Tom Brady bests old friend as he and coach set records: Patriots defeat Vikings 30-7

In a game of inches, the Patriots won their game against the Vikings by a mile.

With their identity as a team suddenly under question, the Patriots went to Minnesota knowing a win was necessary. Furthermore, though the game featured a warm reunion of old friends in Tom Brady and Matt Cassel, it soon turned cutthroat with emotions running high and big plays bountiful. 

Beginning with the defense, the Patriots came into this game with the number one priority of shutting down the Vikings big playmakers. Even after Adrian Peterson was deactivated following his arrest for child abuse Friday, that was still true. Though the attention had shifted it was still powerful in its direction at wide receiver Cordarrell Patterson. They stacked the line and rejoiced as big bodies like Jarod Mayo and Vince Wilfork clogged up the middle portions of the field with ease. Furthermore, tight coverage by the cornerbacks helped break up passes to Patterson before they could even get to him.

New England limited Patterson to just 4 receptions for 56 yards and 0 touchdowns thrown by Cassel. 

However as the Patriots also knew prior to kickoff, Patterson is the kind of player that can do more than just catch passes. Since joining the league a year ago, he has become one of the best kick returners in football. In knowing that, the Patriots and their kicker Stephan Gostkowski were prepared and fully capable of limiting any chance the Vikings star got to make any more big plays.

Gostkowski was kicking shots into the stands all afternoon allowing for just one return by Patterson. That return went for just 8 yards though and actually resulted in Goskowski’s best net yardage on a kick all game.  Additionally, Goskowski was greatly helpful to the Patriots in their offensive game. His three field goals and three PAT’s helped keep the game out of reach of the Vikings.

Among the other players whose play the Patriots were the beneficiaries of were Devin McCourty who intercepted a pass from Cassel and then returned it for 60 yards, Julian Edelman who was dominant in his first good game this season, and Stephan Ridley who produced a reassuring 101 yards rushing in the game. 

All and all, accurate throws by Tom Brady, 81 receiving yards by Edelman, 4 interceptions of Matt Cassell and a shutdown run defense helped even the Patriots record at 1-1. 

Beyond that, the brilliant game was even more so for stone faced Bill Belichick and his partner for all time in Brady. Though the pair’s record this season is mediocre, both of them hit monumental milestones for wins Sunday. Belichick became the 6th coach in NFL history to record 200 wins while Brady’s 149th win put him third on the all-time wins list for quarterbacks.

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Patriots at Dolphins Week One Preview: With predictions daring, the Patriots kick things off in a must win

Alas the summer has ended. As our thermometers that show the searing temperatures of August are beginning to warn of opposite weather signifying that summer has finally, blissfully ended giving way to the seasons known not as fall and winter but rather as a one football season. After drafts completed and training camps ground through, the NFL season began Thursday with the Seahawks defeating the Packers 36 to 16 and most other teams logging their final practices before their respective openers. 

The Patriots, who are set to play the Dolphins at one o'clock on Sunday, were no different this week, fielding their vast array of new talent for their practices as they hope to live up to the high expectations fans have of them this year. Their first step in proving that will be staying on the field. For the past few years, this team that has been fully capable of winning a Super Bowl has only been hindered in doing so by a variety of torn ligaments, bruised brains and more. When we look at these last few years the loss of Rob Gronkowski for various periods of time has been glaring. Additionally, the sudden injuries to Aquib Talib in back to back AFC Championships could also be pointed to as reasons for early exits by this team. Basically each year since their Super Bowl loss in 2011, the Patriots have fielded an opening day roster that could easily win the NFL title. Their only problem has been depth. Finally Bill Belichick addressed that problem in blowing things up this off-season.  

Going into week one, the Patriots will have a suddenly ferocious running back squad that includes the likes of an underrated Shane Vereen, rookie James White and a finally demoted but still skilled Stephan Ridley. This wonderful improvement to the Patriots rushing game will allow Tom Brady to work in some new read option plays as well as keep the offence moving even if a receiver like Rob Gronkowski goes down again. Furthermore, it will allow the Patriots coaches to put fumble prone Ridley on a much shorter leash as even without him, the team would still have its power rusher in White and its flashy RB in Vereen. 

