I’ve been dying to say this. New Orleans TE Jimmy Graham is better my ass.  Rob Gronkowski proved once again why he is the best young tight end in the game today.  I’m not even talking about records, I’m talking pure all out effort.

All you had to do today was look at two of his six catches.  The first was the one were he got up off the ground and dragged/ran over nearly half of the Washington defense as he turned a 5 yard pass into a 50 yard pass.  The second was the on a touchdown pass when he shed a linebacker like he was a kindergarten student and went to the end zone.

Vernon Davis, Tony Gonzalez, Kellen Winslow Sr., Antonio Gates, Jason Witten, Mike Ditka all good players in their time, and some are still active, but we may have never seen the likes of Gronk.  6 grabs, 160 yards 2 more TD catches and bodies once again left in his wake.  He is turning into a one man wrecking crew that no one can defend.  He is the mismatch of mismatches.

I want to see what he can do on defense.

Most of the rest of the team was merely average as the defense was well the defense giving up the occasional big play, getting shredded between the numbers but coming up big when they had to.

No one came up bigger of the defense today than LB Jerod Mayo who’s INT of Washington QB Rex Grossman with 0:22 seconds left sealed a victory.  Mayo was able to get his hands on a deflected pass as he fell to the ground cradling it as if it was a baby thrown to him from a burning building.

And no one came up larger on defense than the big guy himself NT Vince Wilfork.  Wilfork is proving to a beast in the middle, especially against the run.  And when DE Andre Carter hit his former team mate Grossman causing a fumble in the end zone, it was Wilfork who recovered it for a TD.

For those counting this season Big Vince has 2 INT’s and a fumble recovery for a TD and one very proud wife, who he presented with his bounty after the score.  I want to know when E! or VH-1 are giving the Wilfork’s their own TV series.  Gronk could be their crazy neighbor.

Well as coach would say, it wasn’t pretty and the Patriots made one more play than the Redskins did and that’s why they won.  Now it’s off to Denver to face the mighty Tebow’s who have won 6 consecutive games.

Patriots at Redskins Gamebook. This includes the box score, all the stats, play by play, drive charts and more.

Patriots at Redskins Game Recap

To continue reading, hit the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Turning Point(s) of the Game

New England LB Jerod Mayo intercepted a deflected Rex Grossman pass with 0:22 seconds remaining in the game to seal the win.

Offensive Player(s) of the Game

Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski had 6 catches for 160 yards and 2 TD’s to set a NFL record for most TD catches by a TE in a season.

Defensive Player(s) of the Game

Patriots LB Jerod Mayo had 9 tackles (6 solo), 1 quarterback hit, 1 pass defensed and 1 INT.

Game Notes

Starters for the Patriots were:

On Offense:

LT Light
LG Mankins
C McDonald
RG Waters
RT Solder
TE Hernandez
TE Gronkowski
WR Branch
WR Welker
QB Brady
RB Woodhead

On Defense:

DE Anderson
DT Wilfork
DT Love
DE Carter
LB Ninkovich
LB Mayo
LB Fletcher
CB McCourty
CB Arrington
S Ihedigbo
S Slater

Inactives for the Game:

Patriots

1. S Patrick Chung (foot)

2. C Dan Connolly (groin)

3. LB Brandon Spikes (MCL)

4. RB Shane Vereen (hamstring)

5. T Sebastian Vollmer (foot)

6. DE Gerard Warren

7. QB Ryan Mallett

Redskins

1. WR Terrance Austin (hamstring)

2. S LaRon Landry (groin)

3. RB Ryan Torain

4. DL Chris Baker (quad)

5. DE Kentwan Balmer

6. LB Markus White

7. OL Erik Cook

The spread (Patriots minus 9 1/2) WAS NOT covered.  The over/under (48) WAS COVERED.  I GAVE the points and took the OVER.  I am now 7-5-1 vs. the spread and 9 of 13 calling the under/over.

The Redskins lead the overall series vs. the Patriots 6-3.

Prior to this game, New England had never won in Washington. They are now 1-1 at FedEx Field.

New England has now won a road game in every NFL city.

This was the first of a two game road swing (they play at Denver Week 15) the second two game road swing of the season (at Buffalo Week 2 and at Oakland Week 3) for the Patriots.

New England has won 5 consecutive games after a two game losing streak.  It is their longest win streak of the season.

New England is 38-5 in December games since 2001.  That’s the best in the NFL in that time period.

Since 2002 the Patriots are 10-2 vs. the NFC East in the regular season.  The losing at Washington in 2003 and to the New York Giants at home this year.

Overall the Patriots are 18-24 against NFC East teams including Super Bowls.

Since 2000 have the Patriots the best road record in the NFL at 62-33.

Bill Belichick is 2-2 vs. the Redskins in his career.  He is 2-1 against them as the head coach in New England.

Belichick’s 187 wins are good for 9th all-time.  Chuck Knox, who coached the Rams, Redskins and Seahawks, is 8th all-time with 193.

Tom Brady is 2-1 vs. the Redskins in his career.

Brady has 121 career wins he is 6th all-time.  Fran Tarkenton is 5th with 124.

Brady has now never beaten New Orleans and San Francisco on the road.

Brady’s 3 TD passes give 33 on the year and 294 TD passes in his career and he is now 6th all-time.  John Elway is 5th all-time with 300.

After the game Brady said the sideline faceoff with offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien was on him.

WR Wes Welker now has catches in 95 consecutive games including playoffs, 78 as a Patriot.  The last time Welker did not have a catch in a game was 12/24/05 as a Dolphin.

TE Rob Gronkowski has 15 TD catches in 2011.  He set the NFL record for TD’s by a tight end in a season with 2 TD catches against Washington breaking the previous record of 13 TD catches held by Vernon Davis (San Francisco – 2009) and Antonio Gates (San Diego –2004).

New England is now plus 9 in turnover differential.

The Patriots were 5 of 11 on 3rd down conversions good for 45%, while the Redskins were 7 of 14 good for 50%.

Neither team attempted a fourth down conversion.

The Patriots allowed their first 100-yard rusher all season as RB Roy Helu ran for 126 yards on 27 carries.

New England was 1 for 4 in the red zone efficiency (1 TD, 2FG’s, 1 INT).

Washington is 2-1 all-time in series as the home team.

The Redskins are the Patriots second least frequent opponent as the teams met for just the 9th time.  Only Tampa Bay (7 times) has played New England less.

Washington head coach Mike Shanahan is 10-4 vs. New England in his career.

This was Shanahan’s first game against New England coaching a team other than Denver.  The Raiders never played New England when he coached in Los Angeles.

Redskins QB Rex Grossman is 0-2 in his career vs. New England.  His previous start came in 2006 with Chicago.

Jeff Triplett was the game referee.  The temp at kickoff was 40 and it was sunny.

Game Attendance – 77,825 at FedEx Field – Landover MD

Pro Bowl voting is open until December 19th, cast your votes for deserving players.

Post Game Interviews

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and Patriots QB Tom Brady post game press conferences via patriots.com

This Week in the AFC East

San Diego routed Buffalo, 37-10

NY Jets beat Kansas City, 37-10

Philadelphia downed Miami, 26-10

AFC East Standings

Patriots                   10-3/3-1

Jets                        8-5/3-2

Bills                        5-8/1-3

Dolphins                  4-9/1-2

Next Game

The Patriots visit the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Stadium at Mile High in Denver CO on Sunday.  Kick off is at 4:15 p.m. on CBS.

Follow Steve on Twitter @djstevem

Photo credit: AP Photo

After throwing an interception in the fourth quarter of the eventual 34-27 win by the New England Patriots over the Washington Redskins, the CBS cameras caught Patriots QB Tom Brady getting into an argument with offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=mq5vJ1a4jWM?rel=0&hd=1

They did hug it out after Jerod Mayo’s interception that sealed the win for the Pats.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

This Week

The New England Patriots visit the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field in Landover. MD on Sunday at 1 p.m.

The Patriots (9-3) are 4-2 on the road, 2-1 against the NFC East and 2-1 vs. the NFC.  The Redskins (4-8) are 2-4 at home, 0-3 vs. the AFC East and 0-3 against the AFC.

The Line/Prediction

As of Thursday the line on the game from Yahoo! Sports has the Patriots at MINUS 9 1/2.  They list the over under at 48.

My Prediction is Patriots 31, Redskins, 21.  Give the points (Patriots) and take the over.  I am 7-4-1 against the spread and 8 of 12 on calling the over/under in 2011.

Tickets

The Redskins are reporting the game as a sell out.

Tickets to the game, if available, can be purchased through Ticketmaster.  You can check the availability here.

Getting to the Game

If you’re lucky enough to be going to the game in Landover, MD make sure you check out the links.

Here is the up to date weather forecast from the Weather Channel for Landover, MD.

Click for all the game day information including stadium directions, parking and stadium information, parking map and a FedEx Field seating chart.

Tailgating

Here’s a bunch of different tailgating recipes from Tailgating.com.  There’s something there for everyone and every type of meal or snack.  I’ve tried some of the recipes and they’re very good.

