Maroney Runs Patriots Through The Weather To 14-0

The Result

The New England Patriots improved to 14-0 with a 20-10 win over their arch rival New York Jets at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro on Sunday. Due to the weather conditions it was far from the blow out everyone expected and one of the Patriots least convincing wins of the year.

Snow fell before the game and steady rain and sleet fell during the game turning this into an old fashioned AFC East black and blue kind of contest. The Patriots decided in the weather to keep the ball on the ground and second year running back Laurence Maroney had 26 carries for 104 yards and scored the only offensive touchdown in the game.

The Patriots high powered offense struggled in the elements as you could tell Tom Brady and the receiving corps had a difficult time getting untracked. But when the game mattered the Patriots made the plays they needed to make on both sides of the ball. But other than Maroney it was the defense who came up big as four times the Jets went into the red zone and only came away with 3 points. They also sacked the Jets QB’s 5 times and forced them into bad decisions or made them hurry several times in key situations.

The Jets kept the game close but in the end the Patriots defense, Maroney and New York turnovers were the difference.

Scoring Plays

NY Jets	0	7	0	3	10
New England	7	10	0	3	20

1^st Quarter

• NE – Wilson 5 yard interception return – kick good – Patriots 7-0

2^nd Quarter

• NE – Gostkowski 26 yard FG – Patriots 10-0
• NYJ – Bowens 26 yard blocked punt return – kick good – Patriots 10-7
• NE – Maroney 1 yard run – kick good – Patriots 17-7

3^rd Quarter

• None

4^th Quarter

• NYJ – Nugent 33 yard FG – Patriots 17-10
• NE – Gostkowski 34 yard FG – Patriots 20-10

Offensive Player of the Game

Patriots running back Laurence Maroney who had 26 carries for 104 yards and a TD.

Defensive Players of the Game

Patriots DB Eugene Wilson who had 1 tackle, 1 interception return for a touchdown and a fumble recovery and Junior Seau who had 5 tackles, 2 assists and 2 sacks.

Turning Point(s) of the Game

Kelly Washington’s blocked punt leads to Maroney’s TD 1 minute before halftime.

Adalius Thomas stripped the ball from Chris Baker in the red zone and Eugene Wilson recovered the fumble at NE 10 late in the third quarter when the Jets were threatening to score.

Patriots stop the Jets in the red zone with less than 3 minutes left forcing a 35 yard FGA that was missed.

Offensive Leaders/Notes

Wes Welker gets 5 yards on 3^rd and 3 on 1^st drive.

Twice Tom Brady ran for positive yardage on busted hand off plays with Laurence Maroney.

Patriots failed to convert on 3^rd down several times through out the game and were forced to punt.

Brady threw 12 yards to Moss on 2^nd and 7 for 1^st down.

Kevin Faulk ran for 8 yards on 2^nd and 7 for a 1^st down.

On 2^nd and 7 with all day to throw Brady missed Moss in the middle of the field.

3^rd and 7 Brady threw 8 yards to Faulk for the 1^st down.

On 2^nd and 6, Brady found Moss for 11 yards.

Jets Eric Smith knocked down a pass to Moss in the endzone.

Stephen Gostkowski kicked 26 yard FG.

On 3^rd and 1 Maroney ran for 5 yards on Patriots 3^rd drive.

On 3^rd and 3 Brady throws incomplete to Gaffney and Pats had to punt which was blocked by David Bowens and he returns it for a TD.

On 3^rd and 8 under a blitz Brady connected with Welker for a 1^st down on Pats 4^th drive.

Maroney ran for 11 yards on 1^st down. Then followed it up with a 6 yard run.

On 1^st and goal Maroney was stopped just shy of the goal line and takes it in on a dive on 2^nd down for a TD on 5^th drive.

Brady gets intercepted by Jets Darryl Revis on Patriots 6^th drive at NE 34.

3^rd on 2 on Pats 7^th drive Brady threw for 7 yards to Faulk.

On 8^th Pats drive Revis gets an illegal contact call giving NE a 1^st down.

Twice on the 9^th drive Brady tries to go to Moss, once in the middle and once down the sideline both are incomplete.

On 3^rd and 10 Brady completed a 16 yard pass to Welker.

On 1^st and 15 Brady hits Moss for 46 yards to NYJ 14.

On 2^nd and 6 Brady’s pass to Moss is broken up by Jets Hank Poteat.

On 3^rd and 6 Jets sack Brady and will go for 34 yard FGA.

Defensive Leaders/Notes

In addition to Wilson and Seau, Adalius Thomas had 6 tackles and 1.5 sacks.

Eugene Wilson intercepted Kellen Clemens on the Jets second play and returned it for an easy TD. Clemens got absolutely pounded by Richard Seymour as he threw the ball.

With Brad Smith at QB on second series, Leon Washington runs 50 yards on an option play. Pennington replaces Smith on 3^rd and 18 and threw 16 yards to Jericho Cotchery. Smith came back on 4^th and 2 at the NE 17 pass was incomplete Pats took over on downs.

Ellis Hobbs nearly picked off Pennington near midfield on the Jets 3^rd drive on 2^nd and 7. Patriots forced Jets to punt.

Junior Seau sacked Pennington on Jets 1^st play of 4^th drive for an 8 yard loss.

Hobbs broke up a pass for Justin McCareins. It forced Jets to punt and Kelly Washington blocked the punt giving the Patriots the ball at the NYJ 3.

Seymour and Jarvis Green team up to sack Pennington on 2^nd and 1 for a 13 yard loss.

