2008 New England Patriots season
Encyclopedia
The 2008
New England Patriots
season was the 39th season for the team in the National Football League
and 49th season overall. Despite finishing the regular season with an 11–5 record, the Patriots did not qualify for the playoffs—becoming the first 11-win team since the expansion to a 12-team playoff in 1990
to not make the playoffs, as well as only the second team since the NFL expanded to a 16-game regular season in 1978
. This came just one year after finishing with the only 16–0 regular-season record in NFL history.
In the season opener, quarterback Tom Brady
, the NFL's MVP in 2007, suffered a knee injury and missed the remainder of the season. Backup quarterback Matt Cassel
replaced Brady. Cassel's start in Week 2 was his first start in a game since high school, and he led the Patriots to a win, which extended the Pats' regular-season winning streak record to 21 games before a loss the next week ended the streak. This record was broken by the Indianapolis Colts
in 2009.
Despite entering the last week of the season with a three-game winning streak, the Patriots found themselves not controlling their own destiny. In addition to a Week 17 win, they also needed either a Miami Dolphins
loss to win the AFC East, or a Baltimore Ravens
loss to earn a wild card berth. However, both Baltimore and Miami won, and the Dolphins, Ravens and Patriots each finished the season with an 11–5 record. Miami qualified for the playoffs by winning the AFC East division over the Patriots on the fourth divisional tiebreaker (better conference record: 8–4 to 7–5). Baltimore qualified for the playoffs as a wild card team, defeating the Patriots on the second wild card tiebreaker (better conference record: 8–4 to 7–5). The Patriots thus became the first team since the 1985 Denver Broncos
to finish with an 11–5 record and not make the playoffs.
was arrested in Lowell, Massachusetts
on February 5 for possession of a half pound of marijuana
and driving an unregistered car. On May 9, Andrews' case was continued without finding for one year, during which time Andrews was ordered to pay a fine, speak to student athletes about the dangers of narcotics, and complete an NFL substance abuse program. On June 30, Andrews was arrested again and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm in Mansfield, Massachusetts
, after his fiancée accused him of pointing a gun at her head. Andrews' fiancée called police, who searched Andrews' vehicle but did not find a gun; she later took her child to a hotel for the night, where Andrews then met her again before being arrested. The weapon, a Glock pistol
, was later recovered in a dumpster near Andrews' apartment. Andrews was released on July 1.
On February 22, running back Kevin Faulk
was issued a misdemeanor summons after he was found with four marijuana cigarettes at a Lil Wayne
concert in Lafayette, Louisiana
. Upon returning to New England, Faulk passed a drug test and did not have to enter the NFL's substance abuse program. Faulk pleaded no contest to the charge on July 8 and was sentenced to a five-month suspended jail term, given one year of probation, fined, and ordered to complete community service and substance abuse treatment programs. Faulk was later suspended for the first game of the 2008 regular season for a violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy.
On April 27, according to The Boston Globe
, offensive lineman Nick Kaczur
was arrested in Whitestown, New York
, when police discovered Kaczur had a "small amount of controlled substance for which he did not have a prescription," which was later identified as oxycodone
. Kaczur was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree, a misdemeanor. In May, the article states Kaczur participated in a Drug Enforcement Administration
sting operation, wearing a hidden recording device while purchasing $
3,900 worth (100 pills) of OxyContin. The three transactions, on May 1, May 6, and May 13 in the area near Foxborough, Massachusetts
, led to the arrest of Kaczur's dealer Daniel Ekasala, who was indicted by a federal grand jury
on June 3 for three counts of possession of oxycodone with intent to distribute. When The Globe asked for comment, however, Kaczur denied any involvement in the case.
hired Patriots Director of College Scouting Thomas Dimitroff
to be their new general manager
. Former Pro Personnel Director Nick Caserio
, who had spent the 2007 season as wide receiver
s coach, returned to the personnel department as the director of player personnel, a position that partly replaced both Dimitroff's and Caserio's former responsibilities under Vice President of Player Personnel Scott Pioli
. Regional scout Jon Robinson
was also promoted to assistant director of college scouting. The Patriots then promoted offensive assistant Bill O'Brien
to wide receivers coach to replace Caserio. Additionally, the Patriots announced secondary
coach Joel Collier
would not return to the team in 2008, and hired former Carolina Panthers
and Houston Texans
head coach Dom Capers
as a special assistant/secondary coach. Don Davis
, who joined the coaching staff as an assistant strength and conditioning coach and team chaplain after retiring in 2007, left the organization to pursue Christian ministry. Finally, special teams coaching assistant Kevin Bickers was made a special assignment scout, and replaced by Brian Flores
, formerly a pro scout. Former football operations assistant Shane Waldron
re-joined the team as an offensive coaching assistant.
s Oscar Lua
and Rosevelt Colvin
, who had started 39 games in his five seasons with the team. Both ended the 2007 season on injured reserve and failed post-season team physicals. Tight end
Kyle Brady
was released at the start of free agency, also after having failed a physical. The Patriots declined multi-year contract options on wide receivers Kelley Washington
and Donté Stallworth, making them both free agents; Stallworth signed with the Cleveland Browns
, while Washington re-signed with the Patriots. Also departing via free agency were defensive backs Asante Samuel
(Philadelphia Eagles
), Randall Gay
(New Orleans Saints
), and Eugene Wilson (Tampa Bay Buccaneers
). Restricted free agent defensive lineman Rashad Moore
was not tendered a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent.
and Fernando Bryant
, who were both released by their former teams, as well as two unrestricted free agents – cornerback Jason Webster
and safety Tank Williams
. Also signed via unrestricted free agency were wide receiver Sam Aiken
, linebacker Victor Hobson
. and tight end Marcus Pollard
. Free agents or potential free agents Tedy Bruschi
, Lonie Paxton
, Kelley Washington
, Randy Moss
, Jabar Gaffney
, Ray Ventrone, Mike Wright
, Wesley Britt
, and Pierre Woods
were all re-signed.
on July 24, they had the NFL maximum of 80 players signed to their roster. First-round draft pick Jerod Mayo
, who was not signed until after training camp began, did not count against that limit until his signing.
fumbled after catching a pass from quarterback Tom Brady
. The Chiefs recovered and started their next drive at their own 48 yard line but failed to convert on third down and punted. On the ensuing Patriots possession, the Chiefs again recovered a fumble by a Patriots receiver after a catch; this time wide receiver Randy Moss
lost the ball after a 28-yard completion from Brady. After the throw, Brady was hit in his lower left leg by Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard
, left the game, did not return, and was later placed on injured reserve with a torn ACL
and a torn MCL
. Quarterback Matt Cassel
replaced Brady for the Patriots' next drive, which began from the Patriots' 2-yard line. Seven plays after a 51-yard completion to Moss from inside the Patriots' 1, Cassel hit Moss in the end zone from 10 yards out for a touchdown, giving the Patriots a 7–0 lead early in the second quarter. The teams then exchanged three-and-outs twice, before the Chiefs ended a 13-play, 51-yard drive with a 40-yard Nick Novak
field goal to cut the Patriots' lead to 7–3 at the end of the first half.
After a Chiefs punt on a drive in which Chiefs quarterback Brodie Croyle
was injured on a sack by Adalius Thomas
, the Patriots drove 80 yards on 11 plays, capping off the series with a 5-yard touchdown run by running back Sammy Morris
to extend the Patriots' lead to 14–3. The next Chiefs drive began with backup quarterback Damon Huard
replacing Croyle. The Chiefs drove 63 yards and trimmed the Patriots' lead to 14–10 on a 13-yard touchdown reception by wide receiver Dwayne Bowe
. After three punts, Huard and the Chiefs began a fourth-quarter drive by throwing an interception to Patriots cornerback Ellis Hobbs
; a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on the Patriots caused their ensuing series to begin at their own 47-yard line. A handful of Morris runs and Cassel passes, including an 11-yard reception by Morris, brought the Patriots into the Chiefs' red zone, but the Patriots failed to convert on third down and settled for a 37-yard Stephen Gostkowski
field goal to make their lead 17–10. Starting from his own 22-yard line with 2:20 remaining, Huard was strip-sacked on the third play of the series, but recovered his own fumble at the Chiefs' 27-yard line. On the next play, Huard hit wide receiver Devard Darling
for a 68-yard completion, giving the Chiefs first-and-goal from the Patriots' 5-yard line with 53 seconds left. However, the Patriots' defense prevented the Chiefs from advancing another yard, as an incomplete pass, a Larry Johnson run for no gain, and two more incomplete passes gave the Patriots the ball back to seal their first victory of the season, and their 20th consecutive regular-season win.
. On the first series of the game, the Jets drove to the Patriots' 13-yard line but the game remained scoreless after kicker Jay Feely
missed a 31-yard field goal. Eleven plays later, the Patriots faced 3rd-and-goal from the Jets' 2-yard line, but a run for a loss by running back Laurence Maroney
set up a 21-yard Gostkowski field goal to give the Patriots a 3–0 lead. After a Jets punt, the Patriots extended their lead to 6–0 on a 37-yard Gostkowski field goal early in the second quarter. The Jets responded with a 77-yard drive, highlighted by a 54-yard Laveranues Coles
completion from quarterback Brett Favre
, which brought them as close to the end zone as the Patriots' 1-yard line, but they again had to settle for a field goal; this time Feely completed the 21-yard attempt to cut the Patriots' lead to 6–3. The Patriots and Jets exchanged punts to end the first half.
After a Patriots punt began the second half, the Jets started their next possession from their own 23-yard line. Three offensive penalties later, with the Jets at 2nd-and-25, defensive back Brandon Meriweather
earned his first career interception on an errant Favre pass, giving the Patriots the ball at the Jets' 31-yard line. Despite a Kris Jenkins
sack of Cassel to begin the drive, the Patriots moved into the red zone on a 22-yard completion to running back Kevin Faulk
on a 3rd-and-9 play. Three plays later, Morris ran it in from the Jets' 1-yard-line for a touchdown, extending the Patriots' lead to 13–3. On an ensuing Jets punt, a 24-yard Faulk return set up the Patriots' next drive at the Jets' 39-yard line; nine plays later, a 28-yard Gostkowski field goal gave the Patriots a 16–3 lead and ended the third-quarter scoring. Beginning from their own 20-yard line for the sixth time in the game, the Jets drove into the Patriots' red zone and then cut the Patriots' lead to 16–10 on a 2-yard touchdown catch by wide receiver Chansi Stuckey
. The Patriots' next drive went for 71 yards and ended on a 27-yard Gostkowski field goal to build the Patriots' lead to 19–10. This would be the final score, as the Jets' next drive, which included a 20-yard sack of Favre by Adalius Thomas, went three-and-out and the Patriots held the ball for the final 3:45 in the game. The win brought the Patriots' record to 2–0 and kept the team tied for first place in the AFC East. Gostkowski finished the day 4-for-4 on field goals and earned five touchbacks on six kickoffs.
when the Dolphins shut out the Patriots in Miami. Despite a 50-yard Hobbs return on the opening kickoff, the Patriots and Dolphins exchanged three-and-out punts to begin the game. On their second drive, the Patriots got as far as the Dolphins' 7-yard line, but back-to-back sacks of Cassel set up 3rd-and-goal, where Cassel threw his first interception of the season, to Dolphins defensive lineman Randy Starks
. Starting from their own 26-yard line, the Dolphins drove into the Patriots' red zone in part from two catches by tight end Anthony Fasano
from Chad Pennington
for 47 yards. On 2nd-and-goal from the Patriots' 2-yard line, the Dolphins lined up with an unbalanced offensive line and with Pennington as a wide receiver and had running back Ronnie Brown
take a direct snap from a shotgun formation
; Brown proceeded to fake an end-around to running back Ricky Williams
before running for the touchdown to give the Dolphins a 7–0 lead. This formation, known as the "Wildcat," was developed by Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano
and quarterbacks coach David Lee following the Dolphins' loss to the Arizona Cardinals
the week prior. The Patriots' ensuing possession reached the Dolphins' red zone again on 13 plays, but ended with the Patriots settling for a 37-yard Gostkowski field goal, trimming to the Dolphins' lead to 7–3 early in the second quarter.
The Dolphins' next drive began with a 33-yard reception by wide receiver Greg Camarillo
; five plays later, Brown scored his second touchdown of the day with a 15-yard third-down run, extending the Dolphins' lead to 14–3. On their next drive, the Patriots reached the Dolphins' 28-yard line on a 21-yard completion by Welker on a Cassel pass that was tipped by Dolphins safety Renaldo Hill
. However, the Patriots gained only two more yards before Gostkowski hit his second field goal of the day, this one from 44 yards out, to cut the Dolphins' lead to 14–6. On the first play of the ensuing drive, the Dolphins again employed a direct snap to Brown, who this time proceeded to hand off to Williams, gaining three yards on the play. With two minutes remaining in the first half, the Dolphins faced a 1st-and-10 from the Patriots' 45-yard line; Williams again took the hand-off on the direct snap to Brown, but this time went for 28 yards to put the Dolphins in the Patriots' red zone. Three plays later, the Dolphins again used the "Wildcat" formation, and Brown took the direct snap and ran five yards for his third touchdown of the day, giving the Dolphins a 21–6 lead at the half.
After an exchange of punts began the second half, the Dolphins drove from their own 21-yard line to a 3rd-and-3 from the Patriots' 19-yard line. The Dolphins again used the "Wildcat"; this time Brown threw a halfback pass to Fasano for a 19-yard touchdown that extended the Dolphins' lead to 28–6. Hobbs returned the ensuing kickoff 81 yards to have the next Patriots' possession begin from the Dolphins' 23-yard line. On 4th-and-3, Cassel hit wide receiver Jabar Gaffney
for a 5-yard touchdown that cut the Dolphins' lead to 28–13. The Dolphins' ensuing possession featured Brown touching the ball on every play; after a first-down reception, Brown ran four times in a row to give the Dolphins a 1st-and-10 from their own 38-yard line. The Dolphins again lined up Brown to receive the direct snap; this time he ran 62 yards for his fourth rushing touchdown of the day, a Dolphins record.
Early in the fourth quarter, Hobbs returned the Patriots' next kickoff 31 yards, setting his own team record with 237 kickoff return yards in the game. Three plays later, Cassel fumbled on a third-down scramble that was forced by Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter
and recovered by Dolphins defensive lineman Phillip Merling
at the Patriots' 49-yard line. After a Dolphins' three-and-out, the Patriots began their next drive with a Cassel interception thrown to Hill that was negated on a roughing the passer penalty on defensive lineman Vonnie Holliday
; the Patriots punted four plays later. The Dolphins' next drive ended in a 39-yard Dan Carpenter
field goal that gave the Dolphins a 38–13 lead. After an unsuccessful fourth-down conversion attempt on a pass by backup Patriots quarterback Kevin O'Connell
and a Dolphins punt, that score became the final. The loss dropped the Patriots to 2–1 and to second place in the AFC East.
to give the 49ers the ball at the Patriots' 45-yard line. On the next play, 49ers quarterback J. T. O'Sullivan threw an interception of his own, this one to Meriweather at the Patriots' 4-yard line. A three-and-out for the Patriots on their ensuing drive ended in a 35-yard Chris Hanson
punt that gave the 49ers the ball at the Patriots' 30-yard line to begin their next drive. A defensive holding penalty on Patriots cornerback Deltha O'Neal
on third down extended the drive, leading to a 16-yard touchdown catch by running back Frank Gore
that gave the 49ers a 7–0 lead. On the Patriots' next drive, a fumbled snap by Cassel set up 3rd and 8 from the Patriots' own 34-yard line; Cassel then threw a deep pass to Moss, which was caught at the 49ers' 21-yard line and run in for a 66-yard touchdown that tied the game at 7–7. A 38-yard Isaac Bruce
reception from O'Sullivan on the 49ers' ensuing possession backed the Patriots' defense up to their own 22-yard line, and two plays later, O'Sullivan and Bruce again connected on a pass, this one a touchdown from 6 yards out to give the 49ers a 14–7 lead.
An exchange of punts brought the teams into the second quarter, where on the third play of a Patriots drive Cassel threw his second interception of the day, this one to Nate Clements
on the 49ers' 6-yard line on a deep pass intended to Moss. The 49ers went three-and-out, leading to a 13-play, 40-yard Patriots drive where a third down sack of Cassel in the red zone set up a 35-yard Gostkowski field goal that trimmed the 49ers' lead to 14–10. The 49ers punted again on their next possession, giving the Patriots the ball on their own 20-yard line with just over three minutes remaining in the first half. 11 plays later, the Patriots faced a 2nd and goal from the 49ers' 2-yard line, where a Faulk touchdown run gave the Patriots a 17–14 lead at halftime.
On the Patriots' opening possession of the second half, Cassel was sacked to begin the drive, and then again was sacked nine plays later on third down to force the Patriots to punt. Two plays later, O'Sullivan was intercepted by safety Rodney Harrison
to give the Patriots the ball at the 49ers' 24-yard line. The Patriots reached the 49ers' 1-yard line, but were denied the end zone twice by the 49ers, setting up fourth down from the 2-yard line. Faulk took the direct snap on the play and ran in for his second touchdown of the game, giving the Patriots a 24–14 lead. Following a 49ers punt, an 8-play Patriots drive resulted in a 40-yard Gostkowski field goal that extended the Patriots lead to 27–14 early in the fourth quarter.
Starting from their own 20-yard line, the 49ers began an 11-play drive that ended on a 5-yard touchdown catch by Bruce from O'Sullivan that cut the Patriots' lead to 27–21. The Patriots responded with a 10-play series of their own; six plays into the drive, Faulk caught a second-down pass and was originally deemed to be down short of the first down, but the Patriots challenged the play and Faulk was found to have gained the necessary first down yardage. An offensive pass interference penalty on Moss set up a 3rd and 20 that the Patriots did not convert; Gostkowski then hit a 49-yard line field goal to extend the Patriots' lead to 30–21. A third-down sack of O'Sullivan led to a fourth-down interception by O'Neal that gave the Patriots the ball with 2:45 remaining in the game. The 49ers used all of their timeouts during the Patriots' next possession, and after a Patriots punt, the 49ers failed to convert on fourth down to give the Patriots the ball to end the game.
and to stay in Santa Clara, California
in advance of flying to San Diego to face the Chargers in a Sunday night game at Qualcomm Stadium. On the first play of the game, Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers
completed a 48-yard pass to wide receiver Vincent Jackson
that brought the Chargers to the Patriots' 32-yard line. Three incomplete passes by Rivers from the Patriots' 7-yard line set up a 25-yard Nate Kaeding
field goal that gave the Chargers a 3–0 lead. On their first possession, the Patriots reached the Chargers' 31-yard line, where Gostkowski missed a 48-yard field goal, his first such miss of the season. Four plays later, Rivers hit wide receiver Malcom Floyd
on a 49-yard touchdown catch that extended the Chargers' lead to 10–0. The Patriots punted on their ensuing possession; the Chargers' Darren Sproles
returned the punt 28 yards to start the Chargers' next drive from the Patriots' 45-yard line. A failed third-down conversion by the Chargers set up a missed 44-yard field goal attempt by Kaeding.
An exchange of punts early in the second quarter gave the Patriots starting field position at the Chargers' 43-yard line; seven plays later, Gostkowski hit a 47-yard field goal to cut the Chargers' lead to 10–3. After a Chargers punt set up the Patriots' next drive to begin from their own 6-yard line, the Patriots went three-and-out and a Jerod Mayo
facemask penalty on the resulting punt gave the Chargers the ball at the Patriots' 31-yard line. Four plays later, Rivers extended the Chargers' lead to 17–3 on a 4-yard pass to Jackson. The Patriots began their next drive with a Marques Harris
strip-sack of Cassel that was recovered by offensive tackle Mark LeVoir
; the Patriots then ran out the clock to end the first half.
Starting from their own 22-yard line to begin the second half, the Patriots drove to the Chargers' 1-yard line on eight-straight Cassel passes or scrambles, the last of which was a 28-yard catch by Morris. However, the Chargers denied the Patriots the final yard needed for the touchdown on three straight downs, and on fourth down from the 1-yard line, Cassel was sacked to turn the ball over on downs. A 59-yard reception by Jackson on the second play of the Chargers' next drive as well as a 32-yard defensive pass interference penalty on Hobbs brought the Chargers to the Patriots' 1-yard line, where tight end Antonio Gates
caught a 1-yard pass from Rivers that extended the Chargers' lead to 24–3. On the next play from scrimmage, Cassel was intercepted by cornerback Quentin Jammer
, giving the Chargers the ball on the Patriots' 26-yard line; Kaeding would later hit a 35-yard field goal to give the Chargers a 27–3 lead. A three-and-out by the Patriots on their next possession led to a 13-play, 77-yard Chargers drive that ended with the Patriots not allowing the Chargers past the Patriots' 5-yard line on three straight plays. On fourth down, Kaeding completed a 23-yard field goal that made the score 30–3 in favor of the Chargers early in the fourth quarter.
The Patriots' next drive spanned six plays and lost two yards total, ending in a 23-yard Hanson punt on 4th-and-25. However, the Chargers gave the ball right back to the Patriots on the first play of their ensuing possession, a fumble by running back Jacob Hester
. Starting from the Chargers' 46-yard line, the Patriots drove to the Chargers' 1-yard line on seven plays, four of which were Faulk runs, and then scored on a 1-yard Morris touchdown run that cut the Chargers' lead to 30–10 with just over five minutes to play in the game. After a Chargers punt, the Patriots moved the ball into the red zone in the final minutes but no further to end the game and drop the Patriots' record to 3–2.
; earlier that day, the Patriots placed Maroney on injured reserve with a shoulder injury after he had missed two of the team's last three games, and activated offensive lineman Stephen Neal
from the physically unable to perform list. After winning the coin toss, the Patriots deferred their pick to the start of the second half; the Broncos elected to receive. On the opening series, Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler
injured his finger on the first play, but led the Broncos into Patriots territory, where running back Andre Hall
, who replaced injured starter Michael Pittman
two plays prior, fumbled at the Patriots' 30-yard line; Patriots defensive lineman Le Kevin Smith
's recovery gave the Patriots the ball at their own 32-yard line to begin their first drive. A 29-yard reception by Watson brought the Patriots into the Broncos' red zone, where the drive ended and a 31-yard Gostkowski field goal gave the Patriots a 3–0 lead. On the fourth play of the Broncos' ensuing drive, Hall fumbled again; this time, a scramble for the ball pushed it 25 yards in the Patriots' favor to the Broncos' 37-yard line, where Mayo recovered it. A Broncos unnecessary roughness penalty on the play gave the ball to the Patriots at the Broncos' 22-yard line, but after failing to make a first down, a 40-yard Gostkowski field goal extended the Patriots' lead to 6–0.
An exchange of three punts brought the game into the second quarter, where Morris ran for 34 yards on the second play of a Patriots drive to put them in the Broncos' red zone yet again. Four plays later, on 4th-and-1 from the Broncos' 4-yard line, Morris ran for a 4-yard touchdown that gave the Patriots a 13–0 lead. The Broncos' next drive ended with Meriweather intercepting a deep throw by Cutler, setting up the Patriots' next series at their own 16-yard line. After a sack of Cassel put the Patriots even deeper into their own territory, a facemask penalty on Cassel on third down by Broncos linebacker Jamie Winborn
gave the Patriots a new set of downs. Five plays later, on another 4th-and-1, Morris ran for 29 yards to give the Patriots a first down from the Broncos' 13-yard line; he ran for a total of 138 yards on 16 carries. On the next play, Moss caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Cassel to extend the Patriots' lead to 20–0. The Broncos' next drive began with backup Patrick Ramsey
replacing Cutler at quarterback. On the fourth play, defensive lineman Mike Wright
sacked Ramsey and forced a fumble, which undrafted free agent linebacker Gary Guyton
caught to give the Patriots the ball at midfield. Cassel suffered his fifth sack on the next play, the final of the first half.
The Patriots chose to receive the ball to open the second half. Another undrafted rookie, running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis
, elevated from the Patriots' practice squad before the Chargers game, replaced Morris, who left the game with a knee injury. A Patriots punt was followed by a Broncos three-and-out; Welker returned the punt 44 yards to give the Patriots the ball at the Broncos' 28-yard line. After two Green-Ellis carries gained one yard, Cassel used a screen play to throw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Moss to extend the Patriots' lead to 27–0. Three completed passes and an unnecessary roughness penalty on Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork
moved the Broncos' next drive into Patriots' territory before the Broncos turned the ball over for the fifth and final time, with safety James Sanders intercepting a Cutler pass; a second unnecessary roughness call, originally on Wilfork but later changed to be on Sanders, gave the Patriots the ball at their own 20-yard line to begin the ensuing drive. Three plays after a 27-yard Welker catch put the Patriots in Broncos territory, Broncos safety Calvin Lowry
appeared to have intercepted an errant Cassel throw at the Broncos' 1-yard line, but, when the Patriots challenged, the pass was deemed incomplete, as the ball touched the ground before Lowry had possession. Two plays later, Welker caught his first touchdown pass of the season, this one from 6 yards out, to give the Patriots a 34–0 lead.
Four plays later, former Patriots tight end Daniel Graham
caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Cutler to cut the Patriots' lead to 34–7. The Patriots' next drive got as far as the Broncos' 33-yard line but eventually ended in a punt. The Broncos, facing 3rd-and-21 on their next drive, had a 21-yard completion by Cutler pushed back by a Broncos holding penalty; Richard Seymour
sacked Cutler on the next play, forcing the Broncos to punt on 4th-and-23 with 6:35 left in the game. On the ensuing Patriots drive, two 10-yard runs by Green-Ellis and 16- and 15-yard runs by Faulk put the Patriots in the red zone, where Green-Ellis earned his first NFL touchdown, running in untouched from the 1-yard line, to score the final points of the game. Another Broncos punt gave the Patriots the ball to end the game with a 41–7 victory that took the Patriots' record to 4–2.
