The Patriots were down 24-17 in this game with only 6:50 left in the third quarter but that’s when they got rolling.  The Patriots scored 28 straight unanswered points in the last 21:50 minutes of the game to surge to a impressive road victory.  Tom Brady had a perfect QB rating of 158.3 by completing 21 of 27 passes for 341 yards with 4 TD passes and 0 INTs.  BenJarvus Green-Ellis was solid on the ground with 12 carries for 59 yards (4.9 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  Danny Woodhead pitched in with 32 yards rushing on 8 carries (4.0 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 13 yards (6.5 avg).  WRs Deion Branch (3 rec, 113 yards, 2 TDs) and Wes Welker (8 rec, 90 yards, 2 TDs) both had monster games for the Patriots yesterday.  The Patriots finished up with 109 yards rushing on 25 carries (4.4 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 27 passes for 338 yards.

The defense had some big plays which masked some pretty awful play in the first three quarters.  LBs Jared Mayo (12 tackles, 1 pass defensed) and Gary Guyton (8 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack, 1 pass defensed and 1 QB hit) led the way for the Patriots on D in this game.  Safety James Sanders pitched in with 8 tackles.  Rookie CB Devin McCourty was a stud once again yesterday with 7 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 2 interceptions (73 return yards).  The Lions finished up with 129 yards rushing on 27 carries (4.8 ypc) and they also completed 27 of 46 passes for 277 yards in this game.  The Patriots are now 9-2 on the year.

This is a trap game for the Patriots with the Jets on deck in Foxboro.  It doesn’t help the Patriots that the Lions are a solid team at home.  The Lions are 2-2 at Ford Field where they have outscored their opponents 133-89.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Patriots have the ball:  The Patriots would be smart to mix things up on offense once again.  They need to control the clock to protect the defense so look for them to run the ball and throw short passes.  BenJarvus-Green Ellis and Danny Woodhead are likely going to get a lot of work against a Lions’ D that is allowing 130.6 yards rushing and 4.6 yards per carry.  With Tom Brady’s foot barking, I think the Patriots are going to keep the passing game short.  Plus, the Lions already have 27 sacks on the year.  I expect Deion Branch, Wes Welker, the rookie TEs and Danny Woodhead to get the bulk of the looks in the passing game today.

When the Lions have the ball:  The Lions are starting Maurice Morris at RB so look for the Lions to air it out.  If the Patriots could put some pressure on Shaun Hill it will help the secondary.  If Hill has time to throw the ball, the Patriots could be in some trouble as they are giving up 289.6 yards passing per game.  WRs Calvin Johnson, Nate Burleson and TE Brandon Pettigrew are going to matchup nightmares for the Patriots today.

PREDICTION:  PATRIOTS 34, LIONS 31

The Patriots took a 31-14 lead with 10:23 left in this game and then they had to hold on for dear life as safety James Sanders picked off a pass to end Peyton Manning’s last drive deep in Patriots’ territory.  Tom Brady completed 19 of 25 passes for 186 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs as he was highly efficient.  BenJarvus Green-Ellis led the way on the ground for the Patriots last week with 96 yards rushing on 21 carries (4.6 ypc) with a TD run.  Danny Woodhead also had a good game with 7 carries for 69 yards (9.9 ypc) with a awesome TD run and he also caught 4 passes for 21 yards (5.3 avg).  Deion Branch (7 rec, 70 yards), Wes Welker (5 rec, 58 yards, TD) and Aaron Hernandez (1 rec, 8 yards, TD) led the way in the air for the Patriots in this game.  The Patriots finished up with 168 yards rushing on 34 carries (4.9 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 25 passes for 178 yards.

James Sanders, Devin McCourty and Brandon Meriweather each picked off a Peyton Manning pass in this game which really helped the Patriots’ cause on D!  The Colts finished up with 71 yards rushing on 20 carries (3.6 ypc) and they also completed 38 of 52 passes for 396 yards.  The Patriots are now 8-2 on the year.

This is a big game for both teams as they are both sitting atop their respective divisions.  The Patriots have been outstanding at Gillette Stadium this year where they are 4-0 (they have scored 127 points while giving up 92 points).  The Colts are only 2-3 on the road where they have been allowing 25.6 points per game.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Patriots have the ball:  The Patriots are going to try to control the clock in this game to keep the defense off the field.  That means more short passes and running plays.  The Colts are giving up 133.2 yards rushing per game and 5.0 yards per carry so far this year.  That means that BenJarvus Green-Ellis is likely to have a nice workload.  Tom Brady is at his most dangerous with a team like this one because the Colts can’t really double cover anyone. 

