2009 New England Patriots season
Encyclopedia
The 2009
New England Patriots
season was the 40th season for the team in the National Football League
and 50th season overall. They finished with a 10–6 record and a division title before losing to the Baltimore Ravens
in the playoffs
.
After missing the playoffs in 2008
, the Patriots' offseason was marked by a number of front office, coaching, and personnel changes. Vice President of Player Personnel Scott Pioli
, who had been head coach Bill Belichick
's personnel director since 2000
, departed to become the general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs
, while offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels
was named head coach of the Denver Broncos
. Quarterback Matt Cassel
, who led the team to 11 wins in 2008 after starter Tom Brady
was injured, was traded to the Chiefs along with veteran linebacker Mike Vrabel
in March. Defensive starters Tedy Bruschi
and Rodney Harrison
both retired, while All-Pro
defensive end Richard Seymour
was traded to the Oakland Raiders
for a first round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft
days before the start of the regular season.
In the season opener on Monday Night Football
, the Patriots celebrated their 50th anniversary season with an American Football League
"legacy game" against the Buffalo Bills
. Down 11 points late in the fourth quarter, the Patriots would score two touchdowns to secure a victory in Brady's first game back from injury. In November, the 6–2 Patriots traveled to face the undefeated Indianapolis Colts
; with a six-point lead late in the fourth quarter, the Patriots tried to convert a 4th and 2 situation inside their own 30-yard line but failed, setting up a Colts touchdown and the Patriots' third loss of the season. After losing another two games of three, the Patriots went on to win their next three games to secure a division title; the team also finished with their fourth perfect regular season record at home in seven years. With the third seed in the AFC playoffs
, the Patriots faced the Baltimore Ravens
at home in the Wild Card Playoffs. The Ravens opened a 24–0 lead in the first quarter and the Patriots could not recover, ending their season.
's top personnel executive in his first nine seasons in New England. Vice President of Player Personnel Scott Pioli
accepted an offer to become the general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs
, giving him final say over all of the team's football matters. Nick Caserio
, the Patriots' director of player personnel, took over Pioli's duties of overseeing the Patriots' personnel and scouting departments, while former Tennessee Titans
general manager Floyd Reese
was given a multi-year contract to be a "senior football advisor." Meanwhile, assistant director of college scouting Jon Robinson
was promoted to director of college scouting, and former assistant director of player personnel Jason Licht
, who had moved from the Patriots to the Philadelphia Eagles
and the Arizona Cardinals
as a personnel executive, returned to the Patriots as director of pro personnel. National scout Bob Quinn
was promoted to assistant director of pro personnel.
Belichick's coaching staff faced similar changes at the beginning of the 2009 offseason. Offensive coordinator
and quarterback
s coach Josh McDaniels
agreed to become the head coach of the Denver Broncos
, which at the time of his hiring made him the youngest head coach in the NFL. Wide receiver
s coach Bill O'Brien
replaced McDaniels as quarterbacks coach, but no official replacement for offensive coordinator was named. Minnesota Vikings
assistant special teams coach and offensive assistant Chad O'Shea
replaced O'Brien as wide receivers coach. In addition, special teams coach Brad Seely
agreed to join the Cleveland Browns
as their assistant head coach/special teams coach under new head coach and former Patriots assistant Eric Mangini
. Former Denver Broncos
special teams coach Scott O'Brien
was named as a replacement. On defense, special assistant/secondary coach Dom Capers
joined the Green Bay Packers
as their defensive coordinator
and was replaced by defensive coaching assistant Josh Boyer
as defensive backs coach. Boyer was replaced as a coaching assistant by Patrick Graham
, who was a defensive graduate assistant for former Patriots assistant Charlie Weis
at the University of Notre Dame
before being hired by the University of Toledo
as a defensive line coach weeks before joining the Patriots. Finally, tight end
s coach Pete Mangurian
joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
as their offensive line coach after the season; offensive coaching assistant Shane Waldron
replaced him. Scouting assistant Brian Ferentz
replaced Waldron as an offensive coaching assistant.
, who started 15 of the Patriots' games in 2008 after an injury to starter Tom Brady
, was an unrestricted free agent after the season under the terms of his 2005
seventh-round draft pick contract. On February 5, the first day teams were allowed to place the franchise tag
on a player, the Patriots assigned Cassel the non-exclusive version of the tag, tying up $14.65 million, the required amount of a one-year guaranteed tender, of their salary cap space. The tag allowed Cassel to negotiate with other teams, but any team signing Cassel to an offer sheet the Patriots refused to match would have had to surrender two first-round draft picks to the Patriots. Nevertheless, Cassel quickly agreed to the terms of the tag and signed it, putting him under contract with the Patriots for the 2009 season and guaranteeing him the tender salary, but also denying him the right to negotiate without permission. On February 28, the second day of free agency, Cassel and linebacker
Mike Vrabel
, who was in the final year of his contract, were traded to the Chiefs for the Chiefs' second-round draft pick in 2009 (#34 overall), in the first trade between Belichick and Pioli, his former colleague.
Prior to the start of free agency, the Patriots released wide receiver Kelley Washington
and offensive lineman Billy Yates; Yates was re-signed days later to a revised contract. Unrestricted free agents, wide receiver Jabar Gaffney
, long snapper
Lonie Paxton
, and running back
LaMont Jordan
all joined McDaniels and the Denver Broncos
. Fullback Heath Evans
signed with the New Orleans Saints
and linebacker Larry Izzo
signed with the New York Jets
.
During the second day of the draft, cornerback Ellis Hobbs
was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles
for two 2009 fifth-round draft selections.
On June 4, safety Rodney Harrison
, who became a free agent following the 2008 season, retired from football.
On August 17, the Patriots traded defensive lineman Le Kevin Smith
to the Denver Broncos
with a seventh-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft acquired in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles
(see below) in exchange for the Broncos' 2010 fifth-round pick, which became the selection that went to the Oakland Raiders
in a prior trade. On August 25, the Patriots again traded with the Broncos, this time sending offensive lineman Russ Hochstein
to the Broncos for the same seventh-round draft selection in the 2010 draft.
After playing in the team's first three preseason games as a reserve, linebacker Tedy Bruschi
announced his retirement on August 31, after 13 seasons with the Patriots.
During final roster cutdowns, on September 5, the Patriots traded tight end David Thomas
to the New Orleans Saints
in exchange for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft
, which later became a sixth-round pick.
The next day, the Patriots traded All-Pro
defensive lineman Richard Seymour
to the Oakland Raiders
in exchange for a first-round selection in the 2011 NFL Draft.
running back Fred Taylor, cornerbacks Shawn Springs
and Leigh Bodden
, tight end Chris Baker, wide receiver Joey Galloway
, long snapper Nathan Hodel
, and linebacker Tully Banta-Cain
, who was a member of the Patriots from 2003
through 2006
before signing a free agent contract with the San Francisco 49ers
. Center Al Johnson, offensive tackle Damane Duckett
, safety Brandon McGowan
, and linebacker Paris Lenon
arrived via unrestricted free agency; only McGowan made the Patriots' opening roster. Free agents or potential free agents Eric Alexander, James Sanders, Russ Hochstein
, Chris Hanson
, Mike Wright
, Tank Williams
, Ray Ventrone, Pierre Woods
, and Kenny Smith
were all re-signed. Restricted free agent offensive tackle Wesley Britt
was not offered a tender, making him an unrestricted free agent, but he was later re-signed. In August, offensive tackles Nick Kaczur
and Mark LeVoir
both received contract extensions through the 2012 and 2011 seasons, respectively. During the season, the team reached long-term contract extensions with linebacker Rob Ninkovich
, guard Dan Connolly
, wide receiver Sam Aiken
, and linebacker Eric Alexander.
In the first week of the free agency, the Patriots traded their fifth-round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft
to the Philadelphia Eagles
for wide receiver Greg Lewis and the Eagles' seventh-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft
. Shortly after the draft, the Patriots acquired tight end Alex Smith
from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft
. Smith was released by the Patriots during roster cutdowns on September 5, while Lewis was released two days later.
On August 6, the Patriots acquired defensive end Derrick Burgess
from the Oakland Raiders
in exchange for third- and fifth-round selections in the 2010 NFL Draft. The Patriots, without a fifth-round selection at the time, originally sent a fourth-round pick to the Raiders with the condition it would become a fifth-round pick once the team acquired one. A fifth-round pick was then acquired in the Le Kevin Smith trade and sent to the Raiders instead of the fourth-round selection.
During final roster cutdowns, on September 5, the Patriots acquired tight end Michael Matthews
from the New York Giants
in exchange for a conditional draft choice in the 2011 NFL Draft. He was waived on October 20; the condition for the trade was not met, meaning the Patriots did not surrender their draft choice.
On September 22, in the third week of the season, the Patriots acquired linebacker Prescott Burgess
from the Baltimore Ravens
in exchange for a conditional seventh-round draft choice. He was waived by the Patriots six days later. Since the trade was conditioned on Burgess being active for a certain number of games, and since Burgess was inactive in the only game for which he was with the Patriots, the Patriots kept the pick.
in exchange for wide receiver Greg Lewis and a seventh-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft
.
on July 30, they had the NFL maximum of 80 players signed to their roster (injured third-round pick Tyrone McKenzie
, who was not signed until after training camp began, did not count against that limit until his signing). Additionally, rookies Eric Kettani and Tyree Barnes were on the Reserve/Military list and did not count against the limit.
†These four games were among the 16 that the NFL designated as "AFL Legacy Games" in honor of the 50th anniversary of the American Football League
. The Patriots wore their throwback uniform
s during those four games, as did the Bills, Broncos, and Titans (originally the Houston Oilers). (The Dolphins, not one of the original AFL teams having joined the league only in 1966, wore their standard uniforms.)
"legacy game" honoring the 50th anniversary of the founding of AFL, which added ten teams to the NFL as part of the 1970 AFL–NFL merger. As two of the eight founding teams of the AFL, the Bills and Patriots celebrated their 50th anniversaries by wearing throwback uniforms from the AFL era, while the officials also wore red-striped uniforms such as those worn by AFL officials. Following a Patriots three-and-out to open the game, the Bills punted to give the Patriots the ball at their own 17-yard line. Nine players later, the Patriots were unable to convert on third down, setting kicker Stephen Gostkowski
up for a 41-yard field goal try. He missed it wide right, giving the Bills the ball at their own 32-yard line. Bills quarterback Trent Edwards
scrambled for 16 yards to move the Bills into Patriots territory before a Fred Jackson run gained another 16 yards. Jackson was filling in for suspended starter Marshawn Lynch
; Patriots linebacker and 2008 Defensive Rookie of the Year Jerod Mayo
suffered a sprained MCL
on the play and did not return. The next play, a dump-off pass to Jackson, gained 21 yards and put the Bills in the red zone. Two plays later, Edwards hit rookie tight end Shawn Nelson
for an 11-yard touchdown, giving the Bills a 7–0 lead. The Patriots next drive was a three-and-out, ending on an Aaron Schobel
sack of quarterback Tom Brady
on third down.
The Bills punted back to the Patriots early in the second quarter, setting the table for a 14-play, 72-yard Patriots drive that culminated on a 1-yard touchdown run by running back Fred Taylor to tie the game. Despite a 16-yard dump-off to Jackson on the Bills' next drive, they punted back to the Patriots before reaching midfield. On the very next play, a Brady pass intended for running back Sammy Morris
was intercepted by Schobel and returned 26 yards for a touchdown, giving the Bills a 14–7 lead. Brady was more accurate on his next possession, throwing passes of 14 yards to tight end Benjamin Watson
and wide receiver Wes Welker
to move into Bills territory, and then hitting wide receiver Randy Moss
on a 31-yard strike within the two-minute warning. The drive stalled in the Bills' red zone, and the Patriots were forced to settle for a 20-yard Gostkowski field goal as the first half expired, cutting the Bills' lead to 14–10.
Aided by more Jackson yardage and a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty on Vince Wilfork
, the Bills moved close to midfield on the opening drive of the second half before punting and pinning the Patriots at their own 3-yard line. The Patriots would advance to the Bills' 36-yard line on 12 plays, but an incomplete pass on third down set up a fourth down conversion try, which failed on another incomplete pass. Three plays later, Edwards hit new target Terrell Owens
for the first time in the game, good for 27 yards to put the Bills in Patriots territory. However, a run for a loss and a Tully Banta-Cain
sack of Edwards set up a 3rd-and-20 situation, where the Bills failed to convert, forcing a 40-yard Rian Lindell
field goal. After a punt, the Patriots began an 11-play drive that spanned into the fourth quarter, ending it on a 28-yard Gostkowski field goal that cut the Bills' lead to 17–13. The Bills responded by embarking on a 14-play, 62-yard drive that took more than six minutes off the clock and extended the Bills' lead to 24–13 on a 10-yard Jackson touchdown on a dump-off from Edwards. With 5:25 remaining in the game and down by 11 points, the Patriots shifted into their two-minute, pass-only offense, moving the ball 81 yards on 11 plays in 3:26 and scoring on an 18-yard Watson touchdown pass from Brady. The Patriots' two-point conversion try failed, keeping them within five points of the Bills.
On the ensuing kickoff, Bills second-year returner Leodis McKelvin
chose to return the kickoff out of the end zone, despite having his team's onside kick return unit on the field. Safety Brandon Meriweather
hit McKelvin at the Bills' 31-yard line, which allowed linebacker Pierre Woods
to come in from the side and strip McKelvin of the ball. Gostkowski recovered it at the same spot. Following the two-minute warning, the Patriots offense came back out onto the field. On the third play of the drive, Brady hit Watson on a nearly identical end zone route for a 16-yard touchdown, which was upheld by official review. The Patriots two-point attempt failed again, holding their lead to one point over the Bills. With 45 seconds remaining, the Bills began their next drive and were able to reach their own 40-yard line before another Banta-Cain sack pushed them back to the 30-yard line. The next play was a last-minute deseperation multiple-lateral play that fell short for the Bills, giving the Patriots a 25–24 win, their first victory of the season.
. In the week prior to the game, first-year Jets head coach Rex Ryan
placed a phone message to all Jets season ticket holders asking them to "make it miserable for (Tom) Brady and company," following up on his comments during the offseason that he would not "kiss Bill Belichick's Super Bowl ring
s." He told the Jets fans that "the Patriots had a better head coach and a better quarterback," but that the game would decide "who has a better team." Meanwhile, Jets safety Kerry Rhodes
said the Jets intended on not just winning, but "embarrassing" the Patriots in the game, while nose tackle Kris Jenkins
called it the Jets' version of the Super Bowl
; the Jets had not defeated the Patriots at home since 2000
. On the first drive of the game, without an injured Welker, the Patriots drove to the Jets' 36-yard line before having to punt. The Jets' first play from scrimmage was a strip-sack of rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez
by defensive lineman Mike Wright
; Sanchez recovered the fumble at the Jets' 3-yard line. On 4th-and-24, the Jets punted back to their own 49-yard line; the Patriots could not capitalize on the field position and went three-and-out. However, Jets running back Leon Washington
fumbled on the next play; cornerback Leigh Bodden
recovered it at the Jets' 17-yard line. Two holding penalties would push the Patriots back to the Jets' 37-yard line, setting up a 45-yard Gostkowski field goal to give the Patriots a 3–0 lead. Following a Jets three-and-out, the Patriots moved to their own 41-yard line before Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis
intercepted a pass intended for Moss at the Jets' 16-yard line. The Jets offense would continue to struggle, however, going three-and-out again to end the first quarter.
The Patriots began the second quarter with a 9-play, 53-yard drive, one that stalled at the Jets' 7-yard line; the Patriots settled for another Gostkowski field goal, extending their lead to 6–0. The Jets would pick up their initial first down of the game on their next possession, going 52 yards on 10 plays before a Jay Feely
33-yard field goal cut the Patriots' lead in half. Starting from their own 10-yard line after a holding penalty on Sam Aiken
on the kickoff, the Patriots took nearly six minutes off the clock, reaching the Jets' 11-yard line before two incomplete passes by Brady prevented the Patriots scoring their first touchdown of the game. Instead, Gostkowski kicked his third field goal of the day to increase the Patriots' lead to 9–3 going into halftime. Receiving the opening kickoff of the second half due to their deferral of the opening coin toss, the Jets took the lead in barely a minute. Following a 43-yard kick return by Washington, Sanchez hit wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery
for 45 yards and a play later connected with tight end Dustin Keller
on a 9-yard touchdown pass. The 10–9 lead was the first for the Jets over the Patriots at home since 2001
. After a Patriots three-and-out, punter Chris Hanson
's 30-yard punt gave the Jets the ball at the Patriots' 45-yard line. From the Patriots' 6-yard line, Sanchez appeared to throw a touchdown pass to Chansi Stuckey
, but the catch was overturned after the Patriots challenged. Two plays later, Feely hit his second field goal of the day to give the Jets a 13–9 lead.
The Patriots' ensuing possession reached the Jets' 35-yard line on a third down, but back-to-back delay of game penalties on Brady, an incomplete pass, and a facemask penalty on Moss on the punt backed the Patriots up to their own 40-yard line. However, Hanson's subsequent attempt was better than the first, nullified by the penalty, and the Jets began their next drive from their own 15-yard line. On a 14-play, 63-yard drive that spanned into the fourth quarter, the Jets extended their lead to 16–9 on a 39-yard Feely field goal. The Patriots started their next drive from their own 15-yard line as well, but were unable to reach midfield before punting. A Jets three-and-out gave the Patriots another opportunity with five minutes remaining, but a Watson holding penalty in the middle of the drive helped set up a 2nd-and-20 situation and eventually another punt. Just before the two-minute warning, Sanchez was sacked, but a penalty on BenJarvus Green-Ellis
on the ensuing punt meant the Patriots had to start their last drive of the game from their own 10-yard line. After a Julian Edelman
18-yard reception began it, four straight incompletions ended the drive and the game. The loss dropped the Patriots to 1–1, their first such record since the 2005
season. It also marked the first time that New England was held without a touchdown since December 10, 2006.
field goal after being stopped on 3rd-and-3 from the 8-yard line. The Patriots responded with a 15-play drive of their own, beginning with a 19-yard dump-off pass to Morris. No other play on the drive would go for more than 9 yards, and the Patriots themselves were stopped short of a touchdown, with wide receiver Joey Galloway
catching a pass with his foot out of bounds in the back of the end zone on what would have been a 7-yard touchdown pass. Instead, the Patriots could not reach further than the Falcons' 2-yard line and settled for a 21-yard Gostkowski field goal to tie the game. The Falcons next drive was a three-and-out that began the second quarter, with a 29-yard Michael Koenen
punt and a 5-yard penalty on the Falcons giving the Patriots the ball at their own 49-yard line. After two pass attempts, Taylor had runs of 8, 19, 6, and 8 yards, with the final rush good for a touchdown and a 10–7 Patriots lead. Beginning their next drive from their own 41-yard line after a 33-yard return by Eric Weems
, the Falcons moved into Patriots territory on one play before an apparent strip-sack of second-quarter quarterback Matt Ryan
by safety Brandon McGowan
; the Falcons challenged the ruling (which included a touchdown return by cornerback Shawn Springs
) and won, as Ryan's arm was going forward when he lost the ball. Another Jenkins reception, this one for 21 yards, moved the Falcons deeper into Patriots territory before running back Michael Turner ran for a 2-yard touchdown that tied the game. Following a Patriots three-and-out, the Falcons again moved into Patriots territory, but a Turner fumble at the Patriots' 27-yard line, forced by McGowan, was recovered by safety James Sanders with just under four minutes remaining in the half. The Patriots' 12-play drive brought them into the red zone, but a dropped pass by Galloway just outside of the end zone and an incompletion to wide receiver Sam Aiken
in the end zone forced a 33-yard Gostkowski field goal that gave the Patriots a 13–10 lead going into halftime.
The Patriots began where they left off at the start of the second half, embarking on a 13-play drive that entered into the red zone on a 23-yard Watson catch. However, the Patriots' offense stalled in the red zone again, with two incomplete passes to Moss setting up a 22-yard Gostkowski field goal. Ryan and Jenkins continued to connect on the Falcons' ensuing drive; a 26-yard reception put the Falcons in Patriots territory and then a 36-yard touchdown pass was nullified on a pass interference penalty on Jenkins. With a subsequent false start penalty, the Falcons were pushed back into Patriots' territory and eventually forced to punt. The Patriots next drive spanned 70 yards on 16 plays and was kept alive on a 4th-and-1 conversion from the Patriots own 24-yard line. Again, it did not involve a touchdown though, as Gostkowski kicked a 33-yard field goal to extend the Patriots' lead to 19–10 early in the fourth quarter. After an exchange of three punts, the Patriots began a 6-play drive that resulted in their first passing touchdown of the day, a 36-yard reception by tight end Chris Baker that extended the Patriots lead to 26–10; it was also Brady's 200th career touchdown pass. After a Falcons three-and-out, the Patriots held the ball for the final 6:52 of the game to seal a 26–10 victory.
to wide receiver Derrick Mason
. The Patriots responded with a 14-play drive of their own, going 76 yards before Brady scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak to re-establish a Patriots lead at 10–7. The Ravens reached midfield on their next drive with a 22-yard reception by tight end Todd Heap
, but the drive stalled at the Patriots' 38-yard line, setting up a punt by Sam Koch
that gave the Patriots the ball at their own 9-yard line. Similarly, the Patriots reached Ravens' territory before having to punt; Hanson's punt landed in the end zone for a touchback. On the second play of the Ravens' ensuing drive, left tackle Jared Gaither
injured his head falling into Flacco during a block; while he had motion in his extremities, the game was stopped for 15 minutes as Gaither was loaded onto a stretcher and taken to the hospital for tests. The Ravens' drive finished as a three-and-out. The Patriots then went 63 yards on six plays, extending their lead to 17–7 on a 12-yard touchdown run by Morris. With just under four minutes remaining in the half, the Ravens mounted a drive that reached the Patriots' 17-yard line with 1:17 left; Flacco was intercepted by Bodden to prevent the Ravens from scoring again before halftime.