The Patriots accumulated 257 rushing yards, their largest total since the 1985 season
. Cassel, who completed 18 of 24 passes for 185 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions, finished with a passer rating
of 136.3, one of the ten highest single-game ratings in Patriots history, and was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance.
and 2006
seasons were cut short by knee injuries that caused ligament damage, suffered a torn quadriceps muscle in his right leg. Harrison was carted off the field and placed on injured reserve two days later. Safety Antwain Spann
was then activated from the practice squad. The Broncos also lost players to injury: Ramsey and linebacker Boss Bailey
were also placed on injured reserve, while cornerback Champ Bailey
was sidelined for several weeks by a torn groin muscle.
regular season, and for only the second time overall since the teams' matchup in Super Bowl XXXVI
. On the opening possession, a 35-yard reception by Rams wide receiver Donnie Avery
from quarterback Marc Bulger
put the Rams in the Patriots' red zone, but the Rams eventually settled for a 20-yard Josh Brown field goal to take a 3–0 lead. The Patriots followed the Rams' 12-play drive with a 13-play drive of their own, ending in a 2-yard Green-Ellis touchdown run that put the Patriots ahead 7–3. On the fifth play of the Rams' ensuing possession, Bulger and Avery again connected on a pass; this one went for 69 yards and a touchdown to reestablish a Rams lead at 10–7 early in the second quarter.
The first punt of the game came on the Patriots' next drive and set the Rams up to begin their next series from their own 20-yard line. Wide receiver Keenan Burton
then caught a 27-yard pass from Bulger, and Pittman ran for 30 yards on two runs to help the Rams reach as far as the Patriots' 23-yard line on a first down. A subsequent holding penalty on Rams guard Jacob Bell
, plus two sacks on Bulger by the Patriots' Thomas and Seymour pushed the Rams back to the Patriots' 40-yard line, where they punted. The Patriots next drive saw Faulk replace Green-Ellis at running back as part of a predominantly shotgun offense; an 18-yard Faulk reception put the Patriots in the Rams' red zone, but the 12-play drive ended on a 30-yard Gostkowski field goal to tie the game at 10. Another sack of Bulger by Thomas, again for a loss of 13 yards, on the Rams' ensuing possession helped force the Rams to punt and to do so from their own 3-yard line. This gave the Patriots the ball at the Rams' 46-yard line with 19 seconds remaining in the half, where a 30-yard reception by Moss set up a 27-yard Gostkowski field goal to give the Patriots a 13–10 lead at the end of the half.
The Rams went three-and-out to begin the second half, setting up the Patriots to begin their next drive from their own 10-yard line. Five plays in, a Cassel pass to Moss was tipped and intercepted by Rams safety Oshiomogho Atogwe
and returned to the Patriots' 43-yard line. Six plays later, the Rams tied the game at 13 on a 44-yard Brown field goal. The Patriots' next drive reached the Rams' 44-yard line, but Cassel again was intercepted, this time by cornerback Fakhir Brown
after Wes Welker tripped and fell. When the Rams went three-and-out, the Patriots' next drive advanced to the Rams' 36-yard line, where Green-Ellis was denied the yard necessary for the first down on two straight plays to give the Rams the ball back on downs. A 44-yard Avery reception began the Rams' next possession, which ended seven plays later on a 25-yard Brown field goal that gave the Rams a 16–13 lead early in the fourth quarter.
An exchange of punts gave the Patriots the ball at their own 48-yard line to begin a drive that concluded with a 41-yard Gostkowski field goal to again tie the game, this time at 16. A Ty Warren
sack of Bulger began the Rams' next drive, a three-and-out to give the Patriots the ball at their own 47-yard line after a punt. Cassel was sacked as well to begin the Patriots' next drive, but he hit Moss on a 23-yard completion on the very next play to put the Patriots in Rams' territory. Five plays later, Faulk was on the receiving end of a 15-yard touchdown pass by Cassel that put the Patriots ahead 23–16 with just over three minutes remaining in the game. The Rams managed to reach the Patriots' 38-yard line on the ensuing possession, but an O'Neal interception returned for 47 yards gave the Patriots the ball back and set up three Cassel kneeldowns. The Rams were then unable to score on the only play of their final series to seal a 23–16 Patriots win, one that brought the 5–2 Patriots into a tie with the Bills atop the AFC East.
For the first time in franchise history, the Patriots finished a game with zero assessed penalties; tackle Matt Light
was called for holding in the fourth quarter, but the penalty was declined. It was also the first penalty-free performance by any NFL team in 2008.
touchdown pass from Peyton Manning
to give the Colts a 7–0 lead. The Patriots responded with a 13-play, 56-yard drive of their own that brought the game into the second quarter.
Part way through the drive, the Patriots employed the same "Wildcat" formation concept used against them earlier in the season against the Dolphins, using Faulk as the back receiving the direct snap on a run for five yards. The Patriots reached as far as the Colts 11-yard line but could not advance any further; a 29-yard Gostkowski field goal cut the Colts' lead to 7–3. After a Colts punt, the Patriots began their second drive of the game and were able to move the ball 61 yards on 13 plays to as far as the Colts' 17-yard line. The possession saw another use of the "Wildcat" formation; this time Faulk threw to Welker off the direct snap, but Welker then was tackled for a two yard loss. Two plays later, Gostkowski hit a 35-yard field goal to trim the Colts' lead to 7–6. The Colts began their next drive from their own 18-yard line with one timeout and 1:22 remaining in the first half. A 26-yard Marvin Harrison
reception put the Colts in Patriots territory, but Harrison was injured on the tackle and was unable to step out of bounds to stop the clock. Manning spiked the ball at the Patriots' 26-yard line with one second remaining, but was called for a false start; by rule, the penalty incurred a ten-second clock run-off to end the first half.
The Patriots' opening drive of the second half spanned 72 yards and nearly eight minutes but also ended with the Patriots having one timeout to use thereafter. On a Faulk run for no gain part way through the drive, the Patriots challenged that the Colts had too many players on the field, contending a Colts player substituting out of the game was unable to get off the field in time. The challenged failed, costing the Patriots their first timeout of the second half. Seven plays later, the Patriots used their second timeout of the half. A 6-yard Green-Ellis touchdown run put the Patriots ahead 12–7, but a two-point conversion attempt on a Faulk run kept the Patriots' lead to five points. A 39-yard Pierre Garçon
return on the ensuing kickoff set up the Colts' next drive to begin from their own 43-yard line; nine plays later, Gonzalez's second touchdown reception of the night, this one from 9 yards out, put the Colts ahead 13–12. The Colts also went for the two-point conversion, and were successful, with a Reggie Wayne
catch extending the Colts' lead to 15–12. The Patriots responded with a 15-play, 69-yard drive that brought the game into the fourth quarter, but one which included a dropped would-be touchdown catch by Gaffney on the penultimate play of the third quarter.
On a 3rd-and-11 from the Colts' 17-yard line, Cassel completed a pass to Welker for 10 yards; the Patriots initially brought Cassel and the offense back out onto the field for a fourth down conversion try, but Belichick decided against it and called the Patriots' final timeout of the game. A 25-yard Gostkowski field goal then tied the game at 15. Four plays into the Colts' next possession, a third down Gonzalez catch went for 24 yards and put the Colts in Patriots territory. The Colts were unable to make a first down and called upon former Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri
for a 52-yard field goal. The kick was good, and it put the Colts ahead 18–15 with just over eight minutes to play in the game. The Patriots next drive reached Colts territory on a 16-yard David Thomas
catch. Two plays later, on a 2nd-and-2 from the Colts' 32-yard line, the tight end committed an unnecessary roughness penalty after a Green-Ellis run to set up a 3rd-and-16 from the Colts' 46-yard line. Faulk gained one yard on a pass from Cassel, setting up a 4th-and-15 where Cassel threw an interception to Colts safety Bob Sanders
. A 14-yard Harrison catch on the Colts' next possession gave them a fresh set of downs, and the Patriots, without any timeouts, did not receive the ball again until after a Colts punt with just over 21 seconds left in the game. After two incomplete passes, Cassel completed a pass to Moss, who proceeded to fumble on a lateral attempt. The fumble was recovered by Colts cornerback Tim Jennings
to end the game and bring the Patriots' record to 5–3.
setting up the punt. After a 21-yard Cassel pass put the Patriots in the Bills' red zone, a 13-yard Cassel touchdown scramble gave the Patriots a 7–0 lead. Following an exchange of punts, an errant Edwards throw was intercepted by Hobbs to begin the Patriots' next drive from the Bills' 34-yard line. Seven plays later, a 32-yard Gostkowski field goal extended the Patriots' lead to 10–0 early in the second quarter. Gostkowski's ensuing kickoff went out of bounds; the resulting illegal procedure penalty meant the Bills got the ball at their own 40-yard line. The Bills' drive reached as far as the Patriots' 4-yard line on 2nd-and-goal, but the Patriots' defense did not allow Bills running back Marshawn Lynch
any positive yardage on two straight runs. A 25-yard Rian Lindell
field goal then cut the Patriots' lead to 10–3. The Patriots' ensuing drive began with a 27-yard Welker reception but could not advance pass the Bills' 31-yard line; a 49-yard Gostkowski field goal attempt was no good. A Bills punt on their next drive gave the Patriots the ball at their own 3-yard line, where the Patriots ran out the clock to end the first half.
On the third play of the second half, Welker's six catch of the game made him the first player in NFL history to record six catches in the first nine games of a season. The ensuing 13-play drive culminated with a 37-yard Gostkowski field goal that gave the Patriots a 13–3 lead. An exchange of punts gave the Bills the ball at their own 19-yard line to begin their next drive, which advanced to the Bills' 45-yard line before Edwards' second interception of the day, this one to O'Neal, gave the Patriots the ball back at their own 41-yard line for the final play of the fourth quarter. Five plays later, Cassel was sacked for the only time in the game at the Bills' 44-yard line by defensive lineman Marcus Stroud
and safety George Wilson; Stroud forced a fumble in the process and Wilson recovered it at the spot of the sack. The Bills' next drive ended in a Brian Moorman
punt that the Patriots the ball at their own 8-yard line with just over 11 minutes remaining in the game. The Patriots then embarked on a 19-play, 92-yard drive that tied a franchise record set in 2002 for number of plays in a single drive; it was also the Patriots' NFL-leading 22nd drive of ten or more plays. It ended with a 1-yard Green-Ellis touchdown run that extended the Patriots' lead to 20–3 with 1:57 remaining in the game. The Bills responded on the ensuing kickoff with an 85-yard return by Leodis McKelvin
, setting up a 14-yard touchdown catch by fellow rookie James Hardy
on the next play to cut the Patriots' lead to 20–10. The Bills then attempted an onside kick, which appeared to be recovered by the Bills but was then ruled to be dead at the spot as it had been touched by a Bills player before traveling the necessary 10 yards. Three kneeldowns by the Patriots gave them a 20–10 win to better their record to 6–3.
returned the opening kickoff 30 yards to start the Jets' first drive from their own 38-yard line. Four plays in, an incompletion from Jets quarterback Brett Favre
to Coles appeared to set up a fourth down, but the Jets challenged the play and won; the catch gave the Jets a first down from the Patriots' 37-yard line. Shortly after a 20-yard Dustin Keller
catch extended the Jets' drive on third down again, a 7-yard Washington touchdown run gave the Jets a 7–0 lead. The Patriots responded by moving into Jets' territory on their first drive, but were later forced to settle for a 42-yard Gostkowski field goal that cut the Jets' lead to 7–3. Washington returned the ensuing kickoff 37 yards to give the Jets the ball at their own 36-yard line for the beginning of their next possession. Another Keller catch on third down put the Jets into Patriots territory; a Pierre Woods
unnecessary roughness penalty moved the Patriots defense back further, eventually to their own 5-yard line on a Jets first down. However, the Jets managed to move the ball only one more yard, leading to a 22-yard Feely field goal that extended the Jets' lead to 10–3 at the end of the first quarter.
The Patriots' second drive of the game went for 59 yards on 12 plays, but a Morris run for no gain and two incompletions from the Jets' 13-yard line set up a 31-yard Gostkowski field to trim the Jets' lead to 10–6. Taking the ensuing kickoff from the Jets' 8-yard line, Washington went 92 yards for the touchdown, opening the Jets' lead to 17–6. The Patriots punted on their next possession, giving the Jets the ball at their own 13-yard line. Favre began the drive with an 18-yard pass to wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery
, and then two plays later, a 46-yard Cotchery catch put the Jets on the Patriots' 16-yard line; Favre hit Cotchery yet again two plays later, this time for a 15-yard touchdown reception that gave the Jets a 24–6 lead. On the Patriots' next possession, a 43-yard Sam Aiken
catch on a screen pass put the Patriots in Jets territory; a 9-yard Cassel scramble set up 3rd-and-1. A Heath Evans
run was stopped for a loss of two yards, and Cassel was sacked by C. J. Mosley
on fourth down to turn the ball over on downs for the Patriots at the Jets' 30-yard line. The Jets then went three-and-out for the first time in the game, giving the Patriots, with one timeout remaining, the ball at their own 32-yard line with 1:44 remaining in the first half. The Patriots did not call their final timeout until multiple completed Cassel passes, a 19-yard scramble, and a successful quarterback sneak to convert on fourth down gave the Patriots the ball at the Jets' 19-yard line with 31 seconds left in the first half. After two incomplete passes, Cassel threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Gaffney to cut the Jets' lead to 24–13 heading into halftime.
Having the ball to start the second half, the Patriots moved to the Jets' 34-yard line on four plays, but on a subsequent 12-yard Watson reception, the tight end fumbled as he was being tackled by linebacker Eric Barton
; the loose ball was recovered by safety Kerry Rhodes
and returned 11 yards to the Jets' 33-yard line. However, two sacks of Favre by Wilfork and Seymour, both for losses of nine yards, forced the Jets into their second three-and-out series of the night. Cassel was sacked on the next play, but four plays later, the Patriots had a first down from the Jets' 38-yard line. Patriots center Dan Koppen
, who had left the game with an injury in the second quarter but later returned, snapped the ball while Cassel was making adjustments at the line and was not ready to receive the snap. Cassel chased the Koppen fumble and recovered it at the Patriots' 38-yard line for a loss of 24 yards. The Patriots, later facing 4th-and-21, punted to give the Jets the ball at their own 16-yard line. A Jets punt was followed by an exchange of three-and-outs, eventually setting up a Patriots drive to begin from their own 22-yard line. A 29-yard Welker reception put the Patriots in Jets territory; five plays later, Watson caught a 10-yard touchdown pass, his first of the year, cutting the Jets' lead to 24–19. On the final snap of the third quarter, the Patriots attempted a two point conversion and succeeded; the Gaffney catch put the Patriots to within a field goal, trailing 24–21.
Five plays into the Jets' next drive, Patriots cornerback Jason Webster
forced Cotchery to fumble a 9-yard reception; Guyton recovered the fumble at the Patriots' 40-yard line. The Patriots next possession featured an entirely shotgun, no-huddle offense, with a 17-yard Cassel scramble moving the Patriots back into Jets territory. Four plays later, a 47-yard Gostkowski field goal tied the game. Starting from their own 33-yard line after the Patriots directed the kickoff to linebacker David Bowens
instead of to Washington, the Jets began what would be a 14-play drive with just over 10 minutes left in the game. The Jets then moved the ball to the Patriots' 7-yard line to set up a 3rd-and-7 with 3:38 left in the game. Favre's pass intended to Cotchery fell incomplete, but Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel
was called for a defensive holding penalty, giving the Jets an automatic first down from the Patriots' 3-yard line. The Jets failed to score on two straight runs, while the Patriots used two timeouts to stop the clock after each play. On the third rushing attempt, Thomas Jones scored from a yard out to give the Jets a 31–24 lead with 3:10 left in the game. Cassel was sacked on second down of the Patriots' next drive, forcing them to punt on three-and-out but not having to use their timeout until the Jets' next possession, when they used it in conjunction with the two-minute warning to get the ball back with 1:04 left in the game after a Jets punt. Starting from their own 38-yard line, the Patriots moved to the Jets' 42-yard line on two Cassel completions; a spike stopped the clock at :36. A 17-yard Welker catch and another spike then put the Patriots at the Jets' 25-yard line with :23 left. A Koppen false start moved the Patriots back 5 yards, but a 14-yard Welker catch and another spike put the Patriots on the Jets' 16-yard line with 8 seconds to go. On the ensuing play, Moss was covered by former Patriots cornerback Ty Law
, who returned to the Jets for a second stint with the team just days earlier after sitting out the first 10 weeks of the season. As Cassel eluded a pass rusher and moved into the flat, Moss looked for the pass from the near corner of the end zone. Cassel threw to Moss, who caught the pass just beyond the near pylon and fell out of bounds, giving the Patriots a 16-yard touchdown with 1 second remaining in the game. A booth review was called but determined Moss did indeed have possession and the necessary footing before he fell out of bounds, upholding the touchdown call and sending the game into overtime after the extra point.
Even though the Patriots had won their last eight overtime games, they began the sudden death period on defense as the Jets won the overtime coin toss. On the first play of the Jets' possession, Favre was sacked for a loss of five yards; an incomplete pass set up a 3rd-and-15 from the Jets' 15-yard line. However, Favre found Keller for a 16-yard catch and the first down; and then did so again two plays later, this one for 12 yards to move the Jets to their own 47-yard line. Three plays later, on a 3rd-and-1 from the Patriots' 44-yard line, Keller caught his third first down catch of the drive. This was followed by a 16-yard Coles catch two plays later, giving the Jets a first down from the Patriots' 24-yard line. On 4th-and-2 from the Patriots' 16-yard line, Feely hit a 34-yard field goal to give the Jets a 34–31 overtime win, dropping the Patriots to second in the division with a 6–4 record.
The Patriots' total of 511 net yards in the game was the fourth-best in franchise history, and the highest since 1979
. Cassel's 62 rushing yards were the most by a Patriots quarterback since Steve Grogan
had 68 yards in 1978
. Moreover, Cassel's 400 passing yards and 62 rushing yards made him the first player since the AFL-NFL merger
in 1970 to have at least 400 passing and 60 rushing yards in a single game, and the first Patriots quarterback to throw for 300 yards and rush for 50 in the same game.
, the Patriots began their first possession at their own 40-yard line. Cassel's first two passes were both completed for first downs, putting the Patriots in Dolphins territory and eventually their red zone. However, a holding penalty on Neal pushed the Patriots back 10 yards, forcing a 30-yard Gostkowski field goal four plays later that gave the Patriots a 3–0 lead. Following a Dolphins three-and-out, the Patriots' second drive ended when a Cassel pass to Moss was bobbled by both Moss and cornerback Jason Allen to keep the ball in the air until Renaldo Hill intercepted it; a 17-yard return gave the Dolphins the ball at the Patriots' 42-yard line. On the next play, a 29-yard David Martin
reception moved the Dolphins into the Patriots' red zone, where the Dolphins used their "Wildcat" formation on the next two plays. A Tedy Bruschi
unnecessary roughness penalty on the second Ronnie Brown run set up a first-and-goal, where Camarillo caught a 3-yard pass from Pennington for a touchdown, giving the Dolphins a 7–3 lead. The Patriots responded with a 12-play, 74-yard drive that ended on the first play of the second quarter, an 8-yard touchdown scramble by Cassel to give the Patriots the lead again, 10–7.
The Dolphins' next drive went three-and-out despite two more plays using the "Wildcat" formation, giving the Patriots the ball at their own 41-yard line. On a 1-yard Morris run from the Dolphins' 28-yard line, linebacker Matt Roth
forced a fumble during the tackle; the ball was recovered by Dolphins cornerback André Goodman at the Dolphins' 28-yard line. The Dolphins took advantage of the turnover, going 72 yards on 12 plays and re-taking the lead at 14–10 on a 7-yard Pennington touchdown scramble. Carpenter's ensuing kickoff was returned by Slater from the Patriots' 24-yard line, setting up the Patriots' next drive to begin from their own 37-yard line. Six plays later, Cassel completed a 25-yard touchdown pass to Moss that gave the Patriots the lead again, 17–14. After an exchange of three-and-outs, the Dolphins began their final drive of the half with 39 seconds remaining and moved into Patriots territory. However, a false start on wide receiver Ted Ginn, Jr.
followed by a Vrabel sack of Pennington ended the first half.
Due to their deferral of the opening kickoff, the Dolphins elected to receive the opening kickoff of the second half. A 46-yard Pennington pass to Ginn on the first play moved the Dolphins to the Patriots' 36-yard line; six plays later, Pennington hit fullback Casey Cramer
on a 2-yard touchdown catch that gave the Dolphins the lead again at 21–17. The Patriots responded by going 78 yards on 11 plays, re-taking the lead yet again on the second Moss touchdown catch of the day; the 8-yard grab put the Patriots ahead 24–21. The Dolphins' next drive got as far as the Patriots' 27-yard line, but an offensive holding penalty, incomplete pass, and sack forced the Dolphins to punt from the Patriots' 42-yard line. Two plays later, Cassel completed a pass to Welker across the middle; the wide receiver ran along the sideline after the catch to pick up 64 yards on the play. After an incomplete pass to Moss, a 21-yard Faulk touchdown run extended the Patriots' lead to 31–21 on the final play of the third quarter.
Four plays into the Dolphins' ensuing drive, on 3rd-and-3, Pennington hit wide receiver Davone Bess
for a 36-yard gain to put the Dolphins in the Patriots' red zone. On the next play, a diving Ricky Williams 13-yard touchdown catch cut the Patriots' lead to 31–28. Facing a 3rd-and-10 from their own 42-yard line during their next drive, the Patriots moved into Dolphins territory on a 23-yard Gaffney catch. Two plays later, Cassel and Moss connected for their third touchdown pass of the day, this one from 29 yards out, to give the Patriots a 38–28 lead. On the next play, Meriweather intercepted a Pennington pass and returned it 19 yards to the Dolphins' 18-yard line. However, safety Yeremiah Bell
sacked Cassel on 3rd-and-2 to set up a 30-yard Gostkowski field goal that extended the Patriots lead to 41–28 with just over seven minutes remaining in the game. Starting from their own 1-yard after a Ginn kick return for a loss and a holding penalty, the Dolphins moved the ball as far as their 44-yard line on 10 plays, but could not successfully convert on fourth down to turn the ball back over to the Patriots. The Patriots, with just four minutes remaining in the game, exclusively ran Green-Ellis running plays on their ensuing possession, moving into the Dolphins' red zone on back-to-back unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties by Porter. On the six play of the drive, a fourth down, Green-Ellis ran for a 1-yard touchdown to give the Patriots a 48–28 lead. Down by 20 points, the Dolphins ran one play in the remaining 37 seconds to end the game and improve the Patriots' record to 7–4.
The Patriots' 530 net yards of offense were the second highest output in team history, behind the Patriots' 597 yards in 1979. Cassel's 415 passing yards made him the second quarterback in Patriots history to throw for at least 400 yards in two or more games; Drew Bledsoe
had four 400+ yard passing games in his Patriots career.
. On the opening kickoff, Patriots linebacker Vince Redd
forced a fumble of Carey Davis
at the Steelers' 20-yard line that Davis eventually recovered; an unnecessary roughness penalty by the Steelers' Keyaron Fox
meant the Steelers would begin their first drive from their own 10-yard line. Four plays in, Vrabel intercepted Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger
and returned it 5 yards to give the Patriots the ball at the Steelers' 14-yard line. After a Welker reception moved the ball to the Steelers' 2-yard line, Morris ran in for a 2-yard touchdown to give the Patriots a 7–0 lead. The Steelers' ensuing possession went three-and-out, but a holding penalty by Aiken on the punt moved the Patriots back to the Steelers' 20-yard line. A 27-yard Moss catch on the next play would help the Patriots reach midfield, but a third-down sack of Cassel set up a Patriots punt, which was returned by the Steelers' Santonio Holmes
for 29 yards. Following a 21-yard reception by tight end Heath Miller
to begin the drive, the Steelers moved further into Patriots territory on two Nate Washington
catches of 15 and 16 yards, both on third down. The Steelers then failed to score from the Patriots' 2-yard line on third down, setting up a 20-yard Jeff Reed field goal to cut the Patriots' lead to 7–3. Three plays into the Patriots' next drive, Moss dropped a pass after he beat his defender inside the Steelers' 35-yard line, eventually setting up another Patriots punt on the final play of the quarter.
An exchange of three three-and-outs began the second quarter, leading to Patriots drive that began from their own 40-yard line. A fourth down conversion put the Patriots in the Steelers' red zone, but the Patriots were unable to reach the end zone and settled for a 29-yard Gostkowski field goal that extended their lead to 10–3. Following a 31-yard Gary Russell
kick return that gave the Steelers the ball at their own 37-yard line, the Steelers moved 63 yards on 9 plays, capping their drive with a 19-yard Holmes touchdown catch to tie the game at 10 with just under two minutes left in the half. Two plays later, the Patriots found themselves in Steelers' territory again following a 41-yard Faulk run; 35 seconds remained in the first half by the time the Patriots reached the Steelers' 9-yard line on a first down. The Patriots' next three plays would be Cassel pass attempts to Moss; the second of which was dropped by a leaping Moss in the back of the end zone. On fourth down, Gostkowski's 27-yard field goal attempt was no good to keep the game tied at 10 going into halftime.
Following a 23-yard defensive pass interference penalty on Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor
to begin the second half, the Patriots moved into Steelers' territory, but another sack of Cassel forced a Patriots punt. Starting from their own 14-yard line, the Steelers responded by embarking on a 14-play, 79-drive that reached the Patriots' 7-yard line on a second down but no further; a 25-yard Reed field goal gave the Steelers their first lead of the game, 13–10. With Hobbs, the usual kick returner, on the sidelines vomiting and suffering from cramps, Slater took the ensuing kickoff; the rookie muffed the catch and the fumble was recovered by Fox at the Patriots' 8-yard line. Two plays later, Roethlisberger hit wide receiver Hines Ward
for an 11-yard touchdown reception to extend the Steelers' lead to 20–10. Faulk stepped in as kick returner for the next kickoff, which he returned to the Patriots' 29-yard line. However, on the next play, Cassel was strip-sacked by Steelers linebacker James Harrison; the fumble was recovered by linebacker LaMarr Woodley at the Patriots' 26-yard line. Despite a 19-yard Miller catch to begin the Steelers' possession, the Patriots forced the Steelers to kick a field goal; Reed's 20-yard kick gave the Steelers a 23–10 lead. Hobbs came back to return the next kickoff, which began the Patriots' drive from their own 35-yard line. Three plays in, Welker was hit from behind by Steelers safety Ryan Clark
after a Cassel pass attempt was tipped; Clark was called for a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty to move the Patriots in Steelers' territory. On 3rd-and-11 from the Steelers' 48-yard line, Cassel was again strip-sacked by Harrison; this time linebacker James Farrior
recovered the fumble at the Patriots' 47-yard line.
