Patriots Survive Nightmare Scenario, For Now

With a newly christened 16-0 banner hanging in the rafters the Patriots set about defending their AFC championship this afternoon against the Kansas City Chiefs. For a region that was pounded with a tropical storm the day before everything seemed almost too good to be true. It was a beautiful day and the Patriots’ all world quarterback Tom Brady, the subject of much speculation seemed just fine. The Patriots offense moved the ball down the field with great command and everything was back to normal until it wasn’t. The usually sure handed Wes Welker coughed up a fumble at the Chiefs 40-yard line to stall the Patriots very promising first drive. On their next drive they once again marched the ball into Chiefs territory, this time with the help of a running game. As Patriots fans envisioned this offense as a dual threat it all came apart in their hands.

Facing a first down at the Chiefs 42-yard line with 7:38 left in the first quarter, Tom Brady looked down the field to Randy Moss. Brady hit him in stride down to the Chiefs 14, but as Moss spun he lost the ball, and the Chiefs benefited again from a Patriots fumble. As Patriots fans scanned the field the news became even worse. Tom Brady was still down on the play. The Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard blocked to the ground on the play by Sammy Morris, had reached out and grabbed Brady by his left leg just as he released the ball. The unexpected play forced Brady to crumble down on the weight of his knee. As Pollard would later describe, “It was not an intentional play.” And to be sure any Patriots fan or player that chooses to describe this play as dirty is A: not remembering recent Pats history and B: just trying to make themselves feel better. Last season in week 3 against the Bills the Patriots Vince Wilfork laid out QB J.P. Losman with a similar low hit. Football is played to the whistle all 22 men on the field know that. Pollard said that when he, “heard him scream and yell” he “knew something was wrong.” Brady was carried off the field as Patriots fans sat in shock around Gillette Stadium. The nightmare situation many had conjectured about all preseason, was suddenly a harsh undeniable reality.

For the Patriots that meant it was Matt Cassel time. A backup at USC behind Carson Palmer, then Matt Leinart and obviously Tom Brady was now in charge of the Patriots offense just as suddenly has Brady had become on a September seven years ago. With the situation already less than ideal the Pats faced a 3rd and 11 from the one-yard line. With Cassel at the helm the Patriots took a risk, calling a play action pass to get out of the shadow of their own endzone. The Chiefs who probably should have been expecting such a play were caught flat-footed as Randy Moss broke free from his coverage and Matt Cassel threw a strike to Moss for a 51-yard gain. The play was the last of the first quarter and seemed to settle the Patriots and Cassel down. As Cassel so humbly put it, “It was nice to get out of the end zone and get going.” Eight plays later Cassel found Moss again streaking across the back of the endzone to make it 7-0. The Chiefs added a field goal before the half, but that touchdown played a big role in refocusing the Patriots as the realization of not having Tom began to set in.

The Patriots definitely seemed focused as the second half began. The Patriots defense stepped it up and actually forced the Chiefs QB Brodie Croyle out of the game with a shoulder injury after a huge sack by Adalius Thomas. The Patriots offense responded quite nicely and Matt Cassel led the team on their best drive of the game. With a mixture of pass and run calls the Patriots’ Sammy Morris found the endzone to cap off an 11-play drive that gave them a commanding 14-3 lead. But the Chiefs backup, Duane Huard, had an immediate answer as he led the Chiefs right down the field to close the gap to 14-10 with 13 minutes left in the fourth quarter. After an exchange of three and outs the Chiefs started with the ball at the Patriots 20, with 7:30 to go. On their first play Huard tried to force a ball deep into the Patriots secondary and was picked off by Ellis Hobbs. Hobbs’ interception put the Patriots in a ideal situation to close the game out despite the rather unexpected circumstances they had played in. However the Patriots had to settle for a 37-yard field goal from Stephen Gostkowski. Although the margin was only seven at 17-10 the Patriots potent running attack took time off the clock and left the Chiefs with only 2:28 to drive the field.

The Patriots who had already had a rather rough day psychologically, weren’t quite out of the woods yet. On a blitz from the outside Duane Huard managed to find Devard Darling wide open on a crossing route, thanks to a fair amount of confusion in the Patriots zone coverage. Darling took the ball 68 yards all the way to the Patriots five-yard line before Rodney Harrsion and Deltha O’Neal were able to take him down. With a minute left in the game it was up to the Patriots defense to get the job done. With the tension riding high the Patriots stopped one last Larry Johnson rush and three passes to the endzone to outlast the Chiefs 17-10. Coach Bill Belichick praised the D’s effort late in the game, “To come up with four big plays around the five yard line at the end of the game, I was really pleased the way our defense stepped up.”

With the win secured, their NFL record 20th consecutive regular season win, the Patriots focus went back to their quarterback Tom Brady. Reports indicate this evening that Brady has a torn ACL and will likely miss the remainder of the season. It appears at least for now that the Patriots’ hopes lie with Matt Cassel and to his credit he played pretty well today. However reports indicate the Patriots will host free agent QB Chris Simms on Monday.

It should be an interesting week in New England, stay tuned.

Like this post? Share it »

Last post (s) by Nich Hall

• BCS National Championship: Florida Gators vs. Oklahoma Sooners Preview - January 8th, 2009
• WJHC Final: Tre Konor a closer look - January 5th, 2009
• Vikings hang tough, but Jackson shows true colors late - January 4th, 2009
• Connecticut runs to International Bowl win - January 4th, 2009
• International Bowl Preview: Buffalo vs. UConn - January 2nd, 2009