The Patriots first drive of the second half was aided by a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty on the Ravens' bench, but the Patriots were unable to capitalize as a Matt Light
holding penalty and a Jarret Johnson
sack of Brady forced a punt. Starting from their own 16-yard line, the Ravens advanced to their 45-yard line before a Wright sack of Flacco set up another punt. Kevin Faulk
fielded the return but fumbled; Bodden recovered the fumble for the Patriots at their own 14-yard line. On the next play, Brady dropped back and was strip-sacked from his blind side by Terrell Suggs
; defensive lineman Dwan Edwards
recovered the fumble for the Ravens in the end zone for a touchdown, cutting the Patriots' lead to 17–14. Brady quickly recovered, hitting passes to Taylor for 13 yards, Aiken for 26 yards, and Moss for 20 yards to put the Patriots in the Ravens' red zone. Three plays later, Brady and Moss connected for their first touchdown of the season; the 14-yard strike extended the Patriots' lead to 24–14. The Ravens had similar success on his next drive, with Flacco hitting Mark Clayton on a 13-yard catch, Mason on a 20-yard catch, and then running back Ray Rice
breaking a 50-yard rush to put the Ravens well into Patriots territory. A few plays later, Flacco kept pace with Brady on a 13-yard touchdown pass to running back Willis McGahee
to cut the Patriots' lead to 24–21. The Patriots would control the ball for the next seven minutes, reaching the Ravens' 9-yard line on a second down. After two incomplete passes, the Patriots lined up in a field goal formation but the holder, Hanson, took a quick snap and passed to Baker, who had motioned outside of the formation. Baker was tackled around the first down marker, but was called for an illegal motion on the play. The Ravens challenged the ruling of a catch and the first down spot, as they would have declined the penalty if Baker had been short. The ruling was upheld and the Patriots took a 27–21 lead on a 33-yard Gostkowski field goal. After an exchange of three-and-outs, the Ravens mounted a drive with 3:32 left, reaching the Patriots' red zone with under a minute remaining. On third and fourth down, Flacco's passes fell incomplete to Mason and Clayton, ending the Ravens' hopes of a comeback. Brady then kneeled to hand the Ravens their first loss of the season and better the Patriots' record to 3–1.
team (the 1986 Philadelphia Eagles
). The game also marked the first time former Patriots assistant Josh McDaniels
, who became the head coach of the Broncos in 2009, faced his former team. On the first drive of the game, the Broncos advanced to the Patriots' 30-yard line before Matt Prater
attempted a 48-yard field goal; he missed wide right. With field position at their own 38-yard line, the Patriots moved into the red zone on a 35-yard dump-off to Morris. Three plays later, Brady and Welker connected on their first touchdown pass of the season; the 8-yard score gave the Patriots a 7–0 lead. Three plays later, Mayo, in his first game back from his knee injury, forced a fumble of Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno
; McGowan recovered it at the Broncos' 43-yard line. After a 10-yard Morris run began the Patriots' ensuing possession, they lost two yards over their next three plays, setting up a 53-yard Gostkowski field goal (a career long) that extended the Patriots' lead to 10–0. Following a Broncos three-and-out, the Patriots had a three-and-out of their own; the punt was fumbled by returner Eddie Royal
but recovered by Broncos cornerback Jack Williams
and returned to the Broncos' 38-yard line. The Broncos then advanced into Patriots territory but were forced to punt again. This set up a Patriots drive that moved to the Broncos' 41-yard line before a failed third down conversion and an unnecessary roughness penalty on guard Logan Mankins
pushed the Patriots back past midfield and forced a punt. Despite starting from their own 10-yard line with a sack, the Broncos quickly advanced into Patriots territory on Kyle Orton
completions of 11, 10, and 13 yards plus a roughing the passer penalty on Ty Warren
. More Orton completions resulted in an 11-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall
that cut the Patriots' lead to 10–7. With under five minutes remaining in the half, the Patriots mounted a 10-play, 74-yard drive, capping it off with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Watson, giving the Patriots a 17–7 lead going into halftime after Moss' first career interception on a last-second hail mary pass from Orton.
The Patriots began the second half with a three-and-out; the Broncos then moved 66 yards on 12 plays before their drive stalled at the Patriots' 6-yard line and Prater kicked a 24-yard field goal to cut the Patriots' lead to 17–10. Two plays later, Brady connected with Moss on a 36-yard pass, but the Patriots were unable to get past the Broncos' 22-yard line and there, Goskowski missed a 40-yard field goal. Following a Broncos punt, the Patriots mounted a 12-play drive that spanned into the fourth quarter; however, the drive began from the Patriots' 4-yard line and only reached the Broncos' 47-yard line, resulting in another punt. The Broncos' ensuing possession began from worse field position (the Broncos' 2-yard line) but 10 of its 12 plays were Orton passes, the last of which was another 11-yard Marshall touchdown catch that tied the game. Following two three-and-outs, the Patriots had the ball again at their own 30-yard line. The final play before the two-minute warning was a 19-yard Morris run to bring the Patriots close to midfield. Morris fumbled on his next run but tackle Nick Kaczur
recovered it at the Broncos' 49-yard line. On the next play, Brady was strip-sacked by defensive lineman Vonnie Holliday
; Broncos linebacker Elvis Dumervil
recovered the fumble at the Patriots' 45-yard line with 1:37 remaining. However, the Broncos were forced to punt after a Banta-Cain sack and Brady kneeled to send the game into overtime.
The Patriots lost the overtime coin toss, and Gostkowski kicked off into the back of the end zone to spot the ball at the Broncos' 20-yard line. On an 11-play, 58-yard drive, the Broncos advanced to the Patriots' 22-yard line. Prater then kicked the game-winning field goal from 41 yards out to give the Broncos another win, bettering their record to 5–0 and dropping the Patriots to 3–2.
forced the Patriots to attempt a field goal, a 39-yarder that fell wide right. Following a Titans punt, the Patriots advanced past midfield before a 45-yard touchdown run by Maroney that gave the Patriots a 7–0 lead. After a Titans three-and-out, the Patriots moved into the red zone on a 48-yard pass from Brady to Welker, and then took a 10–0 lead on a 33-yard Gostkowski field goal. On the ensuing Titans possession, early in the second quarter, running back LenDale White
fumbled at the Patriots' 41-yard line; it was recovered at the 35-yard line by cornerback Jonathan Wilhite
. After crossing midfield, Brady connected with Moss on a 40-yard touchdown pass, extending the Patriots' lead to 17–0. On the next play from scrimmage, Titans quarterback Kerry Collins
fumbled the snap; it was recovered by the Patriots' Wright at the Titans' 31-yard line. Two plays later, Moss caught a 28-yard touchdown pass from Brady, making the score 24–0. Three plays into the Titans' ensuing possession, Collins was intercepted by rookie cornerback Darius Butler
at the Patriots' 35-yard line. Four plays later, Brady hit Faulk on a dump-off pass that went 38 yards for a touchdown. After a Titans three-and-out that ended in a 41-yard Reggie Hodges
punt to the New England 21-yard line, Brady capped a 76-yard drive with a 30-yard touchdown pass to Welker immediately after the two-minute warning, giving the Patriots a 38–0 lead. The Titans went three-and-out again, but Hodges shanked the punt, which traveled only 21 yards. The subsequent 10-play, 49-yard drive ended in Welker's second touchdown, a 5-yard reception.
This gave the Patriots a 45–0 halftime lead, the largest in NFL history. It was also Brady's fifth touchdown pass of the quarter, an NFL record. The 45 points scored in the half were a team record, as were the 35 points scored in the second quarter. Brady's 345 passing yards and five touchdowns in the half were also team records.
Due to their deferral of the opening coin toss, the Patriots began the second half with possession. They advanced 65 yards on nine plays, with Brady throwing his sixth and final touchdown pass of the day to Moss, from 9 yards out. The six touchdowns tied a team record set by Brady in November 2007. The Titans moved into Patriots territory on a 48-yard run by Chris Johnson
, but attempted to convert a 4th-and-10 from the Patriots' 17-yard line. On the play, Collins was chased 15 yards into his own backfield by rookie defensive tackle Myron Pryor
; Collins managed to complete a pass to receiver Nate Washington
, who fumbled and recovered it another seven yards deep. Undrafted rookie Brian Hoyer
replaced Brady at quarterback and led a 12-play, 61-yard drive, ending in a 1-yard touchdown run by Hoyer to give the Patriots a 59–0 lead. Gostkowski's included extra point was his eighth of the game, tying his team record set in November 2007. The 59 points also set a Patriots team record, and the eight touchdowns tied another. Vince Young
replaced Collins at quarterback for the fourth quarter, but had his first pass intercepted by rookie safety Pat Chung. The Patriots attempted on a fourth down conversion in the Titans' red zone on their ensuing possession but it failed. The Titans then advanced into Patriots territory before fullback Ahmard Hall
fumbled; it was recovered by 40-year-old linebacker Junior Seau
, who returned to the team in the days prior to the game. The Patriots' next play was a 5-yard run by Green-Ellis which gave the Patriots 599 total yards on the day, breaking the previous team record of 597 set in 1979
. They would finish with 619 net yards; 426 of those were passing, tying a team record. Following a Titans punt, the Patriots and Titans kneeled to end the game at 59–0, improving the Patriots' record to 4–2 and keeping the Titans winless at 0–6. The 59–0 shutout tied the largest post-merger shutout and margin of victory with a 59–0 win by the Los Angeles Rams over the Atlanta Falcons
in 1976
.
in London
for the year's NFL International Series
game against the winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers
. Five plays into the game, Buccaneers quarterback Josh Johnson
was intercepted by Meriweather, who returned it 39 yards for a touchdown. On the ensuing drive, the Buccaneers advanced to the Patriots' 33-yard line before Meriweather again intercepted a Johnson pass, this time at the Patriots' 15-yard line; he returned this one 31 yards. However, the Patriots could not capitalize on the turnover and went three-and-out. Following a Buccaneers punt, the Patriots began a drive with an end-around to rookie wide receiver Brandon Tate
, who was active for his first NFL game after spending the first six weeks of the season on the Physically Unable to Perform
list; the run went for 11 yards. Two plays later, Brady connected with Moss on a 37-yard pass, which was followed a few plays later with a 14-yard Welker touchdown reception that gave the Patriots a 14–0 lead. After a penalty on the kickoff, the Buccaneers began their next drive at their own 11-yard line and could not advance one yard before punting; the 43-yard punt was returned by Welker 24 yards. Starting from the Buccaneers' 30-yard line, the Patriots moved to the 11-yard line before Brady was intercepted by safety Tanard Jackson
in the end zone early in the second quarter.
Following a Buccaneers three-and-out, Brady threw a short pass to Aiken that turned into a 54-yard scoring strike, extending the Patriots lead to 21–0. After another Buccaneers punt, Brady was intercepted by Aqib Talib
on a deep pass intended for Brandon Tate
; Talib returned it to the Buccaneers' 41-yard line. The 0–6 Buccaneers could not cross midfield though, and were forced into another three-and-out. On a 4th-and-2 from their own 46-yard line, the Patriots attempted a fake punt that was negated by a false start on Mankins; this set up a 26-yard Hanson punt. With less than three minutes remaining in the half, the Buccaneers drove into Patriots territory and then completed two passes to wide receiver Antonio Bryant
; the second went for 33 yards and a touchdown, cutting the Patriots' lead to 21–7. The Patriots could not advance the ball on their ensuing drive and punted; two plays later, on the final play of the half, Butler intercepted Johnson at the Patriots' 11-yard line.
The Patriots began the second half with a 10-play, 73-yard drive that was capped off with a 35-yard touchdown pass to Watson from Brady. After an exchange of punts, the Buccaneers embarked on a drive that extended into Patriots territory but stalled at the 37-yard line, resulting in a punt. This was followed by two more three-and-outs, before early in the fourth quarter the Patriots completed a 10-play, 89-yard drive with a 1-yard Maroney touchdown run, increasing the Patriots' lead to 35–7. After another Buccaneers punt, the Patriots advanced past midfield before punting after the two-minute warning. On an ensuing 4th-and-7 conversion attempt, Johnson was strip-sacked by Derrick Burgess
to set up two Patriots kneeldowns to end the game. The Patriots bettered their record to 5–2 entering their bye week, while the Buccaneers remained winless at 0–7.
at the Dolphins' 7-yard line and returned 15 yards. Six plays later, the Dolphins moved into Patriots territory on a 21-yard catch by tight end Joey Haynos
from Chad Henne
; after the catch, McGowan forced Haynos to fumble, but the ball went out of bounds at the spot of the catch, the Patriots' 39-yard line. On the next play, Henne appeared to have been strip-sacked by Banta-Cain, with linebacker Adalius Thomas
returning it 59 yards for a touchdown. However, the Dolphins challenged that Henne's arm was moving forward and it was an incomplete pass and the play was reversed. Three plays later, a Dan Carpenter
52-yard field goal gave the Dolphins a 3–0 lead. The Patriots began their next drive at their own 37-yard line after offensive lineman Dan Connolly
returned a short kickoff 16 yards. A few plays later, Brady connected with Moss on a 36-yard pass to the Dolphins' 1-yard line; Maroney then ran for a 1-yard touchdown to give the Patriots a 7–3 lead. On the ensuing possession, Henne found his other tight end, Anthony Fasano
on a 20-yard strike to move into Patriots territory, but a "Wildcat" formation run by Ricky Williams
for a loss and a sack by Chung moved the Dolphins out of field goal territory and forced a punt. The Patriots advanced to the Dolphins' 42-yard line on their next drive before punting on the final play of the first quarter.
Following a Dolphins three-and-out, the Patriots began an 11-play, 49-yard drive that reached the Dolphins' 11-yard line on first down before a short pass, and incompletion, and sack led to a Gostkowski field goal; the 30-yarder put the Patriots ahead 10–3. The Dolphins introduced rookie quarterback Pat White on their next drive, employing him as part of an option offense
that first had White run for a 33-yard gain and later in the drive had White option to Williams for a 15-yard touchdown run, tying the game. Following a 34-yard punt return by Tate, the Patriots quickly moved back into Dolphins territory on completions of 14 yards to Faulk and 23 yards to Watson. However, a Watson pass interference penalty on a 17-yard Faulk reception pushed the Patriots back to the Dolphins' 35-yard line. Gostkowski would later kick a 38-yard field goal to re-establish a Patriots lead at 13–10. On their next drive, the Dolphins would punt shortly after the two-minute warning, setting up a 10-play, 70-yard Patriots drive that ended the half with a 34-yard Gostkowski field goal after Brady was again sacked in the red zone.
With possession and down 16–10 at the start of the third quarter, the Dolphins moved downfield on a 16-play drive that lasted more than ten minutes, eventually scoring on a 1-yard touchdown catch by Haynos from running back Ronnie Brown
out of the "Wildcat," giving the Dolphins a 17–16 lead. Three plays later, Brady and Moss connected on a 71-yard touchdown pass and then again on the two-point conversion to re-take the lead at 24–17. The Dolphins would continue to employ both White and the "Wildcat" on their next drive, but it resulted in a Brandon Fields
punt early in the fourth quarter. An exchange of punts consumed the next six minutes of the game, with the Dolphins choosing to use all three of their timeouts to gain back possession with 3:38 left. However, three straight incompletions and a penalty set up fourth down, when Henne again was unable to complete a pass from his own 27-yard line. The Patriots re-gained possession and ran the ball three times before Gostkowski kicked a 40-yard field goal to extend the Patriots' lead to 27–17. The game would end four plays later on a 23-yard Greg Camarillo
reception to the Patriots' 23-yard line. The win bettered the Patriots record to 6–2 entering their matchup with the 8–0 Colts.
to tight end Dallas Clark
and wide receiver Reggie Wayne
, the Colts moved deep into Patriots territory. On a 3rd-and-11 from the Patriots' 15-yard line, running back Joseph Addai
scored on a pass from Manning, capping the 8-play, 90-yard drive. The Patriots responded with a 55-yard Moss catch from Brady four plays later, setting up a 1-yard Maroney touchdown run to tie the game at 7–7. Following a Colts punt, the Patriots began their ensuing drive with a 29-yard Faulk run to move to the Colts' 42-yard line. Nine plays later, the Patriots found themselves in a 3rd-and-goal from the Colts' 4-yard line, but Brady was sacked by defensive end Robert Mathis
. Gostkowski then hit a 31-yard field goal to give the Patriots a 10–7 lead early in the second quarter. After a Colts three-and-out, it took the Patriots two plays and less than a minute to score, with Brady connecting with Moss on a 63-yard touchdown pass, extending the Patriots' lead to 17–7. The Colts faced a 3rd-and-5 on their next drive, but Manning was sacked by Mayo to force another punt. On the next play, Watson caught a 36-yard pass from Brady, setting up a 9-yard touchdown catch by Edelman, the first of the rookie's career, four plays later. Down 24–7, the Colts embarked on an 8-play, 80-yard drive, cutting the Patriots' lead to 24–14 on a 20-yard touchdown reception by Wayne. An exchange of four punts ended the first half.
Due to their deferral of the opening coin toss, the Patriots had possession to begin the second half. They advanced to the Colts' 33-yard line before a Brady pass intended for Moss was intercepted by safety Antoine Bethea
at the Colts' 14-yard line and returned 19 yards. However, four plays later, Manning himself was intercepted by Bodden at the Patriots' 24-yard line; an unsportmanlike conduct penalty on Bodden moved the Patriots back to their own 12-yard line. Despite this field position, the Patriots offense moved deep into Colts territory on a series of Brady passes and Faulk runs, eventually setting up a 2nd-and-2 from the Colts' 2-yard line. On the play, Maroney attempted to push a pile into the end zone, but in the process Colts linebacker Philip Wheeler
forced him to fumble; it was recovered by fellow Colts linebacker Gary Brackett
in the end zone for a touchback. The Colts could not capitalize on the turnover and were forced to punt. Welker returned the punt 69 yards to the Colts' 7-yard line, the longest Patriots punt return since 2001. Two plays later, on the second play of the fourth quarter, Moss caught his second touchdown pass of the night; the 5-yard reception gave the Patriots a 31–14 lead. However, the Colts offense advanced 79 yards on five plays on their ensuing possession, cutting the Patriots' lead to 31–21 on a 29-yard touchdown catch by Pierre Garçon
. The Patriots punted on the next drive, but received the ball right back after Manning was intercepted by Wilhite on the next play, setting up a Patriots drive from the Colts' 31-yard line. The Patriots moved into the red zone but stalled there and were forced to settle for a 36-yard Gostkowski field goal, extending their lead to 34–21 with 4:17 remaining in the game.
On their ensuing possession, the Colts again advanced 79 yards for a touchdown, this time on six plays, the final one being a 4-yard Addai touchdown run, reducing the Patriots' lead to six points with 2:23 left in the game. The Patriots used a timeout before their first play, and in addition to a timeout used early in the third quarter, this left them with one remaining in the game. The Patriots next two plays failed to gain first down yardage, setting up a 4th-and-2 from their own 28-yard line. The Patriots used their final timeout before deciding to attempt to convert the fourth down. On the play, Brady motioned Faulk out of the backfield into the slot out of the shotgun, and then threw a quick pass to Faulk off the snap. Faulk caught the pass with the necessary yardage falling towards the sideline before being hit by safety Melvin Bullitt
and pushed back towards the line of scrimmage. However, the officials ruled that Faulk bobbled the pass and did not have possession until Bullitt had pushed him behind the first down marker; if he had caught the ball cleanly his forward progress would have given the Patriots the first down with only one Colts timeout remaining. Further, the play began before the two-minute warning, and without any timeouts, Belichick was unable to challenge the spot of the ball on the field; if the play had occurred after the two-minute warning, there would have been the possibility for a booth review.
With two minutes remaining and possession at the Patriots' 29-yard line, Manning completed a 15-yard pass to Wayne before Addai gained another 13 yards, setting up 1st-and-goal from the 1-yard line with 36 seconds left in the game. The Patriots stopped Addai on his next run, but Manning threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Wayne on the play after that, giving the Colts a 35–34 lead with 13 seconds remaining. After the kickoff, with nine seconds remaining, Brady completed a short pass to Welker, who lateraled to Watson, who was then tackled to end the game. The Patriots dropped to 6–3 and 1–3 in road games, while the Colts remained undefeated at 9–0. It was the fifth Patriots loss to the Colts in the previous six games between the two teams.
After another Jets punt, from their end zone after a Banta-Cain sack, the Patriots began their next drive from their own 41-yard line. Seven plays later, Maroney ran in from two yards out to give the Patriots a 21–0 lead. Following a 44-yard kickoff return by Dwight Lowery
, the Jets again turned the ball over, with Sanchez throwing his second interception of the game to Bodden, who returned it seven yards to the Patriots' 48-yard line. The Patriots' next drive again reached the red zone, but this time the Patriots could not score a touchdown and were forced to settle for a 26-yard Gostkowski field goal, giving the Patriots a 24–0 lead. Another Jets punt gave the Patriots the ball with just over two minutes remaining. With just under a minute left in the half, Hanson's punt attempt was blocked by Eric Smith
and returned four yards for a touchdown by the Jets' Brad Smith
. With 45 seconds remaining, the Patriots quickly advanced downfield, but a 40-yard Gostkowski field goal attempt with 15 seconds left in the half fell wide right, keeping the Patriots' lead at 24–7 going into halftime.
With possession at the start of the second half due to their deferral of the opening coin toss, the Jets moved 80 yards on 11 plays, scoring on a 29-yard pass from Sanchez to Cotchery. With a 10 point lead, the Patriots responded with an 11-play drive that reached the Jets' 49-yard line before sack eventually forced a punt. The Jets reached midfield on their next possession before punting as well, with Jets punter Steve Weatherford
pinning the Patriots at their own 8-yard line. This forced another Patriots punt, on the first play of the fourth quarter, but the Patriots received the ball right back after Sanchez threw his third interception of the day, again to Bodden, at the Patriots' 26-yard line. The Patriots could not capitalize on the turnover though, and were again forced to punt. Three plays later, Sanchez threw his fourth interception of the game, this time to Meriweather, who returned it four yards to the Jets' 25-yard line. This set up an 8-play, 25-yard Patriots drive that ended in a 1-yard Maroney touchdown run, extending the Patriots' lead to 31–14. The Jets responded with a 37-yard kickoff return by David Clowney
followed by a drive to the Patriots' 24-yard line. On a 1st-and-10, Sanchez was strip-sacked by Banta-Cain; the fumble was recovered by Burgess at the Patriots' 29-yard line. With 3:24 left in the game, the Patriots ran the clock down to 25 seconds before punting, giving the Jets the ball to end the game. With the 31–14 win, the Patriots improved their record to 7–3, while the Jets dropped to 4–6. Statistically, Welker had 15 catches for 192 yards on the game, second most in team history, trailing only Troy Brown
's 16 receptions in an overtime game on September 22, 2002
.
to wide receiver Devery Henderson
on the game's first play put the Saints quickly in Patriots territory. However, the Patriots defense stopped the Saints on a 3rd-and-4 from the 15-yard line, setting up a 30-yard John Carney field goal. The Patriots responded by holding the ball for nearly eight minutes, advancing 80 yards on a 14-play drive that ended in a 4-yard touchdown run by Maroney on 4th-and-1, the second such conversion of the drive. The score put the Patriots ahead 7–3.
The Saints did not reach midfield on their next drive and punted; however, the Patriots turned the ball back over when on the ensuing play Brady was intercepted by cornerback Mike McKenzie, who returned it eight yards to the Saints' 41-yard line. Seven plays later, early in the second quarter, the Saints took a 10–7 lead when a Brees dump-off pass to running back Pierre Thomas
resulted in an 18-yard touchdown. The Patriots could not reach midfield on their next possession and punted. On the ensuing play, Brees connected with Henderson on a 75-yard touchdown pass that extended the Saints' lead to 17–7. The Patriots faced a 3rd-and-12 early on their next drive, but Brady threw a 33-yard pass to Aiken to move the Patriots into Saints territory. The drive stalled at the Saints' 18-yard line, forcing a 36-yard Gostkowski field goal to cut the Saints' lead to 17–10. Four plays later, Brees hit former Patriots tight end David Thomas
on a 25-yard pass before wide receiver Robert Meachem
caught a 38-yard touchdown pass to give the Saints a 24–10 lead with just under two minutes left in the half. The Patriots' offense was able to reach the Saints' 32-yard line on first down with 35 seconds left, but advanced no further, setting up a 50-yard Gostkowski field goal attempt on fourth down that fell wide left.