In an interview with Sirius XM back in August, Bill Belichick spoke on the subject of White. "He's a very interesting and versatile player," he said. "He does a good job in the passing game and in the running game -- both inside and outside. Blitz pickup -- we have a pretty extensive offense for him to learn, but he's working hard at it. We'll just let him go and see how it goes, but I think he has the ability to compete on all three downs, in both the running game and the passing game." 

Keeping with the theme of depth, the Patriots will also be rolling out a new look defense in week one with headline CB, Darrelle Revis serving as the centerpiece to their pass defense that now  also includes league veteran Brandon Browner. This week one game that features Miami wide receiver Mike Wallace will actually be a perfect showcase of the capabilities of this revamped Pats defense. Wallace who will begin his second season in Miami against the Patriots is a man who despite his up and down stats has always boasted incendiary speed off the line. Revis, the Patriot who will be tasked with matching those explosive sprints up the sideline said to ESPN's Mike Reiss earlier this week that Wallace is "probably the fastest in the league." 

All we can say about that is that Revis is a smart man to acknowledge and prepare for Wallace to the fullest extent. At the NFL Combine in 2009, Mike ran a 4.33 second 40 meter dash blowing scouts away and serving as his calling card going into the draft. 

Revis, who ran 4.38 in his 40 yard dash back in 2007 of all people is nonetheless capable of catching Wallace. Such turns out to be a theme with the Patriots as they match up against the Dolphins. 

Each season since their 6-10 2011 failure, the Dolphins have been getting consistently better as they have begun conditioning their decided starter Ryan Tannehill while grooming a vast array of linemen and tight ends through the draft and their practice squad. Though Miami in the present is not a squad that could possibly contend with the Patriots for the AFC East title which the team has sat upon for the better part of 15 years, they have given the Patriots their fair share of scares of late, actually defeating New England last season and regularly keeping even their losses close well into the 4th quarter. But as said earlier, the Patriots are still incomprehensibly better than their South Beach foes. It is almost like those Bruins vs Providence Bruins games each year where, though sometimes the affiliate wins, no one ever calls the squads equal. 

At 1 in the afternoon Sunday, the Patriots will step onto the steamy field in Miami while we all watch from home in pleasant New England. Patriots fans will watch that game from afar, hoping that by afternoon's end they will be celebrating. Furthermore, they will also be distantly fantasizing about a much grander celebration that might involve duck boats and a shiny trophy specked with confetti a little over 5 months from now. As it stands, we might have reason to believe that both those hopes and wishes will be granted.

*all statistics from ESPN.com

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Statistically speaking: A preview of the AFC Championship Game solely through numbers

As the long awaited AFC Title Game sits so tantalizingly close to us Go, Titletown looks at some key stats and trends that might play a role in this game.

New England Patriots (12-4-0, AFC East Champions, 2nd seed)
Denver Broncos (13-3-0, AFC West Champions, 1st seed)

The History...

Tom Brady has never lost to a defense coached by current Broncos defensive coordinator, Jack Delrio. He has pitched an 8-0 record with no interceptions thrown.

 Bill Belichick is 2-1 against Peyton Manning in the playoffs and has held the star QB to just 18.33 points per game in those 3 playoff games

In 3 Brady vs Manning playoff games, Brady has outscored Manning 78-55

Two quarterbacks have respective TD/INT lines of 3/2 for Brady and 2/6 for Peyton Manning in their 3 games vs one another.

In the biggest game of John Fox vs Bill Belichick Bill beat John in the Panthers 32-29 in the 2003 Super Bowl.

The Last Time They met...

The Patriots pulled off the biggest comeback in franchise history erasing a 23 point half time deficit en route to a thrilling OT win.

In that game, Tom Brady out dueled Manning by throwing for 354 passing yards over the 150 Manning threw for. Brady tossed 3 touchdowns to the 2 thrown by Manning and the 1 interception.

After fumbling 3 times in the first quarter, Stephan Ridley and LeGarette Blount were both benched as the Patriots run game rushed for just 116 yards in the game. By comparison, top Denver rusher, Knowshon Moreno alone rushed for 224 yards on 37 carries in the game.

