Scott

PS.  13-2!

PPS.  Trivia answer:

V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V

The Bills had 64 yards rushing on their opening drive and 61 yards rushing the rest of the game.

Patriots 31, Packers 27

If you listened to the talking heads all week it wasn't supposed to be like this.  The Patriots held on for a 31-27 win over the Packers, a team most pundits predicted the Pats would destroy, especially with a backup quarterback under center for Green Bay.  But the Patriots did hold on for the win, giving them a 12-2 record, two games ahead of their nearest AFC challenger.  They head to Buffalo next week for a game against the Bills, and if the Patriots win they will be the #1 playoff seed in the AFC.  It doesn't get much simpler than that.

As for the Packers game, New England faced a trio of factors that made it much tougher than most people thought it would be.  First, the Packers have a balanced offense and an attacking defense, both of which give the Patriots trouble.  Consider how the Saints beat them handily last year, or how the Chargers and Colts have been giving them trouble for a while now.  Second, the Pats defense often underperforms against young quarterbacks who have no track record to study/attack (see: "Roethlisberger, Ben" from 2004, "Henne, Chad" in 2009, or even "Bradford, Sam" from this pre-season).  And third, the Packers' playoff hopes hung in the balance, and they needed a win desperately.

The Pats got contributions in all three phases, and the defense shut down the Packers at the end when it counted.  The defensive line was very tick-or-treat, sometimes stuffing the run and sometimes getting gashed by it.  Vince Wilfork was their best defensive player, but he couldn't do it alone, and the Patriots had loads of injuries on the defensive line (Mike Wright, Myron Pryor, and Ron Brace were all inactive) and a crucial player suspension (Brandon Spikes).  Against that depleted line the Packers got a big push up front and gained 143 yards on the ground.  But even with all the missing players, the Pats somehow generated a very good pass rush, blitzing some but mostly just bull-rushing -- and all told getting 5 sacks for 25 yards.

When the Green Bay running backs escaped the D-line and hit the second level they ran around and over the linebackers.  Jerod Mayo (16 tackles) and Gary Guyton (8) mostly seemed to stop guys after decent gains, but when they missed it seemed like the running back could go forever.  Rob Ninkovich did a decent job holding the edge, but Tully Banta-Cain got bounced around like a rag doll, and Jermaine Cunningham didn't fare much better on the opposite side.  Both were better pressuring the passer; and of course Banta-Cain's late penalty negated an interception and almost cost the Patriots the game.

In the secondary, Devin McCourty would be your defensive co-MVP.  His stats on the evening: 10 tackles, 1 sack, 2 tackles for a loss, and 1 pass knocked away.  Maybe he should injure his rib *every* week (just joking y'all!).  He continues to make a strong push for NFL defensive rookie of the year; he's started every game and other than the Bears game he's played just about every snap this season.  And with McCourty shutting down one side, they can roll a safety to help Kyle Arrington, who you have to admire for guts and determination, if not talent -- even though he did have an interception, with a very nice return for a touchdown.

(Note: As McCourty makes a push for NFL defensive rookie of the year, his main competition, Ndamukong Suh of the Lions, is tapering off.  In his last 7 games, Suh has just 28 tackles and 1.5 sacks.)

The biggest question in the defensive backfield is why Brandon Meriweather gets any playing time at all.  He took a bad angle on a play that gave the Packers a 66 yard touchdown.  And he looked absolutely lost on two other plays, hesitating as if he wasn't sure what to do, which is a big, huge no-no for a safety.  If he doesn't trust his own instincts (and there isn't much evidence he should), then Pat Chung and James Sanders should be the starting safeties, with Jarrad Page as the third option.  Chung is great, and Sanders at least knows the defense and doesn't get caught out of position.

