The New England Patriots (7-4) were not able to keep up with Drew Brees and the high-scoring New Orleans Saints (11-0).  The Saints offense did to the Patriots what they have been doing to every other team all season, as they Pats let Brees throw for 371 yards and 5 touchdowns on 18/23 passes.  They didn’t do a good job stopping the run either, with Mike Bell and Pierre Thomas combining for 114 yards 24 carries.  The defense was not able to slow down the Saints very much at all, which put a lot of pressure on Tom Brady and the offense.

The Patriots offense was able to keep up with the Saints for most of the first half, but the Saints were still able to build a 24-10 lead at halftime.  Tom Brady did not have his best stuff, as the Pats needed a near perfect game out of Brady for him to keep up with Brees.  Brady overthrew a few receivers and just wasn’t sharp.  He ended up with 2 interceptions and failed to reach to the endzone, passing for 237 yards 21/36.  Laurence Maroney had a good game, rushing for 64 yards on 15 carries.  He had a nose for the endzone as well, getting in for 2 rushing touchdowns.  The Patriots need more production like that out of Maroney, although he did lose a key fumble.  I thought the Patriots were at the same level as the Saints, but it looks like they need to make some improvements if they want to get to the Super Bowl this year.

The New England Patriots (7-3) are heading south in what I expect to be one of the best games of the season against the New Orleans Saints (10-0) on Monday Night Football.  If the Patriots don’t end the Saint’s undefeated season Monday night, then the Saints are very likely going to tie the Patriots 16-0 season from 2007 since their schedule is not very difficult after this week.  The Saints have an electric offense, so even though the Pats are holding opponents to 187 passing yards per game, the Saints offense is going to find success.  Drew Brees has 22 touchdowns and has been having an MVP caliber season.  They also have a three-back attack in the running game, with Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush, and Mike Bell all contributing to the 154 rushing yard average per game.  The Patriots offense is going to need to be on top of their game, and it should be a shoot-out.

Tom Brady and the Pats’ offense has been just as impressive at times this year as the Saints’ offense has been.  Brady has been going to his favorite target Wes Welker even more than usual lately, as teams have been trying to shut down Randy Moss and the deep ball.  Welker has been so successful lately that it may open that deep ball back up for Brady and Moss.  The Saints’ defense is giving up 330 yards per game, compared to the Patriots’ defense who only gives up 297 per game.  I think Brady and the Pats’ offense will be able to keep up with Brees and the Saints, and I am going to go with the Patriots with a late field goal for the win.  This should be a very exciting game.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  New England Patriots 34, New Orleans Saints 31

The New England Patriots (7-3) were able to force 5 turnovers against the New York Jets (4-6) and cruised to an easy win.  Leigh Bodden got the Patriots off to a good start when he intercepted a Mark Sanchez pass and ran it back 53 yards for the first score of the game.  Bodden ended up intercepting Sanchez 3 times, and Sanchez finished the game with 136 yards and 4 interceptions on 8/21 passes.  The Patriots defense didn’t do as well against Jets’ running back Thomas Jones, who had 103 yards on 21 carries, but they kept the Jets scoreless until late in the first half, giving the offense the chance to build a big lead.

Tom Brady and the offense were able to get pretty much whatever they wanted.  Brady and Welker hooked up for some big plays in this game, as Welker caught 15 passes for 192 yards.  Brady finished with 310 yards and a touchdown on 28/41 passes.  Laurence Maroney also rushed for 2 touchdowns and 77 yards on 22 carries.  The closest the Jets got to the Patriots was 24-14 in the 3rd quarter, but the Patriots held them off the rest of the game and scored another touchdown in the 4th quarter to seal the win.

