Last Turnover Loses

It's hard to point to a game that featured 9 turnovers and call it a "great game". But, watching it from the rubberized confines of The Razor (oblique new playing surface reference), it had all the elements of a great contest: hard-nosed punishing defenses, constant possession changes, big plays, big plays missed, gambling quarterbacks, suddenly agile quaterbacks, and three pics by a defensive back. And, most importantly, either team could have won in the last minute.

Sure, the Pats left a LOT of points on the field by coughing up the ball deep in Bears territory a few times. Sure, Rex Grossman makes Kenny Rogers (the alleged singer) seem like a Gamblers Anonymous recruiter. Sure, the Zebras tried to give the game to DA BEARS, but, hey, we beat a formerly 9-1 team and took a "must-win" victory home.

The 17-13 triumph was not an artistic display, but it really was a bit of a throwback game. And, it was as close as it was because Chicago is one of the rare NFC teams that plays an AFC-type battering, ball-hawking defense.

But, the sum and substance of this game came down to the raw determination of Tom Brady to will a score in the 4th Quarter after the Bears had tied it at 10 on a flag-induced scoring drive. In methodical Brady fashion, the Pats marched down the field--exemplified most by the QB's dekeing of Brian Urlacher for a 11-yard first down run.

So, who cares if it was sloppy? It says "W".

Cheese, That Was Easy!

Gorgonzola on rye. Just what the gridiron nutritionist ordered. The New England Patriots are clearly not lactose intolerant. Alright, enough with the wisecracks.

Just when the good people of New England were beginning to doubt the invincibility of their beloved team, the Pats laid a major whooping on the franchise that used to define NFL excellence. Word from Lambeau: the torch has been passed, Cheeseheads!

In a display that looked positively scrimmage-like, the Packers were the proverbial gang that couldn't do anything straight. Couldn't pass, couldn't run, couldn't stop the pass, couldn't stop the run. But, hey, can they ever punt!

The 35-0 shellacking was highlighted by four TD passes by Tom "Body Language This" Brady, and well, pretty much good performances from everybody else. What else is there to say? The NFC might as well be Pop Warner Lite for all the challenge they give elite AFC teams. Let's see what the vaunted Bears can bring on our new RastroTurf next week.

Blitzed!

There were two main reasons why the Patriots were trapped by the Jets yesterday: first, the vaunted offensive line could not adapt to Eric Mangini's blitz schemes; and second, the vaunted defense could not keep the Jets off the field during two endless drives that ate up a Quarter's worth of time--resulting in 10 points.

When Tom Brady did get a chance to control the game, he was constantly harassed by the Jets and forced to make more bad passes at a receiving corps that he is clearly still not fully comfortable with. Perhaps the biggest turnaround play was Doug Gabriel's reception/fumble leading to another NYJ score in their 17-14 win.

Rodney Harrison is out along with a couple of other key defensive players, but this was more a case of the mentee out-coaching the mentor.

All in all, this was a miserable loss--to a Division rival who they were favored over by a full 10 points. Now, the Yellow Brick Road to the playoffs has a few more potholes.

Mistaken Identity

So, who were these guys posing as the 3-time champion New England Patriots? Five turnovers, 8 penalties? Did Belechik suddenly lose his ability to engineer a game plan to beat even the best of rivals?

I guess the real answer is that the tandem of Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison, when they are in tune, are just plain unstoppable. You get the sense that even if the Pats did not beat themselves, somehow, Manning and Harrison would have figured out a way to get a "W" last night in Foxboro. The Colts 27-20 victory was riddled with 7 or 8 "Oh my God, how did he do that?" plays where Manning (seemingly caught for a loss) managed to put a pass where no one else but a Colt could possibly catch it.

Tom Brady, by contrast, was merely semi-mortal. At times he seemed as laser-sharp as he has been over the last few weeks. Other times he was making ill-advised throws off his back foot that resulted in an interception (a career-high four picks). The only lasting highlight for the good guys was Troy Brown breaking Stanley Morgan's team record for career catches (538)--of course, on a third-down conversion.

So, the loss makes the post-season hill much steeper to climb. In all likelihood, the Pats will have to play at least one game on the road. They've done it before, but given the flaws that still exist on this team, the smoother the road the better.