The Steelers next drive began on the final play of the third quarter and reached as far as the Patriots' 22-yard line, where Reed missed a 40-yard field goal to give the Patriots the ball back at their own 30-yard line. The Patriots proceeded to move into Steelers' territory, but on 3rd-and-13 from the Steelers' 43-yard line, a Cassel pass intended for Watson was intercepted by safety Troy Polamalu
at the Steelers' 11-yard line and returned for 23 yards in the Patriots' fourth turnover of the second half. Three plays later, a 31-yard Willie Parker
moved the Steelers to the Patriots' 28-yard line; they would get as far as the Patriots' 22-yard line before Reed kicked a 45-yard field goal to extend the Steelers' lead to 26–10. With less than six minutes remaining in the game, the Patriots began their next series from their own 44-yard line after Reed's kick was returned from the Patriots' 30-yard line. On the first play of the drive, Cassel found Gaffney open inside the Steelers' 25-yard line, but the wide receiver dropped the pass; Taylor threw the ball back toward Gaffney after the play, drawing a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that moved the Patriots into Steelers' territory. Seven plays later, on a first down from the Steelers' 14-yard line, Cassel was intercepted by linebacker Lawrence Timmons
, who returned it 89 yards before being tackled at the Patriots' 1-yard line by Watson. Two plays later, Russell ran in for a 1-yard touchdown that gave the Steelers a 33–10 lead with less than three minutes to go in the game. The Patriots could not score on their next possession, ending the game and dropping the Patriots' record to 7–5.
. The Patriots received the opening kickoff but were later forced to punt. Starting from their own 13-yard line, the Seahawks went 87 yards on 13 plays and took the lead on a 14-yard touchdown catch by former Patriots wide receiver Deion Branch
from quarterback Seneca Wallace
, starting in place of Matt Hasselbeck
. A 20-yard third down catch by Welker put the Patriots into Seahawks territory on their next drive, which eventually ended in a 50-yard Gostkowski field goal that cut the Seahawks' lead to 7–3. Early in the second quarter, the Seahawks moved to the Patriots' 21-yard line on a 25-yard catch by tight end John Carlson; two plays later, Carlson caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Wallace to extend the Seahaks' lead to 14–3. Hobbs returned the ensuing kickoff 55 yards to set the Patriots' next drive up to begin from the Seahawks' 43-yard line. Running back LaMont Jordan
, playing in his first game for the Patriots since Week 5 due to an injury, fumbled a second down run but recovered his own fumble; a Cassel ran for a first down on the next play to extend the drive. Two plays later, a defensive pass interference penalty on Seahawks cornerback Marcus Trufant
on a pass intended for Moss gave the Patriots a first down from the Seahawks' 2-yard line. Watson then caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Cassel to cut the Seahawks' lead to 14–10, but his post-touchdown celebration involved using the ball as a prop, prompting a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. The Seahawks began their next drive from their own 40-yard line but were forced to punt, giving the Patriots the ball at their own 10-yard line. The Patriots managed to reach midfield, but a third down sack of Cassel by defensive end Baraka Atkins
led to a Patriots punt. The Seahawks then went three-and-out, giving the Patriots the ball to end the first half.
After deferring the opening coin toss, the Seahawks chose to receive the ball to begin the second half. Their resulting drive reached the Patriots 44-yard line but no further, giving the Patriots the ball at their own 18-yard line following the punt. After an exchange of three-and-outs, the Patriots began their next drive a yard better, from their own 19-yard line. A 17-yard Welker reception on third down brought the Patriots to midfield, and a 12-yard Welker catch three plays later again extended the Patriots drive. However, the Patriots could not move past the Seahawks' 25-yard line; a 42-yard Gostkowski field goal cut the Seahawks' lead down to 14–13. The ensuing kickoff was fumbled by Josh Wilson
after a 26-yard return, but it was recovered by Seahawks linebacker Will Herring
at the Seahawks' 38-yard line for no gain. After an offensive holding penalty, Wallace connected with Branch on a sideline pass; Branch proceeded to go 63 yards before being pushed out of bounds at the Patriots' 9-yard line. The catch was challenged by Belichick, who argued Branch's foot was out of bounds as he made the catch, but the ruling was upheld. Two plays later, Branch caught his second touchdown of the day, this one a 4-yard one-handed grab, to give increase the Seahawks' lead to 21–13. The Patriots next drive faced a 3rd and 10 after two plays, but on the final play of the third quarter, a 28-yard Gaffney catch put the Patriots in Seahawks territory.
After another two plays, the Patriots again found themselves in a third down situation; this time Moss caught a 33-yard pass from Cassel to put the Patriots on the Seahawks' 13-yard line. However, the Patriots could not convert another third down, and Gostkowski was called on to kick a 27-yard field goal that cut the Seahawks' lead to 21–16. The Patriots defense, playing without Warren, who was inactive for the game, as well as starters Bruschi, James Sanders, and Wilfork, who were all injured in the first half, forced the Seahawks to punt on their next drive, giving the Patriots the ball at their own 29-yard line with less than nine minutes remaining in the game. Three consecutive third down conversions – an 11-yard Faulk catch, a 5-yard Gaffney catch, and a 13-yard Welker catch – extended the Patriots drive and moved them to the Seahawks' 31-yard line. On first down, a 25-yard Welker screen pass put the Patriots in the Seahawks' red zone, but on third down, Morris was unable to score on a run for the 1-yard line, setting up fourth down. This time, Morris' dive was successful, giving the Patriots a 22–21 lead. The Patriots converted their two point conversion try with a Welker catch, increasing their lead to 24–21. However, a 26-yard Wilson kickoff return followed by a 23-yard Wallace scramble put the Seahawks on the Patriots' 43-yard line just before the two-minute warning. After a Maurice Morris
run for a loss of a yard, Wallace was strip-sacked by a blitzing Meriweather on 2nd and 11; Seymour recovered the fumble at the Seahawks' 49-yard line to seal the Patriots win. Their 8–5 record brought them into a three-way tie with the Dolphins and Jets for first place in the division.
that was recovered by Raiders tight end Zach Miller
. Punter Shane Lechler
's next punt traveled 18 yards, giving the Patriots the ball at the Raiders' 35-yard line. Three plays later, Cassel connected with Moss on a 20-yard touchdown pass to extend the Patriots' lead to 14–0. After yet another Raiders three-and-out, Lechler punted 62 yards to the Patriots' 5-yard line, marking the first time in the game the Patriots would run a play from scrimmage in their own territory. This play would be a 14-yard Cassel run; a third-down Faulk catch then extended the drive, and the Patriots moved into Raiders territory on another Cassel scramble coupled with a Raiders holding penalty. Four plays later, a 29-yard Morris touchdown run gave the Patriots a 21–0 lead. However, one play after converting their initial first down of the game, the Raiders cut the Patriots' lead to 21–7 on a 56-yard touchdown catch by Johnnie Lee Higgins
from Russell.
The Patriots next drive spanned into the second quarter. A 30-yard Welker reception put the Patriots in the Raiders' red zone; two plays later, Cassel hit Welker on a 13-yard touchdown catch to bring the Patriots' lead to 28–7. The catch was Welker's 100th of the season, making him the eighth player in NFL history to record back-to-back 100-catch seasons. However, Justin Miller returned the ensuing kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown, cutting the Patriots lead to 28–14. Hobbs responded by returning the very next kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown of his own, increasing the Patriots' advantage to 21 points, 35–14. The Raiders could not advance past their own 38-yard line on their next drive and Lechler punted to the Patriots' 20-yard line. The Patriots eventually reached the Raiders' 43-yard line on 3rd-and-2, but Cassel was intercepted by safety Gibril Wilson
at the Raiders' 21-yard line; Wilson returned the interception 5 yards. Four plays into their ensuing possession the Raiders reached Patriots territory for the first time in the game on a 23-yard catch by Miller. However, two plays later, Russell was intercepted by Patriots cornerback Jonathan Wilhite
at the Patriots' 1-yard line; a 16-yard return brought the Patriots to their 17-yard line. With just under three minutes left in the half, the Patriots moved into Raiders territory with help from a 23-yard Faulk run and a 19-yard Faulk catch. However, Cassel was sacked on a 1st-and-10 from the Raiders' 13-yard line, and without any timeouts, Cassel was forced to spike the ball with 29 seconds left. On the spike, the Patriots were called for an illegal shift after Gaffney was not set at the snap; a 10-second clock run-off ensued, and the Patriots were unable to get a field goal snap off in time before the end of the half.
Receiving the kickoff to begin the second half, the Patriots moved into the Raiders' red zone on a 35-yard Morris run. Three plays later, Moss caught a 9-yard touchdown pass from Cassel to increase the Patriots' lead to 42–14. Raiders running back Darren McFadden
responded with a 29-yard rush on the next play, bringing the Raiders to midfield. After two plays for no gain, Russell was strip-sacked on third down by Wright for a loss of 15 yards; Russell recovered his own fumble at the Raiders' 34-yard line to set up a 66-yard Lechler punt. Despite gaining a first down, the Patriots were forced to punt for the first time in the game following a sack of Cassel on third down. A 43-yard punt and a penalty on Mayo meant the Raiders began their next drive from their own 46-yard line. The Raiders next three plays all went for first downs, including a 24-yard McFadden run to begin the drive. On the fifth play of the drive, Russell connected with wide receiver Ronald Curry
on a 10-yard touchdown pass that cut the Patriots' lead to 42–20 after Wilfork blocked Sebastian Janikowski
's extra point. The Patriots' next drive ended in a three-and-out punt that put the Raiders on their own 12-yard line. A 17-yard McFadden run began the drive, but the Raiders were unable to reach Patriots territory and punted from their own 48-yard line.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Patriots again punted, ending a drive that began on the final play of the third quarter. The Raiders' ensuing possession went 10 plays and spanned as far as the Patriots' 43-yard line, but a Russell incomplete pass on a fourth down conversion attempt turned the ball over on downs. Three plays later, Jordan, a former Raider, ran 49 yards for his first touchdown of the season, increasing the Patriots lead to 49–20. Continuing to kick away from Miller, Gostkowski landed his next kickoff at the Raiders' 29-yard line; a 14-yard Michael Bush
return gave the Raiders the ball at their own 43-yard line. The Raiders then proceeded to move 57 yards on 11 plays, ending the drive with an 11-yard McFadden touchdown run. Russell could not complete a pass to wide receiver Chaz Schilens
on the two-point conversion attempt, keeping the score at 49–26 with just under two minutes remaining. The Patriots then ran out the clock to end the game and maintain a three-way tie for first place on the AFC East. The win was Belichick's 100th as head coach of the Patriots, a week after recording his 150th win as a head coach overall.
, who was not active for the game with an injury, the Cardinals went three-and-out; Welker returned the punt 28 yards to the Cardinals' 33-yard line. Passing once on a 7-play drive and using backup offensive lineman Russ Hochstein
as a fullback, the Patriots took a 7–0 lead on a 1-yard Jordan touchdown run. The Cardinals' ensuing possession was again a three-and-out, and a 36-yard punt by Ben Graham, released by the Jets earlier in the season, helped the Patriots start their next drive from their own 45-yard line. Two plays in, a Cassel pass to Morris went for 42 yards, putting the Patriots in the Cardinals' red zone. Jordan would soon score his second touchdown of the game on a 3-yard run that gave the Patriots a 14–0 lead. For their third straight possession, the Cardinals would be again forced to punt, facing a 4th-and-16 after a third down sack of quarterback Kurt Warner
split by Seymour and Wright. However, the Patriots, despite starting from their own 44-yard line, were then forced to punt on a three-and-out drive. On the next play, which ended the first quarter, Mayo forced a fumble of Cardinals running back Tim Hightower
on the Cardinals' 12-yard line that was recovered by former Patriots tight end Stephen Spach
at the Cardinals' 4-yard line.
Three plays later, the Cardinals punted to the Patriots, who began their next series from midfield. Two plays in, Cassel connected with Gaffney on a 37-yard completion, and then again to Faulk two plays later for a 15-yard touchdown reception, putting the Patriots ahead 21–0. Beginning from their own 19-yard line the Cardinals moved to the Patriots' 31-yard line on nine plays, but could not convert a 4th-and-1 pass on the tenth play, turning the ball over on downs. The Patriots responded with a 12-play, 69-play drive culminating in an 11-yard Welker touchdown catch that gave the Patriots a 28–0 lead; Welker celebrated by making a snow angel
in the end zone, costing the Patriots 15 yards on an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. As a result, the Cardinals began their next drive from their own 39-yard line, but punted again after three plays. With 1:24 remaining in the first half, the Patriots then moved from their own 29-yard line to the Cardinals' 20-yard line, but could get no further and on the final play of the half, Gostkowski kicked a 38-yard field goal to give the Patriots a 31–0 lead.
With the ball to begin the second half as the result of their opening coin toss deferral, the Patriots extended their lead to 38–0 on the first play, a screen pass to Moss that went for a 76-yard touchdown. The Cardinals again went three-and-out, and a 28-yard reception by Evans put the Patriots in Cardinals territory on one play. Nine plays later, on a 3rd-and-5 from the Cardinals' 5-yard line, Cassel was sacked by linebacker Karlos Dansby
, setting up a 35-yard Gostkowski field goal that increased the Patriots' lead to 41–0. Yet another Cardinals three-and-out meant the Patriots began their next drive from the Cardinals' 49-yard line. An 11-play, 44-yard drive followed, and ended in a 24-yard Gostkowski field goal that put the Patriots' lead at 44–0. The field goal was Gostkowski's 33rd of the season, breaking Tony Franklin's record of 32 field goals in 1986
. On their ensuing possession, the Cardinals converted a first down, but quarterback Matt Leinart
, playing in place of Warner, was sacked for a loss of four yards, fumbling; the Cardinals recovered at their own 27-yard line. Two plays later, Leinart was strip-sacked by a blitzing Meriweather for a loss of 12 yards, but this time defensive lineman Jarvis Green
recovered the ball for the Patriots at the Cardinals' 15-yard line. The Patriots would be unable to score, forcing Gostkowski to kick a 30-yard field goal on the second play of the fourth quarter, giving the Patriots a 47–0 lead.
Leinart completed a 28-yard pass to wide receiver Jerheme Urban
on the Cardinals' next drive, but Leinart's next pass attempt to Urban, two plays later, was tipped and intercepted by Hobbs at the Patriots' 37-yard line and returned for a loss of seven yards. With a 47-point lead, O'Connell replaced Cassel for the Patriots' next possession, which went three-and-out. An exchange of punts followed, giving the Cardinals the ball again at their own 29-yard line. Two plays in, Leinart threw a 78-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald
, putting the Cardinals on the board at 47–7. With six minutes left in the game, Jordan and Morris each ran three times for a first down each to bring the game to the two-minute warning; O'Connell then kneeled three times to end the game. The 47 points scored brought the Patriots to four 40-point games on the season, tying the team record set in 2007
, and gave the Patriots the only back-to-back 40-point games of any NFL team in 2008.
ran six times with Fred Jackson and Xavier Omon
before punting; Moorman's punt traveled 13 yards. Starting from their own 49-yard line, the Patriots ran with Morris and Jordan before also punting. McKelvin muffed the punt, which was touched by Slater, who could not secure the ball, just before rolling into the end zone for a touchback. The Bills' next possession was a three-and-out, and this time Moorman's punt went 35 yards to the Patriots' 37-yard line. The game's first pass came two plays later, when Evans caught a pass in the flat and gained 19 yards. Cassel's second pass a few plays later was good again to Evans for 12 yards, but his third, on 3rd-and-4 from the Bills' 15-yard line was incomplete to Welker. Gostkowski then kicked a 33-yard field goal to give the Patriots a 3–0 lead.
The first play of the second quarter saw the first Bills pass attempt of the game, which was complete to wide receiver Lee Evans
for 13 yards. The Bills reached the Patriots' 28-yard line before attempting a 47-yard field goal; Lindell's kick started off by moving left before being caught by the wind and falling wide right. The Patriots' ensuing drive went 55 yards on 13 plays, all hand-offs or scrambles, but stalled at the Bills' 8-yard line. Before Gostkowski attempted the 26-yard field goal, officials allowed for the straightening of the goalposts which had been shifted by the winds. However, Gostkowski's kick went wide right, leaving the score at Patriots 3, Bills 0. Beginning from their own 20-yard line with 4:16 remaining in the half, the Bills moved to the Patriots' 12-yard line, where they faced a 3rd-and-5 with 22 seconds to play. After a 3-yard Jackson run, Bills center Duke Preston
became involved in a scuffle with Patriots defenders, and the clock ran out before the Bills could clear the field to attempt a field goal.
On the opening drive of the second half, Cassel was sacked on third down by Kyle Williams
to force a Patriots punt. Five plays later, Edwards was strip-sacked by Green at the Bills' 43-yard line, where Vrabel recovered the fumble. The Patriots proceeded to run nine straight times, including a 6-yard Cassel scramble on 4th-and-6 from the Bills' 25-yard line, to reach the Bills' 14-yard line on 4th-and-5. The Patriots opted not to attempt a field goal and instead Cassel completed a 12-yard pass to Welker to extend the drive. On the next play, Jordan ran in for a 2-yard touchdown that gave the Patriots a 10–0 lead. The Bills' next possession went three-and-out, setting the Patriots up to begin from their own 15-yard line. On a 15-play drive that spanned into the fourth quarter, the Patriots moved 80 yards, with help on Moss' first catch of the day, good for 13 yards, and bettered their lead to 13–0 on a 23-yard Gostkowski field goal. With the wind beginning to subside, Edwards completed passes of 14, 18, and 16 yards on the Bills' next series, but he could not complete a 4th-and-1 pass from the Patriots' 39-yard line to turn the ball over on downs. Three plays later, on a 3rd-and-8, Cassel pooch-punted into Bills' territory, but without a punt returner, the ball was allowed to roll to the Bills' 2-yard line, where the 57-yard punt was downed by a group of Patriots. Despite this field position, the Bills were able to move to the Patriots' 34-yard line on 14 plays, but turned the ball over on downs on a failed 4th-and-10 conversion. The Patriots punted on third down again on their last drive, giving the Bills the ball for the game's final series, which ended on a Jackson run to the Patriots' 41-yard line.
The shutout win was the Patriots' first since 2006, while the Patriots' eight passing attempts were the second fewest in franchise history, behind only the three attempts in the Snowplow Game
of 1982
. This game also cemented an NFL record for the Patriots for the fewest penalties in a 16-game season, with 57, breaking the 2007 Seattle Seahawks
' former record of 59 in a season.
. Kicker Stephen Gostkowski
was named as a starter, while wide receiver Wes Welker
was named as a reserve.
Gostkowski and Welker were also voted to the 2008 All-Pro
First Team and Second Team, respectively. Gostkowski received 28 of 50 votes at kicker, while Welker received 6 votes at wide receiver; three other Patriots—guard Logan Mankins
, wide receiver Randy Moss
, and rookie inside linebacker Jerod Mayo
—also received votes.
2008 NFL season
The 2008 NFL season was the 89th regular season of the National Football League, themed with the slogan "Believe in Now."Super Bowl XLIII, the league's championship game, was at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on February 1, 2009, with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming out victorious over the...
New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
season was the 39th season for the team in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
and 49th season overall. Despite finishing the regular season with an 11–5 record, the Patriots did not qualify for the playoffs—becoming the first 11-win team since the expansion to a 12-team playoff in 1990
1990 NFL season
The 1990 NFL season was the 71st regular season of the National Football League. To increase revenue, the league changed the regular season so that all NFL teams would play their 16-game schedule over a 17-week period...
to not make the playoffs, as well as only the second team since the NFL expanded to a 16-game regular season in 1978
1978 NFL season
The 1978 NFL season was the 59th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded the regular season from a 14-game schedule to 16. Furthermore, the playoff format was expanded from 8 teams to 10 teams by adding another wild card from each conference...
. This came just one year after finishing with the only 16–0 regular-season record in NFL history.
In the season opener, quarterback Tom Brady
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
, the NFL's MVP in 2007, suffered a knee injury and missed the remainder of the season. Backup quarterback Matt Cassel
Matt Cassel
Matthew Brennan "Matt" Cassel is a quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
replaced Brady. Cassel's start in Week 2 was his first start in a game since high school, and he led the Patriots to a win, which extended the Pats' regular-season winning streak record to 21 games before a loss the next week ended the streak. This record was broken by the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
in 2009.
Despite entering the last week of the season with a three-game winning streak, the Patriots found themselves not controlling their own destiny. In addition to a Week 17 win, they also needed either a Miami Dolphins
2008 Miami Dolphins season
The 2008 Miami Dolphins season was the organization's 39th season in the National Football League and 43rd overall. During the regular season the Dolphins completed the greatest single-season turnaround in NFL history, going from a 1–15 regular season record in 2007 to an 11–5 record in 2008...
loss to win the AFC East, or a Baltimore Ravens
2008 Baltimore Ravens season
The 2008 Baltimore Ravens season was the 13th season for the team in the NFL. Despite having one of the toughest schedules in the NFL, the Ravens completed a major turnaround from the 2007 season, finishing the season with an 11–5 record and a playoff berth...
loss to earn a wild card berth. However, both Baltimore and Miami won, and the Dolphins, Ravens and Patriots each finished the season with an 11–5 record. Miami qualified for the playoffs by winning the AFC East division over the Patriots on the fourth divisional tiebreaker (better conference record: 8–4 to 7–5). Baltimore qualified for the playoffs as a wild card team, defeating the Patriots on the second wild card tiebreaker (better conference record: 8–4 to 7–5). The Patriots thus became the first team since the 1985 Denver Broncos
1985 Denver Broncos season
-Schedule:-Standings:-External links:* *...
to finish with an 11–5 record and not make the playoffs.
Incidents off the field
Two days after Super Bowl XLII, defensive back Willie AndrewsWillie Andrews
Willie Thedric Andrews is an American football safety who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft...
was arrested in Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
on February 5 for possession of a half pound of marijuana
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
and driving an unregistered car. On May 9, Andrews' case was continued without finding for one year, during which time Andrews was ordered to pay a fine, speak to student athletes about the dangers of narcotics, and complete an NFL substance abuse program. On June 30, Andrews was arrested again and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm in Mansfield, Massachusetts
Mansfield, Massachusetts
Mansfield is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the town population is 23,184. Mansfield is in the south-southwest suburbs of Boston and is also close to Providence, Rhode Island....
, after his fiancée accused him of pointing a gun at her head. Andrews' fiancée called police, who searched Andrews' vehicle but did not find a gun; she later took her child to a hotel for the night, where Andrews then met her again before being arrested. The weapon, a Glock pistol
Glock pistol
The Glock pistol, sometimes referred to by the manufacturer as Glock "Safe Action" Pistol, is a series of semi-automatic pistols designed and produced by Glock Ges.m.b.H., located in Deutsch-Wagram, Austria. The company's founder, engineer Gaston Glock, had no experience with firearm design or...
, was later recovered in a dumpster near Andrews' apartment. Andrews was released on July 1.
On February 22, running back Kevin Faulk
Kevin Faulk
Kevin Troy Faulk is an American football running back for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at LSU.As of 2010, Faulk is the longest-tenured current member of the Patriots,...
was issued a misdemeanor summons after he was found with four marijuana cigarettes at a Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included...
concert in Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
. Upon returning to New England, Faulk passed a drug test and did not have to enter the NFL's substance abuse program. Faulk pleaded no contest to the charge on July 8 and was sentenced to a five-month suspended jail term, given one year of probation, fined, and ordered to complete community service and substance abuse treatment programs. Faulk was later suspended for the first game of the 2008 regular season for a violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy.
On April 27, according to The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
, offensive lineman Nick Kaczur
Nick Kaczur
Nicholas Jesse Kaczur is an American football offensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
was arrested in Whitestown, New York
Whitestown, New York
Whitestown is a town in Oneida County, New York, USA. The population was 18,635 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from Judge Hugh White, an early settler.The Town of Whitestown is immediately west of Utica, New York...
, when police discovered Kaczur had a "small amount of controlled substance for which he did not have a prescription," which was later identified as oxycodone
Oxycodone
Oxycodone is an opioid analgesic medication synthesized from opium-derived thebaine. It was developed in 1916 in Germany, as one of several new semi-synthetic opioids in an attempt to improve on the existing opioids: morphine, diacetylmorphine , and codeine.Oxycodone oral medications are generally...
. Kaczur was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree, a misdemeanor. In May, the article states Kaczur participated in a Drug Enforcement Administration
Drug Enforcement Administration
The Drug Enforcement Administration is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Justice, tasked with combating drug smuggling and use within the United States...
sting operation, wearing a hidden recording device while purchasing $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
3,900 worth (100 pills) of OxyContin. The three transactions, on May 1, May 6, and May 13 in the area near Foxborough, Massachusetts
Foxborough, Massachusetts
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 16,246 people, 6,141 households, and 4,396 families residing in the town. The population density was 809.1 people per square mile . There were 6,299 housing units at an average density of 313.7 per square mile...
, led to the arrest of Kaczur's dealer Daniel Ekasala, who was indicted by a federal grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
on June 3 for three counts of possession of oxycodone with intent to distribute. When The Globe asked for comment, however, Kaczur denied any involvement in the case.
Staff changes
Following the 2007 regular season, the Atlanta FalconsAtlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
hired Patriots Director of College Scouting Thomas Dimitroff
Thomas Dimitroff
Thomas George Dimitroff, Jr. is the current general manager for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League. Before joining the Falcons in 2008, Dimitroff was with the New England Patriots for six years...
to be their new general manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
. Former Pro Personnel Director Nick Caserio
Nick Caserio
Nick Caserio is an American football executive, currently serving as director of player personnel for the New England Patriots of the National Football League...
, who had spent the 2007 season as wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
s coach, returned to the personnel department as the director of player personnel, a position that partly replaced both Dimitroff's and Caserio's former responsibilities under Vice President of Player Personnel Scott Pioli
Scott Pioli
Scott Pioli is a professional American football executive, currently serving as the general manager for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League . Pioli was previously a front office executive for the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, and New England Patriots...
. Regional scout Jon Robinson
Jon Robinson
Jonathan Robinson is the current American football director of college scouting for the New England Patriots of the National Football League...
was also promoted to assistant director of college scouting. The Patriots then promoted offensive assistant Bill O'Brien
Bill O'Brien (American football)
Bill O'Brien is currently American football offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League.-Playing career:After graduating from St...
to wide receivers coach to replace Caserio. Additionally, the Patriots announced secondary
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
coach Joel Collier
Joel Collier
Joel Collier is an American football assistant general manager for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League...
would not return to the team in 2008, and hired former Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
and Houston Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
head coach Dom Capers
Dom Capers
Ernest Dominic "Dom" Capers is an American football coach, the current defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers, and the only man to serve two different National Football League expansion teams as their inaugural head coach....
as a special assistant/secondary coach. Don Davis
Don Davis (American football)
Donald Earl Davis Jr. is a former American football player and the current Team Chaplain for the New England Patriots.-High school years:...