Julian Edelman led the game in receptions as well as yards hauling in 9 passes for 110 yards and 2 touchdowns.

And now the big one...

Since these two teams week 12 game, the Patriots have actually outscored the Broncos by a margin of 190 to 177.

The running game of the Patriots is drastically better than that of the Broncos. Since week 12, a combination of LeGarrette Blount and Stephan Ridley have rushed for 914 yards, that is 239 more than the 675 rushed by Denver.

According to Sports Center's twitter feed, of the 3 times Peyton Manning and Tom Brady have met in the playoffs the home team has not only won every time but also has won the Super Bowl.

At last check, Sports Illustrated is reporting the odds for this one as being -5.5 for Denver. That signals that the Broncos are a heavy favorite.

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Playing in the rain: How a rainy prelude to tonight's game vs Colts will affect New England

As kickoff to Saturday's Patriots vs. Colts game draws nearer, rain continues to pound the field in Foxborough soliciting at least a few looks of worry among the Patriots fan base. For 2 years now, a rainy field has translated to a loose football as when we look back to games like Week 15 of 2012 vs. the 49'ers and Week 17 of this season vs the Bills, the Patriots have fumbled the ball a combined 6 times and while 4 of those 6 were recovered by the Patriots, it is never a good thing to have the ball on the ground.  

Unfortunately, when it comes to the Patriots their players either seem unfocused or incapable of preventing that meaning that as we prepare to watch as the Patriots take part in their 3rd game in which their field is turned to a swimming pool in 2 years they will be looking to reverse this trend and simply hold onto the football. 

"It's a long year," New England coach Bill Belichick said when asked about the impending possibility of rain. "It's something that you have to deal with, unfortunately, during the season. But it pretty much happens to everybody."  

At last check, The Weather Channel.com has the weather conditions at tonight's 8PM kickoff involving close to 25 mile per hour wind and torrential downpours all combining to form what the website's forecasters deem to be a heavy thunderstorm. While such conditions are only projected to last until that about 9PM, this wind that has caused a wind advisory to be posted until 11PM will likely be a huge factor for both teams. Lucky for New England, the 25MPH winds at kickoff and then 15MPH gusts that will continue up until around midnight will without a doubt be enough to stifle any attempt to chuck something down field where New England is week defensively. Furthermore, the famous gap in Gillette Stadium's construction will make it so that whoever is throwing towards it might not even be able to throw for anything farther than 15-20 yards. 

When you take realities like that into account, the possibility of a game focused around the running game and a few surgical screen passes from Brady to Edelman or Ammendola ought to give the Patriots the edge. But I caution you this, of the Patriots top three backs this week, LeGarret Blount, Shane Vereen and Stephan Ridley two of them are not the best at holding a ball especially when it is slippery against their chest. While LeGarret Blount has given the Patriots  that power rusher kind of player than even Stephan Ridely cannot be he fumbled 3 times in the regular season. As for Ridley, his 4 fumbles, all recovered by the Patriots were what landed him on the bench for much of the second half of this season. 

As the rain pounds down, the thunder echoes through Foxborough the ball will be shoved into the gut of anyone who can be used in such a way. Yards gained after Brady either hands the ball off or tosses it over the line of scrimmage, will be key in this one and if the Patriots are to win they will have to do one thing. Keep the ball in their hands and off the turf below them. 

*Check back later tonight for any updates on the weathers effect on the game and for a reflection on the first half

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Fumbling Around: A look at how we stand on the situation of ball control with Stephan Ridley

As is true throughout the sports world, football fans have short memories. 

They do not remember what happened last year, they remember what is happening THIS year and on a more distinct note, they do not remember what happened in week one, they remember what happened LAST week. That truth is rather unfortunate for 24 year old Patriots running back, Stephan Ridley who has fumbled 3 times in the last 3 weeks and has been benched following each turnover.   

Following his most recent fumble, the 4th of his 2013 season, any sliver of fan respect for Ridley's successful 2012 was lost only to be replaced by a constant calling for the 3rd year back to simply get out of town. 

