This Week

The New England Patriots visit the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia PA on Sunday at 4:15 p.m.

The Patriots (7-3) are 3-2 on the road, 1-1 against the NFC East and 1-1 vs. the NFC.  The Eagles (4-6) are 1-4 at the Linc, 0-1 vs. the AFC East and 0-1 against the AFC.

The Line/Prediction

As of Thursday the line on the game from Yahoo! Sports has the Patriots at MINUS 3 1/2.  They list the over under at 50 1/2.

My Prediction is Patriots 31, Eagles, 21.  Give the points (Patriots) and take the over.  I am 6-3-1 against the spread and 6 of 10 on calling the over/under in 2011.

Tickets

The Eagles 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 Philadelphia make sure you check out the links.

Here is the up to date weather forecast from the Weather Channel for Philadelphia PA.

Click for all the game day information including stadium directions, parking and stadium information and a Lincoln Financial 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 713.

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 1 p.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 area 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 and on SiriusXM Internet Channel 879.

The Eagles Radio network has Merrill Reese calling play by play and former Eagle Mike Quick doing the color via their flagship stations WIP-AM/WYSP-FM.  Their call is available on Sirius Channel 132, XM Channel 231 and SiriusXM Internet Channel 884.

Westwood One will also broadcast the game to a national audience of its affiliates.  Howard David and Tony Boselli 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 New England Patriots @ Philadelphia Eagles Week 12 preview, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Last Week

The Patriots beat the Chiefs at home 34-3; while the Eagles beat the Giants, 17-10 on the road.

History

• The Eagles lead the all-time series 6-5 including one Super Bowl.
• This is the 7th game in the series to be played in Philadelphia.  There was also one neutral field match up.
• The Patriots defeated the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX, 24-21 in Jacksonville FL.
• This game matches up not only two good friends in Andy Reid and Bill Belichick but also the two longest tenured coaches in the NFL.
• The two teams last met in 2007 when the Patriots beat the Eagles in Foxboro, 31-28.

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 406-366-9.  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.

The Patriots are 1-5 as the road team in the series.

New England is a NFL best 61-15 in games played on or after Thanksgiving since 2001.

Since 2002 the Patriots are 8-2 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 16-24 against NFC East teams including Super Bowls.

Since 2000 have the Patriots the second best road record in the NFL at 60-33.  Philadelphia is first at 59-32-1.

The Patriots defense has allowed opponents to convert 43.1% of the time on 3^rd down, while the offense has a 3^rd down conversion rate of 44.2%.

The New England defense has sacked the opponents quarterback 23 times in 10 games.

The Patriots are 4th in the NFL in points per game with 29.3.  While they allow 20.3 points per game good for 10th in the NFL.

New England is PLUS 5 in turnover differential, 8th best in the NFL. The offense has given up 10 INT and 5 fumbles, while the defense has 15 INT and 5 fumble recoveries.

Patriots Staff Notes

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

Bill Belichick is 4-1 vs. the Eagles in his career.  He is 3-0 against them as the head coach in New England and that includes one Super Bowl (1-0).

Overall in his NFL career Belichick is 169-97 in 16 NFL seasons.  He is 133-53 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 184-103.

Belichick’s 184 wins are good for 9th all-time.

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: Solder
• LG: Mankins
• C: Connolly
• RG: Waters
• RT: Vollmer
• TE: R. Gronkowski
• TE: Hernandez
• WR: Ochocinco
• WR: Welker
• QB: Brady
• RB: Green-Ellis

Defense:

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

Patriots Players Notes

This Tom Brady’s 12^th NFL season he is 3-0 vs. the Eagles including 1-0 in the playoffs.

Overall Brady is 118-34 as a starting QB and is 14-5 in the playoffs for an overall record of 132-39.  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 25 TD’s and 10 INT’s while being sacked 19 times in 10 games.

Brady has 286 TD passes in his career he is now 8th all-time.  Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas is 7th with 290.

Brady has 118 career wins he is 7th all-time.  Johnny Unitas is 6th with 119 and Fran Tarkenton is 5th with 124.

WR Wes Welker now has catches in 92 consecutive games including playoffs, 75 as a Patriot.  The last time Welker did not have a catch in a game was 12/24/05 as a Dolphin.

WR/PR/DB Julian Edelman was the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after he ran back a punt 72-yards for a TD.

Edelman became the 4th New England player with at least 2 punt return TD’s in his career.  Irving Fryar and Troy Brown have 3 and Mike Haynes has 2.

CB Kyle Arrington had two INT’s last week vs. Kansas City, he now has a league leading 7 INT’s on the season.

TE Rob Gronkowski had 2 TD catches to set a new standard for TE’s with 20 TD’s in his first 26 games.

With back-to-back 10 TD seasons Gronk becomes the fourth Patriots player to record 2 or more consecutive seasons of 10 TD’s or more joining Randy Moss (3 seasons); Corey Dillon (3 seasons) and Curtis Martin.

Ian Rapoport of the Boston Herald reports that the Worcester Sharks (AHL) hockey team is going to pay Gronkowski $7500 to spike a puck prior to their game on February 24th.  The $7500 is the amount Gronk was fined for spiking the ball in the face of Jets defender in Week 10.

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 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, a former Eagle, has 11.

On Wednesday the following players were held out of practice: LB Jeff Tarpinian (illness); LB Brandon Spikes (MCL) and LB Dane Fletcher (thumb).  10 others were limited: WR Wes Welker (knee); C Dan Connolly (groin); G Brian Waters (knee); S Patrick Chung (foot); LB Gary Guyton (shoulder); S James Ihedigbo (shoulder); WR Taylor Price (hamstring); WR Matthew Slater (shoulder); T Matt Light (ankle) and T Sebastian Vollmer (back).

On Thursday only Spikes and Fletcher missed practice.  The others from Wednesday remained limited.  WR Deion Branch was added to injury report with a hip injury he was limited at practice.

On Wednesday New England released S Ross Ventrone and re-signed former UConn OL Donald Thomas to the 53-man roster.

On Thursday, Ventrone cleared waivers and was re-signed to the practice squad, LB Jeff Tarpinian was placed on IR with an undisclosed illness; WR Tiquan Underwood was re-signed to the 53-man roster and CB Josh Victorian was released from the practice squad.

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 10 players who played for a New England school or a Big East Conference member.  They are: WR Deion Branch (Louisville); S James Ihedigbo (UMass); 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.

Eagles Team Notes

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

2011 Eagles Schedule/Results

The Eagles all-time record is 509-541-26 and they are 19-20 in the playoffs with their last playoff appearance coming in 2010.  The Eagles lost at home to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Wild Card Game, 21-16. The Eagles last played for a championship in 2008 losing the NFC Championship Game to Arizona, 32-25.  The Eagles have played in two Super Bowls losing both (XV and XXXIX) and previously won 3 NFL Championships (1948, 1949 and 1960) prior to the Super Bowl era.

The lone Philadelphia home loss in the series came in the last game between the two played at the Linc in 2003 when the Patriots won, 31-10.

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

Philadelphia is 48-27 on or after Thanksgiving since 2001, that’s the 3^rd best record in that time period in the NFL.

The Eagles have called 6 stadiums home they are Baker Bowl; Philadelphia Municipal Stadium; Connie Mack Stadium aka Shibe Park; Franklin Field; Veterans Stadium and Lincoln Financial Field.