33-year old running back Kevin Faulk is a outstanding football player as he does anything the Patriots need him to do.  He has played in 9 games so far this season for the Patriots and he has carried the ball 37 times for 188 yards (5.1 ypc) and he has also caught 25 passes for 199 yards (8.0 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Faulk is also helpful on special teams when needed as he has returned 5 punts for 31 yards (6.2 avg) and 6 kickoffs for 144 yards (24.0 avg) so far this year.  Faulk has now played in 146 games for the New England Patriots in which he has carried the football 814 times for 3,358 yards (4.1 ypc) with 14 TD runs and he has also caught 406 passes for 3,503 yards (8.6 avg) with 15 TD grabs.  Faulk has returned 99 punts in his career for 932 yards (9.4 avg) and 181 kickoffs for 4,098 yards (22.6 avg) with 2 TD returns.  Faulk has never been the main man of the offense for the Patriots but he has always been there to make a big play when they need one.

The New England Patriots (6-3) are hosting the New York Jets (4-5) this week and are looking for revenge.  The Jets beat them 16-9 in week 2 and the Patriots were shocked.  That was when Tom Brady was still struggling and adjusting after returning from his knee surgery that kept him out the entire 2008 season.  The real Tom Brady is back and I don’t think the Jets will have an answer for him and the Patriots offense.  He has been finding Randy Moss for some big touchdown passes and hitting Wes Welker and a lot of catch and run plays.  They are also averaging 114 rushing yards per game, so it will  be a big challenge for the Jets to contain Brady and the Patriots.

The Patriots offense needs to key in on stopping the run.  The Jets limit what their rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez does, as Sanchez tends to throw a lot of interceptions when he is given too much freedom.  The Jets average 170 rushing yards per game, so they don’t exactly need Sanchez to have big games.  So, if the Patriots can shut down Jets’ running back Thomas Jones then they will win the game for sure.  It will force Sanchez to throw more, most likely leading to some Patriots interceptions.  The Jets have a strong defense though and may be able to contain the Patriots offense some, but it wont be enough and the Patriots should win easily.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  New England Patriots 31, New York Jets 20

This game between the Indianapolis Colts (9-0) and New England Patriots (6-3) lived up to all of the hype and came down to the wire.  Who would have thought a coaching mistake from Bill Belichick would end up being the Patriots’ downfall.  Widely considered the best coach in the NFL, Belichick took a big gamble with 2:08 left when he went for it on 4th and 1 from his own 28-yard line.  The Patriots were up 34-28 and turned the ball over on downs, giving Peyton Manning a short field.  This was obviously a bad call by Belichick as Manning easily led his Colts’ to a touchdown with 13 seconds left.  The Patriots blew a 17 point lead going into the 4th quarter, the biggest 4th quarter lead that a Belichick team has ever blown.

Tom Brady and the offense had an outstanding game, but they needed one more yard to win this one.  Brady outplayed Manning through most of the game, but not by much.  Brady and Randy Moss hooked up for some big plays throughout the game, including two touchdown passes.  Brady went 29/42 for 375 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception while Moss had 9 catches for 2 touchdowns and 179 yards.  The Patriots’ defense contained the Colts running game to 91 yards, but they could have done a better job against a Colts’ team that has struggled to run the ball all season.  Manning ended up on top in the quarterback shootout, getting one more touchdown than Brady but also throwing one more pick.  He had 28/44 for 327 yards and 4 touchdowns, 2 interceptions.  The Patriots defense did what they could against Manning, but Belichick put them in almost an impossible situation late in the game and it obviously cost them.

The Patriots have lost rookie WR/KR Brandon Tate for the rest of the season due to a knee injury.  He only played in 2 games in his rookie season and he didn’t catch any passes.  He did carry the ball 1 time for 11 yards and he also returned 4 kickoffs for 106 yards (26.5 avg) this year.  Tate will be replaced by 28-year old WR Sam Aiken as the #3 WR for the Patriots the rest of the way.  He has played in 8 games for the Patriots this season and he has caught 9 passes for 139 yards (15.4 avg) with 1 TD grab. 