And with tailgating many people enjoy some adult beverages.  With that in mind check out Drink Nation for how to make all sorts of great drinks.  You can look things up by name, ingredient(s) or theme.

Whether it’s at the game, a bar or a friend’s house moderation is always the key to a great time.  Please don’t drink and drive and designate a sober driver.  Remember You Drink, You Drive, You Lose.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

Television

CBS in televising the game regionally and Greg Gumbel will do play by play while Dan Dierdorf will provide the game analysis.  You can look here for your local affiliate.

See if you’re getting the game courtesy of J.P. Kirby at the506.com.

The DirecTV designation is Channel 704.

Here are all the rules on NFL TV broadcasts including explaining the blackout rules, flex scheduling and commercial breaks.

Radio

The Patriots Radio Network broadcasts the game from flagship station WBZ-FM, 98.5 the Sports Hub in Boston. Gil Santos handles the play-by-play, former Patriot Gino Cappelletti does the color and new this year Scott Zolak will man the sidelines. It all starts with Gary Tanguay, Andy Gresh and Zolak with the pregame show at 10 a.m. along the network. The post game starts after the final gun and continues for three hours along the network.

If you are outside the broadcast are of the stations on the Patriots Radio Network you can purchase NFL Field Pass, which allows you to listen to any game live.  You can also pick which teams broadcasters you want to listen to.

All NFL Games are also available on Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio also carries all the NFL games under a special additional package.  They usually only carry the home team feed.

The Patriots radio network call is available on Sirius Channel 91 and on SiriusXM Internet Channel 879.

The Redskins Radio network has Larry Michael calling play by play and former Redskins players Sonny Jurgensen and Sam Huff provide the color commentary via their flagship station WTEM.  Their call is available on Sirius Channel 134, XM Channel 235 and SiriusXM Internet Channel 892.

Patriots All Access

Patriots All-Access features behind the scenes looks, interviews and breakdowns with head coach Bill Belichick and in depth features on the team.  It’s hosted by Steve Burton of WBZ-TV (Boston) and airs weekly in most New England television markets.

• Boston MA on TV 38 Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 9 a.m.
• Providence RI on WNAC Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 9 a.m.
• Manchester NH on WMUR Saturday at midnight
• Portland ME on WMTW Sunday at 5 a.m.
• Hartford CT on WCTX Saturday at 5 p.m.
• Springfield MA on WFXQ Saturday at 7 p.m.
• Bangor ME on WVII Sunday at 11 a.m.

You can also watch it anytime on the teams website in the media section. 

To continue reading the New England Patriots @ Washington Redskins Week 14 preview, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page. 

Last Week

The Patriots beat the Colts at home 31-24; while the Redskins lost to the Jets, 34-19 at home.

History

• The Redskins lead the all-time series 6-2.
• 6 of the 8 previous games in the series have been played in Foxboro.
• The previous two meetings in Washington were in 1981 and 2003.
• The two teams last met in 2007 when the Patriots beat the Redskins, 52-7 in Foxboro.

Patriots Team Notes

Here is the Patriots roster, depth chart and injury report for the game.

2011 Patriots Schedule/Results

The Patriots overall franchise record is 408-366-9.  They have won three Super Bowls (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX) in six appearances.  They last appeared in the playoffs in 2010 when they lost at home to the New York Jets in the AFC Divisional Playoff, 28-21.  They last appeared in a Super Bowl in 2007 losing to the New York Giants 17-14 in Super Bowl XLII.  They won the AFC Conference championship that season with playoff wins over Jacksonville and San Diego.

The Patriots are the defending two-time AFC East Champions; they have won the division 8 times since 2000.

The Patriots are dedicating the 2011 season to the memory of Myra Hiatt Kraft, the late wife of owner Robert Kraft. Every Patriots player and coach will honor Myra’s memory by wearing a patch with her initials on it in recognition of her lifelong contributions to the local and global community and her influence on the charitable mission of the entire Patriots organization. The patch will be worn on the left chest of every player throughout the season.

New England has never won in Washington. They are 0-1 at FedEx Field.

Washington is the only NFL city that New England has never won in.

This is the first of a two game road swing (they play at Denver Week 15) the second two game road swing of the season (at Buffalo Week 2 and at Oakland Week 3) for the Patriots.

New England has won four consecutive games after a two game losing streak.  It is their longest win streak of the season.

New England is 37-5 in December games since 2001.  That’s the best in the NFL in that time period.

Since 2002 the Patriots are 9-2 vs. the NFC East in the regular season.  The losing at Washington in 2003 and to the New York Giants at home this year.

Overall the Patriots are 17-24 against NFC East teams including Super Bowls.

Since 2000 have the Patriots the best road record in the NFL at 61-33.

The Patriots defense has allowed opponents to convert 44.3% of the time on 3^rd down, while the offense has a 3^rd down conversion rate of 45.8%.

The New England defense has sacked the opponents quarterback 27 times in 12 games.

The Patriots are 3rd in the NFL in points per game with 30.2.  While they allow 20.6 points per game good for 13th in the NFL.

New England is PLUS 8 in turnover differential, 4th best in the NFL. The offense has given up 10 INT and 5 fumbles, while the defense has 17 INT and 6 fumble recoveries.

The Patriots are being outscored by their opponents in the 4th quarter 108-104.

Patriots Staff Notes

This is the link to head coach Bill Belichick’s Wednesday press conference on the Redskins.

Bill Belichick is 1-2 vs. the Redskins in his career.  He is 1-1 against them as the head coach in New England.

Overall in his NFL career Belichick is 171-97 in 16 NFL seasons.  He is 134-53 with New England and 36-44 with Cleveland.  He is 15-6 in the playoffs, 14-5 as head coach of the Patriots in the post season.  When you combine his regular season and post season records he is 186-103.

Belichick’s 186 wins are good for 9th all-time.  Chuck Knox, who coached the Rams, Bills and Seahawks, is 8th all-time with 193.

He was named NFL Coach of the Year for the 3^rd time in 2010.

Belichick is one of five head coaches in NFL history whose father (Steve Belichick) played in the league.  The others are current Kansas City head coach Todd Haley (Dick Haley), former San Francisco head coach Mike Nolan (Dick Nolan), former Cincinnati head coach David Shula (Don Shula) and former NY Jets head coach Joe Walton (Frank Walton).

Patriots Possible Starters

Offense:

LT: Light

LG: Mankins

C: McDonald

RG: Waters

RT: Solder

TE: R. Gronkowski

TE: Hernandez

WR: Branch

WR: Welker

QB: Brady

RB: Green-Ellis

Defense:

DE: Deaderick

DT: Wilfork

DT: Love

DE: Carter

LB: Ninkovich

LB: Mayo

LB: Koutouvides

LCB: McCourty

RCB: Arrington

S: Jones

S: Ihedigbo

Patriots Players Notes

This Tom Brady’s 12^th NFL season he is 1-1 vs. the Redskins in his career.

Washington is one of three teams that Brady has never beaten on the road.  The others are New Orleans and San Francisco (never played there).

Overall Brady is 120-34 as a starting QB and is 14-5 in the playoffs for an overall record of 134-39.  Brady is a 6 time Pro Bowl QB; two time NFL MVP and has won 3 Super Bowls while twice being named the games MVP.  He is also listed as the 21^st Greatest Player in the History of the NFL according to the NFL Network.

In 2010 Brady won his second NFL MVP and he was the first unanimous winner in league history.

Brady has thrown 30 TD’s and 10 INT’s while being sacked 20 times in 12 games.

Brady has 291 TD passes in his career he is now tied for 6th all-time with Hall of Famer Warren Moon.

Brady has 120 career wins he is 6th all-time.  Fran Tarkenton is 5th with 124.

WR Wes Welker now has catches in 94 consecutive games including playoffs, 77 as a Patriot.  The last time Welker did not have a catch in a game was 12/24/05 as a Dolphin.

TE Rob Gronkowski has 13 TD catches in 2011.  He shares the NFL record for TD’s by a tight end in a season with Vernon Davis (San Francisco – 2009) and Antonio Gates (San Diego –2004).

DE Andre Carter leads the team with 9 sacks.  DE Mark Anderson has 7 on the season, good for 2nd on the team.

Carter leads the defense with 19 quarterback hits, Anderson is 2nd with 9 hits.

Carter was a member of the Redskins having played in Washington for 5 seasons.

Anderson, Wilfork, Carter, WR/S Matthew Slater and LB Jerod Mayo have each forced a fumble this season while Ninkovich, DT Kyle Love, CB Kyle Arrington and DE Gerard Warren have each recovered an opponent’s fumble.

Arrington leads the team and the NFL with 7 INT’s.

Mayo leads the team in tackles with 67, CB Devin McCourty is 2nd with 65.

LB Tracy White leads the special teams in tackles with 13 and Slater is 2nd with 12.