The offense struggled all night, and it didn't help that they only had 9 possessions to Green Bay's 12.  What did help was the short field after Dan Connolly's 71-yard kickoff return (an NFL record for an offensive lineman), and getting a quick seven on Arrington's interception.  Connolly's play was wonderful to watch -- just ask the Packers' special teams, they mostly watched while he rumbled down the field.  The video is here; it's worth the time to check it out if you missed it.

Connolly's heroics notwithstanding, the offensive line had a pretty bad day.  They didn't handle the blitz well, allowing too many free hits on the quarterback and too many tackles for a loss or no gain in the running game.  The Patriots rushing average was very good, 7.1 yards a carry and several long runs off-tackle.  (Trivia question: The Patriots last ran for 7.1 yards a carry in 2008 against the Raiders... can you name either of the two leading rushers in that game?  Answer below.)  But everyone on the O-line, except for Matt Light, had at least one brain-cramp, and the Packers continued to blitz because it worked.  Not a good day when you give up 3 sacks (27 yards), 3 quarterback hits, and 4 tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

The stat sheet indicated a decent running game: 113 yards on 16 carries, a 33 yard touchdown, and some effective misdirection plays.  But it sure didn't feel that way during the game.  Of those 16 rushes, 6 were for 2 yards or less, not a good thing when you're trying to establish a consistent running attack.  BenJarvus Green-Ellis made a nifty move on his 33 yard touchdown, and in the fourth quarter they finally settled on Danny Woodhead around end -- and made decent yardage with it.  But they need to work on their pass protection schemes because you know other teams will try the same thing since it worked so well for the Packers.

The passing game looked alternately overmatched and unstoppable.  Overmatched when the Packers got pressure, and unstoppable when Tom Brady had time.  Brady finished the day with only 163 yards passing, but most importantly had no turnovers, and he and his receivers made some great plays against pressure (Deion Branch's 17-yard catch on 3rd-and-17, his scoop of a wobbler in the fourth quarter).  However, Green Bay almost picked off two passes that Brady shouldn't have thrown... and those throws were against the blitz.  But when he had time, Brady was very good.  His audible on Aaron Hernandez' second touchdown was brilliant, and some of the tight windows he used were jaw-dropping.

The receivers did not turn in big numbers; but Aaron Hernandez had 4 catches and 2 touchdowns, and with Wes Welker catching only half the balls thrown his way (3 of 6), the running backs and other tight ends pitched in to make up the slack.  Hernandez' fellow rookie Rob Gronkowski caught a crucial pass to move the Pats into scoring range in the first quarter, and all three catches that Green-Ellis and Woodhead had between them helped keep scoring drives alive.

The Patriots still need some special teams work.  For the most part the kickoffs were better; shorter than Gostkowski boots but the coverage team did a nice job shutting down the return (in all but one case).  But the Packers opened the game with an onside kick, and the replay showed James Sanders vacating his designated area, and the Packers ended up recovering the kick.  With the Patriots offense doing so well, the team should expect opponents to pull trick plays like this... so James Sanders, you are the winner of the "extra laps" award for the week.

Not a lot to say about the coaching, except that they put their defensive players in good position to make plays against the pass but sort of ran out of bodies against the run.  Bill Belichick probably said he was glad to have the win at this point in the season -- that sounds about right.

So where does that leave us?  No rest for that defense; Buffalo put up 30 points against them earlier in the year, and this game will be in Buffalo.  Expect the Patriots to win, though -- they've beaten the Bills 14 straight times, and it appears that the Bills' offense is running out of gas (fewer than 20 points in each of the last 3 games).  One more win gives the Pats the AFC East title and the #1 playoff seed in the conference.

Statistical Oddity of the Week: All props to Dan Connolly on his 71 yard kickoff return... anything that had never happened in NFL history must qualify as an oddity.

Bonus Statistical Oddity of the Week: The Patriots completed their sixth consecutive game without a turnover.  The previous NFL record was four consecutive games -- no small feat to better a long-standing record by 50%.

Weekly Water-cooler Wisdom: "It's probably just as well if the Packers keep losing and don't make the playoffs; that way there's no chance we could see them in the Super Bowl with Aaron Rodgers at QB."