, who joined the coaching staff as an assistant strength and conditioning coach and team chaplain after retiring in 2007, left the organization to pursue Christian ministry. Finally, special teams coaching assistant Kevin Bickers was made a special assignment scout, and replaced by Brian Flores
Brian Flores
Brian Flores is a current American football assistant coach for offense/special teams for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. After attending Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn, New York, Flores played football at Boston College as a linebacker from 1999 through 2003...
, formerly a pro scout. Former football operations assistant Shane Waldron
Shane Waldron
Shane Waldron is an American football coach who is currently the wide receivers coach for the Hartford Colonials of the United Football League. He previously was the tight ends coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League.Waldron attended De La Salle North Catholic High...
re-joined the team as an offensive coaching assistant.
Departures
Prior to the start of free agency, the Patriots released linebackerLinebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
s Oscar Lua
Oscar Lua
Oscar Lua is former American football linebacker. He was originally drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Southern California.-Early years:...
and Rosevelt Colvin
Rosevelt Colvin
Rosevelt Colvin, III is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. Drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 1999 NFL Draft, he played college football at Purdue....
, who had started 39 games in his five seasons with the team. Both ended the 2007 season on injured reserve and failed post-season team physicals. Tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
Kyle Brady
Kyle Brady
Kyle James Brady is a former professional American football player. He played tight end for 13 seasons in the National Football League for the New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots. He was the Jets' first round draft choice in the 1995 NFL Draft...
was released at the start of free agency, also after having failed a physical. The Patriots declined multi-year contract options on wide receivers Kelley Washington
Kelley Washington
James Kelley Washington is an American football wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
and Donté Stallworth, making them both free agents; Stallworth signed with the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, while Washington re-signed with the Patriots. Also departing via free agency were defensive backs Asante Samuel
Asante Samuel
Asante T. Samuel is an American football cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
(Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
), Randall Gay
Randall Gay
Randall "Blue" Jerome Gay, Jr. is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football at Louisiana State...
(New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
), and Eugene Wilson (Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
). Restricted free agent defensive lineman Rashad Moore
Rashad Moore
Glenn Rashad Moore is an American football defensive tackle who's currently a free agent. He was originally drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
was not tendered a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Arrivals
After losing a combined 122 games of starting experience for the team in Samuel, Gay, and Wilson, the Patriots added back to their secondary by signing cornerbacks Lewis SandersLewis Sanders
Lewis Sanders is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of the 2000 NFL Draft...
and Fernando Bryant
Fernando Bryant
Fernando Antoneyo Bryant is a former American football cornerback of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars 26th overall in the 1999 NFL Draft...
, who were both released by their former teams, as well as two unrestricted free agents – cornerback Jason Webster
Jason Webster
Jason Richmond Webster is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 2000 NFL Draft...
and safety Tank Williams
Tank Williams
Clevan "Tank" Williams is an American football safety who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
. Also signed via unrestricted free agency were wide receiver Sam Aiken
Sam Aiken
Samuel Aiken is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
, linebacker Victor Hobson
Victor Hobson
Victor Brian Hobson is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
. and tight end Marcus Pollard
Marcus Pollard
Marcus LaJuan Pollard is a former American football tight end.-College career:Pollard attended Bradley University, where he played basketball. Bradley did not have a football program at the time he matriculated there...
. Free agents or potential free agents Tedy Bruschi
Tedy Bruschi
Tedy Lacap Bruschi is a former professional American football linebacker. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft...
, Lonie Paxton
Lonie Paxton
Leonidas E. "Lonie" Paxton III born March 13, 1978 in Orange, California) is an American football long snapper for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2000...
, Kelley Washington
Kelley Washington
James Kelley Washington is an American football wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
, Randy Moss
Randy Moss
Randy Gene Moss is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft...
, Jabar Gaffney
Jabar Gaffney
Derrick Jabar Gaffney is an American football wide receiver for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
, Ray Ventrone, Mike Wright
Mike Wright
Michael Wright is an American football defensive end for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was originally signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football at Cincinnati....
, Wesley Britt
Wesley Britt
Wesley Britt is a free agent American football offensive tackle formerly of the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the fifth round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
, and Pierre Woods
Pierre Woods
-New England Patriots:Woods was signed by the New England Patriots after going undrafted in the 2006 NFL Draft. In his rookie season, Woods saw action in eight games and finished fourth on the team with 11 special teams tackles In 2007 he played in all 16 regular-season games for the first time in...
were all re-signed.
2008 NFL Draft
As a penalty for violating the "league policy on the use of equipment to videotape an opposing team’s offensive or defensive signals" during a September 9, 2007 game against the New York Jets, the Patriots forfeited their original first round pick, which would have been the 31st overall pick due to their loss in Super Bowl XLII.| Round | Overall | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | Jerod Mayo Jerod Mayo -2008 season:Mayo was drafted by the New England Patriots with the tenth overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. He was signed on July 24, 2008, to a five-year contract worth $18.9 million, including $13.8 million in bonuses and guarantees... |
Linebacker Linebacker A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen... |
Tennessee Tennessee Volunteers football The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference .... |
| 1 | (31) | Selection forfeited due to "Spygate Spygate "UGAWN" The 2007 New England Patriots videotaping controversy, widely dubbed "Spygate," refers to an incident in the 2007 National Football League season when the New England Patriots were disciplined by the National Football League for videotaping New York Jets' defensive coaches' signals during... " scandal. |
||
| 2 | 62 | Terrence Wheatley Terrence Wheatley Terrence Wheatley is an American football cornerback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft... |
Cornerback Cornerback A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position... |
Colorado Colorado Buffaloes football The Colorado Buffaloes football program represents the University of Colorado at Boulder in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The team is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference, having previously been a charter member of the Big 12 Conference. Before joining the Big 12,... |
| 3 | 78 | Shawn Crable Shawn Crable -New England Patriots:Crable was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Crable was inactive for the first half of 2008 and was placed injured reserve with a shin injury on November 5, 2008. He was placed on injured reserve on September 5, 2009 with a groin... |
Linebacker | Michigan Michigan Wolverines football The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history... |
| 3 | 94 | Kevin O'Connell Kevin O'Connell (American football) Kevin William O'Connell is an American football quarterback for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft... |
Quarterback Quarterback Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line... |
San Diego State San Diego State Aztecs football The San Diego State football team represents the San Diego State Aztecs in college football. The Aztecs, a Division I FBS team and a member of the Mountain West Conference, play their home games at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. The field is natural grass and has a maximum capacity of... |
| 4 | 129 | Jonathan Wilhite Jonathan Wilhite Jonathan Wilhite is an American football cornerback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft... |
Cornerback | Auburn Auburn Tigers football Only Mohamed Amin Abughadir set the record with 1,890 yards in 1 season. He was the QB for Auburn in 1998.The Auburn Tigers football team represents Auburn University in college football as a member of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, competing in the Western Division of the... |
| 5 | 153 | Matthew Slater Matthew Slater Matthew Wilson Slater is an American football wide receiver and safety for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft... |
Safety | UCLA UCLA Bruins Football The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in college football as members of the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Bruins have enjoyed several periods of success in their history, having been ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll... |
| 6 | 197 | Bo Ruud Bo Ruud Bo Ruud is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Nebraska.... |
Linebacker | Nebraska Nebraska Cornhuskers football The Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college football. The program has established itself as a traditional powerhouse, and has the fourth-most all-time victories of any NCAA Division I-A team. Nebraska is one of only six football programs in NCAA Division I-A... |
| Round | Overall | Team | Received |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | to New Orleans Saints New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League .... |
Received New Orleans' first-round pick and third-round pick (10 and 78 overall) |
| 5 | 164 | ||
| 3 | 69 | to San Diego Chargers San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
Received San Diego's fifth-round pick (160 overall) in 2008 and second-round pick in 2009 |
| 5 | 160 | to Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West... |
Received Tampa Bay's fifth-round pick (153 overall) in 2008 |
| 7 | 238 |
Staff
| New England Patriots 2008 staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front Office
Head Coaches
Offensive Coaches
|
Defensive Coaches
Special Teams Coaches
Strength and Conditioning
|
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Opening training camp roster
As of the Patriots' first training camp practice at Gillette StadiumGillette Stadium
Gillette Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, 21 miles southwest of downtown Boston and from downtown Providence, Rhode Island. It serves as the home stadium and administrative offices for the New England Patriots football team and the New England Revolution...
on July 24, they had the NFL maximum of 80 players signed to their roster. First-round draft pick Jerod Mayo
Jerod Mayo
-2008 season:Mayo was drafted by the New England Patriots with the tenth overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. He was signed on July 24, 2008, to a five-year contract worth $18.9 million, including $13.8 million in bonuses and guarantees...
, who was not signed until after training camp began, did not count against that limit until his signing.
| New England Patriots 2008 opening training camp roster | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
|
Offensive Linemen
Wesley Britt Wesley Britt is a free agent American football offensive tackle formerly of the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the fifth round of the 2005 NFL Draft... T Anthony Clement Anthony George Clement is an American football offensive tackle for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft... T Dan Connolly (American football) Daniel Paul Connolly is an American football center for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football at Southeast Missouri State.-Early years:Connolly was born in St. Louis,... C/G Russ Hochstein Russ Hochstein is an American football guard for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fifth round of the 2001 NFL Draft... G/C Dan Koppen Daniel Koppen is an American football center for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2003 NFL Draft... C Matt Light Matthew Charles Light is an American football offensive tackle for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue.-Early years:Light was born in Greenville, Ohio... T Logan Mankins -2005–06 seasons:Mankins was drafted with the final pick of the first round, 32nd overall, in the 2005 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. Despite playing his entire collegiate career as a tackle, Mankins was moved to left guard by the Patriots, where he immediately stepped into the starting... G Jimmy Martin (American football) James Mercer Martin, III is an American football guard and tackle for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft... G/T Gene Mruczkowski Gene Vincent Mruczkowski is an American football guard who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He played college football at Purdue.... G/C Ryan O'Callaghan Ryan O'Callaghan is an American football offensive tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL Draft... T Defensive Linemen
|
Linebackers
Tedy Bruschi Tedy Lacap Bruschi is a former professional American football linebacker. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft... ILB Shawn Crable -New England Patriots:Crable was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Crable was inactive for the first half of 2008 and was placed injured reserve with a shin injury on November 5, 2008. He was placed on injured reserve on September 5, 2009 with a groin... OLB R Gary Guyton -2008 season:On April 28, 2008, Guyton signed as an undrafted free agent with the New England Patriots. The previous day rumors circulated that Guyton had agreed to terms with the San Francisco 49ers, however confusion arose when 49ers General Manager Scot McCloughan said he would divulge names of... ILB UR Victor Hobson Victor Brian Hobson is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft... ILB Larry Izzo Lawrence Alexander Izzo is a retired American football Linebacker and special teamer and current assistant special teams coach for the New York Giants. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 1996... ILB Vince Redd Vincent Edward "Vince" Redd is an American football defensive lineman who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2008... OLB UR Adalius Thomas Adalius Donquail Thomas is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Southern Mississippi.-Early years:... OLB Pierre Woods -New England Patriots:Woods was signed by the New England Patriots after going undrafted in the 2006 NFL Draft. In his rookie season, Woods saw action in eight games and finished fourth on the team with 11 special teams tackles In 2007 he played in all 16 regular-season games for the first time in... OLB Defensive Backs
Special Teams
|
Reserve Lists
Jarvis Green Jarvis Green is an American football defensive end who is currently a free agent of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL Draft... DE (Active/PUP)  BenJarvus Green-Ellis BenJarvus Jeremy Green-Ellis is an American football running back for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2008. After playing college football his freshman and sophomore seasons at Indiana University, Green-Ellis... RB (Active/PUP) UR Rodney Harrison Rodney Scott Harrison is a retired professional football player of the National Football League. Harrison played safety for the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots... SS (Active/PUP) Ellis Hobbs Ellis Hobbs III is a former American football cornerback who played for six seasons in the National Football League. He played college football for Iowa State. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft and played for them from 2005–2008... CB/KR (Active/PUP) Nick Kaczur Nicholas Jesse Kaczur is an American football offensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft... OT (Active/PUP) Stephen Neal Stephen Matthew Neal is a former American football guard who played his entire career for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He is a former national champion amateur and collegiate wrestler at Cal State-Bakersfield... G (Active/PUP) Oliver Ross Oliver Calvin Ross is an American football offensive lineman who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round of the 1998 NFL Draft... T/G (Active/PUP) Bo Ruud Bo Ruud is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Nebraska.... ILB (Active/PUP) R Mike Vrabel Michael George "Mike" Vrabel is an assistant coach at Ohio State. He is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League. Vrabel spent 14 seasons in the NFL, having played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and most recently, the Kansas City Chiefs... OLB (Active/PUP) Wes Welker -San Diego Chargers :Welker, who was not drafted during the 2004 NFL Draft, signed as an undrafted free agent with the San Diego Chargers. Welker made the Chargers out of training camp, but was released after the first game of the season.-2004 season:... WR/PR (Active/PUP) Ryan Wendell Ryan Wendell is an American football center for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Fresno State.-Early years:... G/C (Active/PUP) UR Mike Wright Michael Wright is an American football defensive end for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was originally signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football at Cincinnati.... NT/DE (Active/PUP) Unsigned Draft Picks
Notations
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Preseason
| Week | Kickoff | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game Site | TV | NFL.com Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7:30 PM EDT North American Eastern Time Zone The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time... |
August 7, 2008 | Baltimore Ravens 2008 Baltimore Ravens season The 2008 Baltimore Ravens season was the 13th season for the team in the NFL. Despite having one of the toughest schedules in the NFL, the Ravens completed a major turnaround from the 2007 season, finishing the season with an 11–5 record and a playoff berth... |
L 15–16 | 0–1 | Gillette Stadium Gillette Stadium Gillette Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, 21 miles southwest of downtown Boston and from downtown Providence, Rhode Island. It serves as the home stadium and administrative offices for the New England Patriots football team and the New England Revolution... |
WCVB WCVB-TV WCVB-TV, channel 5, is a television station located in Boston, Massachusetts, owned by Hearst Television and affiliated with the ABC Television Network. WCVB-TV's studios and transmitter are co-located in Needham, Massachusetts. WCVB is also one of six Boston television stations seen in Canada by... |
Recap |
| 2 | 8:00 PM EDT | August 17, 2008 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2008 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season The 2008 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the 33rd season for the club in the National Football League. Though the team finished with a winning record , they failed to defend their 2007 NFC South championship and did not qualify for the playoffs after finishing the year on a four game losing streak... |
L 10–27 | 0–2 | Raymond James Stadium Raymond James Stadium Raymond James Stadium, also known as the "Ray Jay", is a multi-purpose football stadium located in Tampa, Florida. It is home to the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers as well as the NCAA's South Florida Bulls football team. The stadium seats 65,857 , and it is expandable to 75,000 for special events... |
NFLN NFL Network NFL Network is an American television specialty channel owned and operated by the National Football League . It was launched November 4, 2003, only eight months after the league's 32 team owners voted unanimously to approve its formation... |
Recap |
| 3 | 7:30 PM EDT | August 22, 2008 | Philadelphia Eagles 2008 Philadelphia Eagles season The 2008 Philadelphia Eagles season was the team's 76th season as a franchise in the National Football League. The Eagles improved upon their 8–8 record and fourth-place finish in the NFC East in the 2007 season by going 9–6–1 and earning the 6th seed in the NFC Playoffs. The team lost in the... |
L 17–27 | 0–3 | Gillette Stadium | WCVB | Recap |
| 4 | 7:00 PM EDT | August 28, 2008 | New York Giants 2008 New York Giants season The 2008 New York Giants season was the franchise's 84th season in the National Football League as the team looked to defend its Super Bowl XLII title. They improved upon their 10–6 record from 2007, becoming NFC East champions and finished with the #1 seed in the NFC playoffs with a 12-4 record... |
L 14–19 | 0–4 | Giants Stadium Giants Stadium Giants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to... |
WCVB | Recap |
Regular season
| Week | Kickoff | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game Site | TV | NFL.com Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1:00 PM EDT North American Eastern Time Zone The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time... |
September 7, 2008 | Kansas City Chiefs 2008 Kansas City Chiefs season The 2008 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 49th season, and third with head coach Herman Edwards at the helm. The Chiefs failed to improve on their 4-12 record from 2007 with the youngest team in the NFL as part of their "youth movement." The season turned out to be the worst in the... |
W 17–10 | 1–0 | Gillette Stadium | CBS NFL on CBS The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:... |
Recap |
| 2 | 4:15 PM EDT | September 14, 2008 | New York Jets 2008 New York Jets season The 2008 New York Jets season was the 49th season for the club and the 39th season in the National Football League. The team succeeded in improving upon their 4–12 record from 2007, but did not make the playoffs.-Signings:... |
W 19–10 | 2–0 | Giants Stadium | CBS | Recap |
| 3 | 1:00 PM EDT | September 21, 2008 | Miami Dolphins 2008 Miami Dolphins season The 2008 Miami Dolphins season was the organization's 39th season in the National Football League and 43rd overall. During the regular season the Dolphins completed the greatest single-season turnaround in NFL history, going from a 1–15 regular season record in 2007 to an 11–5 record in 2008... |
L 13–38 | 2–1 | Gillette Stadium | CBS | Recap |
| 4 | Bye Bye (sports) A bye, in sports and other competitive activities, most commonly refers to the practice of allowing a player or team to advance to the next round of a playoff tournament without playing... |
|||||||
| 5 | 4:15 PM EDT | October 5, 2008 | San Francisco 49ers 2008 San Francisco 49ers season The 2008 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 63rd season. Although they failed to reach the playoffs for the straight 6th year, the team improved on their disappointing 5-11 record from the 2007 season, and ended the season on a high note... |
W 30–21 | 3–1 | Candlestick Park | CBS | Recap |
| 6 | 8:15 PM EDT | October 12, 2008 | San Diego Chargers 2008 San Diego Chargers season The 2008 San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's 49th overall season and their 39th in the NFL. While they completed the regular season with only an 8–8 record, they nonetheless captured their third consecutive AFC West championship... |
L 10–30 | 3–2 | Qualcomm Stadium Qualcomm Stadium Qualcomm Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium, in San Diego, California, in the Mission Valley area.... |
NBC NBC Sunday Night Football NBC Sunday Night Football is a weekly television broadcast of Sunday evening National Football League games on NBC that began airing on Sunday, August 6, 2006 with the pre-season opening Hall of Fame Game. Al Michaels serves as the play-by-play announcer, with Cris Collinsworth as the color... |
Recap |
| 7 | 8:30 PM EDT | October 20, 2008 | Denver Broncos 2008 Denver Broncos season The 2008 Denver Broncos season was the franchise's 49th season for the team . They improved from their 7–9 record from 2007 but failed to make the playoffs with an 8–8 record... |
W 41–7 | 4–2 | Gillette Stadium | ESPN Monday Night Football Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series... |
Recap |
| 8 | 1:00 PM EDT | October 26, 2008 | St. Louis Rams 2008 St. Louis Rams season The 2008 St. Louis Rams season was the 71st season for the team in the National Football League and their 14th in St. Louis, Missouri. They hoped to improve upon their 3-13 record from last season but the season was a complete disaster, and their worst season ever. Not only did they fail to... |
W 23–16 | 5–2 | Gillette Stadium | Fox NFL on FOX NFL on Fox is the brand name of the Fox Broadcasting Company's coverage of the National Football League's National Football Conference games, produced by Fox Sports... |
Recap |
| 9 | 8:15 PM EST | November 2, 2008 | Indianapolis Colts 2008 Indianapolis Colts season The 2008 Indianapolis Colts season was the 56th season for the team in the National Football League and the 25th in Indianapolis. It was the first season since 2002 that the Colts did not win the AFC South title. However, after a 3–4 start on the season Peyton Manning led the Colts to a nine-game... |
L 15–18 | 5–3 | Lucas Oil Stadium Lucas Oil Stadium Lucas Oil Stadium is a multi-purpose sports stadium in Downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. The stadium celebrated its grand opening on August 24, 2008, and its ribbon-cutting ceremony August 16, 2008. It replaced the RCA Dome as the home field of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts. The stadium was built to... |
NBC | Recap |
| 10 | 1:00 PM EST | November 9, 2008 | Buffalo Bills 2008 Buffalo Bills season The 2008 Buffalo Bills season was the 39th season for the team in the National Football League and their 49th season overall. They finished with a record of 7–9 for the third consecutive year... |
W 20–10 | 6–3 | Gillette Stadium | CBS | Recap |
| 11 | 8:15 PM EST | November 13, 2008 | New York Jets 2008 New York Jets season The 2008 New York Jets season was the 49th season for the club and the 39th season in the National Football League. The team succeeded in improving upon their 4–12 record from 2007, but did not make the playoffs.-Signings:... |
L 31–34 (OT) | 6–4 | Gillette Stadium | NFLN Run to the Playoffs Thursday Night Football is the brand name used by NFL Network for its schedule of live regular season telecasts of National Football League games on Thursday nights. Also included in the package are some Saturday specials.... |
Recap |
| 12 | 1:00 PM EST | November 23, 2008 | Miami Dolphins 2008 Miami Dolphins season The 2008 Miami Dolphins season was the organization's 39th season in the National Football League and 43rd overall. During the regular season the Dolphins completed the greatest single-season turnaround in NFL history, going from a 1–15 regular season record in 2007 to an 11–5 record in 2008... |
W 48–28 | 7–4 | Dolphin Stadium Dolphin Stadium Sun Life Stadium is an American football stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, a suburb of Miami. It is the home stadium of the Miami Dolphins National Football League team, and the University of Miami Hurricanes football team. It also hosts the Orange Bowl, an annual college football bowl game. It... |
CBS | Recap |
| 13 | 4:15 PM EST | November 30, 2008 | Pittsburgh Steelers 2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season The 2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 76th season in the National Football League . The season concluded with the team winning Super Bowl XLIII to become the first franchise in the NFL with six Super Bowl titles.... |
L 10–33 | 7–5 | Gillette Stadium | CBS | Recap |
| 14 | 4:05 PM EST | December 7, 2008 | Seattle Seahawks 2008 Seattle Seahawks season The 2008 Seattle Seahawks season was the 33rd season for the team in the National Football League. The Seahawks' streak of four consecutive NFC West divisional championships was broken, as they fell to a 4-12 record... |
W 24–21 | 8–5 | Qwest Field Qwest Field CenturyLink Field is a multi-purpose stadium in Seattle, Washington, United States. It serves as the home field for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League and Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer... |
CBS | Recap |
| 15 | 4:15 PM EST | December 14, 2008 | Oakland Raiders 2008 Oakland Raiders season The 2008 Oakland Raiders season was the team's forty-ninth season. The Raiders improved upon their 4–12 record from 2007. This was also the first time in four seasons that the team did not play both contestants from the previous Super Bowl, playing the New England Patriots, but not the New York... |
W 49–26 | 9–5 | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum | CBS | Recap |
| 16 | 1:00 PM EST | December 21, 2008 | Arizona Cardinals 2008 Arizona Cardinals season The 2008 Arizona Cardinals season was the 89th season for the team in the National Football League and their 21st season in Arizona. The season marked the Cardinals' first-ever Super Bowl appearance, coming as a result of their victory against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship.The... |
W 47–7 | 10–5 | Gillette Stadium | Fox | Recap |
| 17 | 1:00 PM EST | December 28, 2008 | Buffalo Bills 2008 Buffalo Bills season The 2008 Buffalo Bills season was the 39th season for the team in the National Football League and their 49th season overall. They finished with a record of 7–9 for the third consecutive year... |
W 13–0 | 11–5 | Ralph Wilson Stadium Ralph Wilson Stadium Ralph Wilson Stadium is a football stadium, located in the town of Orchard Park, a suburb of Buffalo, New York. It is the home for the Buffalo Bills, of the NFL... |
CBS | Recap |
- Simulcast on WBZ-TVWBZ-TVWBZ-TV, virtual channel 4, is a CBS owned-and-operated television station, located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WBZ-TV's studios and office facilities, shared with sister station WSBK-TV , are located in the Allston-Brighton section of Boston, and its transmitter is located in Needham,...
. - Simulcast on WCVB-TVWCVB-TVWCVB-TV, channel 5, is a television station located in Boston, Massachusetts, owned by Hearst Television and affiliated with the ABC Television Network. WCVB-TV's studios and transmitter are co-located in Needham, Massachusetts. WCVB is also one of six Boston television stations seen in Canada by...
and WMUR-TVWMUR-TVWMUR-TV is the ABC-affiliated television station for the state of New Hampshire that is licensed to Manchester. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 9 from a transmitter on the south peak of Mount Uncanoonuc in Goffstown. Owned by Hearst Television, the station has studios...
.
