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Patriots complete perfect regular season

The New England Patriots overcame a 12-point second-half deficit to beat the New York Giants, 38-35, and finish their season 16-0. The Pats took the lead for good with just over 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter, on a 65-yard touchdown strike from Tom Brady to Randy Moss. The touchdown set NFL records for Brady (his 50th touchdown of the season, breaking Peyton Manning's mark) and Moss (his 23rd TD catch of the season, breaking Jerry Rice's mark).

We'll have extensive coverage throughout the night on projo.com.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 11:20 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

50 & 23

Journal photo / Gretchen Ertl
Randy Moss makes the double-record-setting touchdown catch in the fourth quarter.

So here's my question: who gets to keep the ball?

With that amazing 65-yard touchdown pass to Randy Moss, both Moss and Tom Brady now own single-season NFL records. Brady becomes the first ever with 50 TD passes, and Moss now has 23 TD catches.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 10:48 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Historic Comeback

Journal photo / Glenn Osmundson
Laurence Maroney runs for yardage in the second quarter.

E. RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- If the Patriots hope to remain undefeated, they're going to have to stage their biggest comeback of the season.

Their 12-point deficit (28-16) six minutes into the third quarter is the Pats' largest of the season. What may be encouraging to New England fans is that the Patriots trailed by 10 with less than 10 minutes remaining at Indianapolis and pulled out the win.

What isn't encouraging is that Tom Brady now will have to throw against an even more aggressive Giants pass rush.

Posted by Jim Donaldson  at 10:10 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Trifecta for Gostkowski

E. RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The three field goals in the first half by Stephen Gostkowski are more than the Patriots' second-year kicker has had in any game this season.

He tried three against the Steelers, but missed one.

So far, he has converted from 37 yards in the first quarter, and 45 and 37 in the second quarter. The last field goal put the Patriots on top, 16-14.

Posted by Jim Donaldson  at 9:28 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

One more forgotten

Journal photo / Glenn Osmundson
Tom Brady raises his arms after tossing his second-quarter touchdown to Randy Moss.

Another one we forgot: with 158 passing yards on the day, Tom Brady has set a new franchise record for passing yards in a season.

In 1994, Drew Bledsoe threw for 4,555 yards; Brady currently has 4,608.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 9:26 PM to Tom Brady | Permalink | Comments 0

Almost forgot: one more record

In between writing and blogging other things, we forgot to mention one more record the Patriots have already set tonight: points scored.

The Brady-to-Moss touchdown gave the Pats 560 points for the season, setting a new single-season record. The 1998 Vikings -- featuring a rookie named Randy Moss -- scored 556 points.

With 13 points currently, New England has 564 points for the year.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 9:08 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

A different first

Domenik Hixon's 74-yard kickoff return for a touchdown was the first special-teams touchdown New England has allowed this season and the first kickoff return touchdown allowed by the Patriots since 2004.

Hixon, then with Denver, is the player Bills tight end Kevin Everett collided with on opening weekend, leading to a near-fatal spine injury for Everett.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 8:59 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

49 & 22

With Tom Brady's 4-yard touchdown pass to Randy Moss, the players each tied an NFL record: for Brady, it was his 49th touchdown pass, tying Peyton Manning's 2004 record, and for Moss, it was his 22nd touchdown catch of the season, matching the mark set by Jerry Rice in 1987.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 8:55 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Weis on the sidelines

E. RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis and his son were spotted just to the left and behind the Patriots' bench area.

Weis was the offensive coordinator for Bill Belichick on all three of New England's Super Bowl championship teams, and also was an assistant with the Giants under Bill Parcells.

After taking the Irish to BCS bowl games in his first two years, Weis lost his first eight games this season before finishing 3-8.

Notre Dame fans hope this is the last time the Irish coach won't be busy preparing for a game as the New Year rolls around..