Their current home, Lincoln Financial Field, is part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex and sits across the street from Citizens Bank Park (Phillies) and next to the Wells Fargo Center (Flyers/Sixers).  The Linc holds 68,532 (69,144 with standing room).

Since 2008, Philadelphia has the 9th best record in the NFL at 34-23-1 and the 5th most points scored (1521).

The Eagles defense has allowed opponents to convert 36.2% of the time on 3^rd down, while the offense has a 3^rd down conversion rate of 44.4%.

The Philadelphia defense has sacked the opponents quarterback 29 times in 10 games.

The Eagles are tied for 10th in the NFL in points per game with 23.7.  While they allow 21.3 points per game good for a tie for 16th in the NFL.

Philadelphia is MINUS 8 in turnover differential, 28th best in the NFL. The offense has given up 17 INT and 7 fumbles, while the defense has 11 INT and 5 fumble recoveries.

The Eagles have a Fight Song called “Fly, Eagles Fly”.

Eagles Staff Notes

Read what Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid had to say to the New England media about the match up.

Andy Reid is 122-79-1 in his 13th season as the Eagles head coach.  He is 10-9 in the playoffs for an overall record of 132-88-1.

Reid is the head coach with the longest current reign in the NFL.  He was hired prior to the 1999 season.

Eagles Players Notes

QB Michael Vick is 11-10 in his third season with Philadelphia including 0-1 in the playoffs.  With Atlanta he was 40-30-1 including 2-2 in the playoffs. Between Atlanta and Philadelphia Vick is 51-40-1 overall including the post season.  Vick was the 1^st round pick of the Atlanta Falcons in the 2001 NFL Draft (1^st Overall) out of Virginia Tech.

Vick, who is a 4-time Pro Bowl selection (2002, 2004, 2005 and 2010) is doubtful for the game on Sunday.

If Vick can not play on Sunday, Reid will once again turn over the reigns to another former first round pick QB Vince Young.

Young is in his first season with Philadelphia and is 1-0 with the Eagles.  He played 5 seasons with the Tennessee Titans who drafted him 3rd overall in 2006 out of the University of Texas.  As the Tennessee starter he was 30-18 including 0-1 in the playoffs.  Overall with the Titans and the Eagles Young is 31-18 including the post season.

Young was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2006 and a 2-time Pro Bowl selection (2006 and 2009).

Philadelphia CB Asante Samuel was the last Patriots player to league the NFL in INT’s with 10 in 2006.  Currently New England CB Kyle Arrington leads the league with 7 INT’s.

Samuel was a 4th round pick of the Patriots in 2003.  He played in New England for 5 seasons before leaving as a free agent for Philadelphia in 2008.

On Wednesday the following players were held out of practice: T King Dunlap (concussion); WR DeSean Jackson (foot); CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (ankle) and QB Mike Vick (ribs).  1 other was limited: WR Jeremy Macklin (shoulder/hamstring).

During Thursday practice Eagles CB Nnamdi Asomugha was carted off the field with a knee injury.  The Eagles say there’s no damage but he is sore.

Also on Thursday Dunlap, Rodgers-Cromartie and Vick once again did not practice.  Macklin was downgraded from Wednesday and did not practice.  Jackson was upgraded on Thursday to limited participation.

The Eagles captains are: Vick; Jackson; Samuel and Asomugha.

Philadelphia has 7 players who played for a New England school or a Big East Conference member.  They are: FS Nate Allen (South Florida); TE Brent Celek (Cincinnati); DE Trent Cole (Cincinnati); C Jason Kelce (Cincinnati); RB Dion Lewis (Pittsburgh); RB LeSean McCoy (Pittsburgh) and RB Owen Schmitt (WVU).

The Eagles have 7 retired numbers: 15 – Steve Van Buren; 40 – Tom Brookshire; 44 – Pete Retzlaff; 60 – Chuck Bednarik; 70 – Al Wistert; 92 – Reggie White and 99 – Jerome Brown.

Next Week

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

When the offense was flopping pretty hard early on Monday night and Kansas City was moving with ease between the 20’s I was thinking holy crap it’s gonna be a long night.  This team, a two touchdowns plus favorite on all the sports books, is going to lose and do it in an ugly fashion.

I was having September flashbacks and remembering all the awful baseball we watched or listened to and envisioned the same fate last night for our football team.  If the Patriots had lost that game last night as ugly as it was starting to play out I’d have needed something harder than beer and fried chicken.

Then somewhere late in the second quarter they started to “matriculate the ball downfield”.  They had that nice wide-open pass to TE Rob Gronkowski that turned into a 52-yard TD reception.  They also moved the ball well but failed to get six when the other TE Aaron Hernandez couldn’t hold onto a Tom Brady bullet in the end zone.  They settled for a field goal.

In the third quarter the Patriots looked like a better team.  They played better on both sides of the ball getting yet another TD out of Gronk and then they put the dagger in the Chiefs when Julian Edelman ran back a punt 72-yards for a TD.  It put the game out of reach and the rest was really academic.

While the Patriots continue to play decent and the defense only allowed 3 points, albeit to a bad team, there are still some major questions moving forward.  You will see that they are the top rated team in the conference but they really aren’t playing the best.

This team is pretty beat up although they will never, ever use that as an excuse.  When you place 17 guys on the injury report during the week there is an injury epidemic.  Obviously most of them played but among the missing were 2 starting linebackers, a starting cornerback and a starting safety.

Luckily Bill Belichick does his best at getting the most out of players.  All you need to do is look at Edelman who Monday night was playing defensive back in the dime sets.  Look at players like S Ross Ventrone, S Sterling Moore, CB Philip Adams, CB Antwaun Molden, LB Jeff Tarpinian and the contributions they make when they’re called upon.

If this team is going to get past the first playoff game this year, they’re going to need to get some players healthy and continue to milk what they can from the no names at the end of the bench.

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.

Even though New England has won 5 of the last 6 meeting between the clubs, Kansas City leads the all-time series 16-13-3.

The last Chiefs victory in Foxboro was on December 2, 1990 when they won 37-7.

If the playoffs were to start today the Patriots would be the #1 seed in the AFC have a bye and home field throughout the playoffs.

LB Dane Fletcher missed his 4th game with a thumb injury, WR Taylor Price (hamstring) was scratched with an injury for the third week.  LB Brandon Spikes (MCL) and S Patrick Chung (foot) both missed their second game in a row, LB Jeff Tarpinian was ill and RB Kevin Faulk was a scratch for the second time since coming off the pup with a knee injury.  QB Ryan Mallett was a healthy scratch.

In the game Monday night S James Ihedigbo injured his shoulder in first quarter, WR Deion Branch missed some time during the game with a tight hamstring.  C Dan Connolly aggravated his groin injury and CB Kyle Arrington suffered an arm injury in the 4th quarter.  They all returned to action during the game.  LT Matt Light had his leg rolled up on during the 4th quarter, he did not return and was seen leaving after the game in a golf cart with a boot on his foot.

Prior to the game New England released OL Donald Thomas and promoted S Ross Ventrone to the 53-man roster.  It was the one-zillionth roster transaction involving Ventrone in two seasons.

With some injuries occurring last night along the offensive line don’t be surprised if Thomas comes back this week once/if he clears waivers.