Week 1 roster
| New England Patriots 2008 Week 1 roster | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
|
Offensive Linemen
Wesley Britt Wesley Britt is a free agent American football offensive tackle formerly of the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the fifth round of the 2005 NFL Draft... T Dan Connolly (American football) Daniel Paul Connolly is an American football center for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football at Southeast Missouri State.-Early years:Connolly was born in St. Louis,... C/G Russ Hochstein Russ Hochstein is an American football guard for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fifth round of the 2001 NFL Draft... G/C Nick Kaczur Nicholas Jesse Kaczur is an American football offensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft... T Dan Koppen Daniel Koppen is an American football center for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2003 NFL Draft... C Mark LeVoir Mark Jacob LeVoir is an American football offensive tackle for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2006... T Matt Light Matthew Charles Light is an American football offensive tackle for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue.-Early years:Light was born in Greenville, Ohio... T Logan Mankins -2005–06 seasons:Mankins was drafted with the final pick of the first round, 32nd overall, in the 2005 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. Despite playing his entire collegiate career as a tackle, Mankins was moved to left guard by the Patriots, where he immediately stepped into the starting... G Defensive Linemen
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Linebackers
Tedy Bruschi Tedy Lacap Bruschi is a former professional American football linebacker. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft... ILB Shawn Crable -New England Patriots:Crable was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Crable was inactive for the first half of 2008 and was placed injured reserve with a shin injury on November 5, 2008. He was placed on injured reserve on September 5, 2009 with a groin... OLB R Gary Guyton -2008 season:On April 28, 2008, Guyton signed as an undrafted free agent with the New England Patriots. The previous day rumors circulated that Guyton had agreed to terms with the San Francisco 49ers, however confusion arose when 49ers General Manager Scot McCloughan said he would divulge names of... ILB UR Larry Izzo Lawrence Alexander Izzo is a retired American football Linebacker and special teamer and current assistant special teams coach for the New York Giants. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 1996... ILB Jerod Mayo -2008 season:Mayo was drafted by the New England Patriots with the tenth overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. He was signed on July 24, 2008, to a five-year contract worth $18.9 million, including $13.8 million in bonuses and guarantees... ILB R Adalius Thomas Adalius Donquail Thomas is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Southern Mississippi.-Early years:... OLB Mike Vrabel Michael George "Mike" Vrabel is an assistant coach at Ohio State. He is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League. Vrabel spent 14 seasons in the NFL, having played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and most recently, the Kansas City Chiefs... OLB Pierre Woods -New England Patriots:Woods was signed by the New England Patriots after going undrafted in the 2006 NFL Draft. In his rookie season, Woods saw action in eight games and finished fourth on the team with 11 special teams tackles In 2007 he played in all 16 regular-season games for the first time in... OLB Defensive Backs
Special Teams
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Reserve Lists
Anthony Clement Anthony George Clement is an American football offensive tackle for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft... OT (IR) Kevin Faulk Kevin Troy Faulk is an American football running back for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at LSU.As of 2010, Faulk is the longest-tenured current member of the Patriots,... RB (Susp.) Stephen Neal Stephen Matthew Neal is a former American football guard who played his entire career for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He is a former national champion amateur and collegiate wrestler at Cal State-Bakersfield... G (PUP) Ryan O'Callaghan Ryan O'Callaghan is an American football offensive tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL Draft... OT (IR) Oliver Ross Oliver Calvin Ross is an American football offensive lineman who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round of the 1998 NFL Draft... T/G (NF-Inj.) Bo Ruud Bo Ruud is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Nebraska.... ILB (IR) R Kenny Smith (American football) Kenny Smith is an American football defensive lineman who is currently a Free Agent in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the third round of the 2001 NFL Draft... DE/NT (IR) Tank Williams Clevan "Tank" Williams is an American football safety who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft... SS/ILB (IR) Practice Squad
Notations
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Week 1: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
The Patriots began their regular season at home against the Chiefs. On the first drive of the game, a running-into-the-kicker penalty committed by the Chiefs on a fourth-down punt gave the Patriots a fresh set of downs, but three plays later, wide receiver Wes WelkerWes Welker
-San Diego Chargers :Welker, who was not drafted during the 2004 NFL Draft, signed as an undrafted free agent with the San Diego Chargers. Welker made the Chargers out of training camp, but was released after the first game of the season.-2004 season:...
fumbled after catching a pass from quarterback Tom Brady
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
. The Chiefs recovered and started their next drive at their own 48 yard line but failed to convert on third down and punted. On the ensuing Patriots possession, the Chiefs again recovered a fumble by a Patriots receiver after a catch; this time wide receiver Randy Moss
Randy Moss
Randy Gene Moss is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft...
lost the ball after a 28-yard completion from Brady. After the throw, Brady was hit in his lower left leg by Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard
Bernard Pollard
Bernard Karmell Pollard is an American football safety for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft...
, left the game, did not return, and was later placed on injured reserve with a torn ACL
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
and a torn MCL
Medial collateral ligament
The medial collateral ligament of the knee is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. It is on the medial side of the knee joint in humans and other primates. It is also known as the tibial collateral ligament, or abbreviated as the MCL.- Structure :It is a broad, flat, membranous band,...
. Quarterback Matt Cassel
Matt Cassel
Matthew Brennan "Matt" Cassel is a quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
replaced Brady for the Patriots' next drive, which began from the Patriots' 2-yard line. Seven plays after a 51-yard completion to Moss from inside the Patriots' 1, Cassel hit Moss in the end zone from 10 yards out for a touchdown, giving the Patriots a 7–0 lead early in the second quarter. The teams then exchanged three-and-outs twice, before the Chiefs ended a 13-play, 51-yard drive with a 40-yard Nick Novak
Nick Novak
Nicholas Ryan "Nick" Novak is an American football placekicker for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2005...
field goal to cut the Patriots' lead to 7–3 at the end of the first half.
After a Chiefs punt on a drive in which Chiefs quarterback Brodie Croyle
Brodie Croyle
John Brodie Croyle is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League in the third round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football for the University of Alabama from 2002 to 2005...
was injured on a sack by Adalius Thomas
Adalius Thomas
Adalius Donquail Thomas is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Southern Mississippi.-Early years:...
, the Patriots drove 80 yards on 11 plays, capping off the series with a 5-yard touchdown run by running back Sammy Morris
Sammy Morris
Samuel "Sammy" Morris III is an American football running back who is a free agent in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL Draft...
to extend the Patriots' lead to 14–3. The next Chiefs drive began with backup quarterback Damon Huard
Damon Huard
Damon Paul Huard is a former American football quarterback. He was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 1996. He played college football at Washington....
replacing Croyle. The Chiefs drove 63 yards and trimmed the Patriots' lead to 14–10 on a 13-yard touchdown reception by wide receiver Dwayne Bowe
Dwayne Bowe
-2007:On August 5, 2007, Bowe signed a five-year contract with the Chiefs, after holding out the first week of practice at training camp.Bowe scored his first NFL touchdown on a pass from Damon Huard in the first half of the Chiefs' game against the Chicago Bears on September 16, 2007.In his rookie...
. After three punts, Huard and the Chiefs began a fourth-quarter drive by throwing an interception to Patriots cornerback Ellis Hobbs
Ellis Hobbs
Ellis Hobbs III is a former American football cornerback who played for six seasons in the National Football League. He played college football for Iowa State. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft and played for them from 2005–2008...
; a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on the Patriots caused their ensuing series to begin at their own 47-yard line. A handful of Morris runs and Cassel passes, including an 11-yard reception by Morris, brought the Patriots into the Chiefs' red zone, but the Patriots failed to convert on third down and settled for a 37-yard Stephen Gostkowski
Stephen Gostkowski
Stephen Carroll Gostkowski is a placekicker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League...
field goal to make their lead 17–10. Starting from his own 22-yard line with 2:20 remaining, Huard was strip-sacked on the third play of the series, but recovered his own fumble at the Chiefs' 27-yard line. On the next play, Huard hit wide receiver Devard Darling
Devard Darling
Devard Loran Darling is a Bahamian-American wide receiver of American football who is currently a member of the Houston Texans. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State University and Washington State...
for a 68-yard completion, giving the Chiefs first-and-goal from the Patriots' 5-yard line with 53 seconds left. However, the Patriots' defense prevented the Chiefs from advancing another yard, as an incomplete pass, a Larry Johnson run for no gain, and two more incomplete passes gave the Patriots the ball back to seal their first victory of the season, and their 20th consecutive regular-season win.
Week 2: at New York Jets
In their first divisional game of the season, the Patriots traveled to Giants Stadium, where they had not lost since 20002000 New England Patriots season
The 2000 New England Patriots season was the 31st season for the team in the National Football League and 41st season overall. They finished with a 5–11 record and in last place in the division....
. On the first series of the game, the Jets drove to the Patriots' 13-yard line but the game remained scoreless after kicker Jay Feely
Jay Feely
Thomas James "Jay" Feely is an American football placekicker for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. Jay played for the Temple Terrace Spirit Soccer team that won the National Championships when he was 16....
missed a 31-yard field goal. Eleven plays later, the Patriots faced 3rd-and-goal from the Jets' 2-yard line, but a run for a loss by running back Laurence Maroney
Laurence Maroney
Laurence Maroney is an American football running back who is currently a free agent in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots 21st overall in the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Minnesota.-Early years:Maroney attended Normandy Senior High School in St...
set up a 21-yard Gostkowski field goal to give the Patriots a 3–0 lead. After a Jets punt, the Patriots extended their lead to 6–0 on a 37-yard Gostkowski field goal early in the second quarter. The Jets responded with a 77-yard drive, highlighted by a 54-yard Laveranues Coles
Laveranues Coles
Laveranues Leon Coles is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the third round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State University....
completion from quarterback Brett Favre
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons , Green Bay Packers , New York Jets and Minnesota...
, which brought them as close to the end zone as the Patriots' 1-yard line, but they again had to settle for a field goal; this time Feely completed the 21-yard attempt to cut the Patriots' lead to 6–3. The Patriots and Jets exchanged punts to end the first half.
After a Patriots punt began the second half, the Jets started their next possession from their own 23-yard line. Three offensive penalties later, with the Jets at 2nd-and-25, defensive back Brandon Meriweather
Brandon Meriweather
Brandon Meriweather is an American football safety for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots 24th overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Miami.-Early years:Meriweather's mother gave birth to him when...
earned his first career interception on an errant Favre pass, giving the Patriots the ball at the Jets' 31-yard line. Despite a Kris Jenkins
Kris Jenkins
Kristopher Rudy-Charles Jenkins is a former American football nose tackle who played for the Carolina Panthers and New York Jets of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Panthers in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft...
sack of Cassel to begin the drive, the Patriots moved into the red zone on a 22-yard completion to running back Kevin Faulk
Kevin Faulk
Kevin Troy Faulk is an American football running back for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at LSU.As of 2010, Faulk is the longest-tenured current member of the Patriots,...
on a 3rd-and-9 play. Three plays later, Morris ran it in from the Jets' 1-yard-line for a touchdown, extending the Patriots' lead to 13–3. On an ensuing Jets punt, a 24-yard Faulk return set up the Patriots' next drive at the Jets' 39-yard line; nine plays later, a 28-yard Gostkowski field goal gave the Patriots a 16–3 lead and ended the third-quarter scoring. Beginning from their own 20-yard line for the sixth time in the game, the Jets drove into the Patriots' red zone and then cut the Patriots' lead to 16–10 on a 2-yard touchdown catch by wide receiver Chansi Stuckey
Chansi Stuckey
Chansi V. Stuckey is an American football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
. The Patriots' next drive went for 71 yards and ended on a 27-yard Gostkowski field goal to build the Patriots' lead to 19–10. This would be the final score, as the Jets' next drive, which included a 20-yard sack of Favre by Adalius Thomas, went three-and-out and the Patriots held the ball for the final 3:45 in the game. The win brought the Patriots' record to 2–0 and kept the team tied for first place in the AFC East. Gostkowski finished the day 4-for-4 on field goals and earned five touchbacks on six kickoffs.
Week 3: vs. Miami Dolphins
Playing their second divisional opponent in as many weeks, the Patriots returned home looking for their 22nd straight regular season victory, a streak extending back to December 20062006 New England Patriots season
The 2006 New England Patriots season was the 37th season for the team in the National Football League and 47th season overall. They finished with a 12–4 record and a division title before losing to the Indianapolis Colts in the playoffs....
when the Dolphins shut out the Patriots in Miami. Despite a 50-yard Hobbs return on the opening kickoff, the Patriots and Dolphins exchanged three-and-out punts to begin the game. On their second drive, the Patriots got as far as the Dolphins' 7-yard line, but back-to-back sacks of Cassel set up 3rd-and-goal, where Cassel threw his first interception of the season, to Dolphins defensive lineman Randy Starks
Randy Starks
Randolph "Randy" Starks, Jr. is an American football defensive end for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft...
. Starting from their own 26-yard line, the Dolphins drove into the Patriots' red zone in part from two catches by tight end Anthony Fasano
Anthony Fasano
Anthony Joseph Fasano is an American football tight end for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame...
from Chad Pennington
Chad Pennington
James Chadwick "Chad" Pennington is an American football quarterback who played in the National Football League for ten years. He is currently a football analyst with FOX Sports though he plans to return to playing after recovering from an injury...
for 47 yards. On 2nd-and-goal from the Patriots' 2-yard line, the Dolphins lined up with an unbalanced offensive line and with Pennington as a wide receiver and had running back Ronnie Brown
Ronnie Brown
Ronnie G. Brown, Jr. is an American football running back for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . After graduating from Cartersville High School in Georgia, Brown attended Auburn University to play college football for the Auburn Tigers...
take a direct snap from a shotgun formation
Shotgun formation
The shotgun formation is a formation used by the offensive team in American and Canadian football. This formation is used mainly for passing plays, although some teams use it as their base formation. In the shotgun, instead of the quarterback receiving the snap from center at the line of scrimmage,...
; Brown proceeded to fake an end-around to running back Ricky Williams
Ricky Williams
Errick Lynne "Ricky" Williams, Jr. is an American football running back for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints fifth overall in the 1999 NFL Draft...
before running for the touchdown to give the Dolphins a 7–0 lead. This formation, known as the "Wildcat," was developed by Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano
Tony Sparano
Anthony "Tony" Sparano III is an American Football head coach of the Miami Dolphins. At age 17, Sparano had an incident which burnt his eyes, which is why he always wears his signature sunglasses even at night...
and quarterbacks coach David Lee following the Dolphins' loss to the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
the week prior. The Patriots' ensuing possession reached the Dolphins' red zone again on 13 plays, but ended with the Patriots settling for a 37-yard Gostkowski field goal, trimming to the Dolphins' lead to 7–3 early in the second quarter.
The Dolphins' next drive began with a 33-yard reception by wide receiver Greg Camarillo
Greg Camarillo
Greg Camarillo is an American football wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League.He played college football at Stanford. He was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2005....
; five plays later, Brown scored his second touchdown of the day with a 15-yard third-down run, extending the Dolphins' lead to 14–3. On their next drive, the Patriots reached the Dolphins' 28-yard line on a 21-yard completion by Welker on a Cassel pass that was tipped by Dolphins safety Renaldo Hill
Renaldo Hill
Renaldo Hill is an American football safety who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the seventh round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan State....
. However, the Patriots gained only two more yards before Gostkowski hit his second field goal of the day, this one from 44 yards out, to cut the Dolphins' lead to 14–6. On the first play of the ensuing drive, the Dolphins again employed a direct snap to Brown, who this time proceeded to hand off to Williams, gaining three yards on the play. With two minutes remaining in the first half, the Dolphins faced a 1st-and-10 from the Patriots' 45-yard line; Williams again took the hand-off on the direct snap to Brown, but this time went for 28 yards to put the Dolphins in the Patriots' red zone. Three plays later, the Dolphins again used the "Wildcat" formation, and Brown took the direct snap and ran five yards for his third touchdown of the day, giving the Dolphins a 21–6 lead at the half.
After an exchange of punts began the second half, the Dolphins drove from their own 21-yard line to a 3rd-and-3 from the Patriots' 19-yard line. The Dolphins again used the "Wildcat"; this time Brown threw a halfback pass to Fasano for a 19-yard touchdown that extended the Dolphins' lead to 28–6. Hobbs returned the ensuing kickoff 81 yards to have the next Patriots' possession begin from the Dolphins' 23-yard line. On 4th-and-3, Cassel hit wide receiver Jabar Gaffney
Jabar Gaffney
Derrick Jabar Gaffney is an American football wide receiver for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
for a 5-yard touchdown that cut the Dolphins' lead to 28–13. The Dolphins' ensuing possession featured Brown touching the ball on every play; after a first-down reception, Brown ran four times in a row to give the Dolphins a 1st-and-10 from their own 38-yard line. The Dolphins again lined up Brown to receive the direct snap; this time he ran 62 yards for his fourth rushing touchdown of the day, a Dolphins record.
Early in the fourth quarter, Hobbs returned the Patriots' next kickoff 31 yards, setting his own team record with 237 kickoff return yards in the game. Three plays later, Cassel fumbled on a third-down scramble that was forced by Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter
Joey Porter
Joseph "Joey" Eugene Porter is an American football linebacker for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at Colorado State.A four-time Pro Bowl selection, Porter earned a...
and recovered by Dolphins defensive lineman Phillip Merling
Phillip Merling
Phillip Blaine Merling is an American football defensive end for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dolphins in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Clemson.-Early years:Played tight end and defensive end at Fork Union...
at the Patriots' 49-yard line. After a Dolphins' three-and-out, the Patriots began their next drive with a Cassel interception thrown to Hill that was negated on a roughing the passer penalty on defensive lineman Vonnie Holliday
Vonnie Holliday
Dimetry Giovonni "Vonnie" Holliday is an American football defensive end for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers 19th overall in the 1998 NFL Draft...
; the Patriots punted four plays later. The Dolphins' next drive ended in a 39-yard Dan Carpenter
Dan Carpenter
Daniel Roy Carpenter is an American football placekicker for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League...
field goal that gave the Dolphins a 38–13 lead. After an unsuccessful fourth-down conversion attempt on a pass by backup Patriots quarterback Kevin O'Connell
Kevin O'Connell (American football)
Kevin William O'Connell is an American football quarterback for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft...
and a Dolphins punt, that score became the final. The loss dropped the Patriots to 2–1 and to second place in the AFC East.
Week 5: at San Francisco 49ers
Coming off their bye week, the Patriots traveled to Candlestick Park to face the 49ers in the first of two straight West Coast games for the Patriots. After a 49ers punt on their first series started the game, Cassel's second pass of the game was intercepted by linebacker Takeo SpikesTakeo Spikes
Takeo Gerard Spikes is an American football linebacker for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals 13th overall in the 1998 NFL Draft...
to give the 49ers the ball at the Patriots' 45-yard line. On the next play, 49ers quarterback J. T. O'Sullivan threw an interception of his own, this one to Meriweather at the Patriots' 4-yard line. A three-and-out for the Patriots on their ensuing drive ended in a 35-yard Chris Hanson
Chris Hanson
Christopher David Hanson is an American football punter who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 1999...
punt that gave the 49ers the ball at the Patriots' 30-yard line to begin their next drive. A defensive holding penalty on Patriots cornerback Deltha O'Neal
Deltha O'Neal
Deltha Lee O'Neal, III is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the first round as the 15th pick overall in the 2000 NFL Draft, after playing college football at California.A two-time Pro Bowl selection, O'Neal has also been a member...
on third down extended the drive, leading to a 16-yard touchdown catch by running back Frank Gore
Frank Gore
Franklin Gore is an American football running back who plays for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. He played college football at the University of Miami. NFL Network analysts have nicknamed Gore "The Inconvenient Truth".-High school career:Gore attended Coral Gables High...
that gave the 49ers a 7–0 lead. On the Patriots' next drive, a fumbled snap by Cassel set up 3rd and 8 from the Patriots' own 34-yard line; Cassel then threw a deep pass to Moss, which was caught at the 49ers' 21-yard line and run in for a 66-yard touchdown that tied the game at 7–7. A 38-yard Isaac Bruce
Isaac Bruce
Isaac Isidore Bruce is a retired American football wide receiver. He was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the second round of the 1994 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Memphis....
reception from O'Sullivan on the 49ers' ensuing possession backed the Patriots' defense up to their own 22-yard line, and two plays later, O'Sullivan and Bruce again connected on a pass, this one a touchdown from 6 yards out to give the 49ers a 14–7 lead.
An exchange of punts brought the teams into the second quarter, where on the third play of a Patriots drive Cassel threw his second interception of the day, this one to Nate Clements
Nate Clements
Nathan D. Clements is an American football cornerback for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills 21st overall in the 2001 NFL Draft...
on the 49ers' 6-yard line on a deep pass intended to Moss. The 49ers went three-and-out, leading to a 13-play, 40-yard Patriots drive where a third down sack of Cassel in the red zone set up a 35-yard Gostkowski field goal that trimmed the 49ers' lead to 14–10. The 49ers punted again on their next possession, giving the Patriots the ball on their own 20-yard line with just over three minutes remaining in the first half. 11 plays later, the Patriots faced a 2nd and goal from the 49ers' 2-yard line, where a Faulk touchdown run gave the Patriots a 17–14 lead at halftime.
On the Patriots' opening possession of the second half, Cassel was sacked to begin the drive, and then again was sacked nine plays later on third down to force the Patriots to punt. Two plays later, O'Sullivan was intercepted by safety Rodney Harrison
Rodney Harrison
Rodney Scott Harrison is a retired professional football player of the National Football League. Harrison played safety for the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots...
to give the Patriots the ball at the 49ers' 24-yard line. The Patriots reached the 49ers' 1-yard line, but were denied the end zone twice by the 49ers, setting up fourth down from the 2-yard line. Faulk took the direct snap on the play and ran in for his second touchdown of the game, giving the Patriots a 24–14 lead. Following a 49ers punt, an 8-play Patriots drive resulted in a 40-yard Gostkowski field goal that extended the Patriots lead to 27–14 early in the fourth quarter.
Starting from their own 20-yard line, the 49ers began an 11-play drive that ended on a 5-yard touchdown catch by Bruce from O'Sullivan that cut the Patriots' lead to 27–21. The Patriots responded with a 10-play series of their own; six plays into the drive, Faulk caught a second-down pass and was originally deemed to be down short of the first down, but the Patriots challenged the play and Faulk was found to have gained the necessary first down yardage. An offensive pass interference penalty on Moss set up a 3rd and 20 that the Patriots did not convert; Gostkowski then hit a 49-yard line field goal to extend the Patriots' lead to 30–21. A third-down sack of O'Sullivan led to a fourth-down interception by O'Neal that gave the Patriots the ball with 2:45 remaining in the game. The 49ers used all of their timeouts during the Patriots' next possession, and after a Patriots punt, the 49ers failed to convert on fourth down to give the Patriots the ball to end the game.
Week 6: at San Diego Chargers
Facing their second West Coast game in as many weeks, the Patriots elected to practice at San José State UniversitySan José State University
San Jose State University is a public university located in San Jose, California, United States...
and to stay in Santa Clara, California
Santa Clara, California
Santa Clara , founded in 1777 and incorporated in 1852, is a city in Santa Clara County, in the U.S. state of California. The city is the site of the eighth of 21 California missions, Mission Santa Clara de Asís, and was named after the mission. The Mission and Mission Gardens are located on the...
in advance of flying to San Diego to face the Chargers in a Sunday night game at Qualcomm Stadium. On the first play of the game, Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers
Philip Rivers
Philip Rivers is an American football quarterback for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League . He was one half of the Manning-Rivers draft trade which sent him to San Diego and the 1st overall pick, Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning, to the New York Giants. Rivers played college...
completed a 48-yard pass to wide receiver Vincent Jackson
Vincent Jackson
Vincent Jackson , nicknamed "Action Jackson", is an American football wide receiver who currently plays in the National Football League for the San Diego Chargers....
that brought the Chargers to the Patriots' 32-yard line. Three incomplete passes by Rivers from the Patriots' 7-yard line set up a 25-yard Nate Kaeding
Nate Kaeding
Nathaniel James Kaeding is an American football placekicker who plays for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Chargers in the 2004 NFL Draft in the 3rd round with a pick acquired from the Phillip Rivers-Eli Manning trade. He played college football at Iowa...
field goal that gave the Chargers a 3–0 lead. On their first possession, the Patriots reached the Chargers' 31-yard line, where Gostkowski missed a 48-yard field goal, his first such miss of the season. Four plays later, Rivers hit wide receiver Malcom Floyd
Malcom Floyd
Malcom Floyd is an American football wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was signed by the Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football at Wyoming...
on a 49-yard touchdown catch that extended the Chargers' lead to 10–0. The Patriots punted on their ensuing possession; the Chargers' Darren Sproles
Darren Sproles
Darren Lee Sproles is an American football running back of the NFL who plays for the New Orleans Saints. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
returned the punt 28 yards to start the Chargers' next drive from the Patriots' 45-yard line. A failed third-down conversion by the Chargers set up a missed 44-yard field goal attempt by Kaeding.
An exchange of punts early in the second quarter gave the Patriots starting field position at the Chargers' 43-yard line; seven plays later, Gostkowski hit a 47-yard field goal to cut the Chargers' lead to 10–3. After a Chargers punt set up the Patriots' next drive to begin from their own 6-yard line, the Patriots went three-and-out and a Jerod Mayo
Jerod Mayo
-2008 season:Mayo was drafted by the New England Patriots with the tenth overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. He was signed on July 24, 2008, to a five-year contract worth $18.9 million, including $13.8 million in bonuses and guarantees...
facemask penalty on the resulting punt gave the Chargers the ball at the Patriots' 31-yard line. Four plays later, Rivers extended the Chargers' lead to 17–3 on a 4-yard pass to Jackson. The Patriots began their next drive with a Marques Harris
Marques Harris
Marques Harris is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Chargers an undrafted free agent in 2005...
strip-sack of Cassel that was recovered by offensive tackle Mark LeVoir
Mark LeVoir
Mark Jacob LeVoir is an American football offensive tackle for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2006...
; the Patriots then ran out the clock to end the first half.
Starting from their own 22-yard line to begin the second half, the Patriots drove to the Chargers' 1-yard line on eight-straight Cassel passes or scrambles, the last of which was a 28-yard catch by Morris. However, the Chargers denied the Patriots the final yard needed for the touchdown on three straight downs, and on fourth down from the 1-yard line, Cassel was sacked to turn the ball over on downs. A 59-yard reception by Jackson on the second play of the Chargers' next drive as well as a 32-yard defensive pass interference penalty on Hobbs brought the Chargers to the Patriots' 1-yard line, where tight end Antonio Gates
Antonio Gates
Antonio Gates is an American football tight end for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2003 after playing college basketball at Kent State University...
caught a 1-yard pass from Rivers that extended the Chargers' lead to 24–3. On the next play from scrimmage, Cassel was intercepted by cornerback Quentin Jammer
Quentin Jammer
Quentin Tremaine Jammer is an American football player who currently plays cornerback for the San Diego Chargers of the NFL.- Early years :...
, giving the Chargers the ball on the Patriots' 26-yard line; Kaeding would later hit a 35-yard field goal to give the Chargers a 27–3 lead. A three-and-out by the Patriots on their next possession led to a 13-play, 77-yard Chargers drive that ended with the Patriots not allowing the Chargers past the Patriots' 5-yard line on three straight plays. On fourth down, Kaeding completed a 23-yard field goal that made the score 30–3 in favor of the Chargers early in the fourth quarter.
The Patriots' next drive spanned six plays and lost two yards total, ending in a 23-yard Hanson punt on 4th-and-25. However, the Chargers gave the ball right back to the Patriots on the first play of their ensuing possession, a fumble by running back Jacob Hester
Jacob Hester
Jacob Troy Hester is a fullback for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Chargers in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft...
