The defense and special teams let the Patriots down in the football game last night.  But, QB Matt Cassell kept the Patriots in the game with a huge effort.  He completed 30 of 51 passes for 400 yards with 3 TD passes and 0 interceptions last night.  He also carried the football 8 times for 62 yards (7.8 ypc) against the Jets so you can’t blame the loss on him.  Kevin Faulk was busy in this game as he carried the ball 8 times for 38 yards (4.8 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 49 yards (12.3 avg).  Matt Cassell spread the ball around to his receivers and that was very effective last night.  Wes Welker led the way in the passing game for the Patriots last night with 108 yards on 7 grabs (15.4 avg).  TE Ben Watson (8 rec, 88 yards) and WR Jabar Gaffney (7 rec, 86 yards) each caught a TD pass in the game last night.  The Patriots finished up with 125 yards rushing on 25 carries (5.0 ypc) last night and they also completed 30 of 51 passes for 386 yards.

Rookie linebacker Jared Mayo led the way for the Patriots’ defense with 20 tackles in this game.  He also defensed a pass as he was all over the football field.  Still, the Patriots defense as a whole did not play well as the Jets rushed for 140 yards on 39 carries (3.6 ypc) and they also completed 26 of 33 passes for 235 yards.  The special teams also killed the Patriots in this game as Leon Washington had a 92-yard kickoff return for a TD against them.  The Patriots have fallen to 6-4 in the AFC East, 1 game behind the Jets.

The Patriots planned all during the bye week to be physical and run the ball against the 49ers and the hard work paid off with a win.  The Patriots rushed for 144 yards on 43 carries (3.3 ypc) but no one back had more than 63 yards rushing for them.  Kevin Faulk was a big thorn in the side of the 49ers as he carried the ball 7 times for 32 yards (4.6 ypc) with 2 TD runs and he also caught 4 passes for 29 yards.  Matt Cassel was sacked 5 times in this game but he kept getting up and he completed 22 of 32 passes for 259 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 interceptions.  WRs Wes Welker (8 rec, 73 yards) and Randy Moss (5 rec, 111 yards, TD) both had solid games to lead the way in the passing game for the Patriots.  The Patriots had possession of the football for 39:52 of this game and that really helped keep the defense fresh.  The Patriots held the 49ers to 199 yards of offense last Sunday.  The Patriots are now a very impressive 3-1 on the season.

This result was a shocker but when you think about how the Patriots played in the preseason this year you had to think this would happen at some point.  Matt Cassel didn’t look too sharp in this game as he completed 19 of 31 passes for 131 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 interception.  Rookie Kevin O’Connell got to mop up in this game as he completed 3 of 4 passes for 25 yards.  Sammy Morris led the Fins’ in rushing in this game with 27 yards on 9 carries (3.0 ypc).  LaMont Jordan pitched in with 6 carries for 22 yards (3.7 ypc).  Wes Welker had a solid game with 6 grabs for 55 yards (9.2 avg) and he also carried the ball 1 time for 19 yards.  Jabar Gaffney also had a decent game with 6 grabs for 51 yards (8.5 avg) with a TD grab.  The Patriots finished up with 79 yards rushing on 20 carries (4.0 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 35 passes for 137 yards.

The Patriots’ defense was flat out terrible against the Dolphins as they got pushed around the whole game.  Linebacker Jared Mayo and safety Rodney Harrison led the way for the Patriots’ defense with 12 tackles apiece in this game.  The Dolphins finished up with a whopping 216 yards rushing on 36 carries (6.0 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 21 passes for 245 yards.  The Patriots fell to 2-1 on the season with this loss.

The Patriots played a solid all around game in defeating the division rival Jets yesterday.  Matt Cassel managed the game well as he completed 16 of 23 passes for 165 yards.  LaMont Jordan led the Patriots in rushing yesterday with 62 yards on 11 carries (5.6 ypc).  Laurence Maroney was banged up in this game as he only rushed for 16 yards on 8 carries (2.0 ypc).  Sammy Morris ran the ball 8 times for 0 yards but he scored on a 1-yard TD run.  Kevin Faulk got into his first game of the year yesterday and he rushed for 16 yards on 3 carries (5.3 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 50 yards (12.5 avg).  Wes Welker led the way in the passing game for the Patriots with 7 grabs for 72 yards (10.3 avg).  Randy Moss only caught 2 passes for 22 yards (11.0 avg) against the Jets.  The Patriots finished up with 104 yards rushing on 33 carries (3.2 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 23 passes for 156 yards.

The Patriots’ Defense put together another outstanding effort yesterday.  Safety Rodney Harrison (8 tackles) and rookie LB Jared Mayo (7 tackles) led the way for the Patriots’ D on Sunday.  The Jets finished up with 104 yards rushing on 21 carries (5.0 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 26 passes for 152 yards.  The Patriots improved to 2-0 on the season with this win.

The Patriots won the football game on Sunday against the Chiefs but they have likely lost the war as Tom Brady tore his ACL and will miss the rest of the 2008 season.  Brady completed 7 of 11 passes for 76 yards before being injured.  Matt Cassel came off of the bench and to the rescue as he completed 13 of 18 passes for 152 yards with 1 TD pass.  He also ran the ball 4 times for 13 yards (3.3 ypc) as he really stepped up with the Patriots needed him the most.  Sammy Morris was very effective in this game as he carried the ball 10 times for 53 yards (5.3 ypc) with a TD run.  He also added 5 receptions for 34 yards (6.8 avg) in this game.  Laurence Maroney was also effective running the ball with 10 carries for 51 yards (5.1 ypc).  Randy Moss led the way in the passing game for the Patriots with 116 yards receiving on 6 catches (19.3 avg) with a TD grab from Matt Cassel.  Wes Welker also pitched in with 6 grabs but only for 51 yards (8.5 avg).  The Patriots finished up with 126 yards rushing on 28 carries (4.5 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 29 passes for 212 yards. 

The Patriots’ Defense really stepped up in this football game.  Safety Rodney Harrison (14 tackles) and linebacker Tedy Bruschi (12 tackles) were both all over the football field in this game.  Linebacker Mike Vrabel was also outstanding with 6 tackles and 2 sacks.  CB Ellis Hobbs was making plays all over the field as he finished up with 4 tackles, 1 sack and 1 interception.  The Chiefs finished up with 102 yards rushing on 27 carries (3.8 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 31 passes for 182 yards.  It showed a lot of character for the Patriots to win this game despite losing the best QB on the planet.