“For me, it’s almost disgusting, man,” he said in the locker room after the fumble that caused him to leave the game and then violently spike his helmet on the sideline. “Consecutive weeks. Personally, as a player, my team deserves better. I come in, I work, bust my a-- every day. To come in and have the same mistakes happen, there’s something I gotta do different, I gotta do better. As a competitor all I can do is come in here and keep working. ... I just gotta be there for the team when they call me.” 

By comparison, Ridely's 4 fumbles lost in 2013 are twice those accumulated by Minnesota Vikings star Adrian Peterson and 3 more than league rushing leader: LeSean McCoy. It is no doubt about the fact that when he can lock the ball tight against his chest and run around with it, Ridley's proficiency in bouncing off of outside tackles sure makes him top back material. He rushed for 1,147 yards on 249 carries during his final year at LSU and then hit the 1,000 yard mark 2 years later in the NFL when in 2012, he stormed past defenders to rush for 1,263 yards and 12 touchdowns on 290 carries.   

He has potential but the fumbles are tough. He has been benched following each fumble this season and although his most recent mistake was the first one that pulled him from the entire game, he was benched for a full half in Week 1, and then pulled out for the better part of a quarter in Weeks 8 and 9. Furthermore, in games like these in addition to ones following those in which Ridely has fumbled, he has seen the number of chances he gets deccrese even when he is on the field.  

He is getting benched as well as losing his teammates trust. Double trouble. 

“When I put the ball on the ground, they have no option but they take me out. It’s sickening, man,” Ridley said. “I’m frustrated, but it’s part of the game. I think that as a player, you’re going to have your ups and your downs, but the main thing is you have to stay focused and keep your eye on the prize at the end of the day. I’m not going to get too far down. I’m going to put more pressure on myself to go out there and practice and change up some things. I can't keep doing this.” 

But as was said earlier, he may be running out of time. Last season Stephan Ridely averaged just over 18 carries per game while just 1 season later, his benchings and decreeing trustworthiness has dropped his average down to 13.5. That does not seem like much but when you factor it in, guys like Ridely often average close to 5 yards per carry tacking away 5 such runs drops their game rushing totals by close to 25 yards. This has been evident this season and even more so in the past few weeks as his snap totals have gone down steadily from 26 in Week 8, to 13 in Week 9 and then an abysmal 4 back on Sunday against the Broncos.  

However what seems to be the worst aspect of this all for Ridley is the fact that his absence from the field has not been missed especially with the recent re addition of Shane Vereen to the rushing core. He in collaboration with Brandon Boulden took over the entire rushing attack last week combining for 21 attempted ground plays and 9 additional targets through the air.  

Since the middle of last year, he has really emerged and developed into that role,” Tom Brady said of his budding new rusher Vereen following Week 9's Monday Night Game with the Panthers. “I think the best part is he really understands the importance and magnitude of that role and takes a lot of pride in it. It’s a hugely important part of our offense.” 

Now more than ever, it seems that it is Vereen's turn to take over. Stephan Ridley is a great running back, and a powerful athlete but  when you look at the stats the big 4 spot in the fumbles column makes you cringe and makes Bill Belichick angry. Ridely says he thinks it is disgusting and will continue to work as hard as he can to stop the fumbling  but as it stands he might not get that opportunity. 

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Saving the best for last: Tom Brady and Peyton Manning put on thriller as both their careers come to a close

It was cold, almost Siberian cold. The air was uneasy, jolting around and carrying anything with it as if the wind itself was like a powerful arm flicking away anything that tried to test its power. However, amidst these single digit temperatures and strong winds, a glowing metropolis of its own casts a bright tower of light into the sky above Foxborough Massachusetts. This piece of infrastructure, known throughout its days as any number of different names is the economic center of nearly every piece of Massachusetts land south of it’s capital and yet it is not even the biggest cash cow that calls Gillette Stadium home. 

On Sunday night, one man who has played his best in the cold was at it again, facing off against the only human being who can statistically match his skillful prows.  

14 times now these two have faced off, 14 games all of which have their own unique stories. In Brady vs. Manning 1 the theme was this. An already recognized starter in Peyton Manning coming to town prepared to face a man who was making just his first start of his career following Drew Beldsoe's near lethal injury suffered against the Jets that opened the door for his backup. To that point, Tom Brady had thrown just 13 career passes as an NFL quarterback while Peyton Manning had already racked up back to back 4,000 yard passing seasons as well as making 2 Pro Bowl teams and yet by the end of the night it was Brady who led his team to victory and won the first game in one of the most storied individual rivalries in NFL history. 