On 3^rd and 2 on Jets fifth drive Seymour knocks down a pass that forced the Jets to punt.

Patriots fail to wrap up Smith on a QB keeper and he ends up with 7 yards on 1^st play of Jets 6^th drive. Smith then gets 3 yards after he should have been dropped for a loss on 1^st down.

LB Adalius Thomas stripped the ball on 3^rd and 12 from Chris Baker and Wilson recovered the fumble at NE 10 and returned it 4 yards.

On 3^rd and 10 on Jets 7^th drive Wilson gets called for interference for an automatic first down.

Pennington was forced to throw it away on 3^rd and 5 and Jets had to punt.

Patriots give up 20 yards to Smith on NYJ 8^th drive but it gets brought back on a hold, Smith turned his ankle on the play.

Thomas stuffs Thomas Jones on first down for no gain.

Patriots Asante Samuel fails to wrap up Baker after a catch and he gets a 1^st down at NYJ 39.

Samuel goes for an INT, Wilson misses a tackle and McCareins gets a 14 yard pick up to NE 48.

On Jets 9^th drive they start at NE 31 and get an 8 yard TD pass that is over turned on review. On next play Jets get a holding penalty for 2^nd and goal at the NE 18. 3^rd down pass incomplete and Jets attempt 35 yard FGA which goes wide left.

On Jets final drive Thomas and Green sack Pennington on 2^nd down.

Jets convert on 4^th and 1.

Randy Moss played defense on games final play on which Seau sacked Pennington.

Special Teams Notes

Ellis Hobbs was back returning kickoffs this week.

Patriots punt team pinned the Jets at the NYJ 3 when Willie Andrews kept the ball out of the endzone.

Patriots had a punt blocked and returned by Jets for a TD in 2^nd quarter.

Patriots return the favor and blocked a Jets punt that set up first and goal at the NYJ 3.

Patriots nearly recover a muffed punt in 4^th quarter by Leon Washington.

Patriots give up 49 yard KOR and then get 15 yards added for a horse collar tackle for a Jets 1^st down at NE 31.

Coaching Decisions

• NYJ – 1^st qtr try for 4^th and 2 from NE 17 pass incomplete.
• NE – 2^nd qtr try for 4^th and 2 from the NYJ 20, Brady runs for 3.
• NE – 4^th qtr challenge Jets 8 yard TD pass. Play was over turned on replay pass was incomplete.
• NYJ – 4^th qtr try for 4^th and 1 convert with 3 yard pass.

Injuries

• NJY – QB Kellen Clemens rib injury, did not return – 1^st quarter
• NYJ – WR Laveranues Coles ankle injury, did not return – 1st quarter
• NE – Kyle Brady ankle injury, did not return - 2nd quarter
• NE – LB Mike Vrabel shoulder injury, returned – 2^nd quarter
• NYJ – QB Brad Smith ankle injury, did not return – 4^th quarter

The Officials

Jerome Boger was the referee. 

This crew had also called the Patriots game in Cincinnati earlier this season and they are the first repeat crew the teamhs had all year. 

Game Notes

Patriots TE Ben Watson (ankle), S James Sanders (knee), OG Stephen Neal (shoulder) and OL Bill Yates (foot) all missed the game with injuries.  QB Matt Gutierrez, WR Troy Brown, WR Chad Jackson and S Rashad Baker were inactive.

Jets QB Marques Tuiasosopo, WR Chris Davis, OL Jacob Bender, T Adrian Jones, TE Jason Pociask, LBMarques Murrell, DL Kareem Brown and DE Eric Hicks were inactive for the game.

Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker went over 1,000 receiving yard for the first time in his career while Randy Moss went over 1,300 for the year and 12,000 for his career.

The Patriots are 14-0 for the first time in franchise history. They have won 17 consecutive regular season games dating back to last season.

The 17-game regular season win streak is second only in franchise history to the NFL record streak of 18 consecutive games the club set in 2003 and 2004. That was part of an overall 21 game win streak that set an all-time pro football record.

The Patriots are 16-1 in their last 17 games when it’s 30 degrees or colder at kickoff. At kick off it was 23 degrees and windy.

The Patriots failed to score on their first offensive possession for just the 3^rd time in 14 games.

The Patriots have scored the games first points in 12 of 14 games.

Tom Brady was held without a TD pass for the first time this year.

New England’s +19 in turnovers after 14 games leads the NFL.

The game was actually stopped for a few moments in the second half because fans were throwing snow and ice balls onto the field.

With the win the Patriots clinched the top seed in the AFC for the second time in franchise history and get home field advantage through out the AFC playoffs. They are only the second team in the NFL’s 88-year history to start the season 14-0. They are the third team, joining the 1972 Dolphins and 2004 Steelers, to win 14 consecutive games in a single season.

Patriots are 38/39 this season in red zone scoring opportunities. Their only red zone failure was a missed Stephen Gostkowski field goal. Gostkowski has missed two other FGA’s this season but the team had not entered the red zone.

Patriots have converted 14/19 fourth down attempts this season.

Patriots DB Eugene Wilson became the 21^st New England player to score a TD this season.

The Jets had 2 first downs in the first half, while using three quarterbacks.

The Jets have scored 17 points or fewer vs. New England in 10 of the last 11 games.

Post Game Press Conferences

Check out what Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady had to say about today’s game.

Post game press conferences via patriots.com

Things To Work On For Next Week

Tackling in the open field. Third down efficiency on offense as they were 6 of 16 against New York.

Next Week’s Opponent

The Patriots host the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium next Sunday. Kickoff is at 4:15 p.m.