With possession to begin the second half, the Patriots lost it when a 6-yard pass to Maroney, the first play of the half, resulted in a fumble by Maroney at the Patriots' 26-yard line. Saints defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis
recovered the fumble and returned it seven yards before he too fumbled; Welker recovered the ball for the Patriots at that spot. Later in the drive, on 3rd-and-9 from their own 42-yard line, Brady hit Aiken on a 11-yard pass to convert; on the play, Brady passed Drew Bledsoe
as the Patriots' all-time passing leader. Two plays later, Brady connected with Moss on a 47-yard pass down to the Saints' 2-yard line, setting up a 2-yard Maroney touchdown run that cut the Saints' lead to 24–17. However, the Saints responded on their next play with a 68-yard pass from Brees to wide receiver Marques Colston
, setting up a 2-yard touchdown catch by tight end Darnell Dinkins
two plays later, re-establishing a 14-point Saints lead. The Patriots moved down to the Saints' 10-yard on their next drive, but attempted to convert on 4th-and-4 from that spot instead of kicking a field goal; Brady's pass attempt to Moss fell incomplete.
The Saints' next drive spanned into the fourth quarter but ended on a punt from the Saints' own 35-yard line. The Patriots fared no better, going three-and-out on their ensuing possession. The Saints continued to build a lead when Brees ended a 9-play, 75-yard drive with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Colston. Down 38–17 with under eight minutes to go, the Patriots tried to mount a drive but two plays in, Brady was intercepted by safety Darren Sharper
on a deep pass; Sharper returned it 38 yards to the Patriots' 25-yard line. However, the Saints could not convert a first down and Carney missed a 37-yard field goal wide right. With 5:26 remaining in the game and down 21 points, the Patriots replaced Brady with his backup, Hoyer, on their next possession; the Patriots went three-and-out. After a Saints punt, the Patriots held the ball for the final 1:52 of the game, ending it on an 8-yard sack of Hoyer. With the loss, the Patriots dropped to 7–4 on the season, and 1–4 in road games.
, cutting the Patriots' lead to 14–7. Despite a 16-yard Welker reception to begin the Patriots' next drive, they were forced to punt after four plays. The Dolphins again moved into Patriots territory on their ensuing possession, reaching the 49-yard line before Henne was intercepted by Meriweather at the Patriots' 19-yard line. Following a 19-yard return, a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Wilfork, and a false start penalty on Watson, the Patriots' next drive began at their own 18-yard line. The Patriots quickly moved into the red zone on a 58-yard Welker catch, but on a 4th-and-1 from the 6-yard line, the Patriots tried to convert, and Morris was stopped short of the first down marker. Off the turnover and with under two minutes remaining, the Dolphins moved 83 yards on 11 plays, cutting the Patriots' halftime lead to 14–10 on a 29-yard Carpenter field goal.
The Dolphins, who had deferred the opening coin toss, chose to receive at the start of the second half but went three-and-out. On the next play (after a penalty), Brady threw a short sideline pass to Aiken, who caught the ball over the defender and proceeded to run down the sideline for an 81-yard touchdown, extending the Patriots' lead to 21–10. It was the third 50+ yard completion of the game for Brady, a career first, and the third longest completion of Brady's career. He also eclipsed 30,000 career passing yards on the play. Following a 51-yard kickoff return by Ted Ginn, Jr.
, the Dolphins took two plays to reach Patriots territory. On a 3rd-and-4 from the Patriots' 46-yard line, Henne attempted a deep sideline pass to wide receiver Brian Hartline
, who stopped and turned back to catch the ball but was taken down by Wilhite for a 37-yard defensive pass interference penalty. However, the Pats surrendered only three yards and forced the Dolphins to kick a field goal; Carpenter's 24-yard score cut the Patriots' lead to 21–13. After a Patriots three-and-out, the Dolphins continued to pressure the Patriots defense, moving 64 yards on 12 plays and cutting the deficit to two points on a 7-yard Hartline touchdown catch. The Dolphins attempted to tie the game on a two-point conversion pass attempt to Fasano, but the pass fell incomplete. The Patriots' next drive reached the Dolphins' 39-yard line, where the Patriots again attempted to convert a fourth down, this one with three yards to gain. The Patriots appeared to do so at first, as Welker caught a 13-yard pass from Brady, but the play was nullified by an Aiken offensive pass interference penalty. After another penalty on the first punt attempt, the second punt attempt by Hanson actually gave the Patriots a better break, pinning the Dolphins at their own 3-yard line at the end of the third quarter.
The Dolphins could not move past their 22-yard line on the ensuing possession and punted, giving the Patriots the ball at their own 39-yard line. After several quick first downs, the Patriots reached the red zone. However, a Brady pass attempt intended for Moss in the back corner of the end zone was intercepted by Vontae Davis for a touchback, maintaining a two-point deficit for the Dolphins. However, the Dolphins could not move a yard off the turnover and were forced to punt; the Patriots too went three-and-out. The Dolphins moved to the Patriots' 39-yard line on their ensuing possession, and like the Patriots, faced a fourth down with two yards to go. Henne's pass intended for Bess was broken up by Butler to turn the ball over on downs. However, the Patriots did not gain a yard, and in fact lost one yard on their next possession, setting up a Dolphins possession with 3:44 left in the game. The Dolphins moved 51 yards on 10 plays, reaching the Patriots' 23-yard line with just over one minute remaining. Carpenter then hit a 41-yard field goal to put the Dolphins ahead for the first time in the game, 22–21. Only needing a field goal, the Patriots tried to set up a Gostkowski attempt with under a minute to go, but three plays into their drive Brady was hit as he threw and was intercepted by linebacker Channing Crowder
to seal a Dolphins victory. The back-to-back losses were a first for the Patriots since November 2006, and dropped their record to 7–5, while the Dolphins improved to 6–6 and within a game of first place in the division.
, playing for an injured Jake Delhomme
, also went three-and-out on their ensuing possession. The Patriots responded by again advancing to the Panthers' 40-yard line before this time punting. After another Panthers punt, the Patriots turned the ball back over after Brady was intercepted by Chris Gamble
on a short pass intended for Moss at the Patriots' 48-yard line. Two plays later, Moore connected with wide receiver Steve Smith on a 41-yard touchdown pass to give the Panthers a 7–0 lead. The Patriots next drive reached the Panthers' 37-yard line before Moss caught a pass from Brady but then fumbled it; the Panthers' Dan Connor
recovered the fumble at the Panthers' 21-yard line. The Panthers, however, lost a net of one yard on their next drive and punted. This was followed by a Patriots three-and-out, a short Panthers drive and a punt, and another Patriots three-and-out. The Panthers then mounted a 10-play, 45-yard drive that ended on a missed 53-yard field goal attempt by John Kasay
. The Patriots responded with a 5-play, 57-yard drive that moved deep into Panthers territory on a 30-yard pass interference penalty on the Panthers' James Anderson on a pass attempt to Watson. Faulk later ran in for a 3-yard touchdown to tie the game at halftime.
The Patriots' first drive of the second half began at the Patriots' 11-yard line and ended on the Panthers' 14-yard line when Morris fumbled following a 10-yard run; it was recovered by the Panthers' Captain Munnerlyn
. The Panthers responded with a 26-yard DeAngelo Williams
run followed by a 12-yard Jeff King
catch to pass midfield; however two consecutive Panthers illegal shift penalties would help force a punt after a 13-yard Tyrell Sutton
run on third down. The punt was downed at the Patriots' 4-yard line, and a Patriots challenge that the player who downed it, Quinton Teal
, was in the end zone was not successful. However, the Patriots responded by mounting their longest drive of the season, 96 yards on 13 plays, and behind five Welker catches and a 5-yard Watson touchdown catch took a 14–7 lead late in the third quarter. The Panthers moved back downfield on a 9-play, 57-yard drive that ended on a 36-yard Kasay field goal after the Patriots defense held the Panthers to two yards after a 1st-and-10 from the 20-yard line. The Patriots extended their lead to 17–10 on a 48-yard Gostkowski field goal following a 10-play, 46-yard drive. After a 34-yard Panthers punt on their next possession, a three-and-out, the Patriots had the ball at the Panthers' 42-yard line but could only advance 13 yards on seven plays, with the drive being kept alive on a roughing the kicker penalty during a Patriots punt. The Patriots then took a 20–10 lead on a 47-yard Gostkowski field goal. With under four minutes to go, the Panthers faced a 3rd-and-10 from their own 25-yard line, but a Burgess sack of Moore forced a punt. The Patriots then ran out the final 2:32 of the game to seal a 20–10 victory. With the win, the Patriots moved to 8–5 on the season.
at the Bills' 39-yard line. However, another penalty and two straight sacks set up a Bills three-and-out. The Patriots' next drive spanned into the second quarter, moving 75 yards on 5 plays; the Patriots moved to the Bills' 3-yard line on a 43-yard defensive pass interference penalty on Donte Whitner
. Brady then hit Moss in the back of the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown, putting the Patriots ahead 7–3. The Bills offense continued to struggle on their next possession, facing a 2nd-and-23 and a 3rd-and-20 before punting; the Patriots advanced into Bills territory on their next possession before also punting. This time the Bills offense began to move the ball, reaching midfield before quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick
threw an interception to Wilhite at the Patriots' 36-yard line. With 3:30 remaining, the Patriots drove back downfield, and assisted by a 21-yard defensive pass interference penalty, into the red zone. Maroney then ran for a 1-yard touchdown to give the Patriots a 14–3 lead. Following a 41-yard Bills kickoff return, they were able to reach the Patriots' 38-yard line and attempt a 56-yard field goal at the end of the half, but it fell wide left to keep the score at 14–3.
Both teams opened the second half with three-and-out punts. The Patriots came back with a 14-play, 64-yard drive that ended on a 30-yard Gostkowski field goal. The Bills, however, responded with a lengthy drive of their own before an offensive holding penalty and two incompletions set up a punt from the Patriots' 38-yard line early in the fourth quarter. After an exchange of four punts, the Bills drove to the Patriots' 12-yard line, before an incompletion, a one-yard run, and two more incompletions turned the ball over on downs. With just over four minutes left in the game, the Patriots were unable to gain a yard net on their next drive, in fact losing one yard in the process, before punting back to the Bills with 3:37 left; a 38-yard punt and a 20-yard return gave the Bills the ball at the Patriots' 28-yard line. After a 17-yard completion to Josh Reed
, Fitzpatrick threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Lee Evans
to cut the Patriots' lead to 17–10. The Bills attempted an onside kickoff with 3:02 remaining in the game, which was recovered by the Bills but nullified on an offsides penalty. The Bills then kicked off normally to the Patriots, hoping for a defensive stop. However, on the first play after the two-minute warning, the Patriots converted a third down on an 8-yard pass to Welker, sealing a Patriots victory. The win moved the Patriots to 9–5 on the season and gave them a two game lead in the division.
at the 1-yard line. The Jaguars reached their own 35-yard line on their ensuing possession before failing to convert on a fourth down attempt, turning the ball back over the Patriots. Two plays after a 21-yard Morris run, Brady and Moss connected on a 2-yard touchdown reception to give the Patriots a 7–0 lead. After the kickoff, the Jaguars drove to the Patriots' 42-yard line before a David Garrard
pass intended for Marcedes Lewis
was intercepted by Meriweather at the Patriots' 17-yard line and returned 56 yards. Two plays later, on the first play of the second quarter, Brady threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Baker to extend the Patriots' lead to 14–0.
The Jaguars continued to move the ball on their next possession, reaching midfield on completions of 15 and 14 yards; however a false start penalty negated another 15-yard reception and the Jaguars were forced to punt. Following a Patriots' three-and-out, Garrard was strip-sacked by Banta-Cain on the first play of the Jaguars' next-drive; tackle Eben Britton
recovered the fumble for the Jaguars, who punted three plays later. On the third play of their ensuing drive, the Patriots moved into the red zone on a 55-yard Morris run, and later took a 21–0 lead on a 1-yard Morris touchdown run. After another Jaguars three-and-out, the Patriots moved into Jaguars territory on a 29-yard Welker catch and later extended their lead to 28–0 on a 6-yard touchdown reception by Moss. This would remain the score after the Jaguars ended the half on another punt.
The Jaguars began the second half with a 16-play, 69-yard drive that took over eight minutes off the clock; however, it ended without any points after Garrard was intercepted by Springs at the Patriots' 2-yard line on a 3rd-and-goal from the 5-yard line. The Patriots responded with a 10-play, 90-yard drive of their own, despite a false start penalty to begin it. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Brady hit Moss on his third touchdown catch of the game, putting the Patriots ahead 35–0. However, the Jaguars responded quickly, moving past midfield on a 22-yard Rashad Jennings
run and into the red zone on a 20-yard Nate Hughes
reception. Two plays later, Garrard scrambled two yards for a touchdown, cutting the Patriots' lead to 35–7. With 12:41 remaining in the game, the Patriots received the ball after the kickoff. What ensued was a 20-play drive, with the Patriots reaching midfield with about ten minutes remaining in the game, and reaching the Jaguars' 10-yard line by the two-minute warning. The drive included five first downs, including two off fourth down conversions. One play after the two-minute warning, Hoyer replaced Brady at quarterback, and one play later, the Patriots turned the ball over on downs after a failed 4th-and-2 run by Morris. The Jaguars, with 29 seconds left in the game, ran one play to end the game. With the win, the Patriots secured their first division title since 2007 and posted a 10–5 record heading into the final week of the season.
. On the fourth play of the Patriots' opening drive, Welker caught a 12-yard pass from Brady, and when cutting to avoid a tackler, had his knee buckle and fell to the ground. He suffered a torn MCL
and ACL
on the play in his left knee and was placed on injured reserve. The Patriots, who replaced Welker with Edelman, drove to the Texans' 42-yard line before punting. Following a Texans three-and-out, the Patriots began a drive from their own 37-yard line and capped a 9-play, 63-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown run by Taylor, tying the game at 7–7. After a 36-yard kickoff return by André Davis
, the Texans passed midfield on a 16-yard Dreessen catch, but could not advance any further and punted, early in the second quarter.
The Patriots responded with a 9-play, 58-yard drive that ended in a 51-yard Gostkowski field goal to give the Patriots a 10–7 lead. On their ensuing possession, the Texans drove to the Patriots' 1-yard line before attempting to convert a fourth down; quarterback Matt Schaub
's pass fell incomplete to Andre Johnson
to turn the ball over on downs and give the Patriots the ball at their own 1-yard line. On the next play, Taylor fumbled after a handoff from Brady; the ball was recovered by Bernard Pollard
in the end zone for a touchdown. However, kicker Kris Brown
missed the extra point to keep the score at 13–10. Hoyer entered the game at quarterback for the Patriots on their next drive. He led the Patriots from their own 9-yard line to the Texans' 25-yard line, with the Patriots settling for a 43-yard Gostkowski field goal with less than a minute remaining in the first half. Brown missed a 56-yard field goal as time expired in the half for the Texans to keep the score tied at 13 at halftime.
Brady re-entered the game for the Patriots to begin the second half, but the Patriots failed to reach midfield and punted. The Texans then drove from their own 16-yard line to the Patriots' 15-yard line before a Schaub pass intended for wide receiver Jacoby Jones
was tipped and intercepted by Butler at the 9-yard line and returned 91 yards for a touchdown, giving the Patriots a 20–13 lead. The Texans continued to move the ball on their next possession, reaching the 20-yard line before Brown missed another field goal, a 38-yarder. The Patriots next drive spanned into the fourth quarter, and ended with an 11-yard Taylor touchdown to extend the Patriots' lead to 27–13. However, the Texans again drove on the Patriots, with a 26-yard defensive pass interference penalty on Butler setting up an 8-yard touchdown pass from Schaub to Jones. The Patriots went three-and-out on their next possession, giving the ball back to the Texans with 7:30 left in the game. After a 31-yard punt return by Jones, the Texans drove from the Patriots' 34-yard line and tied the game on a 1-yard touchdown run by Arian Foster
with 4:46 left. Two plays later, Brady was intercepted by Pollard on a long pass intended for Aiken; Pollard returned the interception from the Patriots' 43-yard line to the 28-yard line. On the first play after the two-minute warning, Foster ran in for a 3-yard touchdown to give the Texans a 34–27 lead. Hoyer entered the game again for the Patriots and reached the Texans' 34-yard line before a fourth down pass intended for Edelman fell incomplete. The Texans then kneeled to end the game. The loss gave the Patriots 10–6 record for the season and also gave the Texans their first winning season in franchise history, at 9–7.
into 17 points on their way to a 24–0 lead New England could not recover from. It was the Patriots' first home loss of the season and their first home loss in the playoffs in more than 30 years. On top of that, it was the Ravens' first ever win against the Patriots after five consecutive losses.
Baltimore stormed to a 7–0 lead on the first play of the game with Ray Rice
's 83-yard touchdown run, the second longest run in NFL playoff history. Then linebacker Terrell Suggs
forced and recovered a fumble from Brady on the Patriots 17-yard line, and they scored another touchdown with a 1-yard run by Le'Ron McClain
. Following an exchange of punts, cornerback Chris Carr intercepted a pass from Brady and returned it to the New England 25-yard line, setting up Rice's second touchdown on a 1-yard run. Just two plays after the ensuing kickoff, Ravens safety Ed Reed
intercepted a deep pass from Brady and returned it 25 yards before lateraling the ball to safety Dawan Landry
, who took it another 25 yards to the Patriots 9-yard line. The Ravens could not gain any yards on their ensuing drive, but Billy Cundiff
kicked a field goal to make the score 24–0.
New England was forced to punt on their next drive, but Baltimore returner Tom Zbikowski
muffed the kick and Kyle Arrington
recovered the ball for the Patriots at the Ravens 16-yard line. Five plays later, Brady threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Julian Edelman
. But midway through the second half, Brady threw his third interception of the game, this one to Landry, who returned it 42 yards to the New England 22-yard line to set up another Cundiff field goal. Taking the ball back at the Patriots 47-yard line after Darius Butler
's 42-yard kickoff return, New England responded with a 53-yard scoring drive. Brady finished it with his second touchdown pass to Edelman to cut their deficit to 27–14.
Zbikowski returned the ensuing kickoff 30 yards to his own 48-yard line, sparking a 52-yard drive that ended with a 3-yard touchdown run from Willis McGahee
, making the score 33–14 after the two point conversion failed. New England responded with a drive deep into Baltimore territory, but Stephen Gostkowski
missed a 44-yard field goal attempt with 7:19 left in the game, ending any chance of a miracle comeback.
Rice rushed for 159 yards and two touchdowns, while McGahee added 62 yards and a score. Neither quarterback had much success, as Brady was held to 154 yards and intercepted three times, while Baltimore's Joe Flacco
completed only 4 of 10 passes for 34 yards.
. Guard Logan Mankins
and defensive tackle Vince Wilfork
were named as starters, while wide receiver Wes Welker
and quarterback Tom Brady
were named as a reserves. After Welker suffered a season-ending injury in Week 17, Randy Moss
was named as his replacement in the Pro Bowl, while safety Brandon Meriweather
was also an injury replacement. Moss subsequently pulled out of the game due to injury, as did Brady.
Welker and Mankins were also voted to the 2009 All-Pro
First Team and Second Team, respectively.
2009 NFL season
The 2009 NFL season was the 90th regular season of the National Football League.The preseason started with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on August 9, 2009, and the regular season began September 10. The season ended with Super Bowl XLIV, the league's championship game, on February 7, 2010 at...
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 40th 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 50th season overall. They finished with a 10–6 record and a division title before losing to the Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
in the playoffs
2009–10 NFL playoffs
The National Football League playoffs for the 2009 season began on January 9, 2010 and led up to Super Bowl XLIV on February 7, 2010 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida...
.
After missing the playoffs in 2008
2008 New England Patriots season
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...
, the Patriots' offseason was marked by a number of front office, coaching, and personnel changes. 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...
, who had been head coach Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick
William Stephen "Bill" Belichick is an American football head coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. After spending his first 15 seasons in the league as an assistant coach, Belichick got his first head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns in 1991...
's personnel director since 2000
2000 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....
, departed to become the general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
, while offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels
Josh McDaniels
Josh McDaniels is the former head coach of the Denver Broncos and currently the offensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams. He previously served as the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots...
was named head coach of the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. 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...
, who led the team to 11 wins in 2008 after starter 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,...
was injured, was traded to the Chiefs along with veteran 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...
in March. Defensive starters 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...
and 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...
both retired, while 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...
defensive end 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...
was traded to the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
for a first round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft
2011 NFL Draft
The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players...
days before the start of the regular season.
In the season opener on Monday Night Football
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...
, the Patriots celebrated their 50th anniversary season with an American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
"legacy game" against the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Down 11 points late in the fourth quarter, the Patriots would score two touchdowns to secure a victory in Brady's first game back from injury. In November, the 6–2 Patriots traveled to face the undefeated 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 ....
; with a six-point lead late in the fourth quarter, the Patriots tried to convert a 4th and 2 situation inside their own 30-yard line but failed, setting up a Colts touchdown and the Patriots' third loss of the season. After losing another two games of three, the Patriots went on to win their next three games to secure a division title; the team also finished with their fourth perfect regular season record at home in seven years. With the third seed in the AFC playoffs
2009–10 NFL playoffs
The National Football League playoffs for the 2009 season began on January 9, 2010 and led up to Super Bowl XLIV on February 7, 2010 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida...
, the Patriots faced the Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
at home in the Wild Card Playoffs. The Ravens opened a 24–0 lead in the first quarter and the Patriots could not recover, ending their season.
Staff changes
With the Patriots' 2008 season ending more than a month before its 2007 season did, the month of January, reserved for playoff games in the prior five seasons, instead saw the departure of head coach Bill BelichickBill Belichick
William Stephen "Bill" Belichick is an American football head coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. After spending his first 15 seasons in the league as an assistant coach, Belichick got his first head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns in 1991...
's top personnel executive in his first nine seasons in New England. 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...
accepted an offer to become the general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
, giving him final say over all of the team's football matters. 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...
, the Patriots' director of player personnel, took over Pioli's duties of overseeing the Patriots' personnel and scouting departments, while former Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
general manager Floyd Reese
Floyd Reese
Floyd Reese is a senior football advisor for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. From 1994–2006 Reese held the position of general manager of the Tennessee Titans...
was given a multi-year contract to be a "senior football advisor." Meanwhile, assistant director of college scouting 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 promoted to director of college scouting, and former assistant director of player personnel Jason Licht
Jason Licht
Jason Licht is the American football director of pro personnel for the New England Patriots of the National Football League.He played linebacker for the University of Nebraska football team as a freshman in 1989 and offensive guard in 1991 before transferring to Nebraska Wesleyan University, where...
, who had moved from the Patriots to the 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...
and 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...
as a personnel executive, returned to the Patriots as director of pro personnel. National scout Bob Quinn
Bob Quinn (American football)
Bob Quinn is the current American football assistant director of pro personnel for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. After graduating from Norwood High School, Quinn attended the University of Connecticut, graduating in 1998...
was promoted to assistant director of pro personnel.