On Wednesday RB Stevan Ridley (non-injury); LB Brandon Spikes (MCL) and T Sebastian Vollmer (foot) did not practice.  The following players were limited in their participation: RB Danny Woodhead (abdomen); C Ryan Wendell (calf); WR Wes Welker (knee); RB Shane Vereen (hamstring); WR Matthew Slater (shoulder); CB Devin McCourty (shoulder); S James Ihedigbo (shoulder); LB Dane Fletcher (thumb); WR Julian Edelman (back); C Dan Connolly (groin); S Patrick Chung (foot) and CB Kyle Arrington (foot).

The only change in the injury/participation status for practice on Thursday was LB Brandon Spikes (MCL) was upgraded to limited participation.  All others remained the same as Wednesday.

The Patriots have five New England natives on the roster they are: LB Niko Koutouvides (Plainville CT); TE Aaron Hernandez (Bristol CT); OL Donald Thomas (New Haven CT); S James Ihedigbo (Northampton MA) and DE Ron Brace (Worcester MA).  They have 12 players who played for a New England school or a Big East Conference member.  They are: WR Deion Branch (Louisville); WR/TE Dorin Dickerson (Pitt); S James Ihedigbo (UMass); CB Nathan Jones (Rutgers); C Dan Koppen (Boston College – IR); CB Devin McCourty (Rutgers); NT Vince Wilfork (Miami), OL Donald Thomas (UConn); DE Mike Wright (Cincinnati – IR); DE Ron Brace (Boston College); WR Tiquan Underwood (Rutgers) and DE Alex Silvestro (Rutgers – Practice Squad).

The Patriots have 7 retired numbers: 20 – Gino Cappelletti, 40 – Mike Haynes, 73 – John Hannah, 78 – Bruce Armstrong, 79 – Jim Lee Hunt and 89 – Bob Dee.

Pro Bowl voting is open until December 19th, cast your votes for deserving players.

Redskins Team Notes

Here is the Redskins roster, depth chart and injury report for the game.

2011 Redskins Schedule/Results

The Redskins all-time record is 551-524-27 and they are 23-17 in the playoffs with their last playoff appearance coming in 2007.  They lost in the NFC Wild Card Game to Seattle, 35-14 on the road. They last played for a championship after the 1991 season when they beat Atlanta and Detroit to win the NFC Championship and then they beat the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVI, 37-24.  Washington has won three Super Bowls (XVII, XXII, XXVI) in five appearances.  They also won two NFL Championships prior to the Super Bowl era in 1937 and 1942.

The Redskins were once the Boston Braves (1932) and the Boston Redskins (1933-36) before moving to Washington in 1937 and they played their home games at Braves Field (1932) and Fenway Park (1933-36).

In addition they have also called Griffith Stadium (1937-60); RFK Stadium aka D.C. Stadium (1961-96) and FedEx Field aka Jack Kent Cooke Stadium (1997-present) home.

FedEx Field sits a league high 91,665.

Washington is 2-0 all-time in series as the home team.

The Redskins are the Patriots second least frequent opponent as the teams are meeting for just the 9th time.  Only Tampa Bay (7 times) has played New England less.

The Redskins defense has allowed opponents to convert 36.6% of the time on 3^rd down, while the offense has a 3^rd down conversion rate of 34.8%.

The Washington defense has sacked the opponents quarterback 33 times in 12 games.

The Redskins are 27th in the NFL in points per game with 16.8.  While they allow 21.3 points per game good for 15th in the NFL.

Washington is MINUS 13 in turnover differential, 32nd best in the NFL. The offense has given up 19 INT and 9 fumbles, while the defense has 8 INT and 7 fumble recoveries.

The Redskins have a fight song “Hail to the Redskins”.

They were also the first NFL team to have its own marching band that started in 1937 and the all-volunteer ensemble continues today.

Redskins Staff Notes

Read what Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan had to say to the New England media about the match up.

Overall in his NFL career Mike Shanahan is 156-116 in 18 NFL seasons.  He is 10-18 with Washington, 138-86 with Denver and 8-12 with Oakland.  He is 8-5 in the playoffs with two Super Bowl titles all as head coach of Denver.  When you combine his regular season and post season records he is 164-121.

Shanahan is 10-3 vs. New England in his career.

This is Shanahan’s first game against New England coaching a team other than Denver.  The Raiders never played New England when he coached in Los Angeles.

Redskins Players Notes

Rex Grossman is 26-21 overall in his career including the playoffs.  He is 19-12 and 2-2 in the playoffs with Chicago (2003-08), 0-0 with Houston (2009) and 5-7 with Washington (2010-present).  Grossman was drafted in the 2003 NFL Draft in the 1st round out of University of Florida by the Bears.  He was signed by the Redskins as a free agent prior to the 2010 season.

He is 0-1 in his career vs. New England with his lone start coming in 2006 with Chicago.  He was 15 of 34 for 176 yards and 3 INT’s in the first game on Gillette Stadium’s new field turf.

The Washington team captains for 2011 are: WR Santana Moss, LB London Fletcher, CB DeAngelo Hall and RB Mike Sellers.

Former Patriots WR Jabar Gaffney and WR Donte Stallworth will play against their former team.  Practice Squad players TE Rob Myers and QB Jonathan Crompton both spent time on the New England practice squad in the past.

The NFL suspended Redskins LT Trent Williams and TE Fred Davis on Tuesday for drug use.  They have been suspended for four games without pay for failing multiple drug tests.  This in effect ends their season, as Washington is not in the playoff hunt.

Washington has 2 New England natives on the roster they are: LB Rob Jackson (West Haven CT) and C Will Montgomery (Brunswick ME).  There is 1 player on the Redskins roster from a Big East university.  He is: NT Chris Neild (WVU).

On Wednesday the following players did not participate in practice: P Sav Rocca (ankle); NT Chris Neild (non-injury); S LaRon Landry (groin) and DL Chris Baker (quad).  The following players were limited in their participation: WR Terrance Austin (hamstring); DE Stephen Bowen (knee); T Jamaal Brown (hip); LB London Fletcher (ankle); S DeJon Gomes (knee); CB DeAngelo Hall (back) and G Maurice Hurt (knee). QB Rex Grossman (shoulder) and RB Darrel Young (head) participated fully.

The only change in the Thursday practice/participation status was NT Chris Neild was removed from the list and participated fully.

Redskins retired numbers – 33 Sammy Baugh.  Unofficially the following numbers have never been re-issued.  7 – Joe Theismann; 9 – Sonny Jurgensen; 28 – Darrell Green; 42 – Charley Taylor; 43 – Larry Brown; 44 – John Riggins; 49 –Bobby Mitchell; 65 – Dave Butz; 70 – Sam Huff and 81 – Art Monk.

Next Week

The Patriots visit the Denver Broncos next Sunday at Sports Authority Field at Mile High Stadium in Denver CO.  Kick off is at 4:15 p.m. on CBS.

Follow Steve on Twitter @djstevem

The New England Patriots are looking to move on from nearly blowing a commanding victory over the winless Indianapolis Colts.  Head coach Bill Belichick wasn’t pleased with the effort and there was no “Victory Monday” day off for the team that usually occurs after the team wins.

So with one week to get the bad taste of a win, ironic I know, out of their mouths the Patriots can look forward to a road trip to the Nations Capital, Landover MD?, to face the Washington-adjacent Redskins.  Well that is where they play at a facility named after a company (FedEx Field) trying to put a federal government entity (Postal Service) out of business.

While reigning MVP Tom Brady continues to shine some of the others around him, namely the running backs and offensive line, need to step up their games a bit.  While we know Brady can and will shred a defense through the air, New England will at some point have to run the ball just to add balance and keep the opponent guessing.  They may also need to run the ball to put a game away.  Something they couldn’t do Sunday.

When they needed the run game to help close out Indianapolis it was non-existent and they failed to get a first down and left Indy too much time to mount a comeback.  This can not happen in the playoffs against better teams or it will be a short post season ride again.

The defense also needs to once again re-adjust.  They continually get shredded with crossing routes over the middle and between the numbers.  I’m tired of watching linebackers trying to cover a wide receiver in the open field or a safety being out of position.  If it’s getting to me Belichick must be smashing stuff.

I look forward to seeing a more consistent effort on Sunday in Maryland.  The defense that played the second quarter against the Colts was fantastic allowing only 1 yard of offense and no first downs.  Then as suddenly as it appeared, it vaporized.  I know this group has it in them to be good, not great, but good.  If the defense is good and the running game is good, this team could go to Indianapolis in February.

To continue reading, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Head coach Bill Belichick had his weekly day after the game media meeting about the week ahead.

Belichick is now 12-8 vs. the Colts in his career.  He is 10-6 against them as the head coach in New England and that includes a 2-1 post season record.

His 186 career wins are good for 9th all-time. Former LA Rams, Washington and Seattle head coach Chuck Knox is 8th with 193.

After the game, Belichick was not happy giving short, terse answers it was as if they lost game.

There is a roster spot open on the practice squad Belichick is expected to fill it shortly.