This is what Tom Brady had to say about the big win, not liking “Red Bull”, his high school freshman football team and never having tried coffee on WEEI AM/FM on Tuesday morning.

Brady’s 118th career win tied him with Johnny Unitas for 6th all-time.  Fran Tarkenton is 5th with 124.

Brady’s 2 TD passes give him 25 TD passes on the year and 286 TD passes in his career.

The 25-yard pass to RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis early in 3rd quarter pushed Brady past Boomer Esiason into 15th all-time in passing yards.

TE Rob Gronkowski’s 2 TD catches give him 6 games with 2 or more TD’s in his two-year career.  He also set a new NFL standard for TE’s with 20 TD catches in his first 26 games.  Mike Ditka was the previous fastest TE to 20 TD’s he did it in 31 games.

For the second week in a row Gronk was the Sox & Dawgs offensive player of the game.

Here is his interview after the game from the ESPN on field set.

WR Wes Welker now has catches in 92 consecutive games including playoffs, 75 as a Patriot.  The last time Welker did not have a catch in a game was 12/24/05 as a Dolphin.

WR Julian Edelman played DB in the dime package through out the game in 3rd and long situations for Kansas City.

Edelman returned a punt for his second career return TD.

CB Kyle Arrington had two-drive killing INT’s of Kansas City QB Tyler Palko.  He now has a league leading 7 INT’s on the season.

Arrington was the Sox & Dawgs defensive player of the game.

CB Phillip Adams had an INT of Chiefs QB Tyler Palko during the 4th quarter in the end zone that killed a Chiefs drive.  It was his first career INT.

Rookie RT Marcus Cannon (TCU) made his NFL debut in the 4th quarter.  It’s his first action after recovering from cancer.  That guy is a tank.  The offensive line of the future looks in good hands with Nate Solder and Cannon on it.

The offensive line in 2012 could very well be LT Solder, LG Logan Mankins, C Dan Koppen, RG Cannon and RT Sebastian Vollmer.  Those are some bad ass dudes.

Rookie RB Shane Vereen (California) scored his first NFL TD late in the 4th quarter.

Former Patriots OL Stephen Neal will be inducted in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

DT Vince Wilfork and his wife, Bianca, helped carry “Thanksgiving in a Basket” deliveries at Goodwill on Monday.

The special teams core four report.

DE Andre Carter has been resurrected in New England and he leads the team in sacks.

The Best and Worst of the Chiefs vs. Patriots game.

That was Chiefs QB Tyler Palko’s first NFL start and he was sacked 3 times and threw 3 INT’s all in New England territory; one was in the end zone.

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 Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday at 4:15 p.m. at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia PA.  Look for the Sox & Dawgs “In The Red Zone Game Preview” available on Friday.

Follow Steve on Twitter @djstevem

Marcus Cannon, a former TCU Horned Frog offensive lineman now playing for the new England Patriots, made his NFL debut on Monday November 21 against the Kansas City Chiefs.  Normally NFL debuts are a big deal for the players, their family and friends, as well as their past coaches.

But there is something special about the debut of the 23-year old Cannon, a 2011 draft pick of the Patriots, for he has beaten cancer, a form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in order to make it back to the playing field.

Cannon went into the NFL Draft process early this year preparing for what he hoped to be the life of a star NFL lineman.  But during some routine medical tests done by the NFL pre-draft it was found he had cancer and they started an aggressive treatment.

While the diagnosis scared off many teams it did not dissuade New England and Bill Belichick who are always looking for good lineman.  They decided despite the medical history they would draft Cannon because they were assured his prognosis was good.

Cannon, was drafted but between the NFL lockout and the medical restrictions, didn’t set foot on a football field until October.  Prior to that he attended meetings and watched practices and tape and earned the Patriots system.  he got in the weight room to get stronger.  He hit the books to get smarter.  Then when he got on the field he defied all the expectations of not playing this year.  he showed the staff, his teammates and the football fans everywhere he was ready to go.

After the Patriots Week 10 win at New York over the Jets, Cannon was placed on the 53-man roster and in Week 11 he dressed for his first NFL game.  In the fourth quarter of a big Patriots lead Cannon took the field as a NFL player.  He beat the odds.

ESPN, who was televising the game, showed Cannon standing on the field during a time out.  Fellow rookie lineman Nate Solder said something to Cannon who burst into a smile.

Dreams do come true, they just did for Marcus Cannon.

Follow Steve on Twitter @djstevem

The New England Patriots, who slogged through an unimpressive first half that no doubt led to a locker room ass kicking at half time, came out in third quarter and jacked up the intensity.  They put it to the Kansas City Chiefs 34-3 in front of national television audience Monday night at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA.

That sluggish first half saw New England give up 3 sacks and a fumble and just play like they were in a fog.  They were lucky they got to the locker room leading 10-3.

While Kansas City with a first time starter at quarterback moved the ball between the 20’s with ease it was New England and it’s high powered, multi-faceted offense that struggled mightily behind the two-time MVP quarterback.

It was a miracle they only gave up three points in the half but every time Kansas City had the ball they seemingly shot themselves in the foot.  Mental errors in terms on penalties, sacks and an INT all killed potential scoring drives for an offense that moved the ball well against a rag tag Patriots defensive unit.

The Patriots were equally inept, giving up three bad sacks and one lost fumble.  They were only able to come away with a Stephen Gostkowski field goal after a drive failed inside the five just before half time.  Previously they scored on a Tom Brady to Rob Gronkowski 52-yard TD pass in which Gronk (and WR Chad Ochocinco) was wide open without anyone within 10 yards of him.

The Patriots came out for the second half looking like a different team as they marched down field scoring once again on a Brady to Gronkowski TD pass to increase the lead to 17-3

Then after an ensuing three and out by the Chiefs, WR/PR/DB Julian Edelman returned a punt 72-yards for a back breaking TD on special teams and a 24-3 New England lead just over 5 and half minutes into the half.

After another impressive drive got stalled deep in the red zone when Brady couldn’t connect on third down with TE Aaron Hernandez they added another Gostkowski field goal, this one was 19-yards to make it 27-3 as the third quarter expired.

Rookie RB Shane Vereen capped a late 4th quarter 6 and half minute, 14 play drive with his first NFL TD and the capped the scoring at 34-3

But the highlight of the game was rookie OL Marcus Cannon, a cancer survivor, making his NFL debut in the 4th quarter at right tackle.

While not pretty it was yet another “W” for the good guys, who travel to Philly next weekend.  I wonder if new Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon will take the boys out for cheese steaks on Saturday night?

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

Chiefs 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(s) of the Game

New England’s opening drive of the second half led to a second Brady to Gronkowski TD to demoralize the Chiefs.  Then the punt return by Edelman finished them off.

Offensive Player(s) of the Game

Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski who had 4 catches for 96 yards and 2 TD catches.

Defensive Player(s) of the Game

New England CB Kyle Arrington had 4 tackles (3 solo) and 2 INT’s.