Belichick's coaching staff faced similar changes at the beginning of the 2009 offseason. Offensive coordinator
Offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
and 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...
s coach Josh McDaniels
Josh McDaniels
Josh McDaniels is the former head coach of the Denver Broncos and currently the offensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams. He previously served as the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots...
agreed to become the head coach of the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, which at the time of his hiring made him the youngest head coach in the NFL. 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 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...
replaced McDaniels as quarterbacks coach, but no official replacement for offensive coordinator was named. Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
assistant special teams coach and offensive assistant Chad O'Shea
Chad O'Shea
Chad O'Shea is a wide receivers coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League.-College career:...
replaced O'Brien as wide receivers coach. In addition, special teams coach Brad Seely
Brad Seely
Brad Seely is the American football assistant head coach and special teams coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League.-Playing career:...
agreed to join 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...
as their assistant head coach/special teams coach under new head coach and former Patriots assistant Eric Mangini
Eric Mangini
Eric Mangini is the former head coach of the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets of the National Football League and current NFL analyst for ESPN.-College:...
. Former Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
special teams coach Scott O'Brien
Scott O'Brien
Scott O'Brien is a current American football special teams coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League.-Playing career:...
was named as a replacement. On defense, special assistant/secondary 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....
joined the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
as their defensive coordinator
Defensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a gridiron football team who is in charge of the defense. Generally, along with his offensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
and was replaced by defensive coaching assistant Josh Boyer
Josh Boyer
Josh Boyer is an American football coach in the National Football League, currently serving as defensive backs coach for the New England Patriots...
as defensive backs coach. Boyer was replaced as a coaching assistant by Patrick Graham
Patrick Graham (American football)
Patrick Graham is a current American football linebackers coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. Graham played college football as a defensive lineman at Yale University, graduating with a bachelor's degree in sociology in 2002...
, who was a defensive graduate assistant for former Patriots assistant Charlie Weis
Charlie Weis
Charles Joseph "Charlie" Weis is an American football coach. He currently serves as offensive coordinator for the Florida Gators. For five years, from December 2004 through 2009, he was the head football coach at the University of Notre Dame...
at the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
before being hired by the University of Toledo
University of Toledo
The University of Toledo is a public university in Toledo, Ohio, United States. The Carnegie Foundation classified the university as "Doctoral/Research Extensive."-National recognition:...
as a defensive line coach weeks before joining the Patriots. Finally, 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...
s coach Pete Mangurian
Pete Mangurian
Pete Mangurian is the former offensive line coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mangurian formerly was a member of the New England Patriots as a tight ends coach, and prior to the 2005 season, he coached with the Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, and Denver Broncos.-Playing career:Mangurian who is...
joined the 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...
as their offensive line coach after the season; offensive coaching 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...
replaced him. Scouting assistant Brian Ferentz
Brian Ferentz
Brian Ferentz is an American football tight ends coach for the New England Patriots and a former offensive lineman in the National Football League.-Playing career:...
replaced Waldron as an offensive coaching assistant.
Departures
Quarterback Matt CasselMatt 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...
, who started 15 of the Patriots' games in 2008 after an injury to starter 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,...
, was an unrestricted free agent after the season under the terms of his 2005
2005 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....
seventh-round draft pick contract. On February 5, the first day teams were allowed to place the franchise tag
Franchise Tag
In the National Football League, the franchise tag is a designation a team may apply to a player scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent. The tag binds the player to the team for one year if certain conditions are met. Each team has access each year to only one franchise tag and one...
on a player, the Patriots assigned Cassel the non-exclusive version of the tag, tying up $14.65 million, the required amount of a one-year guaranteed tender, of their salary cap space. The tag allowed Cassel to negotiate with other teams, but any team signing Cassel to an offer sheet the Patriots refused to match would have had to surrender two first-round draft picks to the Patriots. Nevertheless, Cassel quickly agreed to the terms of the tag and signed it, putting him under contract with the Patriots for the 2009 season and guaranteeing him the tender salary, but also denying him the right to negotiate without permission. On February 28, the second day of free agency, Cassel and 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...
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...
, who was in the final year of his contract, were traded to the Chiefs for the Chiefs' second-round draft pick in 2009 (#34 overall), in the first trade between Belichick and Pioli, his former colleague.
Prior to the start of free agency, the Patriots released wide receiver 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 offensive lineman Billy Yates; Yates was re-signed days later to a revised contract. Unrestricted free agents, 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...
, long snapper
Long snapper
In American football and Canadian football, the term long snapper refers to a player who is a specialized center during punts, field goals, and extra point attempts. His job is to snap the ball as quickly and accurately as possible....
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...
, and running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
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...
all joined McDaniels and the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Fullback 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...
signed with the 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 linebacker 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...
signed with the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
During the second day of the draft, 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...
was traded to the 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...
for two 2009 fifth-round draft selections.
On June 4, 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...
, who became a free agent following the 2008 season, retired from football.
On August 17, the Patriots traded 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...
to the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
with a seventh-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft acquired in a trade with the 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...
(see below) in exchange for the Broncos' 2010 fifth-round pick, which became the selection that went to the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in a prior trade. On August 25, the Patriots again traded with the Broncos, this time sending 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...
to the Broncos for the same seventh-round draft selection in the 2010 draft.
After playing in the team's first three preseason games as a reserve, linebacker 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...
announced his retirement on August 31, after 13 seasons with the Patriots.
During final roster cutdowns, on September 5, the Patriots traded tight end 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...
to the 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 ....
in exchange for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft
2011 NFL Draft
The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players...
, which later became a sixth-round pick.
The next day, the Patriots traded 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...
defensive lineman 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...
to the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in exchange for a first-round selection in the 2011 NFL Draft.
Arrivals
The Patriots signed a number players who had been released by their former teams: longtime Jacksonville JaguarsJacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
running back Fred Taylor, cornerbacks Shawn Springs
Shawn Springs
Shawn Springs is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks third overall in the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at Ohio State....
and Leigh Bodden
Leigh Bodden
Leigh Edmond Bodden is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent. He was originally signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He played college football at Duquesne....
, tight end Chris Baker, wide receiver Joey Galloway
Joey Galloway
Joseph Scott Galloway is an American football wide receiver. He most recently played for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks eighth overall in the 1995 NFL Draft...
, long snapper Nathan Hodel
Nathan Hodel
Nathan William Hodel [] is an American football long snapper who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2001...
, and linebacker Tully Banta-Cain
Tully Banta-Cain
Tully Banta-Cain is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at California.Banta-Cain earned two Super Bowl rings during his first stint with the Patriots...
, who was a member of the Patriots from 2003
2003 New England Patriots season
The 2003 New England Patriots season was the 34th season for the team in the National Football League and 44th season overall. They finished with a league-best 14–2 record before advancing to and winning Super Bowl XXXVIII....
through 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....
before signing a free agent contract with the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
. Center Al Johnson, offensive tackle Damane Duckett
Damane Duckett
Damane Jerrel Duckett is an American football offensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He most recently played for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. He was signed by the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2004...
, safety Brandon McGowan
Brandon McGowan
Brandon McGowan is an American football safety of the National Football League who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2005...
, and linebacker Paris Lenon
Paris Lenon
Paris Michael Lenon is an American football linebacker for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. He was signed by the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2000...
arrived via unrestricted free agency; only McGowan made the Patriots' opening roster. Free agents or potential free agents Eric Alexander, James Sanders, 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...
, 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...
, 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....
, 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...
, Ray Ventrone, 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...
, and Kenny Smith
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...
were all re-signed. Restricted free agent offensive tackle 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...
was not offered a tender, making him an unrestricted free agent, but he was later re-signed. In August, offensive tackles 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...
and 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...
both received contract extensions through the 2012 and 2011 seasons, respectively. During the season, the team reached long-term contract extensions with linebacker Rob Ninkovich
Rob Ninkovich
Robert Michael Ninkovich is an American football linebacker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue.Ninkovich has also played for the Miami Dolphins.-Early...
, guard Dan Connolly
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,...
, 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...
, and linebacker Eric Alexander.
In the first week of the free agency, the Patriots traded their fifth-round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft
2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft consisted of two rounds on the first day starting at 4:00...
to the 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...
for wide receiver Greg Lewis and the Eagles' seventh-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft
2010 NFL Draft
The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. Unlike previous years, the 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, with the first round on Thursday, April 22, 2010, at 7:30 pm...
. Shortly after the draft, the Patriots acquired tight end Alex Smith
Alex Smith (tight end)
Edwin Alexander "Alex" Smith , is an American football tight end for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
from the 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...
in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft
2010 NFL Draft
The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. Unlike previous years, the 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, with the first round on Thursday, April 22, 2010, at 7:30 pm...
. Smith was released by the Patriots during roster cutdowns on September 5, while Lewis was released two days later.
On August 6, the Patriots acquired defensive end Derrick Burgess
Derrick Burgess
Derrick Lee Burgess is an American football defensive end who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Mississippi....
from the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in exchange for third- and fifth-round selections in the 2010 NFL Draft. The Patriots, without a fifth-round selection at the time, originally sent a fourth-round pick to the Raiders with the condition it would become a fifth-round pick once the team acquired one. A fifth-round pick was then acquired in the Le Kevin Smith trade and sent to the Raiders instead of the fourth-round selection.
During final roster cutdowns, on September 5, the Patriots acquired tight end Michael Matthews
Michael Matthews (American football)
Michael Lee Matthews is an American football tight end for the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. He was signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at Georgia Tech.Matthews earned a Super Bowl ring with the Giants in Super Bowl XLII...
from the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in exchange for a conditional draft choice in the 2011 NFL Draft. He was waived on October 20; the condition for the trade was not met, meaning the Patriots did not surrender their draft choice.
On September 22, in the third week of the season, the Patriots acquired linebacker Prescott Burgess
Prescott Burgess
Prescott Ennis Burgess is an American football linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Ravens in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He has had three stints with the team. He played college football at Michigan.Burgess has also played for the...
from the Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
in exchange for a conditional seventh-round draft choice. He was waived by the Patriots six days later. Since the trade was conditioned on Burgess being active for a certain number of games, and since Burgess was inactive in the only game for which he was with the Patriots, the Patriots kept the pick.
2009 NFL Draft
The Patriots traded their original fifth-round selection (#159 overall) to the Philadelphia EaglesPhiladelphia 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...
in exchange for wide receiver Greg Lewis and a seventh-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft
2010 NFL Draft
The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. Unlike previous years, the 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, with the first round on Thursday, April 22, 2010, at 7:30 pm...
.
| Round | Overall | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 34 | Pat Chung | Safety | Oregon Oregon Ducks football The Oregon Ducks football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University of Oregon located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The team competes at the NCAA Division I level in the Football Bowl Subdivision and is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference. Known as the Ducks, the... |
| 2 | 40 | Ron Brace Ron Brace -2009 season:Brace was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. On July 17, 2009, he was signed to a 4-year contract with approximately $2.82 million in guaranteed money.... |
Defensive tackle | Boston College Boston College Eagles football The Boston College Eagles football team is the collegiate football program of Boston College. The team is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, a Division I Bowl Subdivision league governed by the NCAA. Within the ACC, the Eagles are one of six teams in the Atlantic Division... |
| 2 | 41 | Darius Butler Darius Butler -New England Patriots:Butler was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. On July 10, 2009, he signed a four-year contract with the Patriots that included a total of about $2.1 million in guaranteed money.... |
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... |
Connecticut Connecticut Huskies football The Connecticut Huskies football team is a collegiate football team that competes in NCAA Division I-A and the Big East Conference. Connecticut first fielded a team in 1896, and participated in Division I-AA until 1999. The Huskies began their two-year Division I-A transition period in 2000, and... |
| 2 | 58 | Sebastian Vollmer Sebastian Vollmer Sebastian Georg Vollmer 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 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Houston.-Early years:Born in Düsseldorf, Germany, Vollmer did not... |
Offensive tackle | Houston Houston Cougars football The Houston Cougars football program is an NCAA Division I FBS football team that represents the University of Houston. The team is commonly referred to as "Houston" or "UH" . The UH football program is currently a member of the Conference USA intercollegiate athletic conference, and is coached by... |
| 3 | 83 | Brandon Tate Brandon Tate -2009 season:Tate was drafted by the Patriots in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. On July 16, he was signed to a four-year contract with a $755,000 signing bonus. He began the 2009 season on the non-football injury list, still recovering from his knee injury from the prior season. He was... |
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... |
North Carolina North Carolina Tar Heels football The North Carolina Tar Heels football team represents the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in collegiate level football. In Carolina’s first 121 seasons of football competition, the Tar Heels have compiled a record of 646–488–54, a winning percentage of .566... |
| 3 | 97 | Tyrone McKenzie Tyrone McKenzie -New England Patriots:McKenzie was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. On May 2, 2009, during rookie minicamp, McKenzie tore the ACL in his right knee after getting tangled up with a running back. He was signed to a four-year contract on August 25 and... |
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... |
South Florida South Florida Bulls football The South Florida Bulls are a Division I FBS college football program that plays its home games in Tampa, Florida. The team began playing in 1997, holding its first team meeting under a shade tree as the school had no proper football facilities on campus... |
| 4 | 123 | Rich Ohrnberger Rich Ohrnberger Richard Paul Ohrnberger is an American football offensive guard for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL Draft... |
Offensive guard | Penn State Penn State Nittany Lions football The Penn State Nittany Lions football team represents the Pennsylvania State University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference. It is one of the most tradition-rich and storied college football programs in the... |
| 5 | 170 | George Bussey George Bussey George Bussey is an American football offensive lineman who is currently a member of the Tampa Bay Storm. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft... |
Offensive guard | Louisville Louisville Cardinals football The Louisville Cardinals football team represents the University of Louisville in college football as a member of the Big East Conference. Howard Schnellenberger started the program's rise to relevancy after winning the Miami Hurricanes' first national championship... |
| 6 | 198 | Jake Ingram Jake Ingram Jacob Ingram is an American football long snapper for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL Draft, the only long snapper drafted in 2009... |
Long snapper Long snapper In American football and Canadian football, the term long snapper refers to a player who is a specialized center during punts, field goals, and extra point attempts. His job is to snap the ball as quickly and accurately as possible.... |
Hawaii Hawaii Warriors football The Hawaii Warriors football team represents the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The team, which is currently coached by Greg McMackin, is part of the Western Athletic Conference until 2012, when the team joins the Mountain West Conference.The Hawaii Warriors... |
| 6 | 207 | Myron Pryor Myron Pryor Myron Pryor is an American football nose tackle for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Kentucky.... |
Defensive tackle | Kentucky Kentucky Wildcats football The Kentucky Wildcats football team is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the East Division of the Southeastern Conference.-History:Paul "Bear" Bryant Era... |
| 7 | 232 | Julian Edelman Julian Edelman Julian Francis Edelman is a wide receiver for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football for Kent State as a quarterback.-Early years:Edelman was born in Redwood City, California... |
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... |
Kent State Kent State Golden Flashes football The Kent State Golden Flashes football team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, USA. The team is a member of the Mid-American Conference East division, which is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Football Bowl Subdivision... |
| 7 | 234 | Darryl Richard Darryl Richard Darryl Richard II is an American football defensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft... |
Defensive tackle | Georgia Tech Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represents the Georgia Institute of Technology in collegiate level football. While the team is officially designated as the Yellow Jackets, it is also referred to as the Ramblin' Wreck. The Yellow Jackets are a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference... |
| compensatory selection |
| Round | Overall | Team | Received |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 | to Baltimore Ravens Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his... |
Received Baltimore's first-round pick and fifth-round pick (26 and 162 overall) |
| 1 | 26 | to Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions... |
Received Green Bay's second-round pick (41 overall) and third-round picks (73 and 83 overall) |
| 5 | 162 | ||
| 2 | 47 | to Oakland Raiders Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
Received Oakland's second-round pick (40 overall) |
| 4 | 124 | ||
| 6 | 199 | ||
| 3 | 73 | to Jacksonville Jaguars Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
Received Jacksonville's seventh-round pick (232 overall) and 2010 second-round pick |
| 3 | 89 | to Tennessee Titans Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter... |
Received Tennessee's 2010 second-round pick |
| 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... |
to 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... |
Received Philadelphia's fifth-round picks (137 and 141 overall) | |
| 5 | 137 | to Baltimore Ravens | Received Baltimore's fourth-round pick and sixth-round pick (123 and 198 overall) |
| 5 | 141 | ||
Staff
| New England Patriots 2009 staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front Office
Head Coaches
Offensive Coaches
|
Defensive Coaches
Special Teams Coaches
Strength and Conditioning
|
|||||
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 30, they had the NFL maximum of 80 players signed to their roster (injured third-round pick Tyrone McKenzie
Tyrone McKenzie
-New England Patriots:McKenzie was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. On May 2, 2009, during rookie minicamp, McKenzie tore the ACL in his right knee after getting tangled up with a running back. He was signed to a four-year contract on August 25 and...
, who was not signed until after training camp began, did not count against that limit until his signing). Additionally, rookies Eric Kettani and Tyree Barnes were on the Reserve/Military list and did not count against the limit.
| New England Patriots 2009 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 George Bussey George Bussey is an American football offensive lineman who is currently a member of the Tampa Bay Storm. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft... G R 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,... G/C 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... C/G 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 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 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 Sebastian Vollmer Sebastian Georg Vollmer 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 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Houston.-Early years:Born in Düsseldorf, Germany, Vollmer did not... T R 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 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 Vinny Ciurciu Vincenzo Ciurciu is an American football linebacker that is currently a National Football League free agent. He was signed by the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2003... ILB 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... OLB Paris Lenon Paris Michael Lenon is an American football linebacker for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. He was signed by the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2000... OLB 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 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 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
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 (Active/PUP)  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... OT (Active/PUP) Rich Ohrnberger Richard Paul Ohrnberger is an American football offensive guard for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL Draft... G/C (Active/PUP) R Jermail Porter Jermail Porter is an American football offensive lineman and former wrestler. He was last a member of the Kansas City Chiefs. Porter was not selected in the 2009 NFL Draft since he did not play college football. He was signed as a free agent by the New England Patriots on April 27, 2009. He was... OT (Waived/Injured) UR Darryl Richard Darryl Richard II is an American football defensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft... DT (Active/PUP) R Shawn Springs Shawn Springs is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks third overall in the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at Ohio State.... CB (Active/NF-Inj.) Brandon Tate -2009 season:Tate was drafted by the Patriots in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. On July 16, he was signed to a four-year contract with a $755,000 signing bonus. He began the 2009 season on the non-football injury list, still recovering from his knee injury from the prior season. He was... WR (Active/NF-Inj.) R 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... 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 13, 2009 | Philadelphia Eagles 2009 Philadelphia Eagles season The 2009 Philadelphia Eagles season was the 77th season for the team in the National Football League. After advancing to their fifth NFC Championship game in eight years, the Eagles improved upon their 9–6–1 record and second-place finish in the NFC East in their 2008 campaign... |
W 27–25 | 1–0 | Lincoln Financial Field Lincoln Financial Field Lincoln Financial Field is the home stadium of the National Football League's Philadelphia Eagles. It has a seating capacity of 68,532 . It is located in South Philadelphia on Pattison Avenue between 11th and 10th streets, also aside I-95 as part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex... |
WBZ WBZ-TV WBZ-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,... |
Recap |
| 2 | 7:30 pm EDT | August 20, 2009 | Cincinnati Bengals 2009 Cincinnati Bengals season The 2009 Cincinnati Bengals season was the 40th season for the team in the National Football League and their 42nd overall. They finished the season at 10–6–0, and sweeping the entire AFC North division, they improved on their 2008 record of 4–11–1, winning the AFC North Division and making the... |
L 6–7 | 1–1 | 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... |
WBZ | Recap |
| 3 | 8:00 pm EDT | August 28, 2009 | Washington Redskins 2009 Washington Redskins season The 2009 Washington Redskins season is the 77th season for the team in the National Football League. They failed to improve upon their 8–8 record from 2008, which resulted in Jim Zorn being fired after two seasons.-Movement:... |
W 27–24 | 2–1 | FedExField FedExField FedExField is a football stadium located in an unincorporated area near the Capital Beltway in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, near the site of the old Capital Centre . FedExField is the home of the Washington Redskins football team... |
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 |
| 4 | 7:30 pm EDT | September 3, 2009 | New York Giants 2009 New York Giants season The 2009 New York Giants season was the 85th season for the team in the National Football League. It was the team's final season in Giants Stadium; In 2010, the Giants moved into New Meadowlands Stadium. The Giants hoped to improve upon their 12–4 record, avenge their divisional round loss to the... |
W 38–27 | 3–1 | Gillette Stadium | WBZ | Recap |
Regular season
| Week | Kickoff | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game Site | TV | NFL.com Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7:00 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 14, 2009 | Buffalo Bills 2009 Buffalo Bills season The 2009 Buffalo Bills season was the 50th Professional Football season for the original American Football League team, and its 40th in the NFL... † |
W 25–24 | 1–0 | 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 |
| 2 | 1:00 pm EDT | September 20, 2009 | New York Jets 2009 New York Jets season The 2009 New York Jets season was the 50th season for the club and the 40th season in the National Football League and the last season at Giants Stadium. While they did not improve their 9–7 record from 2008, this time the team headed to the playoffs. The Jets fired head coach Eric Mangini on... |
L 9–16 | 1–1 | 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... |
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 |
| 3 | 1:00 pm EDT | September 27, 2009 | Atlanta Falcons 2009 Atlanta Falcons season The 2009 Atlanta Falcons season was the 44th season for the team in the National Football League. The team looked to match or improve upon their 11–5 record from 2008 and return to the playoffs, however the Falcons were eliminated from contention in Week 15... |
W 26–10 | 2–1 | 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 |
| 4 | 1:00 pm EDT | October 4, 2009 | Baltimore Ravens 2009 Baltimore Ravens season The 2009 Baltimore Ravens season is the franchise's 14th season as a team in the National Football League . The franchise entered the season off an 11–5 record in their previous season, a playoff berth, but a loss in the American Football Conference Championship game against the eventual Super... |
W 27–21 | 3–1 | Gillette Stadium | CBS | Recap |
| 5 | 4:15 pm EDT | October 11, 2009 | Denver Broncos 2009 Denver Broncos season The 2009 Denver Broncos season was their 40th season in the NFL and 50th season overall. The Broncos matched their 8–8 regular season record from 2008 but did not make the playoffs. The Broncos welcomed many new defensive players signed during free agency, including veteran Eagles safety Brian... † |
L 17–20 (OT) | 3–2 | Invesco Field at Mile High INVESCO Field at Mile High Sports Authority Field at Mile High, previously known as Invesco Field at Mile High, and commonly known as Mile High, is a multi-purpose stadium, in Denver, Colorado. It replaced the identically sized, but commercially obsolete Mile High Stadium in 2001... |
CBS | Recap |
| 6 | 4:15 pm EDT | October 18, 2009 | Tennessee Titans 2009 Tennessee Titans season The 2009 Tennessee Titans season is the 50th season for the original American Football League team, their 40th in the NFL, and 13th in Tennessee. The Titans aimed to equal or improve on their 2008 NFL best 13–3 record; however, they lost the first 6 games of that season... † |
W 59–0 | 4–2 | Gillette Stadium | CBS | Recap |
| 7 | 1:00 pm EDT | October 25, 2009 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2009 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season The 2009 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's 34th season as a franchise in the NFL. The Buccaneers looked to improve on their 9–7 record from their 2008 season and 3rd place finish in the NFC South but failed to do so as they finished the season at 3–13, missing the playoffs for the... |
W 35–7 | 5–2 | Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007... (London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... , England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... ) |
CBS | Recap |
| 8 | 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... |
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| 9 | 1:00 pm EST | November 8, 2009 | Miami Dolphins 2009 Miami Dolphins season The 2009 Miami Dolphins season was the organization's 40th season in the National Football League and 44th overall. The Dolphins entered the 2009 season as the reigning AFC East champions after posting an 11–5 record in 2008... |
W 27–17 | 6–2 | Gillette Stadium | CBS | Recap |
| 10 | 8:20 pm EST | November 15, 2009 | Indianapolis Colts 2009 Indianapolis Colts season The 2009 Indianapolis Colts season was the 57th season for the team in the National Football League and the 26th in Indianapolis. It was the first season since 2002 that the Colts did not have Tony Dungy on their coaching staff, due to his retirement from coaching... |
L 34–35 | 6–3 | 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 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 |
| 11 | 4:15 pm EST | November 22, 2009 | New York Jets 2009 New York Jets season The 2009 New York Jets season was the 50th season for the club and the 40th season in the National Football League and the last season at Giants Stadium. While they did not improve their 9–7 record from 2008, this time the team headed to the playoffs. The Jets fired head coach Eric Mangini on... |
W 31–14 | 7–3 | Gillette Stadium | CBS | Recap |
| 12 | 8:30 pm EST | November 30, 2009 | New Orleans Saints 2009 New Orleans Saints season The 2009 New Orleans Saints season is the franchise's 43rd season in the National Football League and the most successful in franchise history in which they won Super Bowl XLIV. The Saints recorded a franchise record 13 victories, an improvement on their 8–8 record and fourth place finish in the... |
L 17–38 | 7–4 | Louisiana Superdome Louisiana Superdome The Mercedes-Benz Superdome, previously known as the Louisiana Superdome and colloquially known as the Superdome, is a sports and exhibition arena located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA... |
ESPN | Recap |
| 13 | 1:00 pm EST | December 6, 2009 | Miami Dolphins 2009 Miami Dolphins season The 2009 Miami Dolphins season was the organization's 40th season in the National Football League and 44th overall. The Dolphins entered the 2009 season as the reigning AFC East champions after posting an 11–5 record in 2008... † |
L 21–22 | 7–5 | LandShark Stadium | CBS | Recap |
| 14 | 1:00 pm EST | December 13, 2009 | Carolina Panthers 2009 Carolina Panthers season The 2009 Carolina Panthers season was the 15th season for the team in the National Football League. They failed to improve on their franchise-record 12–4 season in 2008 and also failed to make the playoffs.-2009 NFL Draft:-Trades:... |
W 20–10 | 8–5 | Gillette Stadium | Fox | Recap |
| 15 | 1:00 pm EST | December 20, 2009 | Buffalo Bills 2009 Buffalo Bills season The 2009 Buffalo Bills season was the 50th Professional Football season for the original American Football League team, and its 40th in the NFL... |
W 17–10 | 9–5 | 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 |
| 16 | 1:00 pm EST | December 27, 2009 | Jacksonville Jaguars 2009 Jacksonville Jaguars season The 2009 Jacksonville Jaguars season was the 15th season for the team in the National Football League. This was the first season for new general manager Gene Smith, who hoped to usher in a "rebuilding" era for the Jaguars franchise. The Jaguars improved upon their 5–11 record in 2008, however did... |
W 35–7 | 10–5 | Gillette Stadium | CBS | Recap |
| 17 | 1:00 pm EST | January 3, 2010 | Houston Texans 2009 Houston Texans season The 2009 Houston Texans season is the 8th season for the team in the National Football League. The Texans improved upon their 8–8 record in 2008, claimed their first winning season in franchise history, and 4 straight heartbreaking division losses came back to haunt them, as they narrowly missed... |
L 27–34 | 10–6 | Reliant Stadium Reliant Stadium Reliant Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium, in Houston, Texas, USA. Reliant Stadium has a seating capacity of 71,500, a total square footage of with of natural grass playing surface.... |
CBS | Recap |
- 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...