Keep the faith,

- Scott

PS.  12-2!

PPS.  Trivia Answer:

V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
Sammie Morris led the Patriots with 117 yards, and one-time Raider LaMont Jordan was close behind with 97.

Patriots 36, Bears 7

If you're keeping score at home, that's consecutive wins by an aggregate 91-10 score over teams with a combined 18-8 record.  Not bad for six days work.  The Patriots kept the train a-rollin', outclassing the Bears 36-7 yesterday in snowy, windy Chicago.  The win gives the Pats a two-game lead in the division and essentially a two-game lead (with tie-breakers) over the Steelers in the AFC.  A desperate Green Bay team comes to town Sunday night for their shot at the Pats.

I will never understand how a quarterback from California plays so well in the snow, but Tom Brady is undefeated when the white stuff is flying.  His statline in horrible conditions yesterday: 27 of 40 for 369 yards, 2 touchdowns and (as always) zero interceptions.  He threw some bad passes, including two easy picks that the Bears kindly dropped.  But overall his command of the field and seemingly unaffected play in the face of the snow and wind was mind-boggling.  He led three touchdown drives of at least 80 yards; whereas the Bears could only muster one touchdown all day -- on a 35-yard drive after a long kick return.

Not that Brady did it alone.  The offensive line spent most of the day in superlative-land, and three sacks notwithstanding, they gave Brady plenty of time and great protection most of the day.  Logan Mankins and Dan Koppen played the part of road-graders, blowing the Bears defense off the ball and getting downfield for additional blocks on runs and screen passes.  They combined with tight ends Alge Crumpler and Rob Gronkowski to push the Bears around on wide runs and push them back on up-the-gut plays.  There were a few plays in the second half where the Bears pass-rushing talent shone through, getting to Brady from the inside and outside.  But the game was well in hand by then.

The receivers didn't let the cold affect them too much, with only a few drops and not a single fumble, despite some hard hits.   Deion Branch and Wes Welker had 8 catches each, and both topped 100 yards (151 and 115, respectively).  And it's been a long time since something on the football field made me say "Wow!" out loud, but Branch's 59-yard touchdown with time expired in the second quarter did the trick.  No excuse for the Bears to let it happen, and kudos to Branch and Brady for eschewing the kneel-down the sideline was recommending and going for the jugular instead.

Gronkowski just chugs along, showing excellent technique to get open for his touchdown and grabbing important first downs all game long.  Aaron Hernandez is returning to form after his four-week hiatus in the middle of the season.  Gronkowski leads NFL rookie tight ends with 7 touchdowns, and Hernandez is second with 4 of his own, along with 532 receiving yards (also tops among rookie tight ends).  Heck, even Brandon Tate held on to an amazing catch along the sideline, so *anything* is possible :)

The O-line also gave the running game lots of lanes, some of them huge gashes right up the middle.  BenJarvus Green-Ellis refuses to give way to veteran Fred Taylor, staking his claim again with 87 tough yards and 4.1 yards a carry -- both against a team that you supposedly can't run against.  Danny Woodhead is slowing down a bit; but his role is growing in the outside running and slant passing games.  Even Sammie Morris pitched in on Sunday with a key third-down conversion to keep a touchdown drive alive.

During the game, commentator Phil Simms said repeatedly that this is the best offense in the NFL, and that teams will be copying it for years to come.  It's tough to argue with that, except to say that if you don't have the right trigger-man and player versatility, this offense is not for you.  The Patriots excel at doing the best with what they have, and right now it's Brady, the short-to-intermediate passing game, and a flexible offensive line coached by one of the best in the NFL, longtime assistant Dante Scarnecchia.

The defense played smart and tough under difficult conditions, showing more resilience than the hometown Bears by a mile.  You don't hold your opponent to just 20:19 of possession time without killing drives and taking the ball away.  The Pats defense did both; holding the Bears to 38% on third down conversions and nabbing four turnovers.