Game Notes

Starters for the Patriots were:

Offense:

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

Defense:

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

Inactives for the Game:

Patriots

1.  LB Brandon Spikes (MCL)

2.  LB Dane Fletcher (Thumb)

3.  CB Devin McCourty (shoulder)

4.  S Patrick Chung (foot)

5.  RB Kevin Faulk (knee)

6.  LB Jeff Tarpinian (illness)

7.  QB Ryan Mallett

Chiefs

1.  DE Glenn Dorsey (knee)

2.  LB Demorrio Williams (groin)

3.  S Jon McGraw (shoulder)

4.  WR Keary Colbert

5.  TE Anthony Becht

6.  T Steve Maneri

7.  DE Brandon Bair

The spread (Patriots minus 15) was covered.  The over/under (46 1/2) was not covered.  I took the points and the over.  I am now 6-3-1 vs. the spread and 6 of 10 calling the under/over.

Kansas City won the toss and elected to receive.

Patriots led 10-3 at half time they are 7-1 this season when leading at the half.

The Chiefs lead the overall series vs. Patriots 16-13-3

Bill Belichick now has 184 wins – he is now 9th all-time.

Bill Belichick is 7-2 vs. the Chiefs in his career.  He is 5-1 against them as the head coach in New England.  He has never faced them in the post season.

The Patriots are 10-6-2 as the home team in the series.

New England has won 5 of the last 6 meetings.

The Patriots are 3-0 at Gillette Stadium vs. Kansas City.

Since 2002 when Gillette Stadium opened the Patriots are 71-15 at home the best mark in the NFL.

New England is 21-22 all-time on MNF and 10-8 as the home team.

Patriots are 68-73-6 all-time vs. the AFC West.

Tom Brady is now 4-1 vs. Kansas City.

Brady’s 2 TD passes give him 286 TD passes in his career he is now 8^th all-time.  Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas is 7^th with 290.

Brady has 118 career wins he is tied with Johnny Unitas for 6th all-time.  Fran Tarkenton is 5^th with 124.

Brady was strip sacked to start 2^nd quarter to end drive. Fourth game this season he has been strip sacked.

Brady was sacked 3 times in the game by the Kansas City defense.

The 25-yard pass to RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis early in 3rd quarter pushed Brady past Boomer Esiason into 15th all-time in passing yards.

WR Wes Welker now has catches in 92 consecutive games including playoffs, 75 as a Patriot.  The last time Welker did not have a catch in a game was 12/24/05 as a Dolphin.

WR Julian Edelman played DB in the dime package through out the game in 3rd and long situations for Kansas City.

Edelman returned a punt for his second career return TD.

CB Kyle Arrington had two-drive killing INT’s of Kansas City QB Tyler Palko.  He now has a league leading 7 INT’s on the season.

TE Rob Gronkowski had 2 TD catches to set a new standard for TE’s with 20 TD’s in his first 26 games.

DE Mark Anderson has 1.5 sacks he now has 7 on the season.  He shared one with DE Andre Carter.

CB Phillip Adams had an INT of Palko in the 4th quarter in the end zone that killed a Chiefs drive.

LB Rob Ninkovich had a sack of Palko in the 4th quarter.

RT Marcus Cannon made his NFL debut in the 4th quarter.  It’s his first action after recovering from cancer.

RB Shane Vereen scored his first NFL TD late in the 4th quarter.

S James Ihedigbo was injured (shoulder) in first quarter.  He returned.

WR Deion Branch suffering from tight hamstring.  He did return.

C Dan Connolly aggravated his injury (groin) went to locker room in 2nd quarter.  He did return.

Arrington suffered an arm injury in the 4th quarter.  He did return.

LT Matt Light suffered an injury (leg) in the 4th quarter.  He did not return.

Prior to the game New England released OL Donald Thomas and promoted S Ross Ventrone to the 53-man roster.

New England is now plus 5 in turnover differential.

The last Chiefs victory in Foxboro was on December 2, 1990 when they won 37-7.

This was Chiefs QB Tyler Palko’s first NFL start.

Palko was sacked 3 times and threw 3 INT’s all in New England territory; one was in the end zone.

Prior to the game Kansas City placed QB Matt Cassel on the IR.

Chiefs attempted onside kick after Ryan Succup 1^st qtr field goal but were flagged when it was touched before it went 10 yards.

Kansas City DE Justin Houston was injured in 2nd quarter.  He returned.

Clete Blakeman was the game referee; he is in his 2^nd season as a referee.  This was his first Patriots game.

The temp at kickoff was 33 and it was clear with a light wind.

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

Attendance: 68,756 at Gillette Stadium; Foxboro MA – Sell Out

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

Denver edged the NY Jets, 17-13

Miami demolished Buffalo, 35-8

AFC East Standings

Patriots                   7-3/3-1

Jets                        5-5/2-2

Bills                        5-5/1-2

Dolphins                  3-7/1-2

Next Game

The Patriots visit the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia PA on Sunday.  Kick off is at 4:15 p.m. on CBS.

Follow Steve on Twitter @djstevem

Photo credit: Getty Images

This Week

The New England Patriots host the Kansas City Chiefs at Gillette Stadium on Monday at 8:30 p.m.

The Patriots (6-3) are 3-1 at The Razor, 2-0 against the AFC West and 5-2 in the conference.  The Chiefs (4-5) are 2-2 on the road, 0-2 vs. the AFC East and 3-4 against the conference.

The Line/Prediction

As of Thursday the line on the game from Yahoo! Sports has the Patriots at MINUS 15.  The over under is 46 1/2.

My Prediction is Patriots 30, Chiefs, 17.  Take the points (CHIEFS) and take the over.  I am 6-2-1 against the spread and 6 of 9 on calling the over/under in 2011.

Tickets

The Patriots are reporting the game as a sell out. It is the 188^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 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

ESPN in televising the game nationally, Mike Tirico will do play by play while Ron Jaworski and Jon Gruden will provide the game analysis.

The game can also be seen on the ABC affiliates in the Boston (WCVB-TV5) and Kansas City (KMBC-TV9) television markets only.

There is no DirecTV designation for this game.

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 5 p.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 Chiefs Radio network has Mitch Holthus calling play by play and Hall of Fame quarterback Len Dawson doing the color via their flagship station KCFX-FM.  Their call is available on Sirius Channel 92, XM Channel 225 and SiriusXM Internet Channel 876.

Westwood One will carry the game to a nation wide audience with Kevin Harlan and Boomer Esiason on the call.  Their feed can be heard on Sirius Channel 88 and XM Channel 88.

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 Kansas City Chiefs @ New England Patriots preview, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Last Week

The Patriots beat the Jets on the road 37-16; while the Chiefs lost to the Broncos, 17-10 at home.

History

• Kansas City leads the all-time series 16-12-3.
• All three ties in the series came while teams were in the AFL.
• The teams first met in 1960 when both were part of the AFL as the Boston Patriots and Dallas Texans.
• The Patriots are 9-6-2 as the home team in the series.
• New England has won 4 of the last 5 meetings.
• The two teams last met in Week 1 of 2008 at Gillette Stadium, the Patriots won 17-10 but Tom Brady tore his ACL and was lost for the season.

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 406-366-9.  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 playing its second consecutive prime time game.  It’s the first time since 2008 that they’ve had back-to-back prime time outings.

The Patriots are 2-0 at Gillette Stadium vs. Kansas City.

Since 2002 when Gillette Stadium opened the Patriots are 70-15 at home the best mark in the NFL.

New England is 20-22 all-time on MNF and 9-8 as the home team.

Patriots are 67-73-6 all-time vs. the AFC West.