.
†These four games were among the 16 that the NFL designated as "AFL Legacy Games" in honor of the 50th anniversary of the American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
. The Patriots wore their throwback uniform
Throwback uniform
Throwback uniforms and jerseys are one-time or limited-time variations on a sports team's uniforms styled to resemble uniforms from that team's past. They have proven popular in all major pro and college sports in the USA, not only with fans, but with the teams' marketing and merchandising...
s during those four games, as did the Bills, Broncos, and Titans (originally the Houston Oilers). (The Dolphins, not one of the original AFL teams having joined the league only in 1966, wore their standard uniforms.)
Week 1 roster
| New England Patriots 2009 Week 1 roster | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
|
Offensive Linemen
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,... 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 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 Rich Ohrnberger Richard Paul Ohrnberger is an American football offensive guard for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL Draft... G/C R Kendall Simmons Henry Alexander Kendall Simmons is an American football guard who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Auburn.... G Sebastian Vollmer Sebastian Georg Vollmer 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 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Houston.-Early years:Born in Düsseldorf, Germany, Vollmer did not... T R 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:... C/G Defensive Linemen
|
Linebackers
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... OLB 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 Rob Ninkovich Robert Michael Ninkovich is an American football linebacker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue.Ninkovich has also played for the Miami Dolphins.-Early... OLB/DE 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
George Bussey George Bussey is an American football offensive lineman who is currently a member of the Tampa Bay Storm. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft... T/G (IR) R 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) 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... OT (PUP) Tyrone McKenzie -New England Patriots:McKenzie was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. On May 2, 2009, during rookie minicamp, McKenzie tore the ACL in his right knee after getting tangled up with a running back. He was signed to a four-year contract on August 25 and... ILB (IR) R Brandon Tate -2009 season:Tate was drafted by the Patriots in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. On July 16, he was signed to a four-year contract with a $755,000 signing bonus. He began the 2009 season on the non-football injury list, still recovering from his knee injury from the prior season. He was... WR (NF-Inj.) R Practice Squad
Notations
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Week 1: vs. Buffalo Bills
In the first game of a ESPN Monday Night Football opening doubleheader, the Patriots faced the Bills at home in an American Football LeagueAmerican Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
"legacy game" honoring the 50th anniversary of the founding of AFL, which added ten teams to the NFL as part of the 1970 AFL–NFL merger. As two of the eight founding teams of the AFL, the Bills and Patriots celebrated their 50th anniversaries by wearing throwback uniforms from the AFL era, while the officials also wore red-striped uniforms such as those worn by AFL officials. Following a Patriots three-and-out to open the game, the Bills punted to give the Patriots the ball at their own 17-yard line. Nine players later, the Patriots were unable to convert on third down, setting kicker Stephen Gostkowski
Stephen Gostkowski
Stephen Carroll Gostkowski is a placekicker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League...
up for a 41-yard field goal try. He missed it wide right, giving the Bills the ball at their own 32-yard line. Bills quarterback Trent Edwards
Trent 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...
scrambled for 16 yards to move the Bills into Patriots territory before a Fred Jackson run gained another 16 yards. Jackson was filling in for suspended starter 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...
; Patriots linebacker and 2008 Defensive Rookie of the Year 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...
suffered a sprained 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,...
on the play and did not return. The next play, a dump-off pass to Jackson, gained 21 yards and put the Bills in the red zone. Two plays later, Edwards hit rookie tight end Shawn Nelson
Shawn Nelson (American football)
Shawn Nelson is an American football tight end who is currently a free agent. Nelson was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Southern Mississippi....
for an 11-yard touchdown, giving the Bills a 7–0 lead. The Patriots next drive was a three-and-out, ending on an Aaron Schobel
Aaron Schobel
Aaron Ross Schobel is a retired American football defensive end. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft and played his entire career for the Bills, retiring before the 2010 season. He played collegiately at Texas Christian University .-High school...
sack of 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,...
on third down.
The Bills punted back to the Patriots early in the second quarter, setting the table for a 14-play, 72-yard Patriots drive that culminated on a 1-yard touchdown run by running back Fred Taylor to tie the game. Despite a 16-yard dump-off to Jackson on the Bills' next drive, they punted back to the Patriots before reaching midfield. On the very next play, a Brady pass intended for 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...
was intercepted by Schobel and returned 26 yards for a touchdown, giving the Bills a 14–7 lead. Brady was more accurate on his next possession, throwing passes of 14 yards to tight end Benjamin Watson
Benjamin Watson
Benjamin Watson is an American football tight end for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots 32nd overall in the 2004 NFL draft. He played college football at Georgia.-Early years:Watson attended Northwestern High School in Rock Hill, South...
and 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:...
to move into Bills territory, and then hitting 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...
on a 31-yard strike within the two-minute warning. The drive stalled in the Bills' red zone, and the Patriots were forced to settle for a 20-yard Gostkowski field goal as the first half expired, cutting the Bills' lead to 14–10.
Aided by more Jackson yardage and a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty on 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...
, the Bills moved close to midfield on the opening drive of the second half before punting and pinning the Patriots at their own 3-yard line. The Patriots would advance to the Bills' 36-yard line on 12 plays, but an incomplete pass on third down set up a fourth down conversion try, which failed on another incomplete pass. Three plays later, Edwards hit new target Terrell Owens
Terrell Owens
Terrell Owens is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. A six-time Pro Bowl selection, Owens has been one of the dominant receivers of his era...
for the first time in the game, good for 27 yards to put the Bills in Patriots territory. However, a run for a loss and a Tully Banta-Cain
Tully Banta-Cain
Tully Banta-Cain is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at California.Banta-Cain earned two Super Bowl rings during his first stint with the Patriots...
sack of Edwards set up a 3rd-and-20 situation, where the Bills failed to convert, forcing a 40-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. After a punt, the Patriots began an 11-play drive that spanned into the fourth quarter, ending it on a 28-yard Gostkowski field goal that cut the Bills' lead to 17–13. The Bills responded by embarking on a 14-play, 62-yard drive that took more than six minutes off the clock and extended the Bills' lead to 24–13 on a 10-yard Jackson touchdown on a dump-off from Edwards. With 5:25 remaining in the game and down by 11 points, the Patriots shifted into their two-minute, pass-only offense, moving the ball 81 yards on 11 plays in 3:26 and scoring on an 18-yard Watson touchdown pass from Brady. The Patriots' two-point conversion try failed, keeping them within five points of the Bills.
On the ensuing kickoff, Bills second-year returner 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...
chose to return the kickoff out of the end zone, despite having his team's onside kick return unit on the field. Safety 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...
hit McKelvin at the Bills' 31-yard line, which allowed linebacker 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...
to come in from the side and strip McKelvin of the ball. Gostkowski recovered it at the same spot. Following the two-minute warning, the Patriots offense came back out onto the field. On the third play of the drive, Brady hit Watson on a nearly identical end zone route for a 16-yard touchdown, which was upheld by official review. The Patriots two-point attempt failed again, holding their lead to one point over the Bills. With 45 seconds remaining, the Bills began their next drive and were able to reach their own 40-yard line before another Banta-Cain sack pushed them back to the 30-yard line. The next play was a last-minute deseperation multiple-lateral play that fell short for the Bills, giving the Patriots a 25–24 win, their first victory of the season.
Week 2: at New York Jets
Following their close home win over the Bills, the Patriots traveled to face the Jets in the final regular season matchup between the teams in Giants StadiumGiants 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...
. In the week prior to the game, first-year Jets head coach Rex Ryan
Rex Ryan
Rex Ryan is an American football head coach for the New York Jets of the National Football League . After serving as an assistant coach for twenty-two years, Ryan attained his first head coaching job in the NFL with the Jets in 2009...
placed a phone message to all Jets season ticket holders asking them to "make it miserable for (Tom) Brady and company," following up on his comments during the offseason that he would not "kiss Bill Belichick's Super Bowl ring
Super Bowl ring
The Super Bowl ring is an award in the National Football League given to the winners of the league's annual championship game, the Super Bowl...
s." He told the Jets fans that "the Patriots had a better head coach and a better quarterback," but that the game would decide "who has a better team." Meanwhile, Jets 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...
said the Jets intended on not just winning, but "embarrassing" the Patriots in the game, while nose tackle 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...
called it the Jets' version of the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
; the Jets had not defeated the Patriots at home since 2000
2000 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 drive of the game, without an injured Welker, the Patriots drove to the Jets' 36-yard line before having to punt. The Jets' first play from scrimmage was a strip-sack of rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez
Mark Sanchez
Mark Travis John Sanchez is an American football quarterback for the New York Jets of the National Football League . He was drafted in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft as the fifth overall selection by the Jets and the second quarterback taken overall...
by 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....
; Sanchez recovered the fumble at the Jets' 3-yard line. On 4th-and-24, the Jets punted back to their own 49-yard line; the Patriots could not capitalize on the field position and went three-and-out. However, Jets running back Leon Washington
Leon 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...
fumbled on the next play; cornerback Leigh Bodden
Leigh Bodden
Leigh Edmond Bodden is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent. He was originally signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He played college football at Duquesne....
recovered it at the Jets' 17-yard line. Two holding penalties would push the Patriots back to the Jets' 37-yard line, setting up a 45-yard Gostkowski field goal to give the Patriots a 3–0 lead. Following a Jets three-and-out, the Patriots moved to their own 41-yard line before Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis
Darrelle Revis
Though Revis was not the first defensive back drafted in the 2007 NFL Draft , he was the first cornerback taken that year...
intercepted a pass intended for Moss at the Jets' 16-yard line. The Jets offense would continue to struggle, however, going three-and-out again to end the first quarter.
The Patriots began the second quarter with a 9-play, 53-yard drive, one that stalled at the Jets' 7-yard line; the Patriots settled for another Gostkowski field goal, extending their lead to 6–0. The Jets would pick up their initial first down of the game on their next possession, going 52 yards on 10 plays before a 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....
33-yard field goal cut the Patriots' lead in half. Starting from their own 10-yard line after a holding penalty on 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...
on the kickoff, the Patriots took nearly six minutes off the clock, reaching the Jets' 11-yard line before two incomplete passes by Brady prevented the Patriots scoring their first touchdown of the game. Instead, Gostkowski kicked his third field goal of the day to increase the Patriots' lead to 9–3 going into halftime. Receiving the opening kickoff of the second half due to their deferral of the opening coin toss, the Jets took the lead in barely a minute. Following a 43-yard kick return by Washington, Sanchez hit 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...
for 45 yards and a play later connected with tight end 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...
on a 9-yard touchdown pass. The 10–9 lead was the first for the Jets over the Patriots at home since 2001
2001 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....
. After a Patriots three-and-out, punter 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...
's 30-yard punt gave the Jets the ball at the Patriots' 45-yard line. From the Patriots' 6-yard line, Sanchez appeared to throw a touchdown pass to 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...
, but the catch was overturned after the Patriots challenged. Two plays later, Feely hit his second field goal of the day to give the Jets a 13–9 lead.
The Patriots' ensuing possession reached the Jets' 35-yard line on a third down, but back-to-back delay of game penalties on Brady, an incomplete pass, and a facemask penalty on Moss on the punt backed the Patriots up to their own 40-yard line. However, Hanson's subsequent attempt was better than the first, nullified by the penalty, and the Jets began their next drive from their own 15-yard line. On a 14-play, 63-yard drive that spanned into the fourth quarter, the Jets extended their lead to 16–9 on a 39-yard Feely field goal. The Patriots started their next drive from their own 15-yard line as well, but were unable to reach midfield before punting. A Jets three-and-out gave the Patriots another opportunity with five minutes remaining, but a Watson holding penalty in the middle of the drive helped set up a 2nd-and-20 situation and eventually another punt. Just before the two-minute warning, Sanchez was sacked, but a penalty on BenJarvus Green-Ellis
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...
on the ensuing punt meant the Patriots had to start their last drive of the game from their own 10-yard line. After a Julian Edelman
Julian Edelman
Julian Francis Edelman is a wide receiver for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football for Kent State as a quarterback.-Early years:Edelman was born in Redwood City, California...
18-yard reception began it, four straight incompletions ended the drive and the game. The loss dropped the Patriots to 1–1, their first such record since the 2005
2005 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....
season. It also marked the first time that New England was held without a touchdown since December 10, 2006.
Week 3: vs. Atlanta Falcons
Looking to avoid back-to-back losses, the Patriots returned home to face the Atlanta Falcons, missing Welker for the second straight game. The Falcons moved the ball 72 yards on their 12-play opening drive, but settled for a 26-yard Jason ElamJason Elam
Jason Elam is a retired American football placekicker. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He played college football at Hawaii....
field goal after being stopped on 3rd-and-3 from the 8-yard line. The Patriots responded with a 15-play drive of their own, beginning with a 19-yard dump-off pass to Morris. No other play on the drive would go for more than 9 yards, and the Patriots themselves were stopped short of a touchdown, with wide receiver Joey Galloway
Joey Galloway
Joseph Scott Galloway is an American football wide receiver. He most recently played for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks eighth overall in the 1995 NFL Draft...
catching a pass with his foot out of bounds in the back of the end zone on what would have been a 7-yard touchdown pass. Instead, the Patriots could not reach further than the Falcons' 2-yard line and settled for a 21-yard Gostkowski field goal to tie the game. The Falcons next drive was a three-and-out that began the second quarter, with a 29-yard Michael Koenen
Michael Koenen
Michael J. Koenen is an American football punter for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. He was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football at Western Washington....
punt and a 5-yard penalty on the Falcons giving the Patriots the ball at their own 49-yard line. After two pass attempts, Taylor had runs of 8, 19, 6, and 8 yards, with the final rush good for a touchdown and a 10–7 Patriots lead. Beginning their next drive from their own 41-yard line after a 33-yard return by Eric Weems
Eric Weems
Eric Weems is an American football wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League. He was signed by the Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at Bethune-Cookman.-Early years:Weems attended Seabreeze High School in Daytona Beach, Florida and...
, the Falcons moved into Patriots territory on one play before an apparent strip-sack of second-quarter quarterback Matt Ryan
Matt Ryan
Matt Ryan is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre currently playing for Villacher SV of the Austrian Hockey League .-Playing career:...
by safety Brandon McGowan
Brandon McGowan
Brandon McGowan is an American football safety of the National Football League who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2005...
; the Falcons challenged the ruling (which included a touchdown return by cornerback Shawn Springs
Shawn Springs
Shawn Springs is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks third overall in the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at Ohio State....
) and won, as Ryan's arm was going forward when he lost the ball. Another Jenkins reception, this one for 21 yards, moved the Falcons deeper into Patriots territory before running back Michael Turner ran for a 2-yard touchdown that tied the game. Following a Patriots three-and-out, the Falcons again moved into Patriots territory, but a Turner fumble at the Patriots' 27-yard line, forced by McGowan, was recovered by safety James Sanders with just under four minutes remaining in the half. The Patriots' 12-play drive brought them into the red zone, but a dropped pass by Galloway just outside of the end zone and an incompletion to 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...
in the end zone forced a 33-yard Gostkowski field goal that gave the Patriots a 13–10 lead going into halftime.
The Patriots began where they left off at the start of the second half, embarking on a 13-play drive that entered into the red zone on a 23-yard Watson catch. However, the Patriots' offense stalled in the red zone again, with two incomplete passes to Moss setting up a 22-yard Gostkowski field goal. Ryan and Jenkins continued to connect on the Falcons' ensuing drive; a 26-yard reception put the Falcons in Patriots territory and then a 36-yard touchdown pass was nullified on a pass interference penalty on Jenkins. With a subsequent false start penalty, the Falcons were pushed back into Patriots' territory and eventually forced to punt. The Patriots next drive spanned 70 yards on 16 plays and was kept alive on a 4th-and-1 conversion from the Patriots own 24-yard line. Again, it did not involve a touchdown though, as Gostkowski kicked a 33-yard field goal to extend the Patriots' lead to 19–10 early in the fourth quarter. After an exchange of three punts, the Patriots began a 6-play drive that resulted in their first passing touchdown of the day, a 36-yard reception by tight end Chris Baker that extended the Patriots lead to 26–10; it was also Brady's 200th career touchdown pass. After a Falcons three-and-out, the Patriots held the ball for the final 6:52 of the game to seal a 26–10 victory.
Week 4: vs. Baltimore Ravens
Coming off their win over the Falcons, the Patriots stayed at home for a Week 4 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. The opening kickoff was fumbled by Ravens returner Chris Carr and recovered by McGowan at the Ravens' 12-yard line. However, the Patriots could not capitalize on the field position, settling for a 32-yard Gostkowski field goal to give them an early 3–0 lead. The Ravens began their first drive from their own 19-yard line and advanced on a 15-play drive, capping it with a 20-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joe FlaccoJoe Flacco
Flacco was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens 18th overall in the 2008 NFL Draft, becoming the highest drafted player ever from the University of Delaware...
to wide receiver Derrick Mason
Derrick Mason
Derrick James Mason is an American football wide receiver for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tennessee Oilers in the fourth round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan State.Mason has also played for the Baltimore Ravens where he...
. The Patriots responded with a 14-play drive of their own, going 76 yards before Brady scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak to re-establish a Patriots lead at 10–7. The Ravens reached midfield on their next drive with a 22-yard reception by tight end Todd Heap
Todd Heap
Todd Benjamin Heap is an American football tight end for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Arizona State-Early years:At Mountain View High School, in Mesa, Arizona,...
, but the drive stalled at the Patriots' 38-yard line, setting up a punt by Sam Koch
Sam Koch
Sam David Koch [pronounced Cook] is an American football punter for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Ravens in the sixth round of the 2006 NFL Draft...
that gave the Patriots the ball at their own 9-yard line. Similarly, the Patriots reached Ravens' territory before having to punt; Hanson's punt landed in the end zone for a touchback. On the second play of the Ravens' ensuing drive, left tackle Jared Gaither
Jared Gaither
Jared Gaither is an American football offensive tackle for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the fifth round of the 2007 Supplemental Draft...
injured his head falling into Flacco during a block; while he had motion in his extremities, the game was stopped for 15 minutes as Gaither was loaded onto a stretcher and taken to the hospital for tests. The Ravens' drive finished as a three-and-out. The Patriots then went 63 yards on six plays, extending their lead to 17–7 on a 12-yard touchdown run by Morris. With just under four minutes remaining in the half, the Ravens mounted a drive that reached the Patriots' 17-yard line with 1:17 left; Flacco was intercepted by Bodden to prevent the Ravens from scoring again before halftime.
