Stats on Pats Weekly by Raleigh Dugal, southcoast247.com correspondent
“O” a No-Show in Pats Loss
Fans in Foxboro had to stomach a game only Denver fans could love, as the Broncos stumped the Pats with a 17-7 victory. New England’s defense put up some fight, but Brady and his boys were flatter than haircuts from 1991, failing to put any points on the board until within ten minutes of the game’s close.
Both teams were blanked in the first quarter, trading punts and grunts of frustration. Jason Elam (K) hit a chip-shot field goal seven minutes into the second, but New England failed to answer. Then, just before the half, Jake Plummer (QB) quieted some of those Denver fans whining for backup Jay Cutler when he tossed a 32-yard TD pass to Javon Walker (WR) to up the ante to ten.
But the Pats never adjusted, and Brady floundered helplessly, flailing his arms, screaming at refs, and staring off existentially into the night. While the golden-boy finished the game a respectable 31-for-55 (tying a career high for pass attempts) and 320 yards, grade-school music recitals are generally more in sync than the Patriots offense tonight. Tough guy Corey Dillon (RB) only saw five touches for 16 yards before leaving the game due to injury, marooning rookie Lawrence Maroney and standby Kevin Faulk in the backfield on their own.For those heralding the running game as the Pats big punch might consider biting their nails; all three backs ground out a paltry combined 50 yards.
Not long into the second half New England abandoned the run altogether, opting for four-wide sets of their potpourri-receivers-plus Troy Brown. A minute into the fourth, Javon Walker made sub James Sanders (DB) look foolish by toasting him for an 83-yard TD catch. Finally, late in the fourth quarter the Patriot offense started to realize they were actually playing in a game, and Brady was perfect in an 80 yard drive capped by a TD pass to Doug Gabriel (WR), who wrung out three other receptions on the drive.
Afterward, however, the defense couldn’t muster up the slap in the face it is used to administering to opponents. Big hits from veterans Junior Seau (LB) and Roosevelt Colvin (LB) kept giving the O the ball back, and they kept shooting blanks like a Civil War reenactment. The outing ended when Bill Belichick (HC) opted unsuccessfully to go for a fourth-and-short instead of risking Stephen Gostkowski (K) getting a third consecutive field goal attempt put back in his face.
Play-of-the-Game goes to Denver’s Patrick Chukwurah (LB) for completely puking everywhere during the Pats single scoring drive, with an assist to NBC for replaying it in super-slow motion.
The three-time Super Bowl champs need to get the bad taste out of their mouth now before they start
eating serious crow. Next week they’ll have to earn their stripes in Cincinnatti, where the Bengals are 3-0,
have put up 85 points, and keep a pool of receivers deeper than a Robert Frost poem. Nobody likes to pick
against the Pats, but unless they get their helmeted heads out of their spandex-covered asses it’s going to be
Bengals 35, Pats 10.
Fans in Foxboro had to stomach a game only Denver fans could love, as the Broncos stumped the Pats with a 17-7 victory. New England’s defense put up some fight, but Brady and his boys were flatter than haircuts from 1991, failing to put any points on the board until within ten minutes of the game’s close.
Not long into the second half New England abandoned the run altogether, opting for four-wide sets of their potpourri-receivers-plus Troy Brown. A minute into the fourth, Javon Walker made sub James Sanders (DB) look foolish by toasting him for an 83-yard TD catch. Finally, late in the fourth quarter the Patriot offense started to realize they were actually playing in a game, and Brady was perfect in an 80 yard drive capped by a TD pass to Doug Gabriel (WR), who wrung out three other receptions on the drive.