The Patriots defense has allowed opponents to convert 43.1% (50 of 116) of the time on 3^rd down, while the offense has a 3^rd down conversion rate of 45.8% (49 of 107).

The New England defense has sacked the opponents quarterback 20 times in 9 games.

The Patriots are 3rd in the NFL in points per game with 28.8.  While they allow 22.2 points per game good for a tie for 16th in the NFL.

New England is PLUS 3 in turnover differential, tied for 10th best in the NFL. The offense has given up 10 INT and 4 fumbles, while the defense has 12 INT and 5 fumble recoveries.

Patriots Staff Notes

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

Bill Belichick is 6-2 vs. the Chiefs in his career.  He is 4-1 against them as the head coach in New England.  He has never faced them in the post season.

Overall in his NFL career Belichick is 168-97 in 16 NFL seasons.  He is 132-53 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 183-103.

Belichick’s 183 wins are good for 9th all-time tied with Bill Parcells.

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).

The Patriots are 13-5 under Belichick on MNF.

Patriots Possible Starters

Offense:

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

Defense:

• DE: Ellis
• DT: Wilfork
• DT: Love
• DE: Carter
• OLB: Mayo
• ILB: Tarpinian
• OLB: Ninkovich
• LCB: Molden
• RCB: Arrington
• S: Moore
• S: Ihedigbo

Patriots Players Notes

This Tom Brady’s 12^th NFL season he is 3-1 vs. the Chiefs.

Overall Brady is 117-34 as a starting QB and is 14-5 in the playoffs for an overall record of 131-39.  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.

He is 11-4 in MNF games and has won 8 of the last 9.

Brady has thrown 23 TD’s and 10 INT’s while being sacked 16 times in 9 games.

Brady has 284 TD passes in his career he is now 8th all-time.  Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas is 7^th with 290.

Brady has 117 career wins he is tied with Joe Montana for 7th all-time.  Johnny Unitas is 6^th with 118 and Fran Tarkenton is 5^th with 124.

The last time Brady played against Kansas City he tore his ACL when hit low in the leg by Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard.

WR Wes Welker now has catches in 91 consecutive games including playoffs, 74 as a Patriot.  The last time Welker did not have a catch in a game was 12/24/05 as a Dolphin.

CB Kyle Arrington has a team leading 5 INT’s in 2011, DT Vince Wilfork and LB Rob Ninkovich are tied for 2nd with 2 each.

Arrington is tied for the NFL lead in INT’s with Green Bay’s Charles Woodson and Seattle’s Eric Weddle.

S Patrick Chung leads the team in tackles with 60, CB Devin McCourty is 2nd with 58 tackles.

DE Andre Carter leads the team with 8.5 sacks, while DE Mark Anderson is 2nd with 5.5.

Carter was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Jets.

On Wednesday Carter had a half sack taken away from him and he now shares the team record for most sacks in a game with three others.

Carter leads the defense with 16 quarterback hits, Anderson is 2nd with 7 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.

WR Jackie Slater leads the team in special teams tackles with 11, while LB Tracy White has 9 and LB Jeff Tarpinian has 8.

TE Rob Gronkowski has 18 TD catches in 25 career games.  They are the most for a TE in that time frame and 3^rd most overall in the NFL.

On Thursday the following players were held out of practice: CB Devin McCourty (shoulder); LB Brandon Spikes (MCL) and LB Dane Fletcher (thumb).  14 others were limited: WR Wes Welker (knee); C Dan Connolly (groin); G Brian Waters (knee); S Patrick Chung (foot); CB Kyle Arrington (foot); DE Shaun Ellis (ribs); RB Kevin Faulk (knee); RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis (toe); LB Gary Guyton (shoulder); S James Ihedigbo (shoulder); WR Taylor Price (hamstring); WR Matthew Slater (shoulder); T Nate Solder (concussion) and T Sebastian Vollmer (back).  The three who missed practice will most likely be listed as doubtful for the game on Monday night.

S Ross Ventrone was signed to the practice squad on Thursday and CB Josh Victorian was released.  According to the NFL transactions list Ventrone is an amateur when it comes to being signed, promoted and released.

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 8 players who played for a New England school or a Big East Conference member.  They are: WR Deion Branch (Louisville); S James Ihedigbo (UMass); C Dan Koppen (Boston College – IR); CB Devin McCourty (Rutgers); NT Vince Wilfork (Miami), OL Donald Thomas (UConn); DE Mike Wright (Cincinnati – IR) and DE Ron Brace (Boston College).

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 feel free to cast your votes for deserving players.

Chiefs Team Notes

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

2011 Chiefs Schedule/Results

The Chiefs all-time record is 399-370-12 and they are 8-14 in the playoffs with their last playoff appearance coming in 2010 when they lost to Baltimore in the Wild Card round, 30-7.  The Chiefs last played for a championship in 1993 when the lost the AFC Championship game to the Buffalo Bills, 30-13. They have won 1 Super Bowl (IV) in two appearances.

They won AFL Championships in 1962 as the Dallas Texans and in 1966 and 1969 as the Kansas City Chiefs.

Kansas City is the defending AFC West Champion.

The Chiefs are playing the first of two consecutive prime time games.

This is Kansas City’s second MNF game of the season.

The last Chiefs victory in Foxboro was on December 2, 1990 when they won 37-7.

Kansas City is 0-2 vs. New England on Monday night.  They lost 30-24 at Foxboro Stadium on Dec 4, 2000 and 27-19 on Nov 22, 2004 at Arrowhead Stadium.

Since the 1970 merger the teams have met 14 times and the teams are 7-7.  But the two former AFL teams have never met in the playoffs.

Kansas City’s defense has 13 INT’s and 9 games it’s the most in club history since they had 18 after 9 games in 2003.

The Chiefs defense has allowed opponents to convert 39.2% (47 of 120) of the time on 3^rd down, while the offense has a 3^rd down conversion rate of 38.4% (48 of 125).

The Kansas City defense has sacked the opponents quarterback 9 times in 9 games.

The Chiefs are 27th in the NFL in points per game with 15.7.  While they allow 24.2 points per game good for a tie for 23rd in the NFL.

Kansas City is MINUS 1 in turnover differential, 18th best in the NFL. The offense has given up 9 INT and 7 fumbles, while the defense has 13 INT and 2 fumble recoveries.

Chiefs Staff Notes

Read what Kansas City Chiefs head coach Todd Haley had to say to the New England media about the match up.

Todd Haley is 18-23 in his third season as a head coach.  He is 0-1 in the playoffs for an overall record of 18-24.  He has never faced New England in his career.

Haley is the son of Dick Haley who helped build the 1970’s Pittsburgh Steelers teams.  His father also played in the NFL has a halfback with Washington, Minnesota and Pittsburgh.

Haley is one of five head coaches in NFL history whose father played in the league.

Former New England defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel has the same position with Kansas City.  Crennel won three Super Bowls as the defensive coordinator of the Patriots.

Former Patriots Director of Player Personnel Scott Pioli is now the General Manager of the Chiefs.

Offensive Coordinator Bill Muir is a former Patriots offensive line coach from 1982-84.

Defensive Line Coach Anthony Pleasant played for New England from 2001-03 and won two Super Bowl rings.

Defensive Quality Control Coach Otis Smith was a Patriots DB in 1996 and then returned from 2000-02 and won a Super Bowl ring.