The Patriots first drive of the second half was aided by a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty on the Ravens' bench, but the Patriots were unable to capitalize as a 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...
holding penalty and a Jarret Johnson
Jarret Johnson
Jarret Webster Johnson is an American Football outside linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL.-College career:...
sack of Brady forced a punt. Starting from their own 16-yard line, the Ravens advanced to their 45-yard line before a Wright sack of Flacco set up another punt. 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,...
fielded the return but fumbled; Bodden recovered the fumble for the Patriots at their own 14-yard line. On the next play, Brady dropped back and was strip-sacked from his blind side by Terrell Suggs
Terrell Suggs
Terrell Raymonn Suggs is an American football linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Ravens tenth overall in the 2003 NFL Draft after playing his college football at Arizona State....
; defensive lineman Dwan Edwards
Dwan Edwards
Dwan Edwards is an American football defensive end for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oregon State.-Early years:Edwards attended Columbus High School in Columbus,...
recovered the fumble for the Ravens in the end zone for a touchdown, cutting the Patriots' lead to 17–14. Brady quickly recovered, hitting passes to Taylor for 13 yards, Aiken for 26 yards, and Moss for 20 yards to put the Patriots in the Ravens' red zone. Three plays later, Brady and Moss connected for their first touchdown of the season; the 14-yard strike extended the Patriots' lead to 24–14. The Ravens had similar success on his next drive, with Flacco hitting Mark Clayton on a 13-yard catch, Mason on a 20-yard catch, and then running back Ray Rice
Ray Rice
Raymell Maurice Rice is an American football running back for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Ravens in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Rutgers. He is currently ranked as the Baltimore Ravens third all-time rusher in...
breaking a 50-yard rush to put the Ravens well into Patriots territory. A few plays later, Flacco kept pace with Brady on a 13-yard touchdown pass to running back Willis McGahee
Willis McGahee
Willis Andrew McGahee III is an American football running back for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
to cut the Patriots' lead to 24–21. The Patriots would control the ball for the next seven minutes, reaching the Ravens' 9-yard line on a second down. After two incomplete passes, the Patriots lined up in a field goal formation but the holder, Hanson, took a quick snap and passed to Baker, who had motioned outside of the formation. Baker was tackled around the first down marker, but was called for an illegal motion on the play. The Ravens challenged the ruling of a catch and the first down spot, as they would have declined the penalty if Baker had been short. The ruling was upheld and the Patriots took a 27–21 lead on a 33-yard Gostkowski field goal. After an exchange of three-and-outs, the Ravens mounted a drive with 3:32 left, reaching the Patriots' red zone with under a minute remaining. On third and fourth down, Flacco's passes fell incomplete to Mason and Clayton, ending the Ravens' hopes of a comeback. Brady then kneeled to hand the Ravens their first loss of the season and better the Patriots' record to 3–1.
Week 5: at Denver Broncos
The Patriots traveled to Denver to face a fourth straight undefeated team, a stretch only matched by one other post-mergerAFL-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...
team (the 1986 Philadelphia Eagles
1986 Philadelphia Eagles season
The 1986 Philadelphia Eagles season was their 54th in the league. The team was unable to improve upon their previous output of 7–9, winning only five games...
). The game also marked the first time former Patriots assistant Josh McDaniels
Josh McDaniels
Josh McDaniels is the former head coach of the Denver Broncos and currently the offensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams. He previously served as the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots...
, who became the head coach of the Broncos in 2009, faced his former team. On the first drive of the game, the Broncos advanced to the Patriots' 30-yard line before Matt Prater
Matt Prater
Matt Prater is an American football placekicker who plays for the Denver Broncos. He was originally signed by the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at the University of Central Florida, where he majored in psychology.-High school career:Prater attended...
attempted a 48-yard field goal; he missed wide right. With field position at their own 38-yard line, the Patriots moved into the red zone on a 35-yard dump-off to Morris. Three plays later, Brady and Welker connected on their first touchdown pass of the season; the 8-yard score gave the Patriots a 7–0 lead. Three plays later, Mayo, in his first game back from his knee injury, forced a fumble of Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno
Knowshon Moreno
Knowshon Rockwell Moreno is an American football running back for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was selected 12th overall in the 2009 NFL Draft by the Broncos. He played college football at the University of Georgia.-Early years:Moreno grew up in Belford, a neighborhood in...
; McGowan recovered it at the Broncos' 43-yard line. After a 10-yard Morris run began the Patriots' ensuing possession, they lost two yards over their next three plays, setting up a 53-yard Gostkowski field goal (a career long) that extended the Patriots' lead to 10–0. Following a Broncos three-and-out, the Patriots had a three-and-out of their own; the punt was fumbled by returner Eddie Royal
Eddie Royal
William Edward "Eddie" Royal is an American football wide receiver and return specialist for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League...
but recovered by Broncos cornerback Jack Williams
Jack Williams (American football)
Jack Williams is an American football cornerback who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Kent State....
and returned to the Broncos' 38-yard line. The Broncos then advanced into Patriots territory but were forced to punt again. This set up a Patriots drive that moved to the Broncos' 41-yard line before a failed third down conversion and an unnecessary roughness penalty on 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...
pushed the Patriots back past midfield and forced a punt. Despite starting from their own 10-yard line with a sack, the Broncos quickly advanced into Patriots territory on Kyle Orton
Kyle Orton
Kyle Orton is an American football quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He played college football at Purdue, where he started four straight bowl games. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
completions of 11, 10, and 13 yards plus a roughing the passer penalty on 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...
. More Orton completions resulted in an 11-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall
Brandon Marshall
-2006:Before the regular season even began, Marshall suffered a slight tear to his PCL in a pre-season game against the Detroit Lions. Although the injury sidelined him for a couple of weeks, he was able to return and play 15 games during the regular season. Marshall had a total of 20 catches, 309...
that cut the Patriots' lead to 10–7. With under five minutes remaining in the half, the Patriots mounted a 10-play, 74-yard drive, capping it off with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Watson, giving the Patriots a 17–7 lead going into halftime after Moss' first career interception on a last-second hail mary pass from Orton.
The Patriots began the second half with a three-and-out; the Broncos then moved 66 yards on 12 plays before their drive stalled at the Patriots' 6-yard line and Prater kicked a 24-yard field goal to cut the Patriots' lead to 17–10. Two plays later, Brady connected with Moss on a 36-yard pass, but the Patriots were unable to get past the Broncos' 22-yard line and there, Goskowski missed a 40-yard field goal. Following a Broncos punt, the Patriots mounted a 12-play drive that spanned into the fourth quarter; however, the drive began from the Patriots' 4-yard line and only reached the Broncos' 47-yard line, resulting in another punt. The Broncos' ensuing possession began from worse field position (the Broncos' 2-yard line) but 10 of its 12 plays were Orton passes, the last of which was another 11-yard Marshall touchdown catch that tied the game. Following two three-and-outs, the Patriots had the ball again at their own 30-yard line. The final play before the two-minute warning was a 19-yard Morris run to bring the Patriots close to midfield. Morris fumbled on his next run but tackle 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...
recovered it at the Broncos' 49-yard line. On the next play, Brady was strip-sacked by 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...
; Broncos linebacker Elvis Dumervil
Elvis Dumervil
-Denver Broncos:Dumervil was drafted in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. Broncos coach Mike Shanahan stated that he planned to keep Dumervil at defensive end....
recovered the fumble at the Patriots' 45-yard line with 1:37 remaining. However, the Broncos were forced to punt after a Banta-Cain sack and Brady kneeled to send the game into overtime.
The Patriots lost the overtime coin toss, and Gostkowski kicked off into the back of the end zone to spot the ball at the Broncos' 20-yard line. On an 11-play, 58-yard drive, the Broncos advanced to the Patriots' 22-yard line. Prater then kicked the game-winning field goal from 41 yards out to give the Broncos another win, bettering their record to 5–0 and dropping the Patriots to 3–2.
Week 6: vs. Tennessee Titans
For the first time in 2009, the Patriots played a team with a loss on their record; the 0–5 Titans traveled to Foxborough to face the Patriots for an AFL Legacy game in an early season snowstorm. The Titans gained one yard on their first possession and went three-and-out; Edelman returned the 35-yard punt 35 yards to give the Patriots the ball at the Titans' 29-yard line. However, a third down sack by Kyle Vanden BoschKyle Vanden Bosch
-Arizona Cardinals:Kyle was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. In his injury-abbreviated rookie season he finished with 12 tackles , one quarterback sack, one hurry, one pass defensed and one...
forced the Patriots to attempt a field goal, a 39-yarder that fell wide right. Following a Titans punt, the Patriots advanced past midfield before a 45-yard touchdown run by Maroney that gave the Patriots a 7–0 lead. After a Titans three-and-out, the Patriots moved into the red zone on a 48-yard pass from Brady to Welker, and then took a 10–0 lead on a 33-yard Gostkowski field goal. On the ensuing Titans possession, early in the second quarter, running back LenDale White
LenDale White
LenDale Anthony White is an American football running back. He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Southern California....
fumbled at the Patriots' 41-yard line; it was recovered at the 35-yard line by 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...
. After crossing midfield, Brady connected with Moss on a 40-yard touchdown pass, extending the Patriots' lead to 17–0. On the next play from scrimmage, Titans quarterback Kerry Collins
Kerry Collins
Kerry Michael Collins is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers with the fifth overall pick of the 1995 NFL Draft, the first choice in the franchise's history...
fumbled the snap; it was recovered by the Patriots' Wright at the Titans' 31-yard line. Two plays later, Moss caught a 28-yard touchdown pass from Brady, making the score 24–0. Three plays into the Titans' ensuing possession, Collins was intercepted by rookie cornerback Darius Butler
Darius Butler
-New England Patriots:Butler was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. On July 10, 2009, he signed a four-year contract with the Patriots that included a total of about $2.1 million in guaranteed money....
at the Patriots' 35-yard line. Four plays later, Brady hit Faulk on a dump-off pass that went 38 yards for a touchdown. After a Titans three-and-out that ended in a 41-yard Reggie Hodges
Reggie Hodges
Reginald Aaron "Reggie" Hodges is an American football punter for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
punt to the New England 21-yard line, Brady capped a 76-yard drive with a 30-yard touchdown pass to Welker immediately after the two-minute warning, giving the Patriots a 38–0 lead. The Titans went three-and-out again, but Hodges shanked the punt, which traveled only 21 yards. The subsequent 10-play, 49-yard drive ended in Welker's second touchdown, a 5-yard reception.
This gave the Patriots a 45–0 halftime lead, the largest in NFL history. It was also Brady's fifth touchdown pass of the quarter, an NFL record. The 45 points scored in the half were a team record, as were the 35 points scored in the second quarter. Brady's 345 passing yards and five touchdowns in the half were also team records.
Due to their deferral of the opening coin toss, the Patriots began the second half with possession. They advanced 65 yards on nine plays, with Brady throwing his sixth and final touchdown pass of the day to Moss, from 9 yards out. The six touchdowns tied a team record set by Brady in November 2007. The Titans moved into Patriots territory on a 48-yard run by Chris Johnson
Chris Johnson (running back)
Christopher Duan Johnson is an American football running back for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League...
, but attempted to convert a 4th-and-10 from the Patriots' 17-yard line. On the play, Collins was chased 15 yards into his own backfield by rookie defensive tackle Myron Pryor
Myron Pryor
Myron Pryor is an American football nose tackle for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Kentucky....
; Collins managed to complete a pass to receiver 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...
, who fumbled and recovered it another seven yards deep. Undrafted rookie Brian Hoyer
Brian Hoyer
Brian Hoyer is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2009...
replaced Brady at quarterback and led a 12-play, 61-yard drive, ending in a 1-yard touchdown run by Hoyer to give the Patriots a 59–0 lead. Gostkowski's included extra point was his eighth of the game, tying his team record set in November 2007. The 59 points also set a Patriots team record, and the eight touchdowns tied another. Vince Young
Vince Young
Vincent Paul Young, Jr. , nicknamed "VY", is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He spent the first five seasons of his career with the Tennessee Titans. Young was the third overall draft pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college...
replaced Collins at quarterback for the fourth quarter, but had his first pass intercepted by rookie safety Pat Chung. The Patriots attempted on a fourth down conversion in the Titans' red zone on their ensuing possession but it failed. The Titans then advanced into Patriots territory before fullback Ahmard Hall
Ahmard Hall
Ahmard Rashad Hall is an American football fullback for the Tennessee Titans of the NFL. He was originally signed by the Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at Texas.-Early years:...
fumbled; it was recovered by 40-year-old linebacker Junior Seau
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...
, who returned to the team in the days prior to the game. The Patriots' next play was a 5-yard run by Green-Ellis which gave the Patriots 599 total yards on the day, breaking the previous team record of 597 set in 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:...
. They would finish with 619 net yards; 426 of those were passing, tying a team record. Following a Titans punt, the Patriots and Titans kneeled to end the game at 59–0, improving the Patriots' record to 4–2 and keeping the Titans winless at 0–6. The 59–0 shutout tied the largest post-merger shutout and margin of victory with a 59–0 win by the Los Angeles Rams over the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta 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...
in 1976
1976 NFL season
The 1976 NFL season was the 57th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 28 teams with the addition of the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers...
.
Week 7: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Following their home win over the Titans, the Patriots flew to Wembley StadiumWembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
for the year's NFL International Series
NFL International Series
Beginning with the 2005 season, the National Football League has hosted regular season American football games held outside the United States in a series known as the International Series.-Background:...
game against the winless 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...
. Five plays into the game, Buccaneers quarterback Josh Johnson
Josh Johnson (American football)
Josh Johnson is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. He played college football quarterback for the University of San Diego Toreros. He was selected by the Buccaneers in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft...
was intercepted by Meriweather, who returned it 39 yards for a touchdown. On the ensuing drive, the Buccaneers advanced to the Patriots' 33-yard line before Meriweather again intercepted a Johnson pass, this time at the Patriots' 15-yard line; he returned this one 31 yards. However, the Patriots could not capitalize on the turnover and went three-and-out. Following a Buccaneers punt, the Patriots began a drive with an end-around to rookie wide receiver Brandon Tate
Brandon Tate
-2009 season:Tate was drafted by the Patriots in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. On July 16, he was signed to a four-year contract with a $755,000 signing bonus. He began the 2009 season on the non-football injury list, still recovering from his knee injury from the prior season. He was...
, who was active for his first NFL game after spending the first six weeks of the season on the Physically Unable to Perform
Physically Unable to Perform
Players can be labeled Physically Unable to Perform in the National Football League if they suffer from football-related injuries during the preseason...
list; the run went for 11 yards. Two plays later, Brady connected with Moss on a 37-yard pass, which was followed a few plays later with a 14-yard Welker touchdown reception that gave the Patriots a 14–0 lead. After a penalty on the kickoff, the Buccaneers began their next drive at their own 11-yard line and could not advance one yard before punting; the 43-yard punt was returned by Welker 24 yards. Starting from the Buccaneers' 30-yard line, the Patriots moved to the 11-yard line before Brady was intercepted by safety Tanard Jackson
Tanard Jackson
Tanard Ricardo Jackson is an American football safety for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buccaneers in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
in the end zone early in the second quarter.
Following a Buccaneers three-and-out, Brady threw a short pass to Aiken that turned into a 54-yard scoring strike, extending the Patriots lead to 21–0. After another Buccaneers punt, Brady was intercepted by Aqib Talib
Aqib Talib
Aqib Talib is an American football cornerback who plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20th overall in the 2008 NFL Draft.-Early years:...
on a deep pass intended for Brandon Tate
Brandon Tate
-2009 season:Tate was drafted by the Patriots in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. On July 16, he was signed to a four-year contract with a $755,000 signing bonus. He began the 2009 season on the non-football injury list, still recovering from his knee injury from the prior season. He was...
; Talib returned it to the Buccaneers' 41-yard line. The 0–6 Buccaneers could not cross midfield though, and were forced into another three-and-out. On a 4th-and-2 from their own 46-yard line, the Patriots attempted a fake punt that was negated by a false start on Mankins; this set up a 26-yard Hanson punt. With less than three minutes remaining in the half, the Buccaneers drove into Patriots territory and then completed two passes to wide receiver Antonio Bryant
Antonio Bryant
Antonio Bryant is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
; the second went for 33 yards and a touchdown, cutting the Patriots' lead to 21–7. The Patriots could not advance the ball on their ensuing drive and punted; two plays later, on the final play of the half, Butler intercepted Johnson at the Patriots' 11-yard line.
The Patriots began the second half with a 10-play, 73-yard drive that was capped off with a 35-yard touchdown pass to Watson from Brady. After an exchange of punts, the Buccaneers embarked on a drive that extended into Patriots territory but stalled at the 37-yard line, resulting in a punt. This was followed by two more three-and-outs, before early in the fourth quarter the Patriots completed a 10-play, 89-yard drive with a 1-yard Maroney touchdown run, increasing the Patriots' lead to 35–7. After another Buccaneers punt, the Patriots advanced past midfield before punting after the two-minute warning. On an ensuing 4th-and-7 conversion attempt, Johnson was strip-sacked by Derrick Burgess
Derrick Burgess
Derrick Lee Burgess is an American football defensive end who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Mississippi....
to set up two Patriots kneeldowns to end the game. The Patriots bettered their record to 5–2 entering their bye week, while the Buccaneers remained winless at 0–7.
Week 9: vs. Miami Dolphins
Coming off their bye week, the Patriots returned home to face the Dolphins for the first time in the season. On the third play of the game, Brady attempted a deep pass to Moss; it was intercepted by rookie cornerback Vontae DavisVontae Davis
-Miami Dolphins:Davis was signed by the Dolphins to a five-year deal with a guarantee in excess of $7 million. Davis recorded his first career interception in Week 4 of the 2009 season against Buffalo Bills quarterback Trent Edwards, returning it 23 yards for a touchdown. Davis finished his rookie...
at the Dolphins' 7-yard line and returned 15 yards. Six plays later, the Dolphins moved into Patriots territory on a 21-yard catch by tight end Joey Haynos
Joey Haynos
Joey Haynos is an American football tight end who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2008...
from Chad Henne
Chad Henne
Chad Steven Henne is an American football quarterback for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League.He graduated from Wilson Senior High School and attended the University of Michigan...
; after the catch, McGowan forced Haynos to fumble, but the ball went out of bounds at the spot of the catch, the Patriots' 39-yard line. On the next play, Henne appeared to have been strip-sacked by Banta-Cain, with linebacker 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:...
returning it 59 yards for a touchdown. However, the Dolphins challenged that Henne's arm was moving forward and it was an incomplete pass and the play was reversed. Three plays later, a Dan Carpenter
Dan Carpenter
Daniel Roy Carpenter is an American football placekicker for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League...
52-yard field goal gave the Dolphins a 3–0 lead. The Patriots began their next drive at their own 37-yard line after offensive lineman Dan Connolly
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,...
returned a short kickoff 16 yards. A few plays later, Brady connected with Moss on a 36-yard pass to the Dolphins' 1-yard line; Maroney then ran for a 1-yard touchdown to give the Patriots a 7–3 lead. On the ensuing possession, Henne found his other 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...
on a 20-yard strike to move into Patriots territory, but a "Wildcat" formation run by 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...
for a loss and a sack by Chung moved the Dolphins out of field goal territory and forced a punt. The Patriots advanced to the Dolphins' 42-yard line on their next drive before punting on the final play of the first quarter.
Following a Dolphins three-and-out, the Patriots began an 11-play, 49-yard drive that reached the Dolphins' 11-yard line on first down before a short pass, and incompletion, and sack led to a Gostkowski field goal; the 30-yarder put the Patriots ahead 10–3. The Dolphins introduced rookie quarterback Pat White on their next drive, employing him as part of an option offense
Option offense
The option offense is a generic term that is used to describe a wide variety of offensive systems in American football. Option offenses are characterized as such due to the predominance of option running plays employed in these schemes. Option offenses have traditionally relied heavily upon running...
that first had White run for a 33-yard gain and later in the drive had White option to Williams for a 15-yard touchdown run, tying the game. Following a 34-yard punt return by Tate, the Patriots quickly moved back into Dolphins territory on completions of 14 yards to Faulk and 23 yards to Watson. However, a Watson pass interference penalty on a 17-yard Faulk reception pushed the Patriots back to the Dolphins' 35-yard line. Gostkowski would later kick a 38-yard field goal to re-establish a Patriots lead at 13–10. On their next drive, the Dolphins would punt shortly after the two-minute warning, setting up a 10-play, 70-yard Patriots drive that ended the half with a 34-yard Gostkowski field goal after Brady was again sacked in the red zone.
With possession and down 16–10 at the start of the third quarter, the Dolphins moved downfield on a 16-play drive that lasted more than ten minutes, eventually scoring on a 1-yard touchdown catch by Haynos from 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...
out of the "Wildcat," giving the Dolphins a 17–16 lead. Three plays later, Brady and Moss connected on a 71-yard touchdown pass and then again on the two-point conversion to re-take the lead at 24–17. The Dolphins would continue to employ both White and the "Wildcat" on their next drive, but it resulted in a Brandon Fields
Brandon Fields
Brandon David Fields is an American football punter for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dolphins in the seventh round in the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan State.-Early years:Fields attended St. John's Jesuit High School in Toledo,...
punt early in the fourth quarter. An exchange of punts consumed the next six minutes of the game, with the Dolphins choosing to use all three of their timeouts to gain back possession with 3:38 left. However, three straight incompletions and a penalty set up fourth down, when Henne again was unable to complete a pass from his own 27-yard line. The Patriots re-gained possession and ran the ball three times before Gostkowski kicked a 40-yard field goal to extend the Patriots' lead to 27–17. The game would end four plays later on a 23-yard 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....
reception to the Patriots' 23-yard line. The win bettered the Patriots record to 6–2 entering their matchup with the 8–0 Colts.
Week 10: at Indianapolis Colts
For the second time in three seasons, the Patriots made a November visit to Indianapolis to face an undefeated Colts team. Both teams went three-and-out on their first possessions, setting up a Colts drive to begin from their own 10-yard line. After two 25-yard passes from Peyton ManningPeyton 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 tight end Dallas Clark
Dallas Clark
Dallas Dean Clark is an American football tight end for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Colts 24th overall in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Iowa...
and wide receiver 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...
, the Colts moved deep into Patriots territory. On a 3rd-and-11 from the Patriots' 15-yard line, running back Joseph Addai
Joseph Addai
Joseph Addai, Jr. is an American football running back for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was selected in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft out of Louisiana State University.-Early years:Addai's family hails from Ghana in West Africa...
scored on a pass from Manning, capping the 8-play, 90-yard drive. The Patriots responded with a 55-yard Moss catch from Brady four plays later, setting up a 1-yard Maroney touchdown run to tie the game at 7–7. Following a Colts punt, the Patriots began their ensuing drive with a 29-yard Faulk run to move to the Colts' 42-yard line. Nine plays later, the Patriots found themselves in a 3rd-and-goal from the Colts' 4-yard line, but Brady was sacked by defensive end Robert Mathis
Robert Mathis
Robert Nathan Mathis is an American football defensive end who currently plays for the NFL's Indianapolis Colts.-Early years:Mathis attended McNair High School in Atlanta, Georgia....