4 years later in meeting number 3, Brady was shining once again hurling 3 TD's and 335 passing yards on his way to a 27-24 win that improved his career win loss record against Manning to a stellar 3-0. By that point, there was no doubt how skilled this 4th year stud from New England was. The 3 Super Bowl rings symbolized all that necessitated recognition. Before long, Tom Brady was 7-0 against Manning and his always contending Colts. Furthermore, while Peyton spent his time polishing his MVP awards, Tom Brady was a more weekly kind of guy racking up the wins and of course, winning 3 Super Bowls in 4 seasons.   

However in the 2006 Conference Championship that pitted Mr. postseason: Brady against Mr. MVP: Manning, the tables turned. In Peyton's lone successful postseason run, the Colt star stormed past the Patriots and halted Brady's bid for his 4th Lombardi Trophy.  

"I said a little prayer there on that last drive," Manning said of his game winning touchdown drive that propelled the 38-34 last second win. "I don't know if you're supposed to pray or not in those kinds of situations, but I did." 

Prayer answered. 

From that day onward, Manning and Brady were pitted against each other on a near annual basis.as for football fans removed from the bias of the fabled rivalry there truly was no answer to the question was answered every single time prior to such a game. Who is the better quarterback? Tom or Peyton? 

This was the legacy that led these two champions through New England victories in 2007, 2010, 2011 and then 2012 as well as a change of scenery for Manning and yet, the essence of each of these games stayed true to those that came before them.

This was the legacy that led those two champions down the path to greatness and while the two were both reaching into their upper 30's we braved the cold and watched what might go down as the last great meeting between two of the best. It did not disappoint. 

After 4 first quarter fumbles, one of which might have effectively ended Stephan Ridley's career as a Patriot, New England stumbled into the half facing their largest deficit of the season. It was 24-0 Denver, and Manning had thrown just 1 TD pass. The first half of the Week 11 edition of Sunday Night Football, was one of gifts by the Patriots and luck by the Broncos. Manning was never good in this game fighting the stinging cold and rarely even attempting a pass. In the end it was the passing game that for the first time this season actually cost Denver the game.  

Brady and the Patriots came out of the gates in the second half fuming. They charged up the field to score just 3:39 into the quarter and then quickly followed up with back to back quick drives that in the blink of an eye erased and even topped what Denver did in the first half. New England scored 21 points in the 3rd quarter and then even took the lead as they continued their torrent pace early in the 4th quarter. 

As the game fell late into overtime it became clear that while Tom Brady was the reason the game was tied it was his 61 year old best friend who was the reason they won it. 

"The wind, it was a strong wind," Bill Belichick said in an explanation for why he deferred the ball after winning the coin toss prior to OT. "We just had to keep them out of the end zone, obviously. I just felt like the wind would be an advantage if we could keep them out of the end zone on that first drive. We were able to do that. The wind was significant in the game, it was definitely significant."  

New England did keep Denver out of the end-zone in that first drive but after they went 3 and out on the next drive, Ryan Allen came on to punt. Once again the Broncos played the role of Santa Claus via their delivery of a mighty gift that in the end, gave the Patriots the win. 

Following a booming punt, nothing seemed to go awry until the ball was literally feet from the ground. Manning who watched his teammate Tony Carter inadvertently poke the falling ball with the tip of his fingers seemed broken while the Patriots pounced on the muffed punt that gave them back the ball at the Denver 13 yard line. 

From there, the game was all but won, Stephan Goskowski kicked the game winning chip shot field goal bing-bang-boom, game salvaged. 

Whatever you call it, the beginning of the end of this great rivalry gave us the greatest win the rivalry has ever seen. It was not perfect, there were fumbles, there were interceptions and there were badly thrown balls but in the end none of that matters. Why? Because as has been repeated throughout the sports world
"they don't ask how, they ask how many" and when you look into the numbers, the 60,000 passing yards of Peyton Manning shows that he wins on the luster of his game while Tom Brady just wins period.  