When the Colts have the ball:  The Patriots are giving up 277.8 yards passing per game so it’s going to be the Peyton Manning Air Show this Sunday.  His receivers are banged up but like Brady, Manning makes the most of what he does have.  The Colts will likely run more if they get a lead in this game.

PREDICTION:  PATRIOTS 38, COLTS 27

58-year old head coach Bill Belichick looked pretty upset when the Browns crushed his team 34-14 in Cleveland two weeks ago.  Instead of sulk, he got his team ready for the Steelers and they punished them all night long.  The Patriots are now 7-2 on the season which has them tied with the Jets atop of the AFC East.  The Patriots are now 119-50 (70.4%) during the regular season in Belichick’s 11 years with the team.  It’s quite amazing to watch Belichick work as he’s probably doing his best coaching job with the Patriots this year as he has them 7-2 despite giving up 390.8 yards per game.

The Patriots have finally waived 25-year old OLB Shawn Crable.  Crable was a 3rd round pick of the Patriots in 2008 but he didn’t make it to the field in a regular season game until this year.  Crable played in 6 games this year for the Patriots and he had 4 tackles and 1/2 a sack.  The Patriots won’t miss Crable at all, period.

The Patriots rushed out to a 23-3 lead after the first three quarters of this game as it was well in hand throughout despite the final score.  Tom Brady was incredible as he completed 30 of 43 passes for 350 yards with 3 TD passes and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 1 time for 3 yards and it went for a TD.  Benjarvus Green-Ellis was solid last night for the Patriots with 87 yards rushing on 18 carries (4.8 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 36 yards (9.0 avg).  Danny Woodhead pitched in with 4 carries for 11 yards (2.8 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 22 yards (11.0 avg).  WR Wes Welker (8 rec, 89 yards), TE Rob Gronkowski (5 rec, 72 yards, 3 TDs) and Deion Branch (7 rec, 71 yards) led the way for the Patriots in the passing game.  The Patriots finished up with 103 yards rushing on 24 carries (4.3 ypc) and they also completed 30 of 43 passes for 350 yards.

The defense really played well in this game overall despite the score and the Steelers’ yardage totals.  CB Devin McCourty (11 tackles, 1 pass defensed), safety Patrick Chung (11 tackles, 1 pass defensed), LB Jared Mayo (9 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) and safety James Sanders (4 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception that he returned 32 yards for a TD) led the way for the Patriots in this game.  The Steelers finished up with 76 yards rushing on 16 carries (4.8 ypc) and they completed 30 of 49 passes for 349 yards.  The Patriots are now 7-2 on the season.

Could the Patriots be the latest team to get a wakeup call from the Browns and then beat the Steelers.  The Saints had that exact same scenario play out a couple of weeks ago.  The Patriots are 2-2 on the road this year while the Steelers are 2-1 at home so anything seems possible in this game.  Here is a look at the matchups in this contest:

When the Patriots have the ball:  This is the kind of game where the Patriots have to take the shackles off of Tom Brady and let him wing it.  The Patriots have been trying to run the ball more this year in an attempt to protect their defense but the Steelers are only allowing 58.3 yards rushing and 2.6 yards per carry so why even try to run the ball.  The good news is that the Steelers are giving up 240.0 yards passing per game as the secondary is pretty porous even with Troy Polamalu in action.  The key is going to be pass protection as the Steelers have 24 sacks already this year.  If Brady has time to throw the ball he’s going to torch the Steelers’ secondary all day long.

When the Steelers have the ball:  The Steelers are going to have new starters at LG and LT so it would be smart to run the ball more than usual.  Rashard Mendenhall could have a big workload day against a Patriots’ D that is allowing 117.6 yards rushing per game and 4.1 yards per carry.  If Ben Roethlisberger has time to throw the ball this Sunday, the Patriots are going to be in a world of hurt as they are allowing 268.9 yards passing per game.

PREDICTION:  STEELERS 27, PATRIOTS 24

The Patriots have signed 28-year old long snapper Matt Katula to a 2-year deal.  Katula has not played so far this year.  He has played in 80 games in his first five years in the NFL (all with the Ravens).  Katula will replace 25-year old Jake Ingram who has been released.  Ingram played in 8 games for the Patriots this year and all 24 of them in his year and a half with the team.

The Patriots have signed 32-year old kicker Shayne Graham to replace Stephen Gostkowski who is out the remainder of the year.  Graham played in 1 game earlier this year for the Giants and he was 4 for 4 on extra points good for 4 points.  He has now played in 128 games in his NFL career and he has made 196 of 230 field goals (85.2%).  He has also made 280 of 283 extra points as he now has 868 points in his NFL career.  I love this signing for the Patriots who were damn lucky to find a kicker like Graham sitting at home on his couch,