I hate to say the secondary is all about Devin McCourty, but they'd be lost without him (and here's hoping his injury is minor).  He stripped the ball to cause a turnover that Gary Guyton returned for an early touchdown, and McCourty knocked away another pass and had three tackles, one for a loss when he blew up an outside run.  If only Bodden hadn't gotten injured, we wouldn't have Kyle Arrington on the other side.  Oh wait, Arrington actually had a good game.  He did give up some completions, but made sure tackles in the second half, knocked away a third-down pass to stall a drive, and had two tackles on special teams.

And the safety combination of James Sanders and Pat Chung excelled again this week.  Chung led the team with six tackles, and James Sanders doled out jarring hits across the middle and made sure not to get beaten deep.  Brandon Meriweather still looks lost sometimes, which is beyond explanation since he's been here for years.  He might never figure it out; but as long as Sanders and Chung stay healthy the Pats will be okay.

The defensive line was thin, with injuries to Mike Wright and Myron Pryor.  So the Pats plugged in someone named Eric Moore.  They signed him this past week, and he immediately notched four tackles and a sack.  Vince Wilfork was his usual dominant self, and Gerard Warren proves every week that he is a more than capable fill-in for Ty Warren.  The line still doesn't get great pressure, but they cleaned up multiple plays when Bears QB Jay Cutler was forced up in the pocket.  They harassed Cutler into an awful day, his worst passer rating of the season, a pathetic 32.9.  (Trivia question: Cutler played the Patriots one other time: when was the other game, and did Cutler win or lose?  Answer below.)

Linebacker play baffled even me yesterday.  Gary Guyton stepped in for the suspended Brandon Spikes, and he picked off a pass and returned a fumble for a touchdown.  But then he whiffed twice on the Bears' only scoring drive.  Jermaine Cunningham and Tully Banta-Cain continue to go a bit too wide on their pass rush, allowing QBs to step up too easily; but then Rob Ninkovich might blast up the middle or hold up at the end of the line -- or maybe make a saving tackle to force a punt.  It can be maddening to watch; but you can't argue with the results; the bend-but-don't-break defense is alive and well and living in Foxboro.  However, the team will welcome Spikes back for the playoffs; they'll need him to hold up against the running attacks they would face in the post season.

Shane Graham was Mr. Up-and-down.  He went 3-of-3 field goals off a frozen and slippery field through howling winds.  Then he missed an extra point.  And to top it all off, his kickoffs were returned for far too many yards.  Special teams coach Scott O'Brien has to work with Graham to use either squibs or directional kicks against better return men; they can't go into the playoffs playing Russian roulette every time Graham kicks it away.

So where does that leave us?  11-2 and a playoff berth sounds pretty good.  But if Aaron Rodgers plays next week (and you should expect him to play), the Packers present a lot of offensive problems for the Pats, with the kind of balance that can expose the Patriots defensive weaknesses.  The Pack also plays the 3-4 defense, which is better at stopping the pass, so that favors Green Bay, too.  And if you factor in that the Packers are fighting for their playoff life, while the Pats are already in, this becomes a very dangerous game.  So bring your pom-poms, and given Brady's record in the snow, hope for a blizzard.

Statistical Oddity of the Week: At the half, the Patriots had outscored two opponents 92-0 in their last 90 minutes played in the snow (59-0 over Tennessee last year, 33-0 over Chicago in the first half yesterday).

Weekly Water-cooler Wisdom: "If the Patriots were a stock, they'd be Google."

Bonus Weekly Water-cooler Wisdom: "If the Pats go 2-1 the rest of the way, they are the #1 playoff seed in the AFC."

Keep the faith,

- Scott

PS.  11-2!

PPS.  Trivia answer:

V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V

Playing for the Denver Broncos, Cutler lost 41-7 to the Patriots on October 20, 2008.  He is now an aggregate 77-14 loser in two tries against the Pats, with 1 touchdown, 4 interceptions, and a passer rating of 40.5.