Posted by Jim Donaldson  at 8:40 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Welker gets 102

Wes Welker's first catch of the game was his 102nd of the season, breaking Troy Brown's franchise record for receptions in a season. In 2001, Brown had 101 catches.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 8:34 PM to Wes Welker | Permalink | Comments 0

Red Zone Score For Giants

E. RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- For the first time since the Baltimore game, the Patriots gave up a touchdown in the red zone.

And it came on the Giants' first possession.

Starting at their own 26 following the opening kickoff, the Giants drove 76 in 7 plays, scoring on a 7-yard pass from Eli Manning to Brandon Jacobs, who ran through a Tedy Bruschi tackle at the 2 on his way to the end zone.

The big play in the drive was a 52-yard pass from Manning to Plaxico Burress.

In the previous three games, New England had allowed opponents just two field goals in nine trips into the red zone.

Posted by Jim Donaldson  at 8:26 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Game inactives

For the Patriots:
QB Matt Gutierrez (3QB)
WR Chad Jackson
DB Willie Andrews
RB Kyle Eckel
G Stephen Neal
T Nick Kaczur
WR Troy Brown
TE Kyle Brady

For the Giants:
QB Jared Lorenzen (3QB)
CB Kevin Dockery
RB Ahmad Bradshaw
LB Tank Daniels
T Adam Koets
DT Manny Wright
WR Sinorice Moss
TE Jerome Collins

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 7:15 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Worry wart

BY JIM DONALDSON
Journal Sports Writer

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Call me a worry wart, if you will, but I'm putting this out there, an hour before kickoff, hoping the worst won't happen, but concerned that it might.

The Giants have a fearsome pass rush. Osi Umenyiora has 13 sacks, Justin Tuck has 10, and Michael Strahan has 91/2. Particularly troublesome to the Patriots is that Strahan and Umenyiora rely more on speed than power, and both Matt Light and regular right tackle Nick Kaczur seem to handle strong guys better than speed guys. Power, they can deal with. Quickness is another matter.

What's worse is that Kaczur, who has started every game this season, will not play tonight because of a foot injury. Replacing him will be 6-foot-7, 330-pound Ryan O'Callaghan, who started six games last season, when he was a 5th-round pick of the Pats out of the University of California, but hasn't started any this year.

Russ Hochstein will be making his third straight game at right guard in place of Stephen Neal, who now has missed four of the last six games with a shoulder injury.

As if it weren't bad enough that two regulars will be missing from the right side of New England's offensive line, veteran tight end Kyle Brady also is "out" with a foot injury. A powerful blocker, the 6-6, 280-pound Brady often is used to help pick up opposing pass rushers.

So it should be obvious that protection could be a concern tonight for New England QB Tom Brady.

It's no secret that Brady (Tom, not Kyle) is the key to the Patriots' hopes for winning a fourth Super Bowl in seven seasons. He has been remarkably durable -- never missing a start since stepping in after Drew Bledsoe was injured in the third game of the 2001 season.

But it's also no secret that the best way to beat the Pats -- if, in 2007, there IS a way to beat the Pats -- is to put pressure on Brady. So expect the Giants to come after him early and often. If they get to him, it's possible the Patriots actually could lose. But the much greater concern is that the Pats might lose Brady for the playoffs.

Expect him to throw many of those short, quick routes he executes so well in order to minimize the effect of the Giants' pass rush.

Posted by Jim Donaldson  at 7:11 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Welcome to Giants Stadium

Hey all --

No thanks to Continental Airlines, we have arrived here at Giants Stadium, where you may have heard there's a big football game going on tonight.

The field below is devoid of players, but that won't last long. There are, however, plenty of cameras and lights and all manner of broadcasting equipment just off the sidelines, and NFL Network has set up a mini-studio overlooking the field on the Giants' sideline.

One funny note: as we were walking into the building, NFLN commentator and future Hall of Famer Deion Sanders ran by in a dark suit -- and bright white sneakers to make his sprint easier. We know that trick well.

shalise

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 5:04 PM | Permalink | Comments 0