New England is a NFL best 63-15 in games played on or after Thanksgiving since 2001.

They are 26-12 vs. the Colts at home, 5-2 at Gillette Stadium.

New England is 38-5 in December games since 2001.  That’s the best in the NFL in that time period.

The Patriots are 19-1 at Gillette Stadium in December; overall they are 72-15 at the Razor.

LB Dane Fletcher missed his 6th consecutive game with a thumb injury, LB Brandon Spikes (MCL) and S Patrick Chung (foot) both missed their 4th game in a row.  C Dan Connolly (groin) missed his 2nd game in a row, T Sebastian Vollmer (foot) did not dress it was the 6th game this year he has missed with an injury.  QB Ryan Mallett was a healthy scratch for the 10th time this season and RB Shane Vereen was a healthy scratch as well for the 5th time this season.

This is what Tom Brady had to say about the ugly win on WEEI AM/FM on Monday morning.

Brady’s 120th career win pushed him ahead of Johnny Unitas for 6th all-time.  Fran Tarkenton is 5th with 124.

Brady’s 2 TD passes give him 30 TD passes on the year and 291 TD passes in his career ranks him 6th all-time with Warren Moon.  He passed Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas who is now 8th in the second quarter.  John Elway is 5th with 300.

WR Wes Welker now has catches in 94 consecutive games including playoffs, 77 as a Patriot.  The last time Welker did not have a catch in a game was 12/24/05 as a Dolphin.

WR Deion Branch’s got his 500th career reception during the game.

TE Rob Gronkowski tied the NFL record for TD catches by a tight end in a season with 13 Sunday.  He was originally thought to have eclipsed the record but his 3rd TD was reclassified as a run when the league said Brady’s throw was a lateral and not a forward pass.

Gronk was the Sox & Dawgs Offensive Player of the Game.

C Nick McDonald who was promoted from the practice squad on Saturday was the starting center.  He was the Patriots 4th starting center this season.  His family was at the game too, he got tickets a month ago and had planned on sitting in the stands and watching the game with them.

WR Matthew Slater was moved to safety and in his first NFL game on defense he had 7 tackles (6 solo) and 1 forced fumble.  DE Vince Wilfork had 10 tackles (5 solo), 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss and 1 QB hit and they were the Sox & Dawgs Defensive Players of the Game.

The Patriots started 3 newbies on defense Sunday with Slater and newcomer Nate Jones both at safety and Connecticut native Niko Koutouvides at linebacker.

The Jacksonville Jaguars claimed WR Taylor Price who got released on Saturday on off of waivers.

If the season ended now the AFC Playoff teams by seed would be:

1. Patriots
2. Ravens
3. Texans
4. Broncos
5. Steelers
6. Bengals

The top 2 seeds get a bye week and the top seed earns home field advantage through out.

Here’s the breakdown of the defensive snaps and the offensive snaps by Mike Reiss.

Indianapolis K Adam Vinatieri was actually booed in Gillette Stadium.  This makes me sick.  People you need some perspective, the man is a Hall of Famer and he earned it by playing for the Patriots and making some of the GREATEST PRESSURE KICKS in NFL history.  That was pretty petty.

Albert Breer’s story about the special relationship between Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Colts C Jeff Saturday.

Pro Bowl voting is open feel free to cast your votes for deserving players.

New England plays the Washington Redskins on Sunday at 1 p.m. at FedEx Field in Landover MD.  Look for the Sox & Dawgs “In The Red Zone Game Preview” available on Friday.

Follow Steve on Twitter @djstevem

I usually say the end result doesn’t matter but I, along with many Patriots fans, players and staff aren’t happy with how the game unfolded Sunday at Gillette Stadium.  The New England Patriots, the far superior team in this matchup, had a large fourth quarter lead of 31-3 over the winless Indianapolis Colts and nearly let it slip away as they held on for a 31-24 win.

The game didn’t start good and it didn’t end any better.  And judging by the comments made by Bill Belichick in the post game and some of the players, there isn’t much to be happy about.

Former UConn QB Dan Orlovsky started a bit unsure of himself in his first start of the season but as the game went on he gained his confidence.  By the fourth quarter he was playing well and put up some ridiculous numbers going 18 for 20 for 240 yards 2 TD’s and 1 INT in just the final 15 minutes.  In the quarter the Colts also went 4 for 4 on 3rd down conversions (10 of 15 overall).  Overall Orlovsky finished 30 for 37 for 353 yards 2 TD’s, 1 INT and he was sacked twice.

His biggest target was WR Pierre Garcon who had 9 catches for 150 yards and 2 TD’s and WR Austin Collie pitched in 7 grabs for 70 yards.

Another former Husky, Colts RB Donald Brown, also put a dent in the Patriots defense, who seemed to revert to what they looked like earlier this year and not the improving squad of the last three weeks.  Brown had 14 carries for 41 yards and 1 TD, while his backfield mate Joseph Addai had 39 yards on 13 carries as the two combined for 80 yards on the ground.

While New England is still thin defensively it is no excuse for the way the 4th quarter developed.  The Patriots no doubt miss S Patrick Chung and LB Brandon Spikes, who were out.  That meant that they had to move personnel around and one of the moves was S James Ihedigbo going into a linebacker slot with WR Matthew Slater playing safety for most of the game.

Meanwhile New England, working on its fourth center of the season, was having a tough time establishing any type of a running game.  As a team they had 23 carries for just 73 yards.

Luckily QB Tom Brady and the passing game was able to find a rhythm and he spread it around the field completing 29 of 38 for 289 yards, 2 TD’s, 0 INT’s and 1 sack.   All of those TD passes went to TE Rob Gronkowski which gives him a NFL record-tying 13 on the season.

WR Wes Welker had 11 catches for 114 yards and WR Deion Branch had his 500th career reception during the game and had 3 catches for 37 yards.

Next week the Patriots go on the road to face the Washington Redskins in another 1 p.m. start.

Colts at Patriots Gamebook. This includes the box score, all the stats, play by play, drive charts and more.

Colts at Patriots Game Recap via Associated Press.

To continue reading, hit the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Turning Point of the Game

The Patriots touchdown in second quarter by BenJarvus Green-Ellis just before half gave them a 17-3 lead at the break and you had the feeling they were putting the game away.

Offensive Player of the Game

Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski had 5 catches for 64 yards and 2 TD’s and he ran once for 2 yards and a TD.  He tied the record of 13 touchdown catches by a tight end.

Defensive Players of the Game

WR/S Matthew Slater had 7 tackles (6 solo), 1 forced fumble and DE Vince Wilfork had 10 tackles (5 solo), 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss and 1 QB hit.

Game Notes

Starters for the Patriots were:

On Offense:

LT – Light
LG – Mankins
C – McDonald
RG – Waters
RT – Solder
TE – Gronkowski
TE – Hernandez
WR – Welker
WR – Branch
QB – Brady
RB – Faulk

On Defense:

DE – Wilfork
NT – Love
DE – Carter
LB – Ninkovich
LB – Mayo
LB – Koutouvides
CB – McCourty
CB – Arrington
S- Slater
S – Jones
S – Ihedigbo

Inactives for the Game:

Patriots

1. T Sebastian Vollmer (foot)

2. LB Brandon Spikes (MCL)

3. C Dan Connolly (groin)

4. LB Dane Fletcher (thumb)

5. S Patrick Chung (foot)

6. RB Shane Vereen

7. QB Ryan Mallett

Colts

1. QB Peyton Manning (neck)

2. TE Dallas Clark (fibula)

3. RB Ryan Mahaffey (concussion)

4. DT Drake Nevis (back)

5. TE Brody Eldridge (hand)

6. DB K. Thomas

7. DE J. Hughes

The spread (Patriots minus 21) WAS NOT covered.  The over/under (48) WAS COVERED.  I GAVE the points (Patriots) and took the OVER.  I am now 7-4-1 vs. the spread and 8 of 12 calling the under/over.

The Patriots lead the overall series 46-29, which includes a 2-1 post season advantage.

New England is 26-12 vs. the Colts at home, 5-2 at Gillette Stadium.

New England is PLUS 8 in turnover differential

Bill Belichick now has 186 wins – 9th all-time.  Chuck Knox is 8th with 193.

Tom Brady is now 9-4 vs. Colts.

Brady’s 2 TD passes give 30 on the year and 291 TD passes in his career he is now tied for 6th all-time with Warren Moon.  Brady passes Johnny Unitas (290) during the game.

WR Wes Welker now has catches in 94 consecutive games including playoffs, 77 as a Patriot.  The last time Welker did not have a catch in a game was 12/24/05 as a Dolphin.

TE Rob Gronkowski tied the NFL record of 13 touchdown catches by a tight end. He had one rushing touchdown as well. The NFL ruled it was a lateral taking away the record of 14 touchdown catches.

On Saturday the Patriots released WR Taylor Price and promoted C/G Nick McDonald from the practice squad.

T Nate Solder was fined $7500 for his clipping penalty against the Eagles last Sunday.