. Gostkowski then hit a 31-yard field goal to give the Patriots a 10–7 lead early in the second quarter. After a Colts three-and-out, it took the Patriots two plays and less than a minute to score, with Brady connecting with Moss on a 63-yard touchdown pass, extending the Patriots' lead to 17–7. The Colts faced a 3rd-and-5 on their next drive, but Manning was sacked by Mayo to force another punt. On the next play, Watson caught a 36-yard pass from Brady, setting up a 9-yard touchdown catch by Edelman, the first of the rookie's career, four plays later. Down 24–7, the Colts embarked on an 8-play, 80-yard drive, cutting the Patriots' lead to 24–14 on a 20-yard touchdown reception by Wayne. An exchange of four punts ended the first half.
Due to their deferral of the opening coin toss, the Patriots had possession to begin the second half. They advanced to the Colts' 33-yard line before a Brady pass intended for Moss was intercepted by safety Antoine Bethea
Antoine Bethea
Antoine Bethea is a professional American football safety for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was drafted in the 6th round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Colts...
at the Colts' 14-yard line and returned 19 yards. However, four plays later, Manning himself was intercepted by Bodden at the Patriots' 24-yard line; an unsportmanlike conduct penalty on Bodden moved the Patriots back to their own 12-yard line. Despite this field position, the Patriots offense moved deep into Colts territory on a series of Brady passes and Faulk runs, eventually setting up a 2nd-and-2 from the Colts' 2-yard line. On the play, Maroney attempted to push a pile into the end zone, but in the process Colts linebacker Philip Wheeler
Philip Wheeler
Philip Gregory Wheeler is an American football linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Colts in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft...
forced him to fumble; it was recovered by fellow Colts linebacker Gary Brackett
Gary Brackett
Gary Lawrence Brackett is an American football linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was signed by the Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He played college football at Rutgers.-Early years:Brackett attended Glassboro High School in Glassboro, New Jersey....
in the end zone for a touchback. The Colts could not capitalize on the turnover and were forced to punt. Welker returned the punt 69 yards to the Colts' 7-yard line, the longest Patriots punt return since 2001. Two plays later, on the second play of the fourth quarter, Moss caught his second touchdown pass of the night; the 5-yard reception gave the Patriots a 31–14 lead. However, the Colts offense advanced 79 yards on five plays on their ensuing possession, cutting the Patriots' lead to 31–21 on a 29-yard touchdown catch by 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...
. The Patriots punted on the next drive, but received the ball right back after Manning was intercepted by Wilhite on the next play, setting up a Patriots drive from the Colts' 31-yard line. The Patriots moved into the red zone but stalled there and were forced to settle for a 36-yard Gostkowski field goal, extending their lead to 34–21 with 4:17 remaining in the game.
On their ensuing possession, the Colts again advanced 79 yards for a touchdown, this time on six plays, the final one being a 4-yard Addai touchdown run, reducing the Patriots' lead to six points with 2:23 left in the game. The Patriots used a timeout before their first play, and in addition to a timeout used early in the third quarter, this left them with one remaining in the game. The Patriots next two plays failed to gain first down yardage, setting up a 4th-and-2 from their own 28-yard line. The Patriots used their final timeout before deciding to attempt to convert the fourth down. On the play, Brady motioned Faulk out of the backfield into the slot out of the shotgun, and then threw a quick pass to Faulk off the snap. Faulk caught the pass with the necessary yardage falling towards the sideline before being hit by safety Melvin Bullitt
Melvin Bullitt
Melvin Terry Bullitt is an American football defensive back for the NFL's Indianapolis Colts.-Early years:...
and pushed back towards the line of scrimmage. However, the officials ruled that Faulk bobbled the pass and did not have possession until Bullitt had pushed him behind the first down marker; if he had caught the ball cleanly his forward progress would have given the Patriots the first down with only one Colts timeout remaining. Further, the play began before the two-minute warning, and without any timeouts, Belichick was unable to challenge the spot of the ball on the field; if the play had occurred after the two-minute warning, there would have been the possibility for a booth review.
With two minutes remaining and possession at the Patriots' 29-yard line, Manning completed a 15-yard pass to Wayne before Addai gained another 13 yards, setting up 1st-and-goal from the 1-yard line with 36 seconds left in the game. The Patriots stopped Addai on his next run, but Manning threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Wayne on the play after that, giving the Colts a 35–34 lead with 13 seconds remaining. After the kickoff, with nine seconds remaining, Brady completed a short pass to Welker, who lateraled to Watson, who was then tackled to end the game. The Patriots dropped to 6–3 and 1–3 in road games, while the Colts remained undefeated at 9–0. It was the fifth Patriots loss to the Colts in the previous six games between the two teams.
Week 11: vs. New York Jets
Coming off their loss to the Colts, the Patriots returned home to face the Jets, who had lost six of their last eight games after defeating the Patriots in Week 2. After an exchange of punts to begin the game, the Patriots moved into Jets territory on their second drive with a 25-yard catch by Faulk. Two plays later, Edelman fumbled a direct snap as he went in motion, but recovered his fumble, setting up a 4th-and-1. Maroney then had a 2-yard run to convert, but on the next play fumbled; this time the Jets recovered it at their own 34-yard line. Four plays later, Sanchez was intercepted by Bodden at the Patriots' 47-yard line; Bodden returned the interception 53 yards for a touchdown, giving the Patriots a 7–0 lead. The Jets went three-and-out on their ensuing possession. The Patriots then began a 9-play, 76-yard drive, ending in a 4-yard touchdown pass from Brady to Moss, extending the Patriots lead to 14–0 on the final play of the first quarter.After another Jets punt, from their end zone after a Banta-Cain sack, the Patriots began their next drive from their own 41-yard line. Seven plays later, Maroney ran in from two yards out to give the Patriots a 21–0 lead. Following a 44-yard kickoff return by Dwight Lowery
Dwight Lowery
-2008:Impressed with Lowery's versatility and ball skills, the New York Jets would draft him in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft as a cornerback/safety. An injury to cornerback Justin Miller would see Lowery debut in his first NFL game against the Miami Dolphins; Lowery performed modestly...
, the Jets again turned the ball over, with Sanchez throwing his second interception of the game to Bodden, who returned it seven yards to the Patriots' 48-yard line. The Patriots' next drive again reached the red zone, but this time the Patriots could not score a touchdown and were forced to settle for a 26-yard Gostkowski field goal, giving the Patriots a 24–0 lead. Another Jets punt gave the Patriots the ball with just over two minutes remaining. With just under a minute left in the half, Hanson's punt attempt was blocked by Eric Smith
Eric Smith (American football)
-2006:Smith was selected 97th overall in the 2006 NFL Draft. Smith had been rising on many draft boards in the weeks leading up to the draft as he was praised for his instincts and physicality on the field. The Jets signed Smith to a contract on July 21, 2006....
and returned four yards for a touchdown by the Jets' Brad Smith
Brad Smith (American football)
Bradley "Brad" Alexander Smith is an American football quarterback, running back, wide receiver and return specialist for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He was drafted in the 4th round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. He played college football at Missouri.-High...
. With 45 seconds remaining, the Patriots quickly advanced downfield, but a 40-yard Gostkowski field goal attempt with 15 seconds left in the half fell wide right, keeping the Patriots' lead at 24–7 going into halftime.
With possession at the start of the second half due to their deferral of the opening coin toss, the Jets moved 80 yards on 11 plays, scoring on a 29-yard pass from Sanchez to Cotchery. With a 10 point lead, the Patriots responded with an 11-play drive that reached the Jets' 49-yard line before sack eventually forced a punt. The Jets reached midfield on their next possession before punting as well, with Jets punter Steve Weatherford
Steve Weatherford
Steven "Steve" Thomas Weatherford is an American football punter for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2006...
pinning the Patriots at their own 8-yard line. This forced another Patriots punt, on the first play of the fourth quarter, but the Patriots received the ball right back after Sanchez threw his third interception of the day, again to Bodden, at the Patriots' 26-yard line. The Patriots could not capitalize on the turnover though, and were again forced to punt. Three plays later, Sanchez threw his fourth interception of the game, this time to Meriweather, who returned it four yards to the Jets' 25-yard line. This set up an 8-play, 25-yard Patriots drive that ended in a 1-yard Maroney touchdown run, extending the Patriots' lead to 31–14. The Jets responded with a 37-yard kickoff return by David Clowney
David Clowney
David Cortez Clowney IV is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Virginia Tech....
followed by a drive to the Patriots' 24-yard line. On a 1st-and-10, Sanchez was strip-sacked by Banta-Cain; the fumble was recovered by Burgess at the Patriots' 29-yard line. With 3:24 left in the game, the Patriots ran the clock down to 25 seconds before punting, giving the Jets the ball to end the game. With the 31–14 win, the Patriots improved their record to 7–3, while the Jets dropped to 4–6. Statistically, Welker had 15 catches for 192 yards on the game, second most in team history, trailing only Troy Brown
Troy Brown
Troy Fitzgerald Brown is a former NFL wide receiver, cornerback and punt returner in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the eighth round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He played college football at Marshall...
's 16 receptions in an overtime game on September 22, 2002
2002 New England Patriots season
The 2002 New England Patriots season was the 33rd season for the team in the National Football League and 43rd season overall. They finished with a 9–7 record, good enough for second in the division but not a playoff berth....
.
Week 12: at New Orleans Saints
For the second time in three weeks, the Patriots went on the road to square off against an undefeated team; the 10–0 Saints entered the game with the most points scored in the league. After the Patriots deferred the opening coin toss, the Saints returned the opening kickoff to their own 35-yard line before a 33-yard pass from Drew BreesDrew Brees
Drew Christopher Brees is a quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue....
to wide receiver Devery Henderson
Devery Henderson
-New Orleans Saints:On November 5, 2006, Devery had his best day as a professional in a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he caught 3 passes for 111 yards and 2 touchdowns. Henderson had 158 receiving yards on 5 catches, including a 76 yard touchdown, against the Atlanta Falcons on November...
on the game's first play put the Saints quickly in Patriots territory. However, the Patriots defense stopped the Saints on a 3rd-and-4 from the 15-yard line, setting up a 30-yard John Carney field goal. The Patriots responded by holding the ball for nearly eight minutes, advancing 80 yards on a 14-play drive that ended in a 4-yard touchdown run by Maroney on 4th-and-1, the second such conversion of the drive. The score put the Patriots ahead 7–3.
The Saints did not reach midfield on their next drive and punted; however, the Patriots turned the ball back over when on the ensuing play Brady was intercepted by cornerback Mike McKenzie, who returned it eight yards to the Saints' 41-yard line. Seven plays later, early in the second quarter, the Saints took a 10–7 lead when a Brees dump-off pass to running back Pierre Thomas
Pierre Thomas (American football)
Charles Pierre Thomas Jr. is an American football running back for the New Orleans Saints in the National Football League.- Early years :...
resulted in an 18-yard touchdown. The Patriots could not reach midfield on their next possession and punted. On the ensuing play, Brees connected with Henderson on a 75-yard touchdown pass that extended the Saints' lead to 17–7. The Patriots faced a 3rd-and-12 early on their next drive, but Brady threw a 33-yard pass to Aiken to move the Patriots into Saints territory. The drive stalled at the Saints' 18-yard line, forcing a 36-yard Gostkowski field goal to cut the Saints' lead to 17–10. Four plays later, Brees hit former Patriots tight end 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...
on a 25-yard pass before wide receiver Robert Meachem
Robert Meachem
Robert Meachem is an American football wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Saints 27th overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Tennessee....
caught a 38-yard touchdown pass to give the Saints a 24–10 lead with just under two minutes left in the half. The Patriots' offense was able to reach the Saints' 32-yard line on first down with 35 seconds left, but advanced no further, setting up a 50-yard Gostkowski field goal attempt on fourth down that fell wide left.
With possession to begin the second half, the Patriots lost it when a 6-yard pass to Maroney, the first play of the half, resulted in a fumble by Maroney at the Patriots' 26-yard line. Saints defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis
Sedrick Ellis
-New Orleans Saints:Ellis was drafted by the New Orleans Saints seventh overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. The Saints original draft spot was 10th, but they traded up with the New England Patriots. The teams swapped first round picks, the Saints gave up their third round selection and the Pats gave...
recovered the fumble and returned it seven yards before he too fumbled; Welker recovered the ball for the Patriots at that spot. Later in the drive, on 3rd-and-9 from their own 42-yard line, Brady hit Aiken on a 11-yard pass to convert; on the play, Brady passed 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...
as the Patriots' all-time passing leader. Two plays later, Brady connected with Moss on a 47-yard pass down to the Saints' 2-yard line, setting up a 2-yard Maroney touchdown run that cut the Saints' lead to 24–17. However, the Saints responded on their next play with a 68-yard pass from Brees to wide receiver Marques Colston
Marques Colston
Marques Colston is an American football wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints of the NFL. He was selected in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft as a supplemental compensatory pick. Following the trade of receiver Donté Stallworth, Colston was inserted into the starting lineup for week 1 of...
, setting up a 2-yard touchdown catch by tight end Darnell Dinkins
Darnell Dinkins
Darnell Joseph Dinkins is an American football tight end for the New Orleans Saints in the National Football League. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as a free agent in 2001...
two plays later, re-establishing a 14-point Saints lead. The Patriots moved down to the Saints' 10-yard on their next drive, but attempted to convert on 4th-and-4 from that spot instead of kicking a field goal; Brady's pass attempt to Moss fell incomplete.
The Saints' next drive spanned into the fourth quarter but ended on a punt from the Saints' own 35-yard line. The Patriots fared no better, going three-and-out on their ensuing possession. The Saints continued to build a lead when Brees ended a 9-play, 75-yard drive with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Colston. Down 38–17 with under eight minutes to go, the Patriots tried to mount a drive but two plays in, Brady was intercepted by safety Darren Sharper
Darren Sharper
Darren Mallory Sharper is an American football safety who currently is a free agent. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at William & Mary....
on a deep pass; Sharper returned it 38 yards to the Patriots' 25-yard line. However, the Saints could not convert a first down and Carney missed a 37-yard field goal wide right. With 5:26 remaining in the game and down 21 points, the Patriots replaced Brady with his backup, Hoyer, on their next possession; the Patriots went three-and-out. After a Saints punt, the Patriots held the ball for the final 1:52 of the game, ending it on an 8-yard sack of Hoyer. With the loss, the Patriots dropped to 7–4 on the season, and 1–4 in road games.
Week 13: at Miami Dolphins
Coming off their Monday night loss to the Saints, the Patriots traveled to Miami to face the Dolphins with a two game lead in the division. The Patriots received the ball to start the game and six plays in, converted a 3rd-and-8 to keep the drive alive. On the next play, Brady threw a 58-yard touchdown pass to Moss to take an early 7–0 lead. Brady was injured on the play and went to the locker room but returned by the next offensive snap. In the mean time, the Dolphins' first possession reached the Patriots' 42-yard line before Henne was sacked by Banta-Cain and Mayo for a loss of seven yards. On the next play, the Dolphins used White in their "pistol" formation and attempted a play action option run, but White's option toss to Ricky Williams was errant and recovered by Williams for a loss of 13 yards. Following the Dolphins' punt, the Patriots began a 13-play, 80-yard drive with 6:41 left in the first quarter and did not surrender the ball until early in the second quarter, extending their lead to 14–0 on a 6-yard Faulk draw for a touchdown. The Dolphins responded with a 10-play, 88-yard drive of their own, including a 29-yard pass to Camarillo, that ended in a 13-yard touchdown pass from Henne to Davone BessDavone 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...
, cutting the Patriots' lead to 14–7. Despite a 16-yard Welker reception to begin the Patriots' next drive, they were forced to punt after four plays. The Dolphins again moved into Patriots territory on their ensuing possession, reaching the 49-yard line before Henne was intercepted by Meriweather at the Patriots' 19-yard line. Following a 19-yard return, a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Wilfork, and a false start penalty on Watson, the Patriots' next drive began at their own 18-yard line. The Patriots quickly moved into the red zone on a 58-yard Welker catch, but on a 4th-and-1 from the 6-yard line, the Patriots tried to convert, and Morris was stopped short of the first down marker. Off the turnover and with under two minutes remaining, the Dolphins moved 83 yards on 11 plays, cutting the Patriots' halftime lead to 14–10 on a 29-yard Carpenter field goal.
The Dolphins, who had deferred the opening coin toss, chose to receive at the start of the second half but went three-and-out. On the next play (after a penalty), Brady threw a short sideline pass to Aiken, who caught the ball over the defender and proceeded to run down the sideline for an 81-yard touchdown, extending the Patriots' lead to 21–10. It was the third 50+ yard completion of the game for Brady, a career first, and the third longest completion of Brady's career. He also eclipsed 30,000 career passing yards on the play. Following a 51-yard kickoff return by 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....
, the Dolphins took two plays to reach Patriots territory. On a 3rd-and-4 from the Patriots' 46-yard line, Henne attempted a deep sideline pass to wide receiver Brian Hartline
Brian Hartline
Brian Hartline is an American Football wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He is the brother of Mike Hartline, a 4th string quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts....
, who stopped and turned back to catch the ball but was taken down by Wilhite for a 37-yard defensive pass interference penalty. However, the Pats surrendered only three yards and forced the Dolphins to kick a field goal; Carpenter's 24-yard score cut the Patriots' lead to 21–13. After a Patriots three-and-out, the Dolphins continued to pressure the Patriots defense, moving 64 yards on 12 plays and cutting the deficit to two points on a 7-yard Hartline touchdown catch. The Dolphins attempted to tie the game on a two-point conversion pass attempt to Fasano, but the pass fell incomplete. The Patriots' next drive reached the Dolphins' 39-yard line, where the Patriots again attempted to convert a fourth down, this one with three yards to gain. The Patriots appeared to do so at first, as Welker caught a 13-yard pass from Brady, but the play was nullified by an Aiken offensive pass interference penalty. After another penalty on the first punt attempt, the second punt attempt by Hanson actually gave the Patriots a better break, pinning the Dolphins at their own 3-yard line at the end of the third quarter.
The Dolphins could not move past their 22-yard line on the ensuing possession and punted, giving the Patriots the ball at their own 39-yard line. After several quick first downs, the Patriots reached the red zone. However, a Brady pass attempt intended for Moss in the back corner of the end zone was intercepted by Vontae Davis for a touchback, maintaining a two-point deficit for the Dolphins. However, the Dolphins could not move a yard off the turnover and were forced to punt; the Patriots too went three-and-out. The Dolphins moved to the Patriots' 39-yard line on their ensuing possession, and like the Patriots, faced a fourth down with two yards to go. Henne's pass intended for Bess was broken up by Butler to turn the ball over on downs. However, the Patriots did not gain a yard, and in fact lost one yard on their next possession, setting up a Dolphins possession with 3:44 left in the game. The Dolphins moved 51 yards on 10 plays, reaching the Patriots' 23-yard line with just over one minute remaining. Carpenter then hit a 41-yard field goal to put the Dolphins ahead for the first time in the game, 22–21. Only needing a field goal, the Patriots tried to set up a Gostkowski attempt with under a minute to go, but three plays into their drive Brady was hit as he threw and was intercepted by linebacker Channing Crowder
Channing Crowder
Randolph Channing Crowder, Jr. is a former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League . He played college football for the University of Florida, and was recognized as an All-American...
to seal a Dolphins victory. The back-to-back losses were a first for the Patriots since November 2006, and dropped their record to 7–5, while the Dolphins improved to 6–6 and within a game of first place in the division.
Week 14: vs. Carolina Panthers
Coming off consecutive road losses, the Patriots returned home against the Panthers looking to avoid losing three straight games for the first time since 2002. After the Patriots deferred the opening coin toss, the Panthers received the ball to start the game and went three-and-out on their first possession. The Patriots reached the Panthers' 40-yard line on their next drive before attempting to convert a 4th-and-1; Morris was stopped short of the first down marker to turn the ball over. However, the Panthers and backup quarterback Matt MooreMatt Moore (American football)
Matthew Erickson Moore is an American Football quarterback for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League.He played college football at UCLA and Oregon State...
, playing for an injured Jake Delhomme
Jake Delhomme
Jake Christopher Delhomme is an American football quarterback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. Delhomme played college football at Louisiana-Lafayette before being signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 1997...
, also went three-and-out on their ensuing possession. The Patriots responded by again advancing to the Panthers' 40-yard line before this time punting. After another Panthers punt, the Patriots turned the ball back over after Brady was intercepted by Chris Gamble
Chris Gamble
Chris Lee Gamble is an American football player with the Carolina Panthers. During his NFL career Gamble has only played cornerback, but was briefly a wide receiver at the Ohio State University. He was converted into a cornerback during his sophomore year...
on a short pass intended for Moss at the Patriots' 48-yard line. Two plays later, Moore connected with wide receiver Steve Smith on a 41-yard touchdown pass to give the Panthers a 7–0 lead. The Patriots next drive reached the Panthers' 37-yard line before Moss caught a pass from Brady but then fumbled it; the Panthers' Dan Connor
Dan Connor (American football)
Daniel Murphy Connor is an American football linebacker for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Panthers in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Penn State....
recovered the fumble at the Panthers' 21-yard line. The Panthers, however, lost a net of one yard on their next drive and punted. This was followed by a Patriots three-and-out, a short Panthers drive and a punt, and another Patriots three-and-out. The Panthers then mounted a 10-play, 45-yard drive that ended on a missed 53-yard field goal attempt by John Kasay
John Kasay
John David Kasay is an American football kicker for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth round of the 1991 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia...
. The Patriots responded with a 5-play, 57-yard drive that moved deep into Panthers territory on a 30-yard pass interference penalty on the Panthers' James Anderson on a pass attempt to Watson. Faulk later ran in for a 3-yard touchdown to tie the game at halftime.
The Patriots' first drive of the second half began at the Patriots' 11-yard line and ended on the Panthers' 14-yard line when Morris fumbled following a 10-yard run; it was recovered by the Panthers' Captain Munnerlyn
Captain Munnerlyn
Captain Munnerlyn is a professional American football cornerback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Panthers in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft...
. The Panthers responded with a 26-yard DeAngelo Williams
DeAngelo Williams
DeAngelo Williams is an American football running back for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. Williams was drafted by the Panthers 27th overall in the 2006 NFL Draft...
run followed by a 12-yard Jeff King
Jeff King (American football)
Jeffery "Jeff" W. King is an American football tight end in the National Football League with the Arizona Cardinals. He played college football and basketball for Virginia Tech.-Football:...
catch to pass midfield; however two consecutive Panthers illegal shift penalties would help force a punt after a 13-yard Tyrell Sutton
Tyrell Sutton
Tyrell DelShawn Sutton, , is an American football running back who formerly played for the Carolina Panthers and Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2009...
run on third down. The punt was downed at the Patriots' 4-yard line, and a Patriots challenge that the player who downed it, Quinton Teal
Quinton Teal
Quinton Teal is an American football defensive back and is currently a free agent in the NFL. He was born in Bennettsville, South Carolina where he attended Marlboro County High School. He played college football at Coastal Carolina University...