You tell me who it better. Tom? Yeah, that sounds right. 

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Patriots pull off revealing comeback to beat Buffalo 23-21: Danny Ammendola and Jullian Edelman crucial in victory for New England

Okay, let’s just think this through. 

In May, the Bruins threw heart-attacks through Boston with their dramatic game seven comeback over Toronto. By that point in time the Red Sox were already playing in a season in which they would eventually tally upwards of 30 comebacks. By this point both of Boston's beloved sports teams have developed a "cardiac kid" reputation.  

But nevertheless in a similar way that all of Boston's teams have developed a similar flare for postseason sucsess. The New England Patriots joined the list of comeback winning teams in Boston today as after once holding a 10-0 lead and then a 17-7 lead the erased a late 21-17 deficit to earn the win a down the Bills in dramatic field goal fashion. 

It wasn't pretty but in the end, the New England Patriots rode the stellar play of three incoming stars all the way to victory. 

After Tom Brady quickly pulled the Pats into a 7-0 then 10-0 lead after Goskowski's first field goal of the day, Stephan Ridely invoked the wrath of Bill Belichick when he pathetically tripped on his own feet then fumbled the football without being touched. After that miscue, it did not take long for Ridley's night to end as he spent the reminder of the game watching from the bench. Now at the time of the fumble it seemed that at first glance Rideley would be back after halftime but when promoted number 1 back: Shane Vereen made quick work of the Bills defense, it was clear that Stephan was never coming back. 

Vereen finished the night with his first career 100 yard game as he smacked together 101 yards on 14 carries, Vereen was a driving force in this game and in a specific display of greatness, he was the man who ran the ball on both of the carries that put the Patriots the positions that resulted in those 2 crucial 4th quarter field goals for New England. 

"I’ll take it, opening day...we made some very clutch plays when we needed to" Said Tom Brady, possibly referencing that key 21 yard run by Vereen towards the end of the game. "We got a long way to go, I mean I'm glad to start out with a win, winning is a hell of a lot better than losing but we got a long way to go." He continued in discrete acknowledgment to some 3rd quarter anger that he vented on the sideline. 

Brady went 29 for 52 in this game with an interception and of course  23 incompletions. But in his defense the target of 10 of those incompletions: Kenbrell Thompkins could largely be pinned on Thompkins himself who at one point made no effort to get both his feet down before he went out of bounds. 

But while Thompkins 4 receptions for 42 yards was less than pivotal in this game, the contributions of two men that Brady firmly acknowledged during his press conference were. After Danny Ammendola left the game in the 1st half, Julian Edelman slammed up 2 touchdowns 7 receptions and 79 offensive yards. 

"Two great play-makers they have earned a lot of trust with me, they make a lot of great plays" Brady said referencing both Edelman AND Ammendola. 

Now as mentioned before, Ammendola left the game early on with a reaggravated groin strain. 

"At first i thought he was gone for the game" Brady said. 

But Ammendola wasn't. 

He returned during the 3rd quarter and soon powered his way to 104 yard offensive day with a long of 24 yards and a responsibility of 10 of Tom Brady's 24 completions in this game. But while the numbers are impressive 2 of those 10 catches were unthinkable clutch in this nail biter of a game. 

With the ball on the New England 40 yard line and Tom Brady writhing under a 3rd and 10 situation with under 3 minutes to go in the game, Danny Ammendola broke away from the line and in a play that granted no relent for his injured groin, Ammendola laid out, catching a ball through 2 different defenders and preserving that game winning drive. But nevertheless, 3 plays later the Patriots were in an identical 3rd and 10 situation. 

With the game once again on his shoulders, Ammendola brought us to our feet again running 15 yards forward of the line turning around and jumping into the stratosphere to once again catch the pass from Brady amidst the grasp of a slew of defenders. 

"He really toughed it out, he fought all day" Brady said standing as one of many admirers of Ammendola’s sacrifice.  

The Patriots would eventually bring themselves within Goskowski's range and after spending 2 plays to center the ball right between the hash marks, Stephan Gostkowski came on looking to make his first huge kick of the 2013 season. With a perfect snap and a stellar hold, Goskowski had to trouble sticking the 35 yarder and winning the game for the Patriots. 