Chiefs Players Notes

Former Patriots QB Matt Cassel has never faced his former team and will not get a chance to this season as he suffered a hand injury that required surgery.  It looks like he will miss the rest of the season.

Cassel was 10-5 in 2008 for the Patriots while filling in for the injured Tom Brady.

Cassel, who is 28-27 including playoffs, made his first Pro Bowl in 2010.

What Cassel’s injury means to the Chiefs.

Starting in Cassel’s place will be back up QB Tyler Palko.  Palko is making his first NFL start.

Palko was undrafted in 2007 out of the University of Pittsburgh.  He was signed by New Orleans as an undrafted free agent in 2007 and split time between the practice squad and active roster.  In 2009 he split the season with, Arizona, the Montreal Allouettes of the CFL and Pittsburgh.  In 2010 he was signed by Kansas City and split time between the practice squad and the active roster.  This season he was named the back up to Cassel.  He did not play football in 2008.

Palko throws left-handed.

Kansas City QB’s have been sacked 22 times in 9 games.

Chiefs back up quarterback Rick Stanzi now has to prepare for a new role.

Kansas City lost S Eric Berry for the season when he suffered an injury Week 1 against Buffalo.

LB Derrick Johnson leads the Chiefs in tackles with 94.

LB Tamba Hali has the team lead in sacks with 6 and QB pressures with 19.

WR Dwayne Bowe has 41 team leading 41 catches and 4 TD’s.

The Chiefs have one New England native on the roster they are: RB Shane Bannon (Southbury CT).  They have six players who played for a New England school or a Big East Conference member.  They are: WR Jonathan Baldwin (Pittsburgh); TE Anthony Becht (WVU); LB Jovan Belcher (Maine); QB Tyler Palko (Pittsburgh); RB Shane Bannon (Yale – IR) and WR Jeremy Horn (UMass – Practice Squad).

Next Week

The Patriots visit the Philadelphia Eagles next Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia PA.  Kick off is at 4:15 p.m. on CBS.

Follow Steve on Twitter @djstevem

New England Patriots DE Andre Carter was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week by the NFL on Wednesday.

Carter earned the award with his 4.5 sack feat in New England’s 37-16 win over the New York Jets on Sunday night at MetLife Stadium.  Carter set a franchise record with 4.5 sacks in one game breaking the old record of 4 held by Julius Adams at Atlanta (12-4-77), Tony McGee at Baltimore (11-16-78) and Mike Hawkins vs. NY Jets (9-9-79).

It was Carter’s third game of the season with at least 2 sacks and he now has a team leading 9 sacks on the season.

He is the second Patriot to be honored with the Weekly AFC awards joining QB Tom Brady who twice won AFC Offensive Player of the Week, once after each of the season’s first two games.

Follow Steve on Twitter @djstevem

The New England Patriots announced on Tuesday that they have activated 2011 5^th round draft pick Marcus Cannon and placed him on the 53-man roster.  Cannon, 23, had been on the reserve/non-football injury list due to a recovery from cancer.

The offensive lineman is 6 foot five inches and 358 pounds.  He appeared in 49 games while at TCU and started 36 contests, 24 at right tackle and 12 at left tackle.  In his final two seasons at TCU Cannon did not allow a sack.

This is a great day for Cannon, who at first wasn’t expected to play this season.  He studied the playbook, attended all the offense meetings and did his weight training.  Both head coach Bill Belichick and Director of Player personnel Nick Caserio raved about his work ethic.

Then about the same time the PUP list players started to practice he was finally on the field practicing and wasn’t expected to see any playing time but something along the way changed and here he is.

Cannon is said to be smart and a student of the game and prior to his cancer diagnosis was considered one of the top senior offensive linemen in the country.

In order to make room for Cannon the Patriots released the usual suspect S Ross Ventrone.

In a third roster move the team re-signed 2011 7^th round draft pick Malcolm Williams to the practice squad.  Williams and Cannon were teammates at TCU.

Follow Steve on Twitter @djstevem

Photo credit: AP Photo

Yes it’s a wondrous day to be a Patriots fan.  The team totally beat down the New York Jets with a rag-tag defense that was nearly ready to call for support from any local high school willing to help.

I will say this, when you put a Bill Belichick team on notice, tell them they’re no good, they’re falling apart, no one believes they can win and anything else you want to add, is when those teams play best.  I don’t know what he puts in the Kool-Aid during the week or what he pumps into the HVAC system at Gillette but they always seem to pull it together.

I was pretty amazed at the way the defense played.  How they held up in a tight game and even when they were losing more guys during the game they just toughened up.  As the season goes on the defense seems to be getting better.

From a football perspective I don’t car about yardage allowed on the ground, in the air or even by sea.  The big thing for me is points allowed and the defense is making strides at cutting those numbers back.

One of the defensive stars was DE Andre Carter who had 4.5 sacks and was constantly on or near Jets QB Mark Sanchez.  For a team that had no pass rush, Carter and Mark Anderson are turning into quite the sack duo.  Couple that with the play of Kyle Love, Vince Wilfork and Gerard Warren with stopping the run the defensive line is shaping up rather well.

The other defensive star was LB Rob Ninkovich who had a pair of INT’s one of which was a Pick-Six that sealed the game in the fourth quarter.  Between Ninkovich and Carter I think Sanchez most likely had a tough night sleeping.

Offensively after being a bit shaky the last few weeks they were better on Sunday night.  The offensive line made a huge difference.  While Tom Brady was getting hit and hurried he was not sacked, although a poor blocking scheme did lead to the Jets getting a safety on an intentional grounding penalty in the second quarter.

The fact that Brady was upright the entire game is huge.  When you protect him and he has time to find an open receiver he will kill a defense.

Last night his main target was TE Rob Gronkowski who was a one-man wrecking crew.  Besides the catches and the TD’s he is a very good blocker.  On Chad Ochocinco’s 53-yard reception it was Gronk’s block along the right sideline that sprung Chad.  While it’s too early to say he’s one of the best to play the game he certainly is making a name for himself with his all around play.

So after 9 games the Patriots are in first place in the AFC East and already hold a tiebreaker with the Jets.  Now for dessert take a look at the possible next 6 quarterbacks are this team is facing (answer below) and all of sudden a season that looked like it was slipping away is looking very promising.

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

Head coach Bill Belichick had his weekly Monday media meeting about the week ahead.

According to the New York Post a reporter for the paper overhead something Belichick said to his son that contained a profane comment.  The exact exchange as quoted by the Post from Belichick to his son, Stephen, is “Thirty-seven points on the best defense in the league, s— my d—.”  My feelings exactly coach.

Ryan had his own little comment to a fan as he exited the field on Sunday night.  As you watch the video its at about the 15 second mark he tells an apparently young fan (judging by the voice early teenage male) to “shut the f— up”.

LB Dane Fletcher missed his third game with thumb/hamstring injuries while LB Brandon Spikes (MCL), S Patrick Chung (foot) and WR Taylor Price (hamstring) were also scratched with injuries. RB Shane Vereen, G Donald Thomas and QB Ryan Mallett were healthy scratches.