Indianapolis is 2-10 as the road team since 1998; they are 2-5 in Gillette Stadium.

The Colts are 7-17 in the last 24 games vs. the Patriots dating back to 1996.

Indianapolis coach Jim Caldwell is 1-2 vs. New England in his career.

Colts QB Dan Orlovsky is now 0-8 in his career with all his previous 7 losses coming with the Detroit Lions in 2008.

Indianapolis K Adam Vinatieri was actually booed in Gillette Stadium.  This makes me sick.  People you need some perspective, the man is a Hall of Famer and he earned it by playing for the Patriots and making some of the GREATEST PRESSURE KICKS in NFL history.  That was pretty petty.

Indianapolis is 29-16 in December games since 2001 it’s the 4^th best record in the league in the time span.

Ron Winter was the game referee.  The temp at kickoff was 51 and it was cloudy.

Game Attendance: 68,756 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro MA.

Pro Bowl voting is open until December 19th, cast your votes for deserving players.

Post Game Interviews

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and Patriots QB Tom Brady post game press conferences via patriots.com

This Week in the AFC East

Tennessee edged Buffalo, 23-17

NY Jets walloped Washington, 34-19

Miami crushed Oakland, 34-14

AFC East Standings

Patriots                   9-3/3-1

Jets                        7-5/3-2

Bills                        5-7/1-3

Dolphins                  4-8/1-2

Next Game

The Patriots visit the Washington Redskins next Sunday at FedEx Field in Landover MD.  Kick off is at 1 p.m. on CBS.

Follow Steve on Twitter @djstevem

Photo credit: AP Photo

This Week

The New England Patriots host the Indianapolis Colts at Gillette Stadium on Sunday at 1 p.m.

The Patriots (8-3) are 4-1 at The Razor, 0-0 against the AFC South and 6-2 in the conference.  The Colts (0-11) are 0-5 on the road, 0-0 vs. the AFC East and 0-7 against the AFC.

The Line/Prediction

As of Thursday the line on the game from Yahoo! Sports has the Patriots at MINUS 21.  The over under is 48.

My Prediction is Patriots 45, Colts, 10.  Give the points (Patriots) and take the over.  I am 7-3-1 against the spread and 7 of 11 on calling the over/under in 2011.

Tickets

The Patriots are reporting the game as a sell out. It is the 189^th consecutive sell out dating back to the 1994 season opener.  The record includes preseason, regular season and playoff games.

Tickets to the game, if available, can be purchased through Ticketmaster.  You can check the availability here.

After market tickets are available through the Official Patriots Ticket Exchange where season ticket holders can sell their unused seats to fans on the season ticket waiting list.

Getting to the Game

If you’re lucky enough to be going to the game in Foxboro make sure you check out the links.

Here is the up to date weather forecast from the Weather Channel for Foxboro MA.

Click for all the game day information including stadium directions, parking and information and map and a Gillette Stadium seating chart.

Tailgating

Here’s a bunch of different tailgating recipes from Tailgating.com.  There’s something there for everyone and every type of meal or snack.  I’ve tried some of the recipes and they’re very good.

And with tailgating many people enjoy some adult beverages.  With that in mind check out Drink Nation for how to make all sorts of great drinks.  You can look things up by name, ingredient(s) or theme.

Whether it’s at the game, a bar or a friend’s house moderation is always the key to a great time.  Please don’t drink and drive and designate a sober driver.  Remember You Drink, You Drive, You Lose.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

Television

CBS is televising the game regionally and Marv Albert will do play by play while Rich Gannon will provide the game analysis. You can look here for your local affiliate.

The DirecTV designation is Channel 708.

Here are all the rules on NFL TV broadcasts including explaining the blackout rules, flex scheduling and commercial breaks.

Radio

The Patriots Radio Network broadcasts the game from flagship station WBZ-FM, 98.5 the Sports Hub in Boston. Gil Santos handles the play-by-play, former Patriot Gino Cappelletti does the color and new this year Scott Zolak will man the sidelines. It all starts with Gary Tanguay, Andy Gresh and Zolak with the pregame show at 10 a.m. along the network. The post game starts after the final gun and continues for three hours along the network.

If you are outside the broadcast are of the stations on the Patriots Radio Network you can purchase NFL Field Pass, which allows you to listen to any game live.  You can also pick which teams broadcasters you want to listen to.

All NFL Games are also available on Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio also carries all the NFL games under a special additional package.  They usually only carry the home team feed.

The Patriots radio network call is available on Sirius Channel 93, XM Channel 226 and on SiriusXM Internet Channel 879.

The Colts Radio Network has Bob Lamey calling the game while former Colt Will Wolford provides the game analysis via their flagship station WFNI. Their call is available on Sirius Channel 132 and SiriusXM Internet Channel 874.

Sports Radio USA will broadcast the game to its national affiliates.  Larry Kahn and Ross Tucker will call the game.

Patriots All Access

Patriots All-Access features behind the scenes looks, interviews and breakdowns with head coach Bill Belichick and in depth features on the team.  It’s hosted by Steve Burton of WBZ-TV (Boston) and airs weekly in most New England television markets.

• Boston MA on TV 38 Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 9 a.m.
• Providence RI on WNAC Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 9 a.m.
• Manchester NH on WMUR Saturday at midnight
• Portland ME on WMTW Sunday at 5 a.m.
• Hartford CT on WCTX Saturday at 5 p.m.
• Springfield MA on WFXQ Saturday at 7 p.m.
• Bangor ME on WVII Sunday at 11 a.m.

You can also watch it anytime on the teams website in the media section.

To continue reading the Indianapolis Colts @ New England Patriots week 13 preview, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Last Week

The Patriots beat down the Eagles on the road 38-20; while the Colts lost to the Panthers, 27-19 at home.

History

• This is the 75th meeting between the Patriots and the Colts since the 1970 merger.
• Since 2001, these teams have represented the AFC in 6 Super Bowls winning four.
• The Patriots lead the overall series 45-29, which includes a 2-1 post season advantage.
• The Colts have won 5 of the last 7 meetings.
• The Patriots won the last meeting Week 11 in 2010 at Foxboro, 31-28 when a late defensive stand and pick of Peyton Manning sealed the win.

Patriots Team Notes

Here is the Patriots roster, depth chart and injury report for the game.

2011 Patriots Schedule/Results

The Patriots overall franchise record is 407-366-9.  They have won three Super Bowls (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX) in six appearances.  They last appeared in the playoffs in 2010 when they lost at home to the New York Jets in the AFC Divisional Playoff, 28-21.  They last appeared in a Super Bowl in 2007 losing to the New York Giants 17-14 in Super Bowl XLII.  They won the AFC Conference championship that season with playoff wins over Jacksonville and San Diego.

The Patriots are the defending two-time AFC East Champions; they have won the division 8 times since 2000.

The Patriots are dedicating the 2011 season to the memory of Myra Hiatt Kraft, the late wife of owner Robert Kraft. Every Patriots player and coach will honor Myra’s memory by wearing a patch with her initials on it in recognition of her lifelong contributions to the local and global community and her influence on the charitable mission of the entire Patriots organization. The patch will be worn on the left chest of every player throughout the season.

New England is 25-12 vs. the Colts at home, 4-2 at Gillette Stadium.

This is the second straight meeting at Gillette Stadium after a streak of four in a row in Indianapolis.

New England is 37-5 in December games since 2001.  That’s the best in the NFL in that time period.

The Patriots are 18-1 at Gillette Stadium in December overall they are 71-15 at the Razor.

The Patriots defense has allowed opponents to convert 42% of the time on 3^rd down, while the offense has a 3^rd down conversion rate of 45%.

The New England defense has sacked the opponents quarterback 25 times in 11 games.

The Patriots are 3rd in the NFL in points per game with 30.1.  While they allow 20.3 points per game good for 11th in the NFL.

New England is PLUS 6 in turnover differential, 6th best in the NFL. The offense has given up 10 INT and 5 fumbles, while the defense has 16 INT and 5 fumble recoveries.

Patriots Staff Notes

This is the link to head coach Bill Belichick’s Wednesday press conference on the Jets.

Bill Belichick is 11-8 vs. the Colts in his career.  He is 9-6 against them as the head coach in New England and that includes a 2-1 post season record.

Overall in his NFL career Belichick is 170-97 in 16 NFL seasons.  He is 134-53 with New England and 36-44 with Cleveland.  He is 15-6 in the playoffs, 14-5 as head coach of the Patriots in the post season.  When you combine his regular season and post season records he is 185-103.

Belichick’s 185 wins are good for 9th all-time.  Chuck Knox, who coached the Rams, Bills and Seahawks, is 8th all-time with 193.

He was named NFL Coach of the Year for the 3^rd time in 2010.

Belichick is one of five head coaches in NFL history whose father (Steve Belichick) played in the league.  The others are current Kansas City head coach Todd Haley (Dick Haley), former San Francisco head coach Mike Nolan (Dick Nolan), former Cincinnati head coach David Shula (Don Shula) and former NY Jets head coach Joe Walton (Frank Walton).