So there we were heart attack time back home in Boston. The Patriots had won their 10th straight season opener. 

* Notes:

- With Tom Brady throwing 2 touchdown passes in the game, he extended his streak to 49 consecutive games with a TD. This is the second longest streak in NFL history and just 6 short of setting an all time record. 

- After a 288 yard day passing, Tom Brady became the 9th player in NFL history to record 45,000 passing yards. 

- Stephan Goskowski's 35 yard game winner was only his second of his career. 






To see Stephan Goskowski's game winning field goal click here

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Patriots first half in game notes: September 8th vs Buffalo Bills

In game notes of the New England Patriots vs the Buffalo Bills week one match-up

First Quarter

- After Stephan Ridely supposedly fumbled the football, the Patriots retained possession following the challenge. (0-0)

- After they were forced to punt, Tommy Kelly recovered a CJ Spiller fumble, putting the Patriots at 1st and 10 on the Buffalo 15 yard line. (0-0)

- After a few short gains, Tom Brady threw a 9 yard  pass to Julian Edelman. TOUCHDOWN (7-0 NEW ENGLAND)

- After several in-completions, Stetphan Goskowski comes on  to kick a 48 yard field goal. KICK IS GOOD (10-0 NEW ENGLAND)

- 15 yard Hands to the Face penalty brings Buffalo back to a 1st and 21 situation. 2 incompletions later, EJ Manuel is unable to convert on 3rd and 19. Buffalo is forced to punt. (10-0 NEW ENGLAND)

- Following a 19 yard run by Sephan Ridely, first quarter ends (10-0 NEW ENGLAND)


Second Quarter

- Tom Brady sacked, New England forced to punt from midfield (10-0 NEW ENGLAND)

- Buffalo goes 3 and out and punts from mid field. New England starts drive from 20 yard line (10-0 NEW ENGLAND)

- New England goes 3 and out. Patriots punt from 24 yard line. Buffalo starts drive at 7 yard line.  (10-0 NEW ENGLAND)

- Kyle Arrington intercepts pass from EJ Manuel returns to 7 yard line. Play is under review and after first look it appears that the play will be overturned. (10-0 NEW ENGLAND)

- Interception ruling is overturned Buffalo punts on 4th and 3. New England starts drive from 46 yard line. (10-0 NEW ENGLAND)

- Stephan Ridley fumbles football, play is returned for touchdown. Play is under review. At first look it seems that play will stand (10-0 NEW ENGLAND) 

- Ruling on field is confirmed. 74 yard return for Sercy of Buffalo. TOUCHDOWN (10-7 NEW ENGLAND)

- Buffalo kicks off to New England. LeGarret Blount returns kick to 25 yard line. New England starts from 25 yard-line. (10-7 NEW ENGLAND)

-  Pass incomplete to Kenbrell Thompkins Patriots punt. Buffalo starts drive at 10 yard line (10-7 NEW ENGLAND) 

- Kyle Arrington forces Buffalo fumble. Rob Ninkovich recovers and returns for a few yards. Play is under review. At first look it looks like the play will stand (10-7 NEW ENGLAND)

- Fumble ruling is confirmed. New England starts from 30 yard line (10-7 NEW ENGLAND)

*Danny Amendola comes out of game with groin pain.

- Tom Brady completes on 3rd and 7 with short pass to Julian Edelman TOUCHDOWN (17-7 NEW ENGLAND)

- Patriots kick off goes for touch-back. Buffalo starts from 20 yard line. (17-7 NEW ENGLAND)

- After Buffalo goes 3 and out, Brady's pass is intercepted and Buffalo returnes to 20 yard line. Play is under review. At first glace, it looked like ruling will be overturned. (17-7 NEW ENGLAND)

- Play is confirmed return is called back though. (17-7 NEW ENGLAND)

- EJ Manuel throws 20 yard pass to Robert Wood. TOUCHDOWN (17-14 NEW ENGLAND)

- Tom Brady takes a knee. First half over (17-14 NEW ENGLAND) 

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New England running backs stand tall in preseason opener: Patriots beat Eagles 31-22...recap and statistics

Note: to see player by player statistics and notes, scroll to the bottom of this post

Alright, it’s the preseason and frankly, nothing matters.  But nevertheless, that sense of meaning still had a weak presence in last night's dominant win over Philadelphia. 