, was in the end zone was not successful. However, the Patriots responded by mounting their longest drive of the season, 96 yards on 13 plays, and behind five Welker catches and a 5-yard Watson touchdown catch took a 14–7 lead late in the third quarter. The Panthers moved back downfield on a 9-play, 57-yard drive that ended on a 36-yard Kasay field goal after the Patriots defense held the Panthers to two yards after a 1st-and-10 from the 20-yard line. The Patriots extended their lead to 17–10 on a 48-yard Gostkowski field goal following a 10-play, 46-yard drive. After a 34-yard Panthers punt on their next possession, a three-and-out, the Patriots had the ball at the Panthers' 42-yard line but could only advance 13 yards on seven plays, with the drive being kept alive on a roughing the kicker penalty during a Patriots punt. The Patriots then took a 20–10 lead on a 47-yard Gostkowski field goal. With under four minutes to go, the Panthers faced a 3rd-and-10 from their own 25-yard line, but a Burgess sack of Moore forced a punt. The Patriots then ran out the final 2:32 of the game to seal a 20–10 victory. With the win, the Patriots moved to 8–5 on the season.
Week 15: at Buffalo Bills
Trying to win their first road game in an opponent's stadium for the first time in 2009, the Patriots traveled to Buffalo with a one game lead in the division. After winning the toss, the Bills received the opening kickoff and began a 14-play, 69-yard drive that elapsed over nine minutes of the first quarter. After the Bills reached the Patriots' 2-yard line on 3rd-and-goal, a false start penalty and an incomplete pass limited the Bills to a 25-yard Lindell field goal. The Patriots' first possession reached midfield before a Brady pass intended for Welker was intercepted by linebacker Paul PoslusznyPaul Posluszny
Paul Michael Posluszny , commonly known as "Poz", is an American football linebacker for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
at the Bills' 39-yard line. However, another penalty and two straight sacks set up a Bills three-and-out. The Patriots' next drive spanned into the second quarter, moving 75 yards on 5 plays; the Patriots moved to the Bills' 3-yard line on a 43-yard defensive pass interference penalty on Donte Whitner
Donte Whitner
Donte Whitner is an American football safety for the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Bills in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played collegiately at the Ohio State University...
. Brady then hit Moss in the back of the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown, putting the Patriots ahead 7–3. The Bills offense continued to struggle on their next possession, facing a 2nd-and-23 and a 3rd-and-20 before punting; the Patriots advanced into Bills territory on their next possession before also punting. This time the Bills offense began to move the ball, reaching midfield before quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick
Ryan Fitzpatrick
Ryan Joseph Fitzpatrick is an American football quarterback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Harvard....
threw an interception to Wilhite at the Patriots' 36-yard line. With 3:30 remaining, the Patriots drove back downfield, and assisted by a 21-yard defensive pass interference penalty, into the red zone. Maroney then ran for a 1-yard touchdown to give the Patriots a 14–3 lead. Following a 41-yard Bills kickoff return, they were able to reach the Patriots' 38-yard line and attempt a 56-yard field goal at the end of the half, but it fell wide left to keep the score at 14–3.
Both teams opened the second half with three-and-out punts. The Patriots came back with a 14-play, 64-yard drive that ended on a 30-yard Gostkowski field goal. The Bills, however, responded with a lengthy drive of their own before an offensive holding penalty and two incompletions set up a punt from the Patriots' 38-yard line early in the fourth quarter. After an exchange of four punts, the Bills drove to the Patriots' 12-yard line, before an incompletion, a one-yard run, and two more incompletions turned the ball over on downs. With just over four minutes left in the game, the Patriots were unable to gain a yard net on their next drive, in fact losing one yard in the process, before punting back to the Bills with 3:37 left; a 38-yard punt and a 20-yard return gave the Bills the ball at the Patriots' 28-yard line. After a 17-yard completion to Josh Reed
Josh Reed
Joshua Blake "Josh" Reed is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
, Fitzpatrick threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to 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...
to cut the Patriots' lead to 17–10. The Bills attempted an onside kickoff with 3:02 remaining in the game, which was recovered by the Bills but nullified on an offsides penalty. The Bills then kicked off normally to the Patriots, hoping for a defensive stop. However, on the first play after the two-minute warning, the Patriots converted a third down on an 8-yard pass to Welker, sealing a Patriots victory. The win moved the Patriots to 9–5 on the season and gave them a two game lead in the division.
Week 16: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Looking to secure their third straight win and another division title, the Patriots returned home to face the 7–7 Jaguars. After the Jaguars deferred the opening coin toss, the Patriots received the opening kickoff to begin a 10-play, 82-yard drive. On a 1st-and-goal run from the Jaguars' 1-yard line, Maroney fumbled before breaking the plane of the goal line; it was recovered by Jaguars linebacker Daryl SmithDaryl Smith
Daryl Smith is an American football player who currently plays linebacker for the Jacksonville Jaguars.- College career :...
at the 1-yard line. The Jaguars reached their own 35-yard line on their ensuing possession before failing to convert on a fourth down attempt, turning the ball back over the Patriots. Two plays after a 21-yard Morris run, Brady and Moss connected on a 2-yard touchdown reception to give the Patriots a 7–0 lead. After the kickoff, the Jaguars drove to the Patriots' 42-yard line before a David Garrard
David Garrard
David Douglas Garrard is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent.Garrard played college football at East Carolina. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL Draft, and served as the team's starting quarterback from 2007 to 2010...
pass intended for Marcedes Lewis
Marcedes Lewis
Marcedes Alexis Lewis is an American football tight end for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League. He was drafted from UCLA as the 28th pick in the 2006 NFL Draft...
was intercepted by Meriweather at the Patriots' 17-yard line and returned 56 yards. Two plays later, on the first play of the second quarter, Brady threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Baker to extend the Patriots' lead to 14–0.
The Jaguars continued to move the ball on their next possession, reaching midfield on completions of 15 and 14 yards; however a false start penalty negated another 15-yard reception and the Jaguars were forced to punt. Following a Patriots' three-and-out, Garrard was strip-sacked by Banta-Cain on the first play of the Jaguars' next-drive; tackle Eben Britton
Eben Britton
-Jacksonville Jaguars:In an effort to rebuild their offensive line, the Jaguars selected Eugene Monroe and Britton with their first two picks. While Monroe is ought to occupy the left tackle spot, Britton was expected to compete with Tony Pashos for the starting nod at right tackle...
recovered the fumble for the Jaguars, who punted three plays later. On the third play of their ensuing drive, the Patriots moved into the red zone on a 55-yard Morris run, and later took a 21–0 lead on a 1-yard Morris touchdown run. After another Jaguars three-and-out, the Patriots moved into Jaguars territory on a 29-yard Welker catch and later extended their lead to 28–0 on a 6-yard touchdown reception by Moss. This would remain the score after the Jaguars ended the half on another punt.
The Jaguars began the second half with a 16-play, 69-yard drive that took over eight minutes off the clock; however, it ended without any points after Garrard was intercepted by Springs at the Patriots' 2-yard line on a 3rd-and-goal from the 5-yard line. The Patriots responded with a 10-play, 90-yard drive of their own, despite a false start penalty to begin it. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Brady hit Moss on his third touchdown catch of the game, putting the Patriots ahead 35–0. However, the Jaguars responded quickly, moving past midfield on a 22-yard Rashad Jennings
Rashad Jennings
Rashad Jennings is an American football running back for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Jaguars in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Liberty.-College career:He went to Pittsburgh in 2005 and became only the...
run and into the red zone on a 20-yard Nate Hughes
Nate Hughes
Nate Hughes is an American football wide receiver for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2008...
reception. Two plays later, Garrard scrambled two yards for a touchdown, cutting the Patriots' lead to 35–7. With 12:41 remaining in the game, the Patriots received the ball after the kickoff. What ensued was a 20-play drive, with the Patriots reaching midfield with about ten minutes remaining in the game, and reaching the Jaguars' 10-yard line by the two-minute warning. The drive included five first downs, including two off fourth down conversions. One play after the two-minute warning, Hoyer replaced Brady at quarterback, and one play later, the Patriots turned the ball over on downs after a failed 4th-and-2 run by Morris. The Jaguars, with 29 seconds left in the game, ran one play to end the game. With the win, the Patriots secured their first division title since 2007 and posted a 10–5 record heading into the final week of the season.
Week 17: at Houston Texans
On the final week of the regular season, the Patriots traveled to Houston having wrapped up a division title but still playing for the third seed in the AFC playoffs. The Texans, meanwhile, needed a victory plus help from other teams to earn a playoff berth. The Patriots did not activate Wilfork, Warren, Faulk, Maroney, or Bodden for the game. The Texans won the opening coin toss and received the opening kickoff, driving 76 yards on seven plays and taking a 7–0 lead on a 25-yard touchdown reception by tight end Joel DreessenJoel Dreessen
Joel Dreessen is an American football tight end/long snapper for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
. On the fourth play of the Patriots' opening drive, Welker caught a 12-yard pass from Brady, and when cutting to avoid a tackler, had his knee buckle and fell to the ground. He suffered 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,...
and 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...
on the play in his left knee and was placed on injured reserve. The Patriots, who replaced Welker with Edelman, drove to the Texans' 42-yard line before punting. Following a Texans three-and-out, the Patriots began a drive from their own 37-yard line and capped a 9-play, 63-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown run by Taylor, tying the game at 7–7. After a 36-yard kickoff return by André Davis
André Davis
André N. Davis is a American football wide receiver and kick returner who is currently a free agent. He was originally drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
, the Texans passed midfield on a 16-yard Dreessen catch, but could not advance any further and punted, early in the second quarter.
The Patriots responded with a 9-play, 58-yard drive that ended in a 51-yard Gostkowski field goal to give the Patriots a 10–7 lead. On their ensuing possession, the Texans drove to the Patriots' 1-yard line before attempting to convert a fourth down; quarterback Matt Schaub
Matt Schaub
Matthew Rutledge Schaub is the starting quarterback for the Houston Texans. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Virginia.-College career:...
's pass fell incomplete to Andre Johnson
Andre Johnson
Andre Lamont Johnson is an American football wide receiver currently playing for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. Through the 2010–11 NFL season, Johnson currently ranks first all-time in NFL history in receiving yards per game for a career...
to turn the ball over on downs and give the Patriots the ball at their own 1-yard line. On the next play, Taylor fumbled after a handoff from Brady; the ball was recovered by 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...
in the end zone for a touchdown. However, kicker Kris Brown
Kris Brown
Kristopher "Kris" Clayton Brown is an American football placekicker who is currently a free agent.He was originally drafted in the seventh round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the first six years of his NFL career, he has converted 132 of 173 field goals and scored 573 points...
missed the extra point to keep the score at 13–10. Hoyer entered the game at quarterback for the Patriots on their next drive. He led the Patriots from their own 9-yard line to the Texans' 25-yard line, with the Patriots settling for a 43-yard Gostkowski field goal with less than a minute remaining in the first half. Brown missed a 56-yard field goal as time expired in the half for the Texans to keep the score tied at 13 at halftime.
Brady re-entered the game for the Patriots to begin the second half, but the Patriots failed to reach midfield and punted. The Texans then drove from their own 16-yard line to the Patriots' 15-yard line before a Schaub pass intended for wide receiver Jacoby Jones
Jacoby Jones
Jacoby Jones is an American football wide receiver for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Texans in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Lane College....
was tipped and intercepted by Butler at the 9-yard line and returned 91 yards for a touchdown, giving the Patriots a 20–13 lead. The Texans continued to move the ball on their next possession, reaching the 20-yard line before Brown missed another field goal, a 38-yarder. The Patriots next drive spanned into the fourth quarter, and ended with an 11-yard Taylor touchdown to extend the Patriots' lead to 27–13. However, the Texans again drove on the Patriots, with a 26-yard defensive pass interference penalty on Butler setting up an 8-yard touchdown pass from Schaub to Jones. The Patriots went three-and-out on their next possession, giving the ball back to the Texans with 7:30 left in the game. After a 31-yard punt return by Jones, the Texans drove from the Patriots' 34-yard line and tied the game on a 1-yard touchdown run by Arian Foster
Arian Foster
Arian Foster , is an American football running back for the Houston Texans. He was signed by the Texans as an undrafted free agent in 2009 and was added to their active roster from the practice squad on November 17, 2009. He played college football at Tennessee...
with 4:46 left. Two plays later, Brady was intercepted by Pollard on a long pass intended for Aiken; Pollard returned the interception from the Patriots' 43-yard line to the 28-yard line. On the first play after the two-minute warning, Foster ran in for a 3-yard touchdown to give the Texans a 34–27 lead. Hoyer entered the game again for the Patriots and reached the Texans' 34-yard line before a fourth down pass intended for Edelman fell incomplete. The Texans then kneeled to end the game. The loss gave the Patriots 10–6 record for the season and also gave the Texans their first winning season in franchise history, at 9–7.
Standings breakdown
| W | L | T | Pct. | PF | PA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 250 | 103 |
| Away | 2 | 6 | 0 | .250 | 177 | 182 |
| AFC East Opponents | 4 | 2 | 0 | .667 | 130 | 103 |
| 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 | 329 | 220 |
| 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 |
3 | 1 | 0 | .750 | 98 | 65 |
| By Stadium Type | ||||||
| Indoors | 0 | 3 | 0 | .000 | 78 | 107 |
| Outdoors | 10 | 3 | 0 | .769 | 349 | 178 |
Postseason schedule
| Week | Kickoff | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game Site | TV | NFL.com Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Card | 1:00 pm EST 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... |
January 10, 2010 | Baltimore Ravens 2009 Baltimore Ravens season The 2009 Baltimore Ravens season is the franchise's 14th season as a team in the National Football League . The franchise entered the season off an 11–5 record in their previous season, a playoff berth, but a loss in the American Football Conference Championship game against the eventual Super... (6) |
L 14–33 | 0–1 | Gillette Stadium | CBS | Recap |
Wild Card Round vs. Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens converted three first quarter turnovers by Patriots quarterback Tom BradyTom 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,...
into 17 points on their way to a 24–0 lead New England could not recover from. It was the Patriots' first home loss of the season and their first home loss in the playoffs in more than 30 years. On top of that, it was the Ravens' first ever win against the Patriots after five consecutive losses.
Baltimore stormed to a 7–0 lead on the first play of the game with Ray Rice
Ray Rice
Raymell Maurice Rice is an American football running back for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Ravens in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Rutgers. He is currently ranked as the Baltimore Ravens third all-time rusher in...
's 83-yard touchdown run, the second longest run in NFL playoff history. Then linebacker Terrell Suggs
Terrell Suggs
Terrell Raymonn Suggs is an American football linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Ravens tenth overall in the 2003 NFL Draft after playing his college football at Arizona State....
forced and recovered a fumble from Brady on the Patriots 17-yard line, and they scored another touchdown with a 1-yard run by Le'Ron McClain
Le'Ron McClain
- Baltimore Ravens :McClain signed with the Ravens on July 27, 2007. He scored his first career touchdown on a Kyle Boller pass against the San Diego Chargers on November 25, 2007...
. Following an exchange of punts, cornerback Chris Carr intercepted a pass from Brady and returned it to the New England 25-yard line, setting up Rice's second touchdown on a 1-yard run. Just two plays after the ensuing kickoff, Ravens safety Ed Reed
Ed Reed
Edward Earl Reed Jr. is an American football free safety for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Ravens 24th overall in the 2002 NFL Draft...
intercepted a deep pass from Brady and returned it 25 yards before lateraling the ball to safety Dawan Landry
Dawan Landry
Dawan Frank Landry is an American football safety of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Landry was a successful college safety for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets from 2002 to 2005, and was drafted in the 5th round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Ravens.-College:While at Georgia Tech, he majored in Management...
, who took it another 25 yards to the Patriots 9-yard line. The Ravens could not gain any yards on their ensuing drive, but Billy Cundiff
Billy Cundiff
William A. "Billy" Cundiff is an American football placekicker for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2002...
kicked a field goal to make the score 24–0.
New England was forced to punt on their next drive, but Baltimore returner Tom Zbikowski
Tom Zbikowski
Thomas Michael Zbikowski is an American football safety for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League, and an occasional professional boxer. He was drafted by the Ravens in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft...
muffed the kick and Kyle Arrington
Kyle Arrington
Kyle Chandler Arrington is an American football cornerback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Hofstra. Arrington also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.-Early...
recovered the ball for the Patriots at the Ravens 16-yard line. Five plays later, Brady threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Julian Edelman
Julian Edelman
Julian Francis Edelman is a wide receiver for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football for Kent State as a quarterback.-Early years:Edelman was born in Redwood City, California...
. But midway through the second half, Brady threw his third interception of the game, this one to Landry, who returned it 42 yards to the New England 22-yard line to set up another Cundiff field goal. Taking the ball back at the Patriots 47-yard line after Darius Butler
Darius Butler
-New England Patriots:Butler was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. On July 10, 2009, he signed a four-year contract with the Patriots that included a total of about $2.1 million in guaranteed money....
's 42-yard kickoff return, New England responded with a 53-yard scoring drive. Brady finished it with his second touchdown pass to Edelman to cut their deficit to 27–14.
Zbikowski returned the ensuing kickoff 30 yards to his own 48-yard line, sparking a 52-yard drive that ended with a 3-yard touchdown run from Willis McGahee
Willis McGahee
Willis Andrew McGahee III is an American football running back for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
, making the score 33–14 after the two point conversion failed. New England responded with a drive deep into Baltimore territory, but Stephen Gostkowski
Stephen Gostkowski
Stephen Carroll Gostkowski is a placekicker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League...
missed a 44-yard field goal attempt with 7:19 left in the game, ending any chance of a miracle comeback.
Rice rushed for 159 yards and two touchdowns, while McGahee added 62 yards and a score. Neither quarterback had much success, as Brady was held to 154 yards and intercepted three times, while Baltimore's Joe Flacco
Joe Flacco
Flacco was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens 18th overall in the 2008 NFL Draft, becoming the highest drafted player ever from the University of Delaware...
completed only 4 of 10 passes for 34 yards.
- Scoring
- 1st Quarter
- BAL – Ray RiceRay RiceRaymell Maurice Rice is an American football running back for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Ravens in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Rutgers. He is currently ranked as the Baltimore Ravens third all-time rusher in...
83 yard run (Billy CundiffBilly CundiffWilliam A. "Billy" Cundiff is an American football placekicker for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2002...
kick), 14:43. Ravens 7–0. Drive: 1 play, 83 yards, 0:17. - BAL – Le'Ron McClainLe'Ron McClain- Baltimore Ravens :McClain signed with the Ravens on July 27, 2007. He scored his first career touchdown on a Kyle Boller pass against the San Diego Chargers on November 25, 2007...
1 yard run (Billy Cundiff kick) 10:29. Ravens 14–0. Drive: 5 plays, 17 yards, 2:44. - BAL – Ray Rice 1 yard run (Billy Cundiff kick) 3:55. Ravens 21–0. Drive: 6 plays, 25 yards, 2:54.
- BAL – Billy Cundiff 27 yard field goal, 1:19. Ravens 24–0. Drive: 4 plays, 0 yards, 1:37.
- BAL – Ray Rice
- 2nd Quarter
- NE – Julian EdelmanJulian EdelmanJulian Francis Edelman is a wide receiver for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football for Kent State as a quarterback.-Early years:Edelman was born in Redwood City, California...
6 yard pass from Tom BradyTom BradyThomas 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,...
(Stephen GostkowskiStephen GostkowskiStephen Carroll Gostkowski is a placekicker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League...
kick), 11:23. Ravens 24–7. Drive: 6 plays, 16 yards, 2:45.
- NE – Julian Edelman
- 3rd Quarter
- BAL – Billy Cundiff 23 yard field goal, 6:18. Ravens 27–7. Drive: 6 plays, 18 yards, 3:31.
- NE – Julian Edelman 1 yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 1:47. Ravens 27–14. Drive: 10 plays, 53 yards, 4:31.
- 4th Quarter
- BAL – Willis McGaheeWillis McGaheeWillis Andrew McGahee III is an American football running back for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
3 yard run (run failed), 10:32. Ravens 33–14. Drive: 12 plays, 52 yards, 6:15.
- BAL – Willis McGahee
- 1st Quarter
Final roster
| New England Patriots 2009 final roster | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
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Offensive Linemen
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,... 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 Rich Ohrnberger Richard Paul Ohrnberger is an American football offensive guard for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL Draft... G/C R Sebastian Vollmer Sebastian Georg Vollmer 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 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Houston.-Early years:Born in Düsseldorf, Germany, Vollmer did not... T R 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:... C/G Defensive Linemen
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Linebackers
Tully Banta-Cain Tully Banta-Cain is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at California.Banta-Cain earned two Super Bowl rings during his first stint with the Patriots... OLB/DE Derrick Burgess Derrick Lee Burgess is an American football defensive end who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Mississippi.... OLB/DE 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 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 Rob Ninkovich Robert Michael Ninkovich is an American football linebacker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue.Ninkovich has also played for the Miami Dolphins.-Early... OLB/DE 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 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 Thomas Williams (American football) Thomas Washington Williams is an American football linebacker for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft... ILB 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
George Bussey George Bussey is an American football offensive lineman who is currently a member of the Tampa Bay Storm. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft... G (IR) R 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) Bret Lockett Bret Emanuel Lockett is an American football safety for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2009... SS (IR) UR Tyrone McKenzie -New England Patriots:McKenzie was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. On May 2, 2009, during rookie minicamp, McKenzie tore the ACL in his right knee after getting tangled up with a running back. He was signed to a four-year contract on August 25 and... ILB (IR) R Brandon Tate -2009 season:Tate was drafted by the Patriots in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. On July 16, he was signed to a four-year contract with a $755,000 signing bonus. He began the 2009 season on the non-football injury list, still recovering from his knee injury from the prior season. He was... WR (IR) R 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 (IR) Practice Squad
Notations
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Awards and honors
| Recipient | Award(s) |
|---|---|
| Leigh Bodden Leigh Bodden Leigh Edmond Bodden is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent. He was originally signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He played college football at Duquesne.... |
Week 11: AFC Defensive Player of the Week |
| 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,... |
Week 1: AFC Offensive Player of the Week Week 6: AFC Offensive Player of the Week October: AFC Offensive Player of the Month Week 16: AFC Offensive Player of the Week 2009 New England Patriots Ed Block Courage Award 2009 NFL Comeback Player of the Year NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award The NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award has been given out after every season since 1972 by Pro Football Weekly. The player named Comeback Player of the Year shows perseverance in overcoming adversity, in the form of not being in the NFL the previous year, a severe injury, or simply poor... |
| 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,... |
2009 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 |
| Stephen Gostkowski Stephen Gostkowski Stephen Carroll Gostkowski is a placekicker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League... |
Week 9: AFC Special Teams Player of the Week |
| 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... |
Week 7: AFC Defensive Player of the Week |
Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections
Four Patriots were elected to the 2010 Pro Bowl2010 Pro Bowl
The 2010 AFC–NFC Pro Bowl was the NFL's all-star game for the 2009 season. It took place at 8:00 PM EST on Sunday, January 31, 2010, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, the home stadium of the Miami Dolphins and host site of Super Bowl XLIV...
. 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...
and defensive tackle 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...
were named as starters, 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:...
and 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,...
were named as a reserves. After Welker suffered a season-ending injury in Week 17, 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...
was named as his replacement in the Pro Bowl, while safety 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...
was also an injury replacement. Moss subsequently pulled out of the game due to injury, as did Brady.
Welker and Mankins were also voted to the 2009 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.