Patriots 45, Jets 3

It's official folks, the Patriots are better than even *I* predicted.  I had them at 9-3 to this point, and they outstripped even that optimism by thrashing the Jets 45-3 on Monday night, giving them a 10-2 record.  That is the best record in the AFC, putting them in great position to win the division and perhaps get a coveted playoff bye; but beware of the road game in Chicago on a short week against the resurgent Bears.  Alright, don't beware of it -- just enjoy the win for a day and worry about the Bears later.

Rex Ryan isn't talking much, not with a mouth full of the crow after the 45-3 humiliation.  As he said after the game, "I came to kick [Belichick's] butt, and he kicked mine."  That's why you do your talking on the field, not at the podium.  Ryan seems smart enough to understand that provoking the enemy doesn't work to your advantage over the long haul.  The question is, can he reign in that mouth before it gets him in trouble or his players start tuning him out.

To say the Patriots had this one all the way is an understatement.  The offense drove relentlessly, notching scores on four straight drives to start the game and three straight to start the second half.  Other than that, they didn't look very good.  They got out in front early and save two hiccups in the second quarter they kept the accelerator to the floor against a Jets team not designed to come back from big deficits.

The Patriots use of short passes and misdirection runs make them a much more difficult matchup for the Jets than they were with the vertical passing game of Randy Moss and Donte Stallworth.  The New York defense has playmakers all over the field, and they like to blitz and play man-coverage.  But man-to-man is largely negated against a team with talented quick-cutting receivers who flood the middle of the field -- zone coverage is much more effective against that type of offense.

The result on Monday: Danny Woodhead (4 catches for 104 yards) and Wes Welker (7 for 80) destroyed the Jets in the intermediate zone, catching every pass thrown their way and scampering for yards after the catch.  They kept drives alive, along with Deion Branch, who caught two straight passes to turn third-and-22 into 7 points with a nifty catch-and-run on fourth down.  And in the second half the Jets keyed on Branch and Welker, so Woodhead did his damage and Tom Brady threw to Aaron Hernandez for all 51 of the tight end's yards and a 1-yard touchdown to ice the game in the fourth quarter.

Speaking of that Brady guy, this was his best performance of the year.  The Jets defense is very good, last night notwithstanding, and Brady posted a 148.9 passer rating.  It marked the eighth time he threw touchdown passes to four different players in one game.  (Trivia question: can you name the year and opponent of his first such game.  Bonus points if you can name two of the four men who caught touchdowns in that game... answer below).  His surgical dissection of a top notch NFL defense was the latest in what might be the best four-game stint of his career.  Some numbers from those games: 91 of 124 (73.4%), 1,203 yards (300+ per game), 13 touchdowns, zero interceptions, and an absolutely sick 138.6 passer rating.  And those games include victories over the Jets and Steelers, teams that sported top 10 passing defenses before they played the Patriots.

Overall the offensive line gets a B on the day, and the blocking performance of the tight ends is included in that grade.  No one expected they'd come close to 100 yards rushing on the day, but they went for 101.  Logan Mankins was a beast pulling around end, and with the middle clogged up they had some nice misdirection runs in the second half.  But in the passing game the O-line and tight ends suffered from some miscommunication, with blitzers coming free too often and Brady getting sacked 4 times for 56 yards.  Brady did a good job sliding around in the pocket to stay upright; or it could have been a lot more sacks for a lot more yards.

The defense helped build the large lead with stops on four of six first half drives.  And it did what it should have done with a large lead; let the Jets run and make the sure tackle to keep the clock moving.  It never looks good to give up 156 yards on the ground; but once the Patriots had the lead it was more important to take away the big passing play.  And the Jets averaged a pathetic 4.4 yards per pass attempt; so mission accomplished.