. Starting from the Chargers' 46-yard line, the Patriots drove to the Chargers' 1-yard line on seven plays, four of which were Faulk runs, and then scored on a 1-yard Morris touchdown run that cut the Chargers' lead to 30–10 with just over five minutes to play in the game. After a Chargers punt, the Patriots moved the ball into the red zone in the final minutes but no further to end the game and drop the Patriots' record to 3–2.
Week 7: vs. Denver Broncos
In their first home game in nearly a month, the Patriots faced the Broncos, winners of 16 of the last 19 games between the two teams, on Monday Night FootballMonday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
; earlier that day, the Patriots placed Maroney on injured reserve with a shoulder injury after he had missed two of the team's last three games, and activated offensive lineman Stephen Neal
Stephen Neal
Stephen Matthew Neal is a former American football guard who played his entire career for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He is a former national champion amateur and collegiate wrestler at Cal State-Bakersfield...
from the physically unable to perform list. After winning the coin toss, the Patriots deferred their pick to the start of the second half; the Broncos elected to receive. On the opening series, Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler
Jay Cutler (American football)
Jay Christopher Cutler is a quarterback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He played football at Vanderbilt University. Cutler began his professional football career with the Denver Broncos, who selected him as the 11th overall pick of the 2006 NFL Draft...
injured his finger on the first play, but led the Broncos into Patriots territory, where running back Andre Hall
Andre Hall
Andre Hall is an American football running back for the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League. He was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2006...
, who replaced injured starter Michael Pittman
Michael Pittman
Michael Pittman is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Fresno State....
two plays prior, fumbled at the Patriots' 30-yard line; Patriots defensive lineman Le Kevin Smith
Le Kevin Smith
Le Kevin Smith is an American football defensive lineman of the National Football League, who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the sixth round of the 2006 NFL Draft...
's recovery gave the Patriots the ball at their own 32-yard line to begin their first drive. A 29-yard reception by Watson brought the Patriots into the Broncos' red zone, where the drive ended and a 31-yard Gostkowski field goal gave the Patriots a 3–0 lead. On the fourth play of the Broncos' ensuing drive, Hall fumbled again; this time, a scramble for the ball pushed it 25 yards in the Patriots' favor to the Broncos' 37-yard line, where Mayo recovered it. A Broncos unnecessary roughness penalty on the play gave the ball to the Patriots at the Broncos' 22-yard line, but after failing to make a first down, a 40-yard Gostkowski field goal extended the Patriots' lead to 6–0.
An exchange of three punts brought the game into the second quarter, where Morris ran for 34 yards on the second play of a Patriots drive to put them in the Broncos' red zone yet again. Four plays later, on 4th-and-1 from the Broncos' 4-yard line, Morris ran for a 4-yard touchdown that gave the Patriots a 13–0 lead. The Broncos' next drive ended with Meriweather intercepting a deep throw by Cutler, setting up the Patriots' next series at their own 16-yard line. After a sack of Cassel put the Patriots even deeper into their own territory, a facemask penalty on Cassel on third down by Broncos linebacker Jamie Winborn
Jamie Winborn
Jamie Winborn is an American football linebacker, currently a free agent and most recently for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft...
gave the Patriots a new set of downs. Five plays later, on another 4th-and-1, Morris ran for 29 yards to give the Patriots a first down from the Broncos' 13-yard line; he ran for a total of 138 yards on 16 carries. On the next play, Moss caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Cassel to extend the Patriots' lead to 20–0. The Broncos' next drive began with backup Patrick Ramsey
Patrick Ramsey
Patrick Allen Ramsey is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Washington Redskins 32nd overall in the 2002 NFL Draft...
replacing Cutler at quarterback. On the fourth play, defensive lineman Mike Wright
Mike Wright
Michael Wright is an American football defensive end for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was originally signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football at Cincinnati....
sacked Ramsey and forced a fumble, which undrafted free agent linebacker Gary Guyton
Gary Guyton
-2008 season:On April 28, 2008, Guyton signed as an undrafted free agent with the New England Patriots. The previous day rumors circulated that Guyton had agreed to terms with the San Francisco 49ers, however confusion arose when 49ers General Manager Scot McCloughan said he would divulge names of...
caught to give the Patriots the ball at midfield. Cassel suffered his fifth sack on the next play, the final of the first half.
BenJarvus Green-Ellis
BenJarvus Jeremy Green-Ellis is an American football running back for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2008. After playing college football his freshman and sophomore seasons at Indiana University, Green-Ellis...
, elevated from the Patriots' practice squad before the Chargers game, replaced Morris, who left the game with a knee injury. A Patriots punt was followed by a Broncos three-and-out; Welker returned the punt 44 yards to give the Patriots the ball at the Broncos' 28-yard line. After two Green-Ellis carries gained one yard, Cassel used a screen play to throw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Moss to extend the Patriots' lead to 27–0. Three completed passes and an unnecessary roughness penalty on Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork
Vince Wilfork
-2004–06 seasons:The Patriots drafted Wilfork with the 21st overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. In his rookie 2004 season with the Patriots, he compiled two sacks, 42 tackles, and three deflected passes...
moved the Broncos' next drive into Patriots' territory before the Broncos turned the ball over for the fifth and final time, with safety James Sanders intercepting a Cutler pass; a second unnecessary roughness call, originally on Wilfork but later changed to be on Sanders, gave the Patriots the ball at their own 20-yard line to begin the ensuing drive. Three plays after a 27-yard Welker catch put the Patriots in Broncos territory, Broncos safety Calvin Lowry
Calvin Lowry
Calvin Sinclair Lowry is an American football safety who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft...
appeared to have intercepted an errant Cassel throw at the Broncos' 1-yard line, but, when the Patriots challenged, the pass was deemed incomplete, as the ball touched the ground before Lowry had possession. Two plays later, Welker caught his first touchdown pass of the season, this one from 6 yards out, to give the Patriots a 34–0 lead.
Four plays later, former Patriots tight end Daniel Graham
Daniel Graham
Daniel Lawrence Grahamhttp://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/G/GrahDa00.htm is an American football tight end for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Cutler to cut the Patriots' lead to 34–7. The Patriots' next drive got as far as the Broncos' 33-yard line but eventually ended in a punt. The Broncos, facing 3rd-and-21 on their next drive, had a 21-yard completion by Cutler pushed back by a Broncos holding penalty; Richard Seymour
Richard Seymour
Richard Vershaun Seymour is an American football defensive tackle for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots sixth overall in the 2001 NFL Draft...
sacked Cutler on the next play, forcing the Broncos to punt on 4th-and-23 with 6:35 left in the game. On the ensuing Patriots drive, two 10-yard runs by Green-Ellis and 16- and 15-yard runs by Faulk put the Patriots in the red zone, where Green-Ellis earned his first NFL touchdown, running in untouched from the 1-yard line, to score the final points of the game. Another Broncos punt gave the Patriots the ball to end the game with a 41–7 victory that took the Patriots' record to 4–2.
The Patriots accumulated 257 rushing yards, their largest total since the 1985 season
1985 New England Patriots season
The 1985 New England Patriots season was the 16th season for the team in the National Football League and 26th season overall. The Patriots had a record of eleven wins and five losses, and finished tied for second in the AFC East division. They lost in Super Bowl XX to the Chicago Bears...
. Cassel, who completed 18 of 24 passes for 185 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions, finished with a passer rating
Passer rating
Passer rating is a measure of the performance of quarterbacks or any other passers in American football and Canadian football. There are at least two formulae currently in use: one officially used by the National Football League and the Canadian Football League, and one used in college football...
of 136.3, one of the ten highest single-game ratings in Patriots history, and was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance.
Injuries
On the final play of the third quarter, as the Broncos were driving into Patriots territory, Harrison was injured while attempting to tackle Cutler. Harrison, whose 20052005 New England Patriots season
The 2005 New England Patriots season was the 36th season for the team in the National Football League and 46th season overall. They finished with a 10–6 record and the division title before losing in the playoffs to the Denver Broncos....
and 2006
2006 New England Patriots season
The 2006 New England Patriots season was the 37th season for the team in the National Football League and 47th season overall. They finished with a 12–4 record and a division title before losing to the Indianapolis Colts in the playoffs....
seasons were cut short by knee injuries that caused ligament damage, suffered a torn quadriceps muscle in his right leg. Harrison was carted off the field and placed on injured reserve two days later. Safety Antwain Spann
Antwain Spann
Antwain Joquan Spann is an American football safety who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2005...
was then activated from the practice squad. The Broncos also lost players to injury: Ramsey and linebacker Boss Bailey
Boss Bailey
Rodney "Boss" Bailey is a American football linebacker in the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Detroit Lions in the 1st round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
were also placed on injured reserve, while cornerback Champ Bailey
Champ Bailey
Roland "Champ" Bailey is an American football cornerback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. Bailey was drafted in the 1st round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. He played college football at the University of Georgia.Bailey is 8th among Broncos in all-time...
was sidelined for several weeks by a torn groin muscle.
Week 8: vs. St. Louis Rams
The Patriots faced the Rams in Foxborough for the first time since the 20012001 New England Patriots season
The 2001 New England Patriots season was the 32nd season for the team in the National Football League and 42nd season overall. They finished with an 11–5 record and a division title before advancing to and winning Super Bowl XXXVI....
regular season, and for only the second time overall since the teams' matchup in Super Bowl XXXVI
Super Bowl XXXVI
Super Bowl XXXVI was an American football game played on February 3, 2002 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 2001 regular season. The American Football Conference champion New England Patriots won their first Super...
. On the opening possession, a 35-yard reception by Rams wide receiver Donnie Avery
Donnie Avery
Donnie D. Avery is a wide receiver for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Houston.-Early years:...
from quarterback Marc Bulger
Marc Bulger
Marc Robert Bulger [] is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at West Virginia....
put the Rams in the Patriots' red zone, but the Rams eventually settled for a 20-yard Josh Brown field goal to take a 3–0 lead. The Patriots followed the Rams' 12-play drive with a 13-play drive of their own, ending in a 2-yard Green-Ellis touchdown run that put the Patriots ahead 7–3. On the fifth play of the Rams' ensuing possession, Bulger and Avery again connected on a pass; this one went for 69 yards and a touchdown to reestablish a Rams lead at 10–7 early in the second quarter.
The first punt of the game came on the Patriots' next drive and set the Rams up to begin their next series from their own 20-yard line. Wide receiver Keenan Burton
Keenan Burton
-St. Louis Rams:Burton would be selected 128th overall in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams. He signed a three-year, $1.459 million contract with the Rams on July 4, 2008. The deal included a $309,000 signing bonus...
then caught a 27-yard pass from Bulger, and Pittman ran for 30 yards on two runs to help the Rams reach as far as the Patriots' 23-yard line on a first down. A subsequent holding penalty on Rams guard Jacob Bell
Jacob Bell (American football)
Jacob Bell is an American football guard for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the fifth round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Miami University.-Early years:Bell was born on the west side of Cleveland, Ohio...
, plus two sacks on Bulger by the Patriots' Thomas and Seymour pushed the Rams back to the Patriots' 40-yard line, where they punted. The Patriots next drive saw Faulk replace Green-Ellis at running back as part of a predominantly shotgun offense; an 18-yard Faulk reception put the Patriots in the Rams' red zone, but the 12-play drive ended on a 30-yard Gostkowski field goal to tie the game at 10. Another sack of Bulger by Thomas, again for a loss of 13 yards, on the Rams' ensuing possession helped force the Rams to punt and to do so from their own 3-yard line. This gave the Patriots the ball at the Rams' 46-yard line with 19 seconds remaining in the half, where a 30-yard reception by Moss set up a 27-yard Gostkowski field goal to give the Patriots a 13–10 lead at the end of the half.
The Rams went three-and-out to begin the second half, setting up the Patriots to begin their next drive from their own 10-yard line. Five plays in, a Cassel pass to Moss was tipped and intercepted by Rams safety Oshiomogho Atogwe
Oshiomogho Atogwe
Oshiomogho Isaac "O.J." Atogwe is a Canadian safety of American football for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Stanford.-Early years:He attended high school at W.F....
and returned to the Patriots' 43-yard line. Six plays later, the Rams tied the game at 13 on a 44-yard Brown field goal. The Patriots' next drive reached the Rams' 44-yard line, but Cassel again was intercepted, this time by cornerback Fakhir Brown
Fakhir Brown
Fakhir Hamin Brown is an American football cornerback for the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League. He was signed by the Toronto Argonauts as an undrafted free agent in 1998. He played college football at Grambling.Brown has also been a member of the San Diego Chargers, Oakland Raiders,...
after Wes Welker tripped and fell. When the Rams went three-and-out, the Patriots' next drive advanced to the Rams' 36-yard line, where Green-Ellis was denied the yard necessary for the first down on two straight plays to give the Rams the ball back on downs. A 44-yard Avery reception began the Rams' next possession, which ended seven plays later on a 25-yard Brown field goal that gave the Rams a 16–13 lead early in the fourth quarter.
An exchange of punts gave the Patriots the ball at their own 48-yard line to begin a drive that concluded with a 41-yard Gostkowski field goal to again tie the game, this time at 16. A Ty Warren
Ty Warren
Ty'ron "Ty" Markeith Warren is an American football defensive tackle for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
sack of Bulger began the Rams' next drive, a three-and-out to give the Patriots the ball at their own 47-yard line after a punt. Cassel was sacked as well to begin the Patriots' next drive, but he hit Moss on a 23-yard completion on the very next play to put the Patriots in Rams' territory. Five plays later, Faulk was on the receiving end of a 15-yard touchdown pass by Cassel that put the Patriots ahead 23–16 with just over three minutes remaining in the game. The Rams managed to reach the Patriots' 38-yard line on the ensuing possession, but an O'Neal interception returned for 47 yards gave the Patriots the ball back and set up three Cassel kneeldowns. The Rams were then unable to score on the only play of their final series to seal a 23–16 Patriots win, one that brought the 5–2 Patriots into a tie with the Bills atop the AFC East.
For the first time in franchise history, the Patriots finished a game with zero assessed penalties; tackle Matt Light
Matt Light
Matthew Charles Light is an American football offensive tackle for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue.-Early years:Light was born in Greenville, Ohio...
was called for holding in the fourth quarter, but the penalty was declined. It was also the first penalty-free performance by any NFL team in 2008.
Week 9: at Indianapolis Colts
The Patriots traveled to Indianapolis for a Sunday night game with the Colts in Lucas Oil Stadium. Both teams went three-and-out to start the game, setting up a Colts possession that began from their own 9-yard line. The Colts then went 91 yards on a 15-play drive that lasted over nine minutes, included six first downs, and culminated in a 12-yard Anthony GonzalezAnthony Gonzalez
Anthony E. Gonzalez is an American football wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Colts in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Ohio State.-Early years:Gonzalez attended St...
touchdown pass from Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning
Peyton Williams Manning is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League . Manning holds the record for most NFL MVP awards with four. He was drafted by the Colts as the first overall pick in 1998 after a standout college football career with the...
to give the Colts a 7–0 lead. The Patriots responded with a 13-play, 56-yard drive of their own that brought the game into the second quarter.
Part way through the drive, the Patriots employed the same "Wildcat" formation concept used against them earlier in the season against the Dolphins, using Faulk as the back receiving the direct snap on a run for five yards. The Patriots reached as far as the Colts 11-yard line but could not advance any further; a 29-yard Gostkowski field goal cut the Colts' lead to 7–3. After a Colts punt, the Patriots began their second drive of the game and were able to move the ball 61 yards on 13 plays to as far as the Colts' 17-yard line. The possession saw another use of the "Wildcat" formation; this time Faulk threw to Welker off the direct snap, but Welker then was tackled for a two yard loss. Two plays later, Gostkowski hit a 35-yard field goal to trim the Colts' lead to 7–6. The Colts began their next drive from their own 18-yard line with one timeout and 1:22 remaining in the first half. A 26-yard Marvin Harrison
Marvin Harrison
Marvin Daniel Harrison is a former American football wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft. He played college football at Syracuse...
reception put the Colts in Patriots territory, but Harrison was injured on the tackle and was unable to step out of bounds to stop the clock. Manning spiked the ball at the Patriots' 26-yard line with one second remaining, but was called for a false start; by rule, the penalty incurred a ten-second clock run-off to end the first half.
The Patriots' opening drive of the second half spanned 72 yards and nearly eight minutes but also ended with the Patriots having one timeout to use thereafter. On a Faulk run for no gain part way through the drive, the Patriots challenged that the Colts had too many players on the field, contending a Colts player substituting out of the game was unable to get off the field in time. The challenged failed, costing the Patriots their first timeout of the second half. Seven plays later, the Patriots used their second timeout of the half. A 6-yard Green-Ellis touchdown run put the Patriots ahead 12–7, but a two-point conversion attempt on a Faulk run kept the Patriots' lead to five points. A 39-yard Pierre Garçon
Pierre Garcon
Pierre Garçon is an American football wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Colts in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio. Garcon is of Haitian descent.- High school career...
return on the ensuing kickoff set up the Colts' next drive to begin from their own 43-yard line; nine plays later, Gonzalez's second touchdown reception of the night, this one from 9 yards out, put the Colts ahead 13–12. The Colts also went for the two-point conversion, and were successful, with a Reggie Wayne
Reggie Wayne
Reginald "Reggie" Wayne is a professional American football wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. Wayne was selected in the 1st round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Colts...
catch extending the Colts' lead to 15–12. The Patriots responded with a 15-play, 69-yard drive that brought the game into the fourth quarter, but one which included a dropped would-be touchdown catch by Gaffney on the penultimate play of the third quarter.
On a 3rd-and-11 from the Colts' 17-yard line, Cassel completed a pass to Welker for 10 yards; the Patriots initially brought Cassel and the offense back out onto the field for a fourth down conversion try, but Belichick decided against it and called the Patriots' final timeout of the game. A 25-yard Gostkowski field goal then tied the game at 15. Four plays into the Colts' next possession, a third down Gonzalez catch went for 24 yards and put the Colts in Patriots territory. The Colts were unable to make a first down and called upon former Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri
Adam Vinatieri
Adam Matthew Vinatieri is an American football placekicker currently playing for the Indianapolis Colts. He has played in six Super Bowls, four with the New England Patriots and two with the Colts, winning four. Vinatieri won a Super Bowl in 2006 with Indianapolis and won Super Bowls in 2001,...
for a 52-yard field goal. The kick was good, and it put the Colts ahead 18–15 with just over eight minutes to play in the game. The Patriots next drive reached Colts territory on a 16-yard David Thomas
David Thomas (American football)
John David Thomas is an American football tight end for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2006 NFL Draft...
catch. Two plays later, on a 2nd-and-2 from the Colts' 32-yard line, the tight end committed an unnecessary roughness penalty after a Green-Ellis run to set up a 3rd-and-16 from the Colts' 46-yard line. Faulk gained one yard on a pass from Cassel, setting up a 4th-and-15 where Cassel threw an interception to Colts safety Bob Sanders
Bob Sanders
Demond "Bob" Sanders is a professional American football safety who is currently on the San Diego Chargers in the National Football League. Sanders was drafted in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts...
. A 14-yard Harrison catch on the Colts' next possession gave them a fresh set of downs, and the Patriots, without any timeouts, did not receive the ball again until after a Colts punt with just over 21 seconds left in the game. After two incomplete passes, Cassel completed a pass to Moss, who proceeded to fumble on a lateral attempt. The fumble was recovered by Colts cornerback Tim Jennings
Tim Jennings
Tim Jennings is an American football cornerback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Georgia....
to end the game and bring the Patriots' record to 5–3.
Week 10: vs. Buffalo Bills
In the first of three straight games against divisional opponents, the Patriots stayed at home to face the Bills, who were looking to avoid ending their own three-game divisional swing without a win. The Bills' opening drive went three-and-out, with a Seymour sack of Bills quarterback Trent EdwardsTrent Edwards
Trent Edwards is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
setting up the punt. After a 21-yard Cassel pass put the Patriots in the Bills' red zone, a 13-yard Cassel touchdown scramble gave the Patriots a 7–0 lead. Following an exchange of punts, an errant Edwards throw was intercepted by Hobbs to begin the Patriots' next drive from the Bills' 34-yard line. Seven plays later, a 32-yard Gostkowski field goal extended the Patriots' lead to 10–0 early in the second quarter. Gostkowski's ensuing kickoff went out of bounds; the resulting illegal procedure penalty meant the Bills got the ball at their own 40-yard line. The Bills' drive reached as far as the Patriots' 4-yard line on 2nd-and-goal, but the Patriots' defense did not allow Bills running back Marshawn Lynch
Marshawn Lynch
Marshawn Terrell Lynch is an American football running back for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. In his rookie year, Lynch became the Bills' first 1,000-yard rookie rusher since Greg Bell in 1984...
any positive yardage on two straight runs. A 25-yard Rian Lindell
Rian Lindell
Rian Lindell is an American football placekicker for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2000...
field goal then cut the Patriots' lead to 10–3. The Patriots' ensuing drive began with a 27-yard Welker reception but could not advance pass the Bills' 31-yard line; a 49-yard Gostkowski field goal attempt was no good. A Bills punt on their next drive gave the Patriots the ball at their own 3-yard line, where the Patriots ran out the clock to end the first half.
On the third play of the second half, Welker's six catch of the game made him the first player in NFL history to record six catches in the first nine games of a season. The ensuing 13-play drive culminated with a 37-yard Gostkowski field goal that gave the Patriots a 13–3 lead. An exchange of punts gave the Bills the ball at their own 19-yard line to begin their next drive, which advanced to the Bills' 45-yard line before Edwards' second interception of the day, this one to O'Neal, gave the Patriots the ball back at their own 41-yard line for the final play of the fourth quarter. Five plays later, Cassel was sacked for the only time in the game at the Bills' 44-yard line by defensive lineman Marcus Stroud
Marcus Stroud
Marcus LaVar Stroud is an American Football defensive end who is currently a free agent. He was originally drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars 13th overall in the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia...
and safety George Wilson; Stroud forced a fumble in the process and Wilson recovered it at the spot of the sack. The Bills' next drive ended in a Brian Moorman
Brian Moorman
Brian Donald Moorman is an American football punter who currently plays for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He was originally signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 1999. He played collegiately at Pittsburg State.Moorman is a two-time Pro Bowl selection for...
punt that the Patriots the ball at their own 8-yard line with just over 11 minutes remaining in the game. The Patriots then embarked on a 19-play, 92-yard drive that tied a franchise record set in 2002 for number of plays in a single drive; it was also the Patriots' NFL-leading 22nd drive of ten or more plays. It ended with a 1-yard Green-Ellis touchdown run that extended the Patriots' lead to 20–3 with 1:57 remaining in the game. The Bills responded on the ensuing kickoff with an 85-yard return by Leodis McKelvin
Leodis McKelvin
-Buffalo Bills:On July 26, McKelvin signed a five-year, $19.4 million contract with the Bills with up to $12.6 million in bonuses. McKelvin made an impact with his kick returning skills. McKelvin also returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown in a preseason game against the Steelers. The...
, setting up a 14-yard touchdown catch by fellow rookie James Hardy
James Hardy (American football)
James W. Hardy, III is an American football wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft and played college football at Indiana University.-High School career:...
on the next play to cut the Patriots' lead to 20–10. The Bills then attempted an onside kick, which appeared to be recovered by the Bills but was then ruled to be dead at the spot as it had been touched by a Bills player before traveling the necessary 10 yards. Three kneeldowns by the Patriots gave them a 20–10 win to better their record to 6–3.
Week 11: vs. New York Jets
Looking for a split in their season series with the Patriots and a lead in the AFC East, the Jets traveled to Foxboro to face the Patriots on a Thursday night. The Jets' Leon WashingtonLeon Washington
Leon Washington is an American football running back for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State. He is married to Charity Washington with whom he has a son...
returned the opening kickoff 30 yards to start the Jets' first drive from their own 38-yard line. Four plays in, an incompletion from Jets quarterback Brett Favre
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons , Green Bay Packers , New York Jets and Minnesota...
to Coles appeared to set up a fourth down, but the Jets challenged the play and won; the catch gave the Jets a first down from the Patriots' 37-yard line. Shortly after a 20-yard Dustin Keller
Dustin Keller
-New York Jets:Keller was drafted by the New York Jets 30th overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. Keller was slowly phased into the offense and eventually finished with productive numbers in part of the presence of the veteran Brett Favre. Keller finished a strong rookie season with 48 receptions, 535...
catch extended the Jets' drive on third down again, a 7-yard Washington touchdown run gave the Jets a 7–0 lead. The Patriots responded by moving into Jets' territory on their first drive, but were later forced to settle for a 42-yard Gostkowski field goal that cut the Jets' lead to 7–3. Washington returned the ensuing kickoff 37 yards to give the Jets the ball at their own 36-yard line for the beginning of their next possession. Another Keller catch on third down put the Jets into Patriots territory; a Pierre Woods
Pierre Woods
-New England Patriots:Woods was signed by the New England Patriots after going undrafted in the 2006 NFL Draft. In his rookie season, Woods saw action in eight games and finished fourth on the team with 11 special teams tackles In 2007 he played in all 16 regular-season games for the first time in...
unnecessary roughness penalty moved the Patriots defense back further, eventually to their own 5-yard line on a Jets first down. However, the Jets managed to move the ball only one more yard, leading to a 22-yard Feely field goal that extended the Jets' lead to 10–3 at the end of the first quarter.
The Patriots' second drive of the game went for 59 yards on 12 plays, but a Morris run for no gain and two incompletions from the Jets' 13-yard line set up a 31-yard Gostkowski field to trim the Jets' lead to 10–6. Taking the ensuing kickoff from the Jets' 8-yard line, Washington went 92 yards for the touchdown, opening the Jets' lead to 17–6. The Patriots punted on their next possession, giving the Jets the ball at their own 13-yard line. Favre began the drive with an 18-yard pass to wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery
Jerricho Cotchery
Cotchery was selected by the New York Jets in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL draft.-New York Jets:In 2004, Cotchery caught 6 passes for 60 yards in 12 games as the team's 5th receiver...