Patriots Possible Starters

Offense:

• LT: Light
• LG: Mankins
• C: Wendell
• RG: Waters
• RT: Solder
• TE: R. Gronkowski
• TE: Hernandez
• WR: Branch
• WR: Welker
• QB: Brady
• RB: Green-Ellis

Defense:

• DE: Deaderick
• DT: Wilfork
• DT: Love
• DE: Carter
• LB: Mayo
• LB: White
• LB: Ninkovich
• LCB: Jones
• RCB: Arrington
• S: Moore
• S: Ihedigbo

Patriots Players Notes

This is Tom Brady’s 12^th NFL season he is 8-4 against Indianapolis in his career including the playoffs.

Overall Brady is 119-34 as a starting QB and is 14-5 in the playoffs for an overall record of 133-39.  Brady is a 6 time Pro Bowl QB; two time NFL MVP and has won 3 Super Bowls while twice being named the games MVP.  He is also listed as the 21^st Greatest Player in the History of the NFL according to the NFL Network.

In 2010 Brady won his second NFL MVP and he was the first unanimous winner in league history.

Brady has thrown 28 TD’s and 10 INT’s while being sacked 20 times in 11 games.

Brady has 289 TD passes in his career he is now 8th all-time.  Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas is 7th with 290 and Warren Moon is 6th with 291.

Brady has 119 career wins he is tied with Johnny Unitas for 6th all-time.  Fran Tarkenton is 5th with 124.

Brady is now 14th all-time in career passing yards (38,371) after passing Dave Krieg last Sunday in Philadelphia.

WR Wes Welker now has catches in 93 consecutive games including playoffs, 76 as a Patriot.  The last time Welker did not have a catch in a game was 12/24/05 as a Dolphin.

TE Rob Gronkowski has 11 TD catches in 2011.  The NFL record for TD’s by a tight end in a season is 13 shared by Vernon Davis (San Francisco – 2009) and Antonio Gates (San Diego –2004).

DE Andre Carter had a half sack last week he leads the team with 9.  DE Mark Anderson has 1.5 sacks he now has 7 on the season, good for 2nd on the team.

Carter leads the defense with 19 quarterback hits, Anderson is 2nd with 9 hits.

Anderson, Wilfork, Carter and LB Jerod Mayo have each forced a fumble this season while Ninkovich, DT Kyle Love and DE Gerard Warren have each recovered an opponent’s fumble.

CB Kyle Arrington leads the team and the NFL with 7 INT’s.

CB Devin McCourty leads the team in tackles with 61, S Patrick Chung is 2nd with 60.

WR Jackie Slater leads the team in special teams tackles with 13, while LB Tracy White has 12.

On Tuesday the Patriots released CB Philip Adams.  The team has signed CB Nathan Jones to take Adams roster spot.  Jones played his college ball at Rutgers and was a 7th round pick by Dallas in 2004.  He has also played with Denver and Miami (twice).

On Wednesday the following players were on the injury list: T Sebastian Vollmer (back/foot) was the only player held out of practice.  S Patrick Chung (foot); C Dan Connolly (groin); WR Julian Edelman (back); LB Dane Fletcher (thumb); LB Gary Guyton (shoulder); S James Ihedigbo (shoulder); T Matt Light (ankle); CB Devin McCourty (shoulder); CB Antwaun Molden (concussion); WR Chad Ochocinco (hamstring); WR Taylor Price (hamstring); WR Matthew Slater (shoulder); LB Brandon Spikes (MCL) and C Ryan Wendell (calf) were all limited.  G Brian Waters (knee) participated fully.

On Thursday the following players were on the injury list: T Sebastian Vollmer (back/foot) and LB Brandon Spikes (MCL) did not practice.  RB Danny Woodhead (abdomen) and RB Shane Vereen (hamstring) were added and were limited in practice.  Also limited was S Patrick Chung (foot); C Dan Connolly (groin); WR Julian Edelman (back); LB Dane Fletcher (thumb); LB Gary Guyton (shoulder); S James Ihedigbo (shoulder); T Matt Light (ankle); CB Devin McCourty (shoulder); CB Antwaun Molden (concussion); WR Chad Ochocinco (hamstring); WR Taylor Price (hamstring); WR Matthew Slater (shoulder) and OL Ryan Wendell (calf).  G Brian Waters (knee) participated fully.

The Patriots have five New England natives on the roster they are: LB Niko Koutouvides (Plainville CT); TE Aaron Hernandez (Bristol CT); OL Donald Thomas (New Haven CT); S James Ihedigbo (Northampton MA) and DE Ron Brace (Worcester MA).  They have 11 players who played for a New England school or a Big East Conference member.  They are: WR Deion Branch (Louisville); S James Ihedigbo (UMass); CB Nathan Jones (Rutgers); C Dan Koppen (Boston College – IR); CB Devin McCourty (Rutgers); NT Vince Wilfork (Miami), OL Donald Thomas (UConn); DE Mike Wright (Cincinnati – IR); DE Ron Brace (Boston College); WR Tiquan Underwood (Rutgers) and DE Alex Silvestro (Rutgers – Practice Squad).

The Patriots have 7 retired numbers: 20 – Gino Cappelletti, 40 – Mike Haynes, 73 – John Hannah, 78 – Bruce Armstrong, 79 – Jim Lee Hunt and 89 – Bob Dee.

Pro Bowl voting is open until December 19th, cast your votes for deserving players.

Colts Team Notes

Here is the Colts roster, depth chart and injury report for the game.

2011 Colts Schedule/Results

Indianapolis’ all-time record is 451-407-7 they are 19-20 in the post season with their last post season appearance coming in 2010 when they lost to the New York Jets in the AFC Division game.  They last won the AFC Championship in 2009 by beating Baltimore in the AFC Division Card game and the New York Jets in the AFC Championship game.  They lost to New Orleans in Super Bowl XLIV, 31-17. They have won 2 Super Bowls (V, XLI) in 4 appearances.

The Colts hold the NFL record for most consecutive wins (regular season and playoffs) with 23.  New England had owned the record with 21.

Despite not being in the same division since 2001, the two teams have met at least once in 9 consecutive seasons.

Indianapolis is 2-9 as the road team since Manning took over as Colts QB in 1998, they are 2-4 in Gillette Stadium.

The Colts are 7-16 in the last 23 games vs. the Patriots dating back to 1996.

Indianapolis is 29-15 in December games since 2001 it’s the 4^th best record in the league in the time span.

Since 2000 the Colts have the third best record in the NFL at 134-71.

In 1986 Indianapolis started out 0-13 then fire coach Ron Dowhower and replaced him with former New England head coach Ron Meyer.  They finished 3-13.

Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Colts, is the host stadium for Super Bowl XLVI.  Once again the host team won’t be playing on that day.

The Colts defense has allowed opponents to convert 47.7% of the time on 3^rd down, while the offense has a 3^rd down conversion rate of 32.4%.

The Indianapolis defense has sacked the opponents quarterback 18 times in 11 games.

The Colts are 30th in the NFL in points per game with 13.6.  While they allow 29.7 points per game good for 32nd in the NFL.

Indianapolis is MINUS 11 in turnover differential, tied for 31st in the NFL. The offense has given up 10 INT and 11 fumbles, while the defense has 5 INT and 5 fumble recoveries.

Colts Staff Notes

Read what Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell had to say to the New England media about the match up.

Indianapolis head coach Jim Caldwell is in his 3rd season with the team, he is 24-19 since taking over and is 2-2 in the playoffs for an overall record of 26-21.

Caldwell is 1-1 vs. New England in his career.

Indianapolis fired their defensive coordinator Larry Coyer on Tuesday.

With the team winless with 5 games left Caldwell may very well be in danger of losing his job despite losing QB Peyton Manning for the season and several other starters.

Caldwell took the Colts to the Super Bowl in his first season as a NFL head coach and led Indianapolis to its best start to a season (14-0) in his first year.  He could be the first coach to also lead a team to its worst start (0-14).

According to his Wikipedia page Caldwell “doesn’t blink, show emotion or speak, as he thinks in binary.”

Colts Players Notes

Colts will start back up QB Dan Orlovsky on Sunday against the Patriots.  It will be Orlovsky’s first start of 2011.  He has played in parts of 3 games this season.

Orlovsky was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the 5th round of the 2005 NFL Draft out of UConn.  He is in his 7th NFL season having spent 4 years in Detroit and 2 years with Houston before coming to Indianapolis this season.

He is 0-7 in his career with all his previous starts coming with the Lions in 2008.

Orlovsky is officially the 3rd starting QB for the Colts who have also used QB Curtis Painter (0-10) and QB Kerry Collins (0-1) to start games in the absence of QB Peyton Manning.

If the Colts finish winless Orlovsky would have the distinction of having started games for both 0-16 teams (Detroit 2008).

Prior to missing the 2011 season Manning was 7-12 against the Patriots.

Manning (2008, 2009) or Brady (2007, 2010) have won the last 4 NFL MVP Awards.