For guys like Tim Tebow (yeah Tebow) and LeGarret Blount, odds are they won’t be seeing any pro snaps come September. But nevertheless they were here and fighting for their preseason lives....long story short, it was a fun game.  

After winning the coin toss, the Patriots started the game at their own 20 yard line following a decent touch back kick by the Eagles special teams unit. Almost immediately the starters picked up where they left off last season as star Patriot: Stephan Ridley snagged his first touch after leaving the AFC championship with a concussion back in January. But even for Ridley, what he did next all with the ball in his hands was still eye opening. On literally the first play, Ridley went straight up the middle of the Eagles defense running step for step for nearly 62 yards before he was tackled. Just a few plays later, he capped off the drive via an easy 1 yard touchdown run to put New England up 7-0 after the Gostkowski extra point. 

But for the Patriots, Ridley was not the only star facet of the running game that dominated last night. Fact is, for almost every second of the game the trio of Stephan Ridley, Shane Vereen, and a newcomer: LeGarret Blount dominated combining for a total of 4 touchdowns and close to 200 yards.  

Blount in particular smacked up an artistic 51 yard touchdown run dodging and weaving out of nearly the entire Eagles defense. He finished the night as New England's leading rusher with 101 yards and 2 touchdowns. 

"It's critical to run the ball" QB Tom Brady said "and they know you're going to run it. We had big runs, we had short yardage runs where we needed to get the ball, we ran in on the goal line so I mean that establishes the identity of the team how well you run, how well you stop the run and all those guys did a great job, they are big strong powerful runners that want the ball in their hands and when they get in the rhythm, they make a bunch of plays and Stephan Ridley has done it since he got here.. Shane (Vereen) is doing it. Brandon (Bolden) made some runs." 

Brady then elaborated speaking specifically about his 13 yard touchdown pass to Vereen.

"I was trying to figure out what to do, I saw what we wanted. I was looking and trying to figure out well what's the best thing to do because I knew the coverage and then Shane (Vereen) and I had a little connection and it was good. It was a great catch, I mean to get his feet down, a tight area, Shane (Vereen) has been doing that but I mean he's really come on. He's really continued to improve so it was great to see him make that play."

But still there was even more to look at last night than simply the offensive ground game.

After he was signed by New England back on June 11th, there were some slight inclinings that Tim Tebow might possibly threaten to oust Ryan Mallet as the Patriots back up. Well, after both Mallet AND Tebow saw playing time last night...I will let you decide who deserves the 2 spot in the QB depth chart. 

Amidst his near 2 quarters of play, Tebow could not seem to get the ball out of his hands as he managed just 4 completions on 12 attempts while running for 35 yards on 4 carries. Now frankly, Mallet was not much better but seeing as over the past few years HE has been the backup, odds are that we are not in for much controversy this year. 

"It's all about the same for everyone," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said when asked about Tebow. "It was good, it was far from perfect. We all made mistakes out there and there are plenty of things to work on for all of us. Not singling anyone out. We haven't played a game in six months, so we saw decent things, but also things we need to work on."

New England won 31-22 last night and while this only was a single preseason game, the sights and bright spots delivered by the starters in this game begin to remind you that even without Hernandez or Welker this ensuing season still has the possibility of becoming a great one.

Player by player notes

Tom Brady finished the night 7 for 8 with 65 yards and 1 touchdown pass on 2 drives.

LeGarret Blount racked up 101 yards with 2 touchdown runs and 11 carries. 

Stephan Ridley hit up 92 yards and scored a touchdown 

Tim Tebow went 4 for 12 with no touchdowns and 35 yards rushing. Tebow was sacked once.

Ryan Mallet played less than 1 quarter, missing a wide open shot at touchdown pass to Vereen. He left the game with a head injury after he was sacked late in the 2nd quarter of the game. 

Stephan Gostkowski kicked at 33% with 1 field goal and 2 misses  

New England Defense allowed 3 touchdowns one of which was followed up with a 2 point conversion

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