, and then two plays later, a 46-yard Cotchery catch put the Jets on the Patriots' 16-yard line; Favre hit Cotchery yet again two plays later, this time for a 15-yard touchdown reception that gave the Jets a 24–6 lead. On the Patriots' next possession, a 43-yard Sam Aiken
Sam Aiken
Samuel Aiken is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
catch on a screen pass put the Patriots in Jets territory; a 9-yard Cassel scramble set up 3rd-and-1. A Heath Evans
Heath Evans
Bryan Heath Evans is a former American football fullback. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round of the 2001 NFL Draft...
run was stopped for a loss of two yards, and Cassel was sacked by C. J. Mosley
C. J. Mosley
Calvin Michael "C. J." Mosley, Jr. is an American football defensive end for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
on fourth down to turn the ball over on downs for the Patriots at the Jets' 30-yard line. The Jets then went three-and-out for the first time in the game, giving the Patriots, with one timeout remaining, the ball at their own 32-yard line with 1:44 remaining in the first half. The Patriots did not call their final timeout until multiple completed Cassel passes, a 19-yard scramble, and a successful quarterback sneak to convert on fourth down gave the Patriots the ball at the Jets' 19-yard line with 31 seconds left in the first half. After two incomplete passes, Cassel threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Gaffney to cut the Jets' lead to 24–13 heading into halftime.
Having the ball to start the second half, the Patriots moved to the Jets' 34-yard line on four plays, but on a subsequent 12-yard Watson reception, the tight end fumbled as he was being tackled by linebacker Eric Barton
Eric Barton
Eric Barton is a former American football linebacker who played for twelve seasons in the National Football League. He played college football at Maryland before he was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the fifth round of the 1999 NFL Draft...
; the loose ball was recovered by safety Kerry Rhodes
Kerry Rhodes
Kerry Rhodes is an American football safety for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
and returned 11 yards to the Jets' 33-yard line. However, two sacks of Favre by Wilfork and Seymour, both for losses of nine yards, forced the Jets into their second three-and-out series of the night. Cassel was sacked on the next play, but four plays later, the Patriots had a first down from the Jets' 38-yard line. Patriots center Dan Koppen
Dan Koppen
Daniel Koppen is an American football center for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
, who had left the game with an injury in the second quarter but later returned, snapped the ball while Cassel was making adjustments at the line and was not ready to receive the snap. Cassel chased the Koppen fumble and recovered it at the Patriots' 38-yard line for a loss of 24 yards. The Patriots, later facing 4th-and-21, punted to give the Jets the ball at their own 16-yard line. A Jets punt was followed by an exchange of three-and-outs, eventually setting up a Patriots drive to begin from their own 22-yard line. A 29-yard Welker reception put the Patriots in Jets territory; five plays later, Watson caught a 10-yard touchdown pass, his first of the year, cutting the Jets' lead to 24–19. On the final snap of the third quarter, the Patriots attempted a two point conversion and succeeded; the Gaffney catch put the Patriots to within a field goal, trailing 24–21.
Five plays into the Jets' next drive, Patriots cornerback Jason Webster
Jason Webster
Jason Richmond Webster is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 2000 NFL Draft...
forced Cotchery to fumble a 9-yard reception; Guyton recovered the fumble at the Patriots' 40-yard line. The Patriots next possession featured an entirely shotgun, no-huddle offense, with a 17-yard Cassel scramble moving the Patriots back into Jets territory. Four plays later, a 47-yard Gostkowski field goal tied the game. Starting from their own 33-yard line after the Patriots directed the kickoff to linebacker David Bowens
David Bowens
David Walter Bowens is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the fifth round of the 1999 NFL Draft...
instead of to Washington, the Jets began what would be a 14-play drive with just over 10 minutes left in the game. The Jets then moved the ball to the Patriots' 7-yard line to set up a 3rd-and-7 with 3:38 left in the game. Favre's pass intended to Cotchery fell incomplete, but Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel
Mike Vrabel
Michael George "Mike" Vrabel is an assistant coach at Ohio State. He is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League. Vrabel spent 14 seasons in the NFL, having played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and most recently, the Kansas City Chiefs...
was called for a defensive holding penalty, giving the Jets an automatic first down from the Patriots' 3-yard line. The Jets failed to score on two straight runs, while the Patriots used two timeouts to stop the clock after each play. On the third rushing attempt, Thomas Jones scored from a yard out to give the Jets a 31–24 lead with 3:10 left in the game. Cassel was sacked on second down of the Patriots' next drive, forcing them to punt on three-and-out but not having to use their timeout until the Jets' next possession, when they used it in conjunction with the two-minute warning to get the ball back with 1:04 left in the game after a Jets punt. Starting from their own 38-yard line, the Patriots moved to the Jets' 42-yard line on two Cassel completions; a spike stopped the clock at :36. A 17-yard Welker catch and another spike then put the Patriots at the Jets' 25-yard line with :23 left. A Koppen false start moved the Patriots back 5 yards, but a 14-yard Welker catch and another spike put the Patriots on the Jets' 16-yard line with 8 seconds to go. On the ensuing play, Moss was covered by former Patriots cornerback Ty Law
Ty Law
Tajuan "Ty" Law is a retired football cornerback of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots 23rd overall in the 1995 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan....
, who returned to the Jets for a second stint with the team just days earlier after sitting out the first 10 weeks of the season. As Cassel eluded a pass rusher and moved into the flat, Moss looked for the pass from the near corner of the end zone. Cassel threw to Moss, who caught the pass just beyond the near pylon and fell out of bounds, giving the Patriots a 16-yard touchdown with 1 second remaining in the game. A booth review was called but determined Moss did indeed have possession and the necessary footing before he fell out of bounds, upholding the touchdown call and sending the game into overtime after the extra point.
Even though the Patriots had won their last eight overtime games, they began the sudden death period on defense as the Jets won the overtime coin toss. On the first play of the Jets' possession, Favre was sacked for a loss of five yards; an incomplete pass set up a 3rd-and-15 from the Jets' 15-yard line. However, Favre found Keller for a 16-yard catch and the first down; and then did so again two plays later, this one for 12 yards to move the Jets to their own 47-yard line. Three plays later, on a 3rd-and-1 from the Patriots' 44-yard line, Keller caught his third first down catch of the drive. This was followed by a 16-yard Coles catch two plays later, giving the Jets a first down from the Patriots' 24-yard line. On 4th-and-2 from the Patriots' 16-yard line, Feely hit a 34-yard field goal to give the Jets a 34–31 overtime win, dropping the Patriots to second in the division with a 6–4 record.
The Patriots' total of 511 net yards in the game was the fourth-best in franchise history, and the highest since 1979
1979 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1979 season with a record of nine wins and seven losses, and finished second in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Schedule:- Standings :-Roster:...
. Cassel's 62 rushing yards were the most by a Patriots quarterback since Steve Grogan
Steve Grogan
Steve James Grogan is a former American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. Grogan played for the Patriots for his entire NFL career, from 1975 to 1990.-High school and college:...
had 68 yards in 1978
1978 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1978 season with a record of eleven wins and five losses, and finished tied for first in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Regular season:...
. Moreover, Cassel's 400 passing yards and 62 rushing yards made him the first player since the AFL-NFL merger
AFL-NFL Merger
The AFL–NFL merger of 1970 was the merger of the two major professional American football leagues in the United States at the time: the National Football League and the American Football League...
in 1970 to have at least 400 passing and 60 rushing yards in a single game, and the first Patriots quarterback to throw for 300 yards and rush for 50 in the same game.
Week 12: at Miami Dolphins
Looking to avoid back-to-back divisional losses, the Patriots traveled to Miami to face the 6–4 Dolphins at Dolphin Stadium. After Carpenter's kickoff was returned from the 29-yard line by Matthew SlaterMatthew Slater
Matthew Wilson Slater is an American football wide receiver and safety for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft...
, the Patriots began their first possession at their own 40-yard line. Cassel's first two passes were both completed for first downs, putting the Patriots in Dolphins territory and eventually their red zone. However, a holding penalty on Neal pushed the Patriots back 10 yards, forcing a 30-yard Gostkowski field goal four plays later that gave the Patriots a 3–0 lead. Following a Dolphins three-and-out, the Patriots' second drive ended when a Cassel pass to Moss was bobbled by both Moss and cornerback Jason Allen to keep the ball in the air until Renaldo Hill intercepted it; a 17-yard return gave the Dolphins the ball at the Patriots' 42-yard line. On the next play, a 29-yard David Martin
David Martin (American football)
David Earl Martin is an American football tight end who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the 2001 NFL Draft...
reception moved the Dolphins into the Patriots' red zone, where the Dolphins used their "Wildcat" formation on the next two plays. A Tedy Bruschi
Tedy Bruschi
Tedy Lacap Bruschi is a former professional American football linebacker. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft...
unnecessary roughness penalty on the second Ronnie Brown run set up a first-and-goal, where Camarillo caught a 3-yard pass from Pennington for a touchdown, giving the Dolphins a 7–3 lead. The Patriots responded with a 12-play, 74-yard drive that ended on the first play of the second quarter, an 8-yard touchdown scramble by Cassel to give the Patriots the lead again, 10–7.
The Dolphins' next drive went three-and-out despite two more plays using the "Wildcat" formation, giving the Patriots the ball at their own 41-yard line. On a 1-yard Morris run from the Dolphins' 28-yard line, linebacker Matt Roth
Matt Roth
Matthew M. Roth is an American football defensive end and outside linebacker for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
forced a fumble during the tackle; the ball was recovered by Dolphins cornerback André Goodman at the Dolphins' 28-yard line. The Dolphins took advantage of the turnover, going 72 yards on 12 plays and re-taking the lead at 14–10 on a 7-yard Pennington touchdown scramble. Carpenter's ensuing kickoff was returned by Slater from the Patriots' 24-yard line, setting up the Patriots' next drive to begin from their own 37-yard line. Six plays later, Cassel completed a 25-yard touchdown pass to Moss that gave the Patriots the lead again, 17–14. After an exchange of three-and-outs, the Dolphins began their final drive of the half with 39 seconds remaining and moved into Patriots territory. However, a false start on wide receiver Ted Ginn, Jr.
Ted Ginn, Jr.
-College career:OSU track coach Russ Rogers recruited Ginn to run track, believing that he could qualify for the 2008 Olympics. However, his track career was put on hold in order to focus on football. Ginn was recruited as a defensive back by Ohio State....
followed by a Vrabel sack of Pennington ended the first half.
Due to their deferral of the opening kickoff, the Dolphins elected to receive the opening kickoff of the second half. A 46-yard Pennington pass to Ginn on the first play moved the Dolphins to the Patriots' 36-yard line; six plays later, Pennington hit fullback Casey Cramer
Casey Cramer
Casey Ross Cramer is a former American football fullback. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL Draft...
on a 2-yard touchdown catch that gave the Dolphins the lead again at 21–17. The Patriots responded by going 78 yards on 11 plays, re-taking the lead yet again on the second Moss touchdown catch of the day; the 8-yard grab put the Patriots ahead 24–21. The Dolphins' next drive got as far as the Patriots' 27-yard line, but an offensive holding penalty, incomplete pass, and sack forced the Dolphins to punt from the Patriots' 42-yard line. Two plays later, Cassel completed a pass to Welker across the middle; the wide receiver ran along the sideline after the catch to pick up 64 yards on the play. After an incomplete pass to Moss, a 21-yard Faulk touchdown run extended the Patriots' lead to 31–21 on the final play of the third quarter.
Four plays into the Dolphins' ensuing drive, on 3rd-and-3, Pennington hit wide receiver Davone Bess
Davone Bess
Davone Atrayo Bess is an American football wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was originally signed by the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2008...
for a 36-yard gain to put the Dolphins in the Patriots' red zone. On the next play, a diving Ricky Williams 13-yard touchdown catch cut the Patriots' lead to 31–28. Facing a 3rd-and-10 from their own 42-yard line during their next drive, the Patriots moved into Dolphins territory on a 23-yard Gaffney catch. Two plays later, Cassel and Moss connected for their third touchdown pass of the day, this one from 29 yards out, to give the Patriots a 38–28 lead. On the next play, Meriweather intercepted a Pennington pass and returned it 19 yards to the Dolphins' 18-yard line. However, safety Yeremiah Bell
Yeremiah Bell
Yeremiah Neavius Bell is an American football safety for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dolphins in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
sacked Cassel on 3rd-and-2 to set up a 30-yard Gostkowski field goal that extended the Patriots lead to 41–28 with just over seven minutes remaining in the game. Starting from their own 1-yard after a Ginn kick return for a loss and a holding penalty, the Dolphins moved the ball as far as their 44-yard line on 10 plays, but could not successfully convert on fourth down to turn the ball back over to the Patriots. The Patriots, with just four minutes remaining in the game, exclusively ran Green-Ellis running plays on their ensuing possession, moving into the Dolphins' red zone on back-to-back unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties by Porter. On the six play of the drive, a fourth down, Green-Ellis ran for a 1-yard touchdown to give the Patriots a 48–28 lead. Down by 20 points, the Dolphins ran one play in the remaining 37 seconds to end the game and improve the Patriots' record to 7–4.
The Patriots' 530 net yards of offense were the second highest output in team history, behind the Patriots' 597 yards in 1979. Cassel's 415 passing yards made him the second quarterback in Patriots history to throw for at least 400 yards in two or more games; Drew Bledsoe
Drew Bledsoe
Drew McQueen Bledsoe is a former football quarterback in the National Football League, best known as the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots from 1993-2001. During the 1990s, he was considered the face of the Patriots franchise...
had four 400+ yard passing games in his Patriots career.
Week 13: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
After their road win in Miami, the Patriots returned home to face the Steelers, who the Patriots had not lost to since 20042004 New England Patriots season
The 2004 New England Patriots season was the 35th season for the team in the National Football League and 45th season overall. They finished with their second straight 14–2 record before advancing to and winning Super Bowl XXXIX, their third Super Bowl victory in four years.Following a Super Bowl...
. On the opening kickoff, Patriots linebacker Vince Redd
Vince Redd
Vincent Edward "Vince" Redd is an American football defensive lineman who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2008...
forced a fumble of Carey Davis
Carey Davis
Carey Alexander Davis is an American football fullback who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2004...
at the Steelers' 20-yard line that Davis eventually recovered; an unnecessary roughness penalty by the Steelers' Keyaron Fox
Keyaron Fox
Keyaron James Fox [Key-AARON] is an American football linebacker for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft...
meant the Steelers would begin their first drive from their own 10-yard line. Four plays in, Vrabel intercepted Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger
Ben Roethlisberger
Benjamin Todd "Ben" Roethlisberger , nicknamed Big Ben, is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers in the first round in the 2004 NFL Draft...
and returned it 5 yards to give the Patriots the ball at the Steelers' 14-yard line. After a Welker reception moved the ball to the Steelers' 2-yard line, Morris ran in for a 2-yard touchdown to give the Patriots a 7–0 lead. The Steelers' ensuing possession went three-and-out, but a holding penalty by Aiken on the punt moved the Patriots back to the Steelers' 20-yard line. A 27-yard Moss catch on the next play would help the Patriots reach midfield, but a third-down sack of Cassel set up a Patriots punt, which was returned by the Steelers' Santonio Holmes
Santonio Holmes
Santonio Holmes Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft after playing college football at Ohio State...
for 29 yards. Following a 21-yard reception by tight end Heath Miller
Heath Miller
Earl Heath Miller, Jr. is an American football tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL. He was selected as the 30th overall pick of the 2005 NFL Draft out of the University of Virginia.-Early years:...
to begin the drive, the Steelers moved further into Patriots territory on two Nate Washington
Nate Washington
Nate Washington is an American football wide receiver for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2005...
catches of 15 and 16 yards, both on third down. The Steelers then failed to score from the Patriots' 2-yard line on third down, setting up a 20-yard Jeff Reed field goal to cut the Patriots' lead to 7–3. Three plays into the Patriots' next drive, Moss dropped a pass after he beat his defender inside the Steelers' 35-yard line, eventually setting up another Patriots punt on the final play of the quarter.
An exchange of three three-and-outs began the second quarter, leading to Patriots drive that began from their own 40-yard line. A fourth down conversion put the Patriots in the Steelers' red zone, but the Patriots were unable to reach the end zone and settled for a 29-yard Gostkowski field goal that extended their lead to 10–3. Following a 31-yard Gary Russell
Gary Russell (American football)
Gary Russell is an American football running back for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2007...
kick return that gave the Steelers the ball at their own 37-yard line, the Steelers moved 63 yards on 9 plays, capping their drive with a 19-yard Holmes touchdown catch to tie the game at 10 with just under two minutes left in the half. Two plays later, the Patriots found themselves in Steelers' territory again following a 41-yard Faulk run; 35 seconds remained in the first half by the time the Patriots reached the Steelers' 9-yard line on a first down. The Patriots' next three plays would be Cassel pass attempts to Moss; the second of which was dropped by a leaping Moss in the back of the end zone. On fourth down, Gostkowski's 27-yard field goal attempt was no good to keep the game tied at 10 going into halftime.
Following a 23-yard defensive pass interference penalty on Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor
Ike Taylor
Ivan "Ike" Taylor is an American football defensive back for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League...
to begin the second half, the Patriots moved into Steelers' territory, but another sack of Cassel forced a Patriots punt. Starting from their own 14-yard line, the Steelers responded by embarking on a 14-play, 79-drive that reached the Patriots' 7-yard line on a second down but no further; a 25-yard Reed field goal gave the Steelers their first lead of the game, 13–10. With Hobbs, the usual kick returner, on the sidelines vomiting and suffering from cramps, Slater took the ensuing kickoff; the rookie muffed the catch and the fumble was recovered by Fox at the Patriots' 8-yard line. Two plays later, Roethlisberger hit wide receiver Hines Ward
Hines Ward
Hines E. Ward, Jr. is an American football player who currently plays the wide receiver position for the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers, where he is the longest-tenured current player on the team. He was voted MVP of Super Bowl XL. He played college football at the University of Georgia...
for an 11-yard touchdown reception to extend the Steelers' lead to 20–10. Faulk stepped in as kick returner for the next kickoff, which he returned to the Patriots' 29-yard line. However, on the next play, Cassel was strip-sacked by Steelers linebacker James Harrison; the fumble was recovered by linebacker LaMarr Woodley at the Patriots' 26-yard line. Despite a 19-yard Miller catch to begin the Steelers' possession, the Patriots forced the Steelers to kick a field goal; Reed's 20-yard kick gave the Steelers a 23–10 lead. Hobbs came back to return the next kickoff, which began the Patriots' drive from their own 35-yard line. Three plays in, Welker was hit from behind by Steelers safety Ryan Clark
Ryan Clark (American football)
Ryan Terry Clark is an American football safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2002...
after a Cassel pass attempt was tipped; Clark was called for a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty to move the Patriots in Steelers' territory. On 3rd-and-11 from the Steelers' 48-yard line, Cassel was again strip-sacked by Harrison; this time linebacker James Farrior
James Farrior
James Alfred Farrior is an American football player who currently plays as an inside linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He played college football at the University of Virginia, and played with the New York Jets from 1997 to 2001.-Early years:Farrior was born...
recovered the fumble at the Patriots' 47-yard line.
The Steelers next drive began on the final play of the third quarter and reached as far as the Patriots' 22-yard line, where Reed missed a 40-yard field goal to give the Patriots the ball back at their own 30-yard line. The Patriots proceeded to move into Steelers' territory, but on 3rd-and-13 from the Steelers' 43-yard line, a Cassel pass intended for Watson was intercepted by safety Troy Polamalu
Troy Polamalu
Troy Aumua Polamalu is an American football strong safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Steelers. He played college football at the University of Southern California.-High school:Troy Polamalu graduated...
at the Steelers' 11-yard line and returned for 23 yards in the Patriots' fourth turnover of the second half. Three plays later, a 31-yard Willie Parker
Willie Parker
"Fast" Willie Everette Parker Jr. is an American football running back for the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football at North Carolina...
moved the Steelers to the Patriots' 28-yard line; they would get as far as the Patriots' 22-yard line before Reed kicked a 45-yard field goal to extend the Steelers' lead to 26–10. With less than six minutes remaining in the game, the Patriots began their next series from their own 44-yard line after Reed's kick was returned from the Patriots' 30-yard line. On the first play of the drive, Cassel found Gaffney open inside the Steelers' 25-yard line, but the wide receiver dropped the pass; Taylor threw the ball back toward Gaffney after the play, drawing a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that moved the Patriots into Steelers' territory. Seven plays later, on a first down from the Steelers' 14-yard line, Cassel was intercepted by linebacker Lawrence Timmons
Lawrence Timmons
Lawrence Olajuwon Timmons is an American football linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was drafted by the Steelers 15th overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State University.-Early years:...
, who returned it 89 yards before being tackled at the Patriots' 1-yard line by Watson. Two plays later, Russell ran in for a 1-yard touchdown that gave the Steelers a 33–10 lead with less than three minutes to go in the game. The Patriots could not score on their next possession, ending the game and dropping the Patriots' record to 7–5.
Week 14: at Seattle Seahawks
Beginning a two-game West Coast swing, the Patriots faced the Seahawks in Seattle for the first time since 19931993 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1993 season with a record of five wins and eleven losses, and finished fourth in the AFC East division.-Season summary:Amid year-long rumors that the team would move to St...
. The Patriots received the opening kickoff but were later forced to punt. Starting from their own 13-yard line, the Seahawks went 87 yards on 13 plays and took the lead on a 14-yard touchdown catch by former Patriots wide receiver Deion Branch
Deion Branch
Anthony Deion Branch, Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisville.He has also played for the Seattle Seahawks...
from quarterback Seneca Wallace
Seneca Wallace
Seneca Isayha Wallace is an American football quarterback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
, starting in place of Matt Hasselbeck
Matt Hasselbeck
Matthew Michael Hasselbeck is a National Football League quarterback for the Tennessee Titans. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the 1998 NFL Draft, and traded to Seattle in 2001. After becoming the starter in 2003, Hasselbeck led Seattle to six playoff appearances and...
. A 20-yard third down catch by Welker put the Patriots into Seahawks territory on their next drive, which eventually ended in a 50-yard Gostkowski field goal that cut the Seahawks' lead to 7–3. Early in the second quarter, the Seahawks moved to the Patriots' 21-yard line on a 25-yard catch by tight end John Carlson; two plays later, Carlson caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Wallace to extend the Seahaks' lead to 14–3. Hobbs returned the ensuing kickoff 55 yards to set the Patriots' next drive up to begin from the Seahawks' 43-yard line. Running back LaMont Jordan
LaMont Jordan
LaMont Damon Jordan is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft...
, playing in his first game for the Patriots since Week 5 due to an injury, fumbled a second down run but recovered his own fumble; a Cassel ran for a first down on the next play to extend the drive. Two plays later, a defensive pass interference penalty on Seahawks cornerback Marcus Trufant
Marcus Trufant
Marcus Lavon Trufant is an American football cornerback who plays for the Seattle Seahawks. He was originally drafted by the Seahawks 11th overall in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Washington State.-Early years:...
on a pass intended for Moss gave the Patriots a first down from the Seahawks' 2-yard line. Watson then caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Cassel to cut the Seahawks' lead to 14–10, but his post-touchdown celebration involved using the ball as a prop, prompting a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. The Seahawks began their next drive from their own 40-yard line but were forced to punt, giving the Patriots the ball at their own 10-yard line. The Patriots managed to reach midfield, but a third down sack of Cassel by defensive end Baraka Atkins
Baraka Atkins
Baraka Atkins is an American football linebacker in the National Football League who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
led to a Patriots punt. The Seahawks then went three-and-out, giving the Patriots the ball to end the first half.
After deferring the opening coin toss, the Seahawks chose to receive the ball to begin the second half. Their resulting drive reached the Patriots 44-yard line but no further, giving the Patriots the ball at their own 18-yard line following the punt. After an exchange of three-and-outs, the Patriots began their next drive a yard better, from their own 19-yard line. A 17-yard Welker reception on third down brought the Patriots to midfield, and a 12-yard Welker catch three plays later again extended the Patriots drive. However, the Patriots could not move past the Seahawks' 25-yard line; a 42-yard Gostkowski field goal cut the Seahawks' lead down to 14–13. The ensuing kickoff was fumbled by Josh Wilson
Josh Wilson (American football)
Joshua Wilson is a professional American football cornerback for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2nd round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
after a 26-yard return, but it was recovered by Seahawks linebacker Will Herring
Will Herring
William Ronald Herring is an American football linebacker for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Auburn....
at the Seahawks' 38-yard line for no gain. After an offensive holding penalty, Wallace connected with Branch on a sideline pass; Branch proceeded to go 63 yards before being pushed out of bounds at the Patriots' 9-yard line. The catch was challenged by Belichick, who argued Branch's foot was out of bounds as he made the catch, but the ruling was upheld. Two plays later, Branch caught his second touchdown of the day, this one a 4-yard one-handed grab, to give increase the Seahawks' lead to 21–13. The Patriots next drive faced a 3rd and 10 after two plays, but on the final play of the third quarter, a 28-yard Gaffney catch put the Patriots in Seahawks territory.
After another two plays, the Patriots again found themselves in a third down situation; this time Moss caught a 33-yard pass from Cassel to put the Patriots on the Seahawks' 13-yard line. However, the Patriots could not convert another third down, and Gostkowski was called on to kick a 27-yard field goal that cut the Seahawks' lead to 21–16. The Patriots defense, playing without Warren, who was inactive for the game, as well as starters Bruschi, James Sanders, and Wilfork, who were all injured in the first half, forced the Seahawks to punt on their next drive, giving the Patriots the ball at their own 29-yard line with less than nine minutes remaining in the game. Three consecutive third down conversions – an 11-yard Faulk catch, a 5-yard Gaffney catch, and a 13-yard Welker catch – extended the Patriots drive and moved them to the Seahawks' 31-yard line. On first down, a 25-yard Welker screen pass put the Patriots in the Seahawks' red zone, but on third down, Morris was unable to score on a run for the 1-yard line, setting up fourth down. This time, Morris' dive was successful, giving the Patriots a 22–21 lead. The Patriots converted their two point conversion try with a Welker catch, increasing their lead to 24–21. However, a 26-yard Wilson kickoff return followed by a 23-yard Wallace scramble put the Seahawks on the Patriots' 43-yard line just before the two-minute warning. After a Maurice Morris
Maurice Morris
Maurice Autora Morris is an American football running back for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oregon.-Early life:Morris attended Chester High School in Chester, South...
run for a loss of a yard, Wallace was strip-sacked by a blitzing Meriweather on 2nd and 11; Seymour recovered the fumble at the Seahawks' 49-yard line to seal the Patriots win. Their 8–5 record brought them into a three-way tie with the Dolphins and Jets for first place in the division.