Former UConn LB Scott Lutrus was added to the 53-man roster on Tuesday when he was signed off the St. Louis Rams practice squad.

Former Patriots K Adam Vinatieri; LB A.J. Edds and T Quinn Ojinnaka return to Foxboro as Colts.

The 3rd Gronkowski brother, Chris, is a RB for the Colts but he will not play as he is on the IR with a shoulder injury.

The Colts have declared TE Dallas Clark and Manning out for Sunday.  Not participating in practice on Thursday was G Ryan Diem (knee); TE Brody Eldridge (hand); WR Anthony Gonzalez (groin); RB Ryan Mahaffey (concussion); DE Robert Mathis (non-injury); DT Drake Nevis (back) and G Joe Reitz (knee).  DE Dwight Freeney (non-injury) and C Jeff Saturday (knee) both returned to full practice.

Indianapolis captains for 2011 are: Manning; WR Reggie Wayne; LB Gary Brackett; S  Melvin Bullitt and Vinatieri.

There are 14 players on the Colts roster from Big East universities and New England based colleges.  They are: LB Gary Brackett (Rutgers – IR); RB Donald Brown (UConn); RB Delone Carter (Syracuse); T Anthony Castanzo (Boston College); DT Eric Foster (Rutgers – IR); DE Dwight Freeney (Syracuse); DB Joe Lefeged (Rutgers); T Jeff Linkenbach (Cincinnati); LB Scott Lutrus (UConn); DT Ricardo Matthews (Cincinnati); P Pat McAfee (WVU); T Quinn Ojinnaka (Syracuse); QB Dan Orlovsky (UConn) and T James Williams (Harvard – IR)

The Colts have retired the following numbers: 19 – Johnny Unitas; 22 – Buddy Young; 24 – Lenny Moore; 70 – Art Donovan; 77 – Jim Parker; 82 – Raymond Berry and 89 – Gino Marchetti.

Next Week

The Patriots visit the Washington Redskins next Sunday at FedEx Field in Landover MD.  Kick off is at 1 p.m. on CBS.

Follow Steve on Twitter @djstevem

Here’s the press release from the New England Patriots announcing that QB Tom Brady has been named the AFC Player of the Month for November.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots announced today that QB Tom Brady has been named AFC Offensive Player of the Month for November by the National Football League. It is the fifth time that Brady has earned an AFC Player of the Month honor. He was the AFC Offensive Player of the Month for September and October in 2007, the month of October in 2009 and for the month of December in 2010.

Brady led New England to a 3-1 record in November, including 300 yard games in three of the four games. For the month, Brady completed 93 of 149 passes (62.4 percent) for 1,266 yards with 10 touchdowns and a 106.3 passer rating. Brady’s 1,266 passing yards led the NFL for the month and his 10 touchdown passes ranked first in the AFC and tied for second in the NFL in November.

In Week 10, Brady passed for 329 yards in the Patriots’ 37-16 win against the Jets. Brady posted his 40th career 300-yard game and surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Montana (39 games) for eighth on the all-time list.

In Week 12 at Philadelphia, Brady registered his 119th regular-season victory as a starting quarterback, tying Pro Football Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas for the sixth most in NFL history. He also posted his 41st 300-yard game with 361 yards.

Through Week 12, Brady leads the AFC in passing yards (3,672) and touchdown passes (28).

Follow Steve on Twitter @djstevem

Photo credit: Getty Images

New England Patriots QB Tom Brady is one of the nominees for the Week 11 FedEx Air Player of the Week award.

Brady helped the Patriots dissect the Eagles as he was 24-of-34 for 361 yards three TD’s  no INT’s and one sack and added another 27 yards rushing in the 38-20 win.

This is Brady’s 3rd nomination of the season having won the award in Week 1 and Week 2.

Other nominees for the award this week are New Orleans QB Drew Brees and Atlanta QB Matt Ryan.

You can cast your votes at nfl.com/fedex

Follow Steve on Twitter @djstevem

Photo credit: Getty Images

Well 11 games into the season and the New England Patriots are now 8-3 and rolling, putting the memories of that nasty two game losing streak behind them.  On Sunday in Philadelphia, after a shaky start and a Tom Brady ass kicking on the sideline, the guys corrected the course and went on to crush a Philadelphia Eagles team that needed to play with some more desperation that what they actually mustered.

Once Brady got on the same page with his targets the offense was deadly.  It was pure precision as they diced the Eagles up with long passes, short passes, runs, and some good pass protection for the MVP.

While Brady was spreading the ball around the defense was doing its thing.  There was a pair of sacks, an INT, a couple nice pass defense plays and of course DeSean Jackson dropping not one but two TD’s surely did help.

The defensive stories the last few weeks were two INT games from Rob Ninkovich and Kyle Arrington and a four sack game from Andre Carter.  This week Arrington had 10 tackles and was our defensive player of the game but Julian Edelman, a college quarterback converted to wide receiver, was once again playing the Troy Brown role as a DB.  He had 3 tackles, including a wonderful open field shot on Vince Young and he even went on a blitz and crushed Young as he threw.  Despite his potential legal issues stemming from a Halloween incident at a Back Bay bar, Edelman has really stepped up played above expectations.

I really like how this team is shaping up.  There’s five games left, home games with Indy, Buffalo and Miami and road games with Washington and Denver as they battle for at least one of the top two AFC seeds which will mean a bye week and a home game, with potential for more.

There is definite potential to run the table the rest of the way, as they seem to be clicking on all cylinders after under going a bit of a mid season correction.

Hopefully he next thing they can correct is getting past that first playoff game.

To continue reading, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Head coach Bill Belichick had his weekly day after the game media meeting about the week ahead.

Belichick is 5-1 vs. the Eagles in his career.  He is 4-0 against them as the head coach in New England and that includes one Super Bowl (1-0).

His 185 career wins are good for 9th all-time.

After the game Belichick in a reflective mood said, “I’m not an easy guy to play for”.

Even though New England is 2-5 as the road team in the series, the overall series is tied a 6-6 and that includes the Patriots win over the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX.

New England has won the last four meeting between the teams, including the Super Bowl.

New England is a NFL best 62-15 in games played on or after Thanksgiving since 2001.

Since Belichick took over in 2000, the Patriots have the best road record in the NFL at 61-33.

Belichick has taken a larger role in the defense and it’s beginning to show.

If the playoffs started today New England would be the 2 seed behind Houston, who right now is down to their 3rd quarterback.

LB Dane Fletcher missed his 5th game with a thumb injury, LB Brandon Spikes (MCL) and S Patrick Chung (foot) both missed their 3rd game in a row.  CB Devin McCourty missed his 2nd game in a row with a shoulder injury while WR Chad Ochocinco (hamstring) and C Dan Connolly (groin) missed their first game of the season.  QB Ryan Mallett was a healthy scratch for the 10th time this season.

In the game Sunday, S James Ihedigbo suffered a stinger in the first quarter and he did return to action.  CB Antwaun Molden suffered an unknown injury in the 4th quarter, he said after the game was banged up but fine and T Sebastian Vollmer turned his ankle in the second quarter and was seen in a walking boot after the game.

This is what Tom Brady had to say about the big win on WEEI AM/FM on Tuesday morning.

Brady’s 119th career win tied him with Johnny Unitas for 6th all-time.  Fran Tarkenton is 5th with 124.

Brady’s 3 TD passes give him 28 TD passes on the year and 289 TD passes in his career ranks him 8th all-time.  Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas is 7th with 290.

He actually also ran for 27-yards Sunday and at one point had to fix his divot after he pulled it from his knee brace.

Ron Borges calls Brady and Deion Branch an old married couple that completes each other’s sentences.

Brady quieted his critics with an exceptional game.

WR Wes Welker now has catches in 93 consecutive games including playoffs, 76 as a Patriot.  The last time Welker did not have a catch in a game was 12/24/05 as a Dolphin.

Welker had 8 catches for 115 yards and 2 TD’s.  That ties his career high of 8 TD’s in a season.  He also had his 21st 100-yard receiving game as a Patriot.

Welker was the Sox & Dawgs Offensive Player of the Game.

WR Julian Edelman played almost as many snaps as a DB (16) vs. Philadelphia than he did as a wide receiver (23).

WR Deion Branch’s 63-yard catch was the 3rd longest play of the season for the Patriots offense.  Branch had 6 grabs in the game for 125-yards, it was his 11th 100-yard game.

Branch explains why he tried to run that last guy over.

The Herald’s Ian Rapoport explains why the Patriots no-huddle offense works.

CB Kyle Arrington had team high 10 tackles during the game yesterday.  After not looking so hot the first two Eagles drives he made a nice recovery and for the second week in a row was the Sox & Dawgs Defensive Player of the Game.

The Patriots defense held the Eagles without a 3rd down conversion until the 3rd quarter.

The defense on a whole continues to improve and move up the league rankings.

For the 3rd time this season the Patriots shut down the NFL’s leading rusher.  They have shut down Buffalo’s Fred Jackson, Oakland Darren McFadden and Philadelphia’s LeSean McCoy.