This is the matchup of the year, with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots (6-2) taking on Peyton Manning and his Indianapolis Colts (8-0).  I think this will be a Brady-Manning shootout and it should be pretty exciting to watch.  Although both defenses are solid, both Manning and Brady are great quarterbacks who perform well on the big stage so it will be hard stopping either one.  Manning has passed for over 300 yards in every game but one this season, so the Patriots secondary better be ready for a long day.  They need to be ready to adjust on the field, as Manning loves to audible at the line scrimmage.  He also has a talented Joseph Addai to hand off to, so the linebackers are going to need to help the front line shut the running game down.

The Patriots offense should be able go keep up with Manning and the Colts.  The Colts are holding teams to under 200 passing yards per game, but they have not had to play Tom Brady, Randy Moss, and Wes Welker yet.  I don’t see how they will keep them under 200 yards with Welker slicing through the middle of the field and Moss a deep threat on every play.  The running game should help do some damage too, as the Colts give up 108 rushing yards per game.  I am really looking forward to this game and I am expecting a high scoring close game.  Peyton Manning has been playing some of his best football all season though, so I am taking them in a very close win.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Indianapolis Colts 38, New England Patriots 35

The Patriots held off the pesky Dolphins today in Foxboro.  Tom Brady was solid as usual as he completed 25 of 37 passes for 332 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  Laurence Maroney had one of his better games in a while as he carried the ball 20 times for 82 yards (4.1 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Randy Moss was outstanding for the Patriots today as he caught 6 passes for 147 yards (24.5 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Wes Welker was also pretty busy in this game with 9 catches for 84 yards (9.3 avg).  The Patriots rolled up 432 total yards of offense in this game (109 rushing, 323 passing). 

The defense had a rough time overall in this game but they did hold the Dolphins to only 17 points.  LB Jared Mayo led the way for the Patriots in this game with 12 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 QB hit.  Safety Brandon McGowan also had a solid game with 11 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss.  OLB Tully Banta-Cain had one of his best games of the season today with 9 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 3 QB hits.  The Dolphins finished up with 334 total yards in this game (133 rushing, 201 passing).  The Patriots are now 6-2 on the season.

The New England Patriots never pick too high in the draft so they are looking for players who fit the roster.  Safety Patrick Chung was the highest pick the Patriots used (#34 overall, 2nd round) and he has 17 tackles, 1 sack, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception so far this season.  He looks like he might have the potential to start down the road so this was a good pick for the Patriots.  NT Ron Brace (2nd round, #40 overall) was supposed to give the Patriots help on the interior of the defense this season but he only has 1 tackle so far.  CB Darius Butler (2nd, #41) hasn’t played that much this season but when he does play he makes plays as he has 5 tackles, 2 interceptions and he has defensed 4 passes this year so far.  OT Sebastian Vollmer (2nd, #58 overall) was supposedly a reach by the Patriots but he has played in 7 games (2 starts) this season and he could develop into a productive starter for the Patriots down the road.  WR/KR Brandon Tate (3rd, #83) has been injured the whole season until know as he hasn’t caught a pass yet but he has returned 2 kickoffs for 44 yards (22.0 avg).  He has a huge upside and he will start being a factor in the offense soon.  LB Tyrone McKenzie (3rd, #97 overall) hurt himself in the pre-season and he is on I.R. right now.  LS Jake Ingram (6th round, #198) has stepped right in playing in all 7 games for the Patriots so far this season.  DT Myron Pryor (6th, #207 overall) has nine tackles this season, 2 tackles for a loss and he has forced 1 fumble.  Pryor looks like a better pick than Brace so far this season.  WR/KR/PR Julian Edelman (7th round, #232) has been the best rookie on the team for the Patriots this season.  He has carried the ball 1 time for 5 yards and he has caught 21 passes for 188 yards (9.0 avg).  Edelman has also returned 7 kickoffs for 157 yards (22.4 avg) and 6 punts for 63 yards (10.5 avg) so far this season.  He recently broke his arm which will keep him out of action for a while but the converted QB looks  like a keeper for the Patriots.  OG Rich Ohrnberger (4th round, #123), OT George Bussy (5th round, #170) and DT Darryl Richard (7th round, #234 overall) have not played in any games for the Patriots this season.  It looks like the Patriots have found a few keepers last April.