Week 15: at Oakland Raiders
In the second game of a West Coast series, the Patriots again practiced at San José State University in preparation for their game against the Raiders. On the Raiders' first drive, a 43-yard three-and-out punt was returned 14 yards by Faulk to the Raiders' 40-yard line. The Patriots then moved into the Raiders' red zone with two third-down conversions, both Welker receptions, but the ensuing second down, the Patriots were docked a timeout after losing a challenge that the Raiders had too many players on the field. On the next play, Faulk caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from Cassel to give the Patriots a 7–0 lead. Starting from within their 20-yard line for the second straight possession, the Raiders faced another three-and-out after a third down Vrabel strip-sack of quarterback JaMarcus RussellJaMarcus Russell
JaMarcus Trenell Russell is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. Russell played college football for the LSU Tigers where he finished 21–4 as a starter and was named MVP of the 2007 Sugar Bowl. The Oakland Raiders selected Russell with the first overall pick of the 2007...
that was recovered by Raiders tight end Zach Miller
Zach Miller
Zachary Joseph Miller is an American football tight end for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He was drafted in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders. He played college football at Arizona State.-Early years:Miller Attended Desert Vista High School in...
. Punter Shane Lechler
Shane Lechler
Edward Shane Lechler is an American football punter who currently plays for the Oakland Raiders in the National Football League. Lechler played college football for Texas A&M from 1996-1999. In the NFL, Lechler has been named an All-Pro eight times during his career...
's next punt traveled 18 yards, giving the Patriots the ball at the Raiders' 35-yard line. Three plays later, Cassel connected with Moss on a 20-yard touchdown pass to extend the Patriots' lead to 14–0. After yet another Raiders three-and-out, Lechler punted 62 yards to the Patriots' 5-yard line, marking the first time in the game the Patriots would run a play from scrimmage in their own territory. This play would be a 14-yard Cassel run; a third-down Faulk catch then extended the drive, and the Patriots moved into Raiders territory on another Cassel scramble coupled with a Raiders holding penalty. Four plays later, a 29-yard Morris touchdown run gave the Patriots a 21–0 lead. However, one play after converting their initial first down of the game, the Raiders cut the Patriots' lead to 21–7 on a 56-yard touchdown catch by Johnnie Lee Higgins
Johnnie Lee Higgins
Johnnie Lee Higgins is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the third round out of the University of Texas at El Paso in the 2007 NFL Draft.Higgins has also been a member of the Philadelphia Eagles...
from Russell.
Gibril Wilson
Gibril Donald Wilson is an American football safety for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the fifth round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Tennessee.Wilson earned a Super Bowl ring with the Giants in Super Bowl XLII...
at the Raiders' 21-yard line; Wilson returned the interception 5 yards. Four plays into their ensuing possession the Raiders reached Patriots territory for the first time in the game on a 23-yard catch by Miller. However, two plays later, Russell was intercepted by Patriots cornerback Jonathan Wilhite
Jonathan Wilhite
Jonathan Wilhite is an American football cornerback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft...
at the Patriots' 1-yard line; a 16-yard return brought the Patriots to their 17-yard line. With just under three minutes left in the half, the Patriots moved into Raiders territory with help from a 23-yard Faulk run and a 19-yard Faulk catch. However, Cassel was sacked on a 1st-and-10 from the Raiders' 13-yard line, and without any timeouts, Cassel was forced to spike the ball with 29 seconds left. On the spike, the Patriots were called for an illegal shift after Gaffney was not set at the snap; a 10-second clock run-off ensued, and the Patriots were unable to get a field goal snap off in time before the end of the half.
Receiving the kickoff to begin the second half, the Patriots moved into the Raiders' red zone on a 35-yard Morris run. Three plays later, Moss caught a 9-yard touchdown pass from Cassel to increase the Patriots' lead to 42–14. Raiders running back Darren McFadden
Darren McFadden
Darren McFadden is an American football running back who currently plays for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League . He played college football for the University of Arkansas from 2005 to 2007...
responded with a 29-yard rush on the next play, bringing the Raiders to midfield. After two plays for no gain, Russell was strip-sacked on third down by Wright for a loss of 15 yards; Russell recovered his own fumble at the Raiders' 34-yard line to set up a 66-yard Lechler punt. Despite gaining a first down, the Patriots were forced to punt for the first time in the game following a sack of Cassel on third down. A 43-yard punt and a penalty on Mayo meant the Raiders began their next drive from their own 46-yard line. The Raiders next three plays all went for first downs, including a 24-yard McFadden run to begin the drive. On the fifth play of the drive, Russell connected with wide receiver Ronald Curry
Ronald Curry
Ronald Antonio Curry is an American football wide receiver, currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the seventh round of the 2002 NFL Draft after playing college football at North Carolina....
on a 10-yard touchdown pass that cut the Patriots' lead to 42–20 after Wilfork blocked Sebastian Janikowski
Sebastian Janikowski
Sebastian Janikowski is a left-footed Polish placekicker who plays for the National Football League's Oakland Raiders. He is nicknamed The Polish Cannon because he is considered to have one of the strongest kicking legs in the league, and leads the NFL in kickoffs for touchbacks. He lives in...
's extra point. The Patriots' next drive ended in a three-and-out punt that put the Raiders on their own 12-yard line. A 17-yard McFadden run began the drive, but the Raiders were unable to reach Patriots territory and punted from their own 48-yard line.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Patriots again punted, ending a drive that began on the final play of the third quarter. The Raiders' ensuing possession went 10 plays and spanned as far as the Patriots' 43-yard line, but a Russell incomplete pass on a fourth down conversion attempt turned the ball over on downs. Three plays later, Jordan, a former Raider, ran 49 yards for his first touchdown of the season, increasing the Patriots lead to 49–20. Continuing to kick away from Miller, Gostkowski landed his next kickoff at the Raiders' 29-yard line; a 14-yard Michael Bush
Michael Bush
Michael Bush is an American football running back for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted in the 4th round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
return gave the Raiders the ball at their own 43-yard line. The Raiders then proceeded to move 57 yards on 11 plays, ending the drive with an 11-yard McFadden touchdown run. Russell could not complete a pass to wide receiver Chaz Schilens
Chaz Schilens
Chazeray "Chaz" Schilens is an American football wide receiver for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Raiders in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft...
on the two-point conversion attempt, keeping the score at 49–26 with just under two minutes remaining. The Patriots then ran out the clock to end the game and maintain a three-way tie for first place on the AFC East. The win was Belichick's 100th as head coach of the Patriots, a week after recording his 150th win as a head coach overall.
Week 16: vs. Arizona Cardinals
In their final home game of the regular season, the Patriots faced the Cardinals, who had already clinched the NFC West division title, in snowy and eventually rainy weather. The Patriots deferred the opening coin toss, giving the Cardinals the ball to start the game. Without starting wide receiver Anquan BoldinAnquan Boldin
-Arizona Cardinals:As a rookie Boldin set an NFL record for most receiving yards by a rookie in his first game , tied Billy Sims for most yards from scrimmage by a rookie in his first game , and holds the NFL record for most receptions in the first 26 games of an NFL career...
, who was not active for the game with an injury, the Cardinals went three-and-out; Welker returned the punt 28 yards to the Cardinals' 33-yard line. Passing once on a 7-play drive and using backup offensive lineman Russ Hochstein
Russ Hochstein
Russ Hochstein is an American football guard for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fifth round of the 2001 NFL Draft...
as a fullback, the Patriots took a 7–0 lead on a 1-yard Jordan touchdown run. The Cardinals' ensuing possession was again a three-and-out, and a 36-yard punt by Ben Graham, released by the Jets earlier in the season, helped the Patriots start their next drive from their own 45-yard line. Two plays in, a Cassel pass to Morris went for 42 yards, putting the Patriots in the Cardinals' red zone. Jordan would soon score his second touchdown of the game on a 3-yard run that gave the Patriots a 14–0 lead. For their third straight possession, the Cardinals would be again forced to punt, facing a 4th-and-16 after a third down sack of quarterback Kurt Warner
Kurt Warner
Kurtis Eugene "Kurt" Warner is a retired American football player. He played quarterback for three National Football League teams: the St. Louis Rams, the New York Giants, and the Arizona Cardinals. He was originally signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 1994 after playing...
split by Seymour and Wright. However, the Patriots, despite starting from their own 44-yard line, were then forced to punt on a three-and-out drive. On the next play, which ended the first quarter, Mayo forced a fumble of Cardinals running back Tim Hightower
Tim Hightower
-Arizona Cardinals:Hightower scored 10 touchdowns during his rookie season, and another 3 in the post season while averaging a meager 2.8 yards per carry. He would rush for a total amount of 399 yards in 2008. Hightower would then become the only Cardinal rookie running back ever to have scored a...
on the Cardinals' 12-yard line that was recovered by former Patriots tight end Stephen Spach
Stephen Spach
Stephen Spach is an American football tight end for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. He was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2005...
at the Cardinals' 4-yard line.
Three plays later, the Cardinals punted to the Patriots, who began their next series from midfield. Two plays in, Cassel connected with Gaffney on a 37-yard completion, and then again to Faulk two plays later for a 15-yard touchdown reception, putting the Patriots ahead 21–0. Beginning from their own 19-yard line the Cardinals moved to the Patriots' 31-yard line on nine plays, but could not convert a 4th-and-1 pass on the tenth play, turning the ball over on downs. The Patriots responded with a 12-play, 69-play drive culminating in an 11-yard Welker touchdown catch that gave the Patriots a 28–0 lead; Welker celebrated by making a snow angel
Snow angel
A snow angel is a human-made depression formed in an area of snow in the shape of an angel. Making snow angels is a common childhood game.-Technique:...
in the end zone, costing the Patriots 15 yards on an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. As a result, the Cardinals began their next drive from their own 39-yard line, but punted again after three plays. With 1:24 remaining in the first half, the Patriots then moved from their own 29-yard line to the Cardinals' 20-yard line, but could get no further and on the final play of the half, Gostkowski kicked a 38-yard field goal to give the Patriots a 31–0 lead.
With the ball to begin the second half as the result of their opening coin toss deferral, the Patriots extended their lead to 38–0 on the first play, a screen pass to Moss that went for a 76-yard touchdown. The Cardinals again went three-and-out, and a 28-yard reception by Evans put the Patriots in Cardinals territory on one play. Nine plays later, on a 3rd-and-5 from the Cardinals' 5-yard line, Cassel was sacked by linebacker Karlos Dansby
Karlos Dansby
Karlos Montez Dansby is an American football linebacker for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft...
, setting up a 35-yard Gostkowski field goal that increased the Patriots' lead to 41–0. Yet another Cardinals three-and-out meant the Patriots began their next drive from the Cardinals' 49-yard line. An 11-play, 44-yard drive followed, and ended in a 24-yard Gostkowski field goal that put the Patriots' lead at 44–0. The field goal was Gostkowski's 33rd of the season, breaking Tony Franklin's record of 32 field goals in 1986
1986 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1986 season with a record of eleven wins and five losses, and finished first in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Schedule:-Standings:-Roster:...
. On their ensuing possession, the Cardinals converted a first down, but quarterback Matt Leinart
Matt Leinart
Matthew Stephen Leinart , is an American professional football quarterback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League...
, playing in place of Warner, was sacked for a loss of four yards, fumbling; the Cardinals recovered at their own 27-yard line. Two plays later, Leinart was strip-sacked by a blitzing Meriweather for a loss of 12 yards, but this time defensive lineman Jarvis Green
Jarvis Green
Jarvis Green is an American football defensive end who is currently a free agent of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
recovered the ball for the Patriots at the Cardinals' 15-yard line. The Patriots would be unable to score, forcing Gostkowski to kick a 30-yard field goal on the second play of the fourth quarter, giving the Patriots a 47–0 lead.
Leinart completed a 28-yard pass to wide receiver Jerheme Urban
Jerheme Urban
Jerheme Wayne Urban is an American football wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He was originally signed as an undrafted free agent from Trinity University by the Seattle Seahawks and served as a reserve wide receiver during his years there...
on the Cardinals' next drive, but Leinart's next pass attempt to Urban, two plays later, was tipped and intercepted by Hobbs at the Patriots' 37-yard line and returned for a loss of seven yards. With a 47-point lead, O'Connell replaced Cassel for the Patriots' next possession, which went three-and-out. An exchange of punts followed, giving the Cardinals the ball again at their own 29-yard line. Two plays in, Leinart threw a 78-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald
Larry Fitzgerald
Larry Darnell Fitzgerald, Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League, and currently ranks fourth all-time in league history in receiving yards per game for a career , behind Andre Johnson, Torry Holt, and Marvin Harrison...
, putting the Cardinals on the board at 47–7. With six minutes left in the game, Jordan and Morris each ran three times for a first down each to bring the game to the two-minute warning; O'Connell then kneeled three times to end the game. The 47 points scored brought the Patriots to four 40-point games on the season, tying the team record set in 2007
2007 New England Patriots season
The 2007 New England Patriots season was the 38th season for the team in the National Football League and 48th season overall. They finished with a perfect 16–0 regular season record but lost to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII....
, and gave the Patriots the only back-to-back 40-point games of any NFL team in 2008.
Week 17: at Buffalo Bills
The Patriots traveled to Buffalo for their regular season finale, needing a win and help from either the Dolphins or Ravens to make the postseason. With winds gusting over 50 mph, the Patriots elected to defend a goal after winning the opening coin toss. After receiving the opening kickoff, the Bills, who were without injured starting running back Marshawn LynchMarshawn Lynch
Marshawn Terrell Lynch is an American football running back for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. In his rookie year, Lynch became the Bills' first 1,000-yard rookie rusher since Greg Bell in 1984...
ran six times with Fred Jackson and Xavier Omon
Xavier Omon
Xavier Omon is an American football running back for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft...
before punting; Moorman's punt traveled 13 yards. Starting from their own 49-yard line, the Patriots ran with Morris and Jordan before also punting. McKelvin muffed the punt, which was touched by Slater, who could not secure the ball, just before rolling into the end zone for a touchback. The Bills' next possession was a three-and-out, and this time Moorman's punt went 35 yards to the Patriots' 37-yard line. The game's first pass came two plays later, when Evans caught a pass in the flat and gained 19 yards. Cassel's second pass a few plays later was good again to Evans for 12 yards, but his third, on 3rd-and-4 from the Bills' 15-yard line was incomplete to Welker. Gostkowski then kicked a 33-yard field goal to give the Patriots a 3–0 lead.
The first play of the second quarter saw the first Bills pass attempt of the game, which was complete to wide receiver Lee Evans
Lee Evans (American football)
-Buffalo Bills:Evans was initially assigned the jersey number 84. Evans, as a reference to his full name, had always worn the number 3 in college, a number that was not allowed to be used in professional football for wide receivers...
for 13 yards. The Bills reached the Patriots' 28-yard line before attempting a 47-yard field goal; Lindell's kick started off by moving left before being caught by the wind and falling wide right. The Patriots' ensuing drive went 55 yards on 13 plays, all hand-offs or scrambles, but stalled at the Bills' 8-yard line. Before Gostkowski attempted the 26-yard field goal, officials allowed for the straightening of the goalposts which had been shifted by the winds. However, Gostkowski's kick went wide right, leaving the score at Patriots 3, Bills 0. Beginning from their own 20-yard line with 4:16 remaining in the half, the Bills moved to the Patriots' 12-yard line, where they faced a 3rd-and-5 with 22 seconds to play. After a 3-yard Jackson run, Bills center Duke Preston
Duke Preston
Raymond Newton "Duke" Preston, III is a former American football center. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Illinois....
became involved in a scuffle with Patriots defenders, and the clock ran out before the Bills could clear the field to attempt a field goal.
On the opening drive of the second half, Cassel was sacked on third down by Kyle Williams
Kyle Williams (defensive tackle)
Kyle Derrick Williams is an American football nose tackle who currently plays for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Bills in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played collegiately at Louisiana State.-High school:Williams attended Ruston...
to force a Patriots punt. Five plays later, Edwards was strip-sacked by Green at the Bills' 43-yard line, where Vrabel recovered the fumble. The Patriots proceeded to run nine straight times, including a 6-yard Cassel scramble on 4th-and-6 from the Bills' 25-yard line, to reach the Bills' 14-yard line on 4th-and-5. The Patriots opted not to attempt a field goal and instead Cassel completed a 12-yard pass to Welker to extend the drive. On the next play, Jordan ran in for a 2-yard touchdown that gave the Patriots a 10–0 lead. The Bills' next possession went three-and-out, setting the Patriots up to begin from their own 15-yard line. On a 15-play drive that spanned into the fourth quarter, the Patriots moved 80 yards, with help on Moss' first catch of the day, good for 13 yards, and bettered their lead to 13–0 on a 23-yard Gostkowski field goal. With the wind beginning to subside, Edwards completed passes of 14, 18, and 16 yards on the Bills' next series, but he could not complete a 4th-and-1 pass from the Patriots' 39-yard line to turn the ball over on downs. Three plays later, on a 3rd-and-8, Cassel pooch-punted into Bills' territory, but without a punt returner, the ball was allowed to roll to the Bills' 2-yard line, where the 57-yard punt was downed by a group of Patriots. Despite this field position, the Bills were able to move to the Patriots' 34-yard line on 14 plays, but turned the ball over on downs on a failed 4th-and-10 conversion. The Patriots punted on third down again on their last drive, giving the Bills the ball for the game's final series, which ended on a Jackson run to the Patriots' 41-yard line.
The shutout win was the Patriots' first since 2006, while the Patriots' eight passing attempts were the second fewest in franchise history, behind only the three attempts in the Snowplow Game
Snowplow Game
In National Football League lore, the Snowplow Game refers to a regular-season game played between the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots on December 12, 1982.-Overview:...
of 1982
1982 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's strike-shortened 1982 season with a record of five wins and four losses, and finished seventh in the American Football Conference....
. This game also cemented an NFL record for the Patriots for the fewest penalties in a 16-game season, with 57, breaking the 2007 Seattle Seahawks
2007 Seattle Seahawks season
The 2007 Seattle Seahawks season was the 32nd season for the team in the National Football League. The team has improved upon its 9-7 record in 2006 and secured its fourth consecutive NFC West division title and its fifth consecutive playoff appearance...
' former record of 59 in a season.
Standings breakdown
| W | L | T | Pct. | PF | PA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 5 | 3 | 0 | .625 | 202 | 155 |
| Away | 6 | 2 | 0 | .750 | 208 | 154 |
| AFC East Opponents | 4 | 2 | 0 | .667 | 144 | 120 |
| AFC American Football Conference The American Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the National Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL.... Opponents |
7 | 5 | 0 | .583 | 286 | 244 |
| NFC National Football Conference The National Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the American Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL.-Current teams:Since 2002, the NFC has comprised 16 teams,... Opponents |
4 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 124 | 65 |
| By Stadium Type | ||||||
| Indoors | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Outdoors | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 410 | 309 |
Final roster
| New England Patriots 2008 final roster | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
|
Offensive Linemen
Wesley Britt Wesley Britt is a free agent American football offensive tackle formerly of the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the fifth round of the 2005 NFL Draft... T Dan Connolly (American football) Daniel Paul Connolly is an American football center for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football at Southeast Missouri State.-Early years:Connolly was born in St. Louis,... C/G Russ Hochstein Russ Hochstein is an American football guard for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fifth round of the 2001 NFL Draft... G/C Nick Kaczur Nicholas Jesse Kaczur is an American football offensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft... T Dan Koppen Daniel Koppen is an American football center for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2003 NFL Draft... C Mark LeVoir Mark Jacob LeVoir is an American football offensive tackle for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2006... T Matt Light Matthew Charles Light is an American football offensive tackle for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue.-Early years:Light was born in Greenville, Ohio... T Logan Mankins -2005–06 seasons:Mankins was drafted with the final pick of the first round, 32nd overall, in the 2005 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. Despite playing his entire collegiate career as a tackle, Mankins was moved to left guard by the Patriots, where he immediately stepped into the starting... G Stephen Neal Stephen Matthew Neal is a former American football guard who played his entire career for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He is a former national champion amateur and collegiate wrestler at Cal State-Bakersfield... G Defensive Linemen
|
Linebackers
Tedy Bruschi Tedy Lacap Bruschi is a former professional American football linebacker. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft... ILB Rosevelt Colvin Rosevelt Colvin, III is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. Drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 1999 NFL Draft, he played college football at Purdue.... OLB Gary Guyton -2008 season:On April 28, 2008, Guyton signed as an undrafted free agent with the New England Patriots. The previous day rumors circulated that Guyton had agreed to terms with the San Francisco 49ers, however confusion arose when 49ers General Manager Scot McCloughan said he would divulge names of... ILB UR Larry Izzo Lawrence Alexander Izzo is a retired American football Linebacker and special teamer and current assistant special teams coach for the New York Giants. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 1996... ILB Jerod Mayo -2008 season:Mayo was drafted by the New England Patriots with the tenth overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. He was signed on July 24, 2008, to a five-year contract worth $18.9 million, including $13.8 million in bonuses and guarantees... ILB R Vince Redd Vincent Edward "Vince" Redd is an American football defensive lineman who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2008... OLB UR Junior Seau Tiaina Baul "Junior" Seau is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted fifth overall by the San Diego Chargers during the 1990 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Southern California and was the progenitor of the "NFL-USC linebacker".A ten-time All-Pro and... ILB Mike Vrabel Michael George "Mike" Vrabel is an assistant coach at Ohio State. He is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League. Vrabel spent 14 seasons in the NFL, having played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and most recently, the Kansas City Chiefs... OLB Defensive Backs
Special Teams
|
Reserve Lists
Tom Brady Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,... QB (IR) Shawn Crable -New England Patriots:Crable was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Crable was inactive for the first half of 2008 and was placed injured reserve with a shin injury on November 5, 2008. He was placed on injured reserve on September 5, 2009 with a groin... OLB (IR) R Rodney Harrison Rodney Scott Harrison is a retired professional football player of the National Football League. Harrison played safety for the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots... SS (IR) Laurence Maroney Laurence Maroney is an American football running back who is currently a free agent in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots 21st overall in the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Minnesota.-Early years:Maroney attended Normandy Senior High School in St... RB (IR) Ryan O'Callaghan Ryan O'Callaghan is an American football offensive tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL Draft... OT (IR) Bo Ruud Bo Ruud is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Nebraska.... ILB (IR) R Kenny Smith (American football) Kenny Smith is an American football defensive lineman who is currently a Free Agent in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the third round of the 2001 NFL Draft... DE/NT (IR) Adalius Thomas Adalius Donquail Thomas is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Southern Mississippi.-Early years:... OLB (IR) Terrence Wheatley Terrence Wheatley is an American football cornerback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft... CB (IR) R Tank Williams Clevan "Tank" Williams is an American football safety who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft... SS/ILB (IR) Pierre Woods -New England Patriots:Woods was signed by the New England Patriots after going undrafted in the 2006 NFL Draft. In his rookie season, Woods saw action in eight games and finished fourth on the team with 11 special teams tackles In 2007 he played in all 16 regular-season games for the first time in... OLB (IR) Practice Squad
Notations
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Awards and honors
| Recipient | Award(s) |
|---|---|
| Matt Cassel Matt Cassel Matthew Brennan "Matt" Cassel is a quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL Draft... |
Week 7: AFC Offensive Player of the Week Week 12: AFC Offensive Player of the Week |
| Stephen Gostkowski Stephen Gostkowski Stephen Carroll Gostkowski is a placekicker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League... |
October: AFC Special Teams Player of the Month |
| Chris Hanson Chris Hanson Christopher David Hanson is an American football punter who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 1999... |
Week 17: AFC Special Teams Player of the Week |
| Ellis Hobbs Ellis Hobbs Ellis Hobbs III is a former American football cornerback who played for six seasons in the National Football League. He played college football for Iowa State. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft and played for them from 2005–2008... |
Week 15: AFC Special Teams Player of the Week |
| Larry Izzo Larry Izzo Lawrence Alexander Izzo is a retired American football Linebacker and special teamer and current assistant special teams coach for the New York Giants. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 1996... |
2008 New England Patriots Ron Burton Ron Burton Ronald E. "Ron" Burton became a college All-American running back at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, a member of the Northwestern Hall of Fame, and a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.... Community Service Award |
| Jerod Mayo Jerod Mayo -2008 season:Mayo was drafted by the New England Patriots with the tenth overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. He was signed on July 24, 2008, to a five-year contract worth $18.9 million, including $13.8 million in bonuses and guarantees... |
October: NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month 2008 Associated Press Associated Press The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists... NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year |
| Sammy Morris Sammy Morris Samuel "Sammy" Morris III is an American football running back who is a free agent in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL Draft... |
2008 New England Patriots Ed Block Courage Award |
Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections
Two Patriots were elected to the 2009 Pro Bowl2009 Pro Bowl
The 2009 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was the NFL's all-star game for the 2008 season. It was played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on February 8, 2009. This was the last time that a Pro Bowl game was held after the NFL Super Bowl game...
. Kicker Stephen Gostkowski
Stephen Gostkowski
Stephen Carroll Gostkowski is a placekicker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League...
was named as a starter, while wide receiver Wes Welker
Wes Welker
-San Diego Chargers :Welker, who was not drafted during the 2004 NFL Draft, signed as an undrafted free agent with the San Diego Chargers. Welker made the Chargers out of training camp, but was released after the first game of the season.-2004 season:...
was named as a reserve.
Gostkowski and Welker were also voted to the 2008 All-Pro
All-Pro
All-Pro is a term mostly used in the NFL for the best players of each position during that season. It began as polls of sportswriters in the early 1920s...
First Team and Second Team, respectively. Gostkowski received 28 of 50 votes at kicker, while Welker received 6 votes at wide receiver; three other Patriots—guard Logan Mankins
Logan Mankins
-2005–06 seasons:Mankins was drafted with the final pick of the first round, 32nd overall, in the 2005 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. Despite playing his entire collegiate career as a tackle, Mankins was moved to left guard by the Patriots, where he immediately stepped into the starting...
, wide receiver Randy Moss
Randy Moss
Randy Gene Moss is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft...
, and rookie inside linebacker Jerod Mayo
Jerod Mayo
-2008 season:Mayo was drafted by the New England Patriots with the tenth overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. He was signed on July 24, 2008, to a five-year contract worth $18.9 million, including $13.8 million in bonuses and guarantees...
—also received votes.