S Sergio Brown has taken a leading role on the special teams.

Here’s the breakdown of the defensive snaps and the offensive snaps by Mike Reiss.

Pro Bowl voting is open feel free to cast your votes for deserving players.

New England plays the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro MA.  Look for the Sox & Dawgs “In The Red Zone Game Preview” available on Friday.

Follow Steve on Twitter @djstevem

The New England Patriots went on the road to face a desperate Philadelphia Eagles team and for a while it looked like New England was suffering a let down circa Cleveland 2010.  But thankfully it didn’t take long for Bill Belichick and Company to right the ship and rip off a convincing 38-20 win at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon.

The way the game started it certainly wasn’t pretty as Philadelphia’s back up QB Vince Young started 4 of 5 for 120 yards with chunks of those coming on two big pass plays.  One went was set up with a pass to WR Riley Cooper for 58-yards that led to a LeSean McCoy TD, while a second to WR DeSean Jackson was for 44-yards and helped them get a field goal and a 10-0 lead.

The New England defense quickly corrected itself and went from zone to more man-to-man coverage and all of a sudden Young went from looking like Peyton Manning to looking like, well Vince Young.

While Young finished with 400 yards through the air, he was 26 of 48 with two sacks, one TD and an INT, he was far from spectacular as New England yielded him some soft yards once they built up a large lead in the second half.

The Patriots were much better defensively in 3rd down situations again this week as the Eagles went 4 of 13 for 31% and were 1 for 2 on 4th down, while holding Philly to 2 out of 4 in red zone chances.

Offensively the Patriots were efficient themselves.  They were 4 for 5 in the red zone and were 3 for 3 in goal to go situations while controlling the ball for over 32 minutes racking up a total of 457 yards (104 rushing/353 passing) and going 6 for 11 on 3rd down (55%).

QB Tom Brady was 24 of 34 for 361 yards, 3 TD’s 0 INT’s and 1 sack and added another 27 yards rushing.  He almost had a 4th TD pass when he went 63 yards to Deion Branch but Branch was brought down at the 1-yard line.  RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis then ran it in for his second rushing TD of the game that gave the Patriots a 14-10 lead and they never looked back again.

Branch had 6 catches for 125 yards, WR Wes Welker had 8 grabs for 115 yards and 2 TD’s while the TE’s Rob Gronkowski (4 catches for 59 yards 1 TD) and Aaron Hernandez (6 catches for 62 yards) combined for 10 catches, 121 yards and a TD.

Green-Ellis had 44 yards and 2 TD’s on just 14 carries.

It’s getting ugly in Philadelphia for the “Dream Team” as the Eagles are now 4-7 overall and just 1-5 at home and the home fans are surly.  While in New England the team is 8-3 and rolling with not a difficult game left as they prepare to cruise towards the playoffs and a potential number 1 seed in the AFC.

Patriots at Eagles Gamebook, this includes the box score, all the stats, play by play, drive charts and more.

Patriots at Eagles Game Recap via Associated Press.

To continue reading the New England Patriots @ Philadelphia Eagles recap, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Turning Point(s) of the Game

In 1st quarter when Patriots held the Eagles to a FG on their second drive.  They were only down 10-0 instead of 14-0 and came roaring back to take the game over.

Offensive Player(s) of the Game

WR Wes Welker had 8 catches for 115 yards and 2 TD catches.

Defensive Player(s) of the Game

CB Kyle Arrington, after getting scorched on the Cooper pass, came back and had a good game registering a team-high 10 tackles.

Game Notes

Starters for the Patriots were:

On Offense:

LT – Light
LG – Mankins
C – Wendell
RG – Waters
RT – Vollmer
TE – Gronkowski
TE – Solder
WR – Branch
WR – Welker
QB – Brady
RB – Green-Ellis

On Defense:

DE – Ninkovich
DT – Wilfork
DT – Love
DE – Carter
LB – White
LB – Mayo
LB – Guyton
CB – Molden
CB – Arrington
S – Moore
S – Ihedigbo

Inactives for the Game:

Patriots

1. WR Chad Ochocinco (hamstring)

2. C Dan Connolly (groin)

3. S Patrick Chung (foot)

4. CB Devin McCourty (shoulder)

5. LB Brandon Spikes (MCL)

6. LB Dane Fletcher (thumb)

7. QB Ryan Mallett

Eagles

1. QB Michael Vick (ribs)

2. WR Jeremy Macklin (shoulder/hamstring)

3. CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (ankle)

4. T King Dunlap (concussion)

5. DE Brandon Graham

6. DE Phillip Hunt

7. G Julian Vandervelde

The spread (Patriots minus 3 1/2) WAS covered.  The over/under (50 1/2) WAS covered as well.  I GAVE the points (Patriots) and took the OVER.  I am now 7-3-1 vs. the spread and 7 of 11 calling the under/over.

The overall series vs. the Eagles is now tied 6-6 including playoffs.

The Patriots are 2-5 as the road team in the series.

New England is a NFL best 62-15 in games played on or after Thanksgiving since 2001.

Since 2002 the Patriots are 9-2 vs. the NFC East in the regular season.  The losing at Washington in 2003 and to the New York Giants at home this year.

Overall the Patriots are 17-24 against NFC East teams including Super Bowls.

Since 2000 have the Patriots the best road record in the NFL at 61-33.  Philadelphia is second at 59-32-1.

Bill Belichick is 5-1 vs. the Eagles in his career.  He is 4-0 against them as the head coach in New England and that includes one Super Bowl (1-0).

Belichick’s 185 wins are good for 9th all-time.

This Tom Brady’s 12^th NFL season he is 4-0 vs. the Eagles including 1-0 in the playoffs.

Brady has thrown 28 TD’s and 10 INT’s while being sacked 20 times in 11 games.

Brady has 289 TD passes in his career he is now 8th all-time.  Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas is 7th with 290.

Brady has 119 career wins he is tied with Johnny Unitas for 6th all-time.  Fran Tarkenton is 5th with 124.

WR Wes Welker now has catches in 93 consecutive games including playoffs, 76 as a Patriot.  The last time Welker did not have a catch in a game was 12/24/05 as a Dolphin.

Welker has 8 TD’s tying his career high (2007).  He now has 29 as a Patriot and is 8th on the franchise list.

WR Deion Branch’s 63 yard catch was the 3rd longest play of the season for the Patriots offense.

Branch and Welker both went over 100 yards receiving.  It was Branch’s 11th 100 yard game of his career and Welker’s 21st.

The 58-yard pass the defense allowed to Riley Cooper was the longest play allowed by the defense from scrimmage this season.

WR Julian Edelman was playing a lot more defensive back this week.  He even had a QB hit.

Edelman and WR Tiquan Underwood played 3rd receiver over WR Taylor Price.

With WR Chad Ochocinco out with a hamstring injury it was thought Price would finally get some time to make a dent in the rotation.  Price didn’t play one snap.

New England is now plus 6 in turnover differential.

Patriots S James Ihedigbo suffered a stinger in the first half causing his arm to go numb then comeback.

T Sebastian Vollmer suffered a 2nd quarter ankle injury he did not return.  He was seen in a walking boot after the game.

CB Antwaun Molden suffered a 4th quarter injury (unknown) he did not return.  After the game he said he was banged up but fine.

Belichick gave the players Monday off after the win.

The two Philadelphia home losses in the series came in the last two games between the two played at the Linc.

The Eagles have lost the last four meetings between the teams, which includes Super Bowl XXXIX.

Philadelphia is 48-28 on or after Thanksgiving since 2001, that’s the 3^rd best record in that time period in the NFL.

This was QB Vince Young’s second start as a member of the Eagles he is now 1-1 with Philadelphia and 31-19 including the postseason overall.

The Eagles didn’t convert on 3rd down until the 3rd quarter.

Philadelphia head coach Andy Reid is really on the hot seat with many media members speculating he may not last another week.

Eagles fans spent most of the second half chanting “FIRE ANDY!”

Eagles rookie T Julian Vandervelde (Iowa), who was inactive today, is also an accomplished opera singer and has performed in front of President Obama at the University of Iowa.

Jerome Boger was the game referee.  The temp at kickoff was 63 and it was cloudy.

Game Attendance: 69,144 at Lincoln Financial Field – Philadelphia PA.

Voting for the Pro Bowl is open until December 19th, cast your votes for deserving players.

Post Game Interviews

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and Patriots QB Tom Brady post game press conferences via patriots.com

This Week in the AFC East

NY Jets beat Buffalo, 28-24

Dallas beat Miami on Thanksgiving Day, 20-19

AFC East Standings

Patriots                   8-3/3-1

Jets                        6-5/3-2

Bills                        5-6/1-3

Dolphins                  3-8/1-2

Next Game

The Patriots host the Indianapolis Colts next Sunday at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro MA.  Kick off is at 1 p.m. on CBS.

Follow Steve on Twitter @djstevem

Photo credit: Getty Images