In the game Sunday night CB Devin McCourty suffered a separated shoulder during a collision with teammate CB Sterling Moore and Jets WR Plaxico Burress in the 2^nd quarter.  McCourty is expected to miss 2-3 weeks with the injury.  Others injured during the game included RG Brian Waters (left knee), RT Sebastian Vollmer (unknown) and S James Ihedigbo (neck) they all returned to the game.

With the win the Patriots swept the season series with the Jets it is their first sweep of New York since 2007.

The Patriots continue to be one of the best teams in the NFL and when you look at their record they are 60-33 on the road since Belichick took over in 2000.

Belichick now has 183 wins including playoffs – he is now tied for 9^th all-time with Bill Parcells.

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

On their third try Brady and Belichick finally broke the record they shared with Dan Marino and Don Shula as the winningest quarterback-coach combination in the Super Bowl era with their 117th win.

Brady’s 117^th career win tied him with Joe Montana for 7th all-time.  Johnny Unitas is 6^th with 118 and Fran Tarkenton is 5^th with 124.

Brady surpassed 3,000 passing yards on the season in just the 9^th game.  He is only the second QB to ever do it that quickly, the other is Saints QB Drew Brees.

The much-maligned offensive line finally kept Brady upright all night as he was not sacked.

Brady’s 3 TD passes give him 23 on the year and 284 in his career.

Who are the possible six quarterbacks the Patriots are facing?  Tyler Palko (KC); Vince Young or Mike Vick (Philly); Curtis Painter (Indy); Rex Grossman or John Beck (Was); Tim Tebow (Denver) and Matt Moore (Miami).  Not a killer in the bunch, which is a good sign for the defense.

WR Wes Welker recorded his 500^th reception as a Patriot on the scoring drive prior to half time.  Only Troy Brown (557) and Stanley Morgan (534) have more in team history.

Welker’s 500 catches were done in 70 regular season games no one has ever had 500 catches with one team in that few games.

LB Niko Koutouvides made a huge fumble recovery in his debut of a muffed punt that led to the Patriots getting a field goal.

DE Andre Carter had 4.5 sacks setting a Patriots franchise record.  It was the third time this year he had at least two sacks in a game.

With a pair of INT’s LB Rob Ninkovich doubled his career INT total.  One of them led to a touchdown the other was returned for a touchdown.

Carter and Ninkovich were the Sox & Dawgs defensive players of the game.

TE Rob Gronkowski’s 2 TD catches give him 5 games with 2 or more TD’s in his two-year career.  He was the Sox & Dawgs offensive player of the game.

WR Chad Ochocinco’s 1^st quarter 53-yard bomb from Brady was for more yardage on one play than he had total all season.  Then he was barely used in the second half.

WR Deion Branch mocked Jets super fan Fireman Ed right in front of him after his fourth quarter TD catch.

Branch spoke on Monday with WEEI AM/FM in Boston on Patriots Monday.

WR Julian Edelman saw some late game action on defense as a cornerback he made a hell of a hit on LaDainian Tomlinson sending that old softie from the game.

To show you just how dominant New England has been in the AFC East under Belichick they are 53-16 vs. the division since 2001.  While in the same time span New York has the second best record vs. the AFC East, they are 33-33.

The Patriots defense was very good Sunday they had 2 INT’s and sacked Jets QB Mark Sanchez 5 times in the win.  The special teams also recovered a fumble.

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

Mike Reiss and the Patriots 3 Up, 3 Down in the win over the Jets.

Tedy Bruschi’s “On Tap” takes a look at Sunday nights game.

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

New England plays the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday at 8:30 p.m. at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro.  Look for the Sox & Dawgs “In The Red Zone Game Preview” available on Friday.

Writers Note: Due to next week’s game being on Monday night, “In The Red Zone” will run on Wednesday instead of Tuesday.

Follow Steve on Twitter @djstevem

The New England Patriots went into the swamps of New Jersey and came away with a great AFC East win over the New York Jets, 37-16 on Sunday night at MetLife Stadium.

TE Rob Gronkowski and LB Rob Ninkovich literally beat the Jets to a pulp on both sides of the ball.  Gronkowski had 8 catches for 113 yards and a pair of TD catches on nice passes from QB Tom Brady.  He also helped along with the way with several punishing blocks and on offense he looked like a one man wrecking crew.

Then there was Ninkovich, who duplicated the great play of Gronk on the defensive side of the ball.  Ninko had two INT’s one killed a potential scoring drive in the 3^rd quarter and led to a Gronkowski TD.  The other he didn’t wait for the offense to score as he took his second INT of the game to house to finish off the shell shocked Jets.

The unusually silent New Yorkers, were licking their chops at the though of playing the worst defense (yards allowed) in the NFL and a make shift secondary and linebacking corps.

But it was the New Englanders who persevered and put on a show defensively that also featured the sack machine known as DE Andre Carter who registered four and half sacks of Jets QB Mark Sanchez.  Sanchez was taken down five times as Mark Anderson shared a lick in on the beleaguered Jets signal caller with Carter as well.

The win is huge because it gives the Patriots a season sweep of the Jets and the tiebreaker come playoff time.  Most importantly the win snapped a two-game losing streak and keeps the Patriots streak alive with 148 games played without losing three games in a row.  It’s the fourth longest streak in NFL history.  Next week they will tie the Cleveland Browns for third longest.

Just when people doubt the Patriots they pull the unknown players from out of nowhere and beat your brains out.

Well done.  Now like Deion I’m going to mock Fireman Ed.

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

Patriots at Jets 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

LB Rob Ninkovich drive killing INT in the third quarter, it led to Rob Gronkowski’s 2^nd TD catch of the game.

Offensive Player of the Game

TE Rob Gronkowski had 8 catches for 113 yards and 2 TD’s

Defensive Players of the Game

LB Rob Ninkovich had 4 tackles, 1 assist, 2 INT’s and 1 TD and DE Andre Carter had  5 tackles, 1 assist and a team record 4.5 sacks.

Game Notes

Starters for the Patriots were:

On Offense:

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

On Defense:

DE – Ellis
DT – Wilfork
DE – Love
LB – Carter
LB – Mayo
LB – Tarpinian
LB – Ninkovich
CB – McCourty
CB – Arrington
S – Moore
S – Ihedigbo

Inactives for the Game:

Patriots

1. LB Brandon Spikes (MCL)

2. LB Dane Fletcher (hamstring)

3. WR Taylor Price (hamstring)

4. S Patrick Chung (foot)

5. T Donald Thomas

6. RB Shane Vereen

7. QB Ryan Mallett

Jets

1. QB Kevin O’Connell

2. WR Eron Riley

3. S Brodney Pool (knee)

4. RB Bilal Powell

5. TE Shawn Nelson (illness)

6. DT Kenrick Ellis (ankle)

7. DT Martin Tevaseu

The spread (Pick ‘Em) was covered as was the over/under (47 1/2).  I am now 6-2-1 vs. the spread and 6 of 9 calling the under/over.

New England won the toss and deferred to the second half.

The Patriots lead overall series vs. Jets 53-52-1 including playoffs.

The Patriots have swept the Jets 14 times in the series before this season the last time was in 2007.

Since 2003 New England is 27-3 following a loss and have lost back-to-back games only three times; once in 2006, once in 2009 and this season.

Since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994 the Patriots are 24-14 vs. the Jets.

The Patriots are 53-16 vs. the AFC East since 2001.

Since 2000 have the Patriots the best road record in the NFL at 60-33.