Once again, the defense created timely turnovers.  With the Jets driving for a touchdown that would have closed it to 24-10 early in the third quarter, Brandon Spikes intercepted a ball over the middle to shut down the drive.  The throw was a little low, and Spikes snagged it Bruschi-style, halfway to the receiver (who was triple covered in the end zone, by the way).

After a good kickoff return, the Jets were set up at the Patriots 45 yard line, when Devin McCourty undercut Braylon Edwards on the sideline for the interception.  It was the same type of play that got him an INT against the Lions, and an ill-advised play call -- a long pass into the wind when you needed a touchdown to make it a game.  And just for good measure James Sanders got the easiest pick of his career on a throw Sanchez never should have made.

Sanchez' passing line during this span: 2 of 6 for 12 yards, 3 interceptions and zero touchdowns.  Patriots points off those turnovers: 21.  Ballgame.

The Patriots got consistent pressure on Jets QB Sanchez; but once they got there they couldn't close the deal, only sacking him once.  Tully Banta-Cain and Jermaine Cunningham got some stuff off the edge, and overall the line kept him in the pocket so he couldn't make plays on the run.  But the Jets biggest problems were self-inflicted: Sanchez misreads of the defense, some inaccurate passes, not looking off the safeties, and some drops by his receivers.  The Pats secondary and linebackers confused both the quarterback and receivers of the Jets, and that led to one stalled drive after another.  And once the lead got too large, it was all over.

James Sanders and Pat Chung continue to impress as a safety combo in the secondary, and as stated last week, Devin McCourty is making a run at NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.  Mayo remains in the driver's seat for most tackles in the league this year, and the unsung rotation up front stuffs inside runs very well, and the linebacker rotation is getting better, with Rob Ninkovich and Gary Guyton contributing last night.  The only question that remains about this defense is whether or not they can stop a balanced attack -- i.e. an offense that can run the ball and pass the ball well.  Chicago runs the ball well, but I'm not sold on Jay Cutler, so this weekend's game in the windy city might not tell us much.  But the answer should come when the Green Bay Packers ride into town; they can run and pass as well as any team in the league, so stay tuned.

The special teams clearly miss Stephen Gostkowski's deep kickoffs.  Gostkowski ranked 4th in kickoff average, while his replacement is 27th, and when they try to kick away from good returners the other team is getting great field position.  If Graham can't kick the ball deeper, they need to work on his short game, directional kicks, and squibs to make sure he doesn't give up big returns.  But on the plus side, long snapper Matt Katula outperformed even what Jake Ingram did last year, so that position look solid.

And honestly you can't say enough about the coaching job this week.  Belichick gave his players 5 days off after the Thanksgiving day victory, and they responded with spirited play and flawless execution.  The Patriots staff totally outclassed the Jets group this week, in everything from game preparation to halftime adjustments.

So where does that leave us?  10-2 atop the AFC is a good place to be, and the real tale of their season will be told in the next two weeks: with a road tilt against the resurgent Bears and a Sunday night game against the Packers in Foxboro.  The Bears really don't worry me; it seems that Belichick has been waiting for a chance to confuse Jay Cutler into some turnovers.  The Packers are a much bigger threat, even though that game is at home, because of their balance on offense.

Oh and by the way, if the Patriots win one more game, they are officially in the playoffs, so they've got that going for them.

Statistical Oddity of the Week: At 7-5, the Jacksonville Jaguars are 2 games above .500 and leading their division; and yet they've been outscored by their opponents by 43 points, worst in their division and worse than *any* team in the NFC North division (including the 2-10 Detroit Lions).

Weekly Water-cooler Wisdom: "The Jets philosophy of running the ball and playing solid defense is so outdated they should call their head coach T-Rex Ryan."

Keep the faith,

- Scott

PS.  10-2!

PPS.  Trivia answer:
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V

V
V
V
V
Brady threw touchdown passes to Antowain Smith, Troy Brown, Charles Johnson, and Mark Edwards against the Saints on November 25, 2001 -- his first season as a starter.