The Patriots are 18-14 all-time on Sunday Night Football.

Bill Belichick now has 183 wins – he is now tied for 9^th all-time with Bill Parcells.

Tom Brady is now 16-5 vs. the Jets including 1-1 in the playoffs.

Brady has thrown 23 TD’s and 10 INT’s while being sacked 16 times in 8 games.

Brady has 284 TD passes in his career he is now 8th all-time.  Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas is 7^th with 290.

With the win Brady and Belichick broke the record they shared with Dan Marino and Don Shula as the winningest quarterback-coach combination in the Super Bowl era.  They now have 117 wins as a quarterback-coach combination.

Brady’s 117^th career win tied him with Joe Montana for 7th all-time.  Johnny Unitas is 6^th with 118 and Fran Tarkenton is 5^th with 124.

Brady surpasses 3,000 passing yards on season in the 9^th game.  Only second QB do ever do it that quickly the other is Saints QB Drew Brees.

The New England defense has sacked the opponents quarterback 20 times in 9 games.

WR Wes Welker now has catches in 91 consecutive games including playoffs, 74 as a Patriot.  The last time Welker did not have a catch in a game was 12/24/05 as a Dolphin.

Welker recorded his 500^th reception as a Patriot on the scoring drive prior to half time.  Only Troy Brown (557) and Stanley Morgan (534) have more in team history.

Welker’s 500 catches were done in 70 regular season games no one has ever had 500 catches with one team in that few games.

Recently signed Patriots LB Niko Koutouvides is a Plainville CT native.

Koutouvides recovered a big fumble on the muffed punt by the Jets Joe McKnight in the 3^rd quarter putting the Patriots on the Jets 14-yard line leading to a field goal.

K Stephen Gostkowski’s 50 yards field goal in the first quarter was his first attempt of the year from 50-yards or more.  He is 5 of 7 in his career from 50+ yards.

DE Andre Carter had two first quarter sacks of Jets QB Mark Sanchez, shared one in the second quarter and two back-to-back sacks in the fourth quarter to give him 9 on the year.

Carter had two or more sacks in a game for the third time this season.

The 4.5 sacks by Carter are the most ever allowed by the Jets to one opponent in a game and a new Patriots franchise record.

DE Mark Anderson shared a second quarter sack of Sanchez with Carter he now has 5 on the season.

LB Rob Ninkovich had a drive killing INT in the third quarter. It was his 1^st of the season and 3^rd of his career.  It led to Rob Gronkowski’s 2^nd TD catch of the game.

In the fourth quarter Ninkovich sealed it with a second INT a huge pick six of Sanchez to break the game open.

Gronkowski’s 2 TD catches give him 5 games with 2 or more TD’s in his two-year career.

WR Chad Ochocinco’s 1^st quarter 53-yard bomb from Brady was for more yardage on one play than he had total all season.

WR Deion Branch mocked Jets super fan Fireman Ed right in front of him after his fourth quarter TD catch.

WR Julian Edelman saw some late game action on defense as a cornerback he made a hell of a hit on LaDainian Tomlinson sending him from the game.

On Saturday the Patriots released WR Tiquan Underwood and promoted S Ross Ventrone to the 53-man roster.

RG Brian Waters got hurt (left knee) on the second play of the game he returned later in the first quarter.

CB Devin McCourty hurt his shoulder during a collision with teammate CB Sterling Moore and Jets WR Plaxico Burress in the 2^nd quarter.  He did not return.

RT Sebastian Vollmer was injured on the Gronkowski TD in the 3^rd quarter.  He returned.

S James Ihedigbo suffered a neck injury late in the third quarter.  He did return.

The Patriots are now PLUS 3 in turnover differential.

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

The Jets are 27-25 as the home team in the series.

New York has lost 15 of the last 20 meetings with New England including playoffs.

New York is 33-33 vs. the AFC East since 2001.

The New York defense has sacked the opponents quarterback 18 times in 8 games.

The Jets are now PLUS 1 in turnover differential.

Jets head coach Rex Ryan is now 3-4 vs. New England in his career including playoffs.

Jets QB Mark Sanchez is now 3-4 vs. the Patriots including 1-0 in the playoffs.

He is 2-1 vs. the Patriots in home games.

Sanchez has thrown 14 TD passes and 9 INT’s while being sacked 22 times in 9 games.

Jets DL Jamaal Westerman got a safety when they grabbed Brady in the end zone and he tried to throw the ball away that led to him being called for intentional grounding.

LB David Harris hurt his left leg in the third quarter he did return.

WR Jeremy Kerley got hurt on a punt return (ankle) in the first quarter.  He returned.

Fireman Ed was carted out of the stadium his pride was severely injured in the beat down.  He is probable for the Broncos game on Thursday.

The 37 points allowed by the Jets are a team high at home since Ryan took over as coach in 2009.

Gene Steratore was the game referee.  The temp at kickoff was 42 and it was cloudy with a 10-mph wind.

Steratore suffered a facial cut in the second quarter when he jumped into the fumble pile to see who had the ball.

Game Attendance: 82,566 at MetLife Stadium; Meadowlands NJ – Sell Out

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

Dallas routed Buffalo, 44-7

Miami beat Washington, 20-9

AFC East Standings

Patriots                   6-3/3-1

Jets                        5-4/2-2

Bills                        5-4/1-1

Dolphins                  2-7/0-2

Next Game

The Patriots host the Kansas City Chiefs next Monday at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro MA.  Kick off is at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN.

Follow Steve on Twitter @djstevem

Photo credit: Getty Images

This Week

The New England Patriots visit their AFC East Rival New York Jets at Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford NJ on Sunday at 8:20 p.m.

The Patriots (5-3) are 2-2 on the road, 2-1 against the AFC East and 4-2 in the conference.  The Jets (5-3) are 4-0 at home, 2-1 vs. the AFC East and 4-3 against the conference.

The Line/Prediction

As of Thursday the line on the game from Yahoo! Sports has the game as a PICK ‘EM.  The over under is 47 1/2.

My Prediction is Patriots 27, Jets, 24 in OT.  Take the Patriots and the PICK ‘EM and take the over.  I am 5-2-1 against the spread and 5 of 8 on calling the over/under in 2011.

Tickets

The Jets 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 the Meadowland’s make sure you check out the links.

Here is the up to date weather forecast from the Weather Channel for the Meadowland’s Stadium.

Click for all the game day information including stadium directions and parking information, parking map and a Meadowland’s 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

NBC in televising the game nationally and Al Michaels will do play by play while Cris Collinsworth will provide the game analysis.  You can look here for your local affiliate.

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 4 p.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 92, XM Channel 225 and on SiriusXM Internet Channel 879.

The Jets Radio network has Bob Wischusen calling play by play and former Jet Marty Lions doing the color via their flagship station WEPN.  Their call is available on Sirius Channel 93, XM Channel 226 and SiriusXM Internet Channel 882.

Westwood One will carry the game to a national audience along its affiliated network with Dave Sims and James Lofton calling the game.  You can also hear their feed on Sirius Channel 94 and SiriusXM Internet Channel 861

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

Last Week

The Patriots lost to the Giants at home 24-20; while the Jets beat the Bills, 27-11 in Buffalo.

History

• The all-time series is tied 52-52-1 including playoffs.
• The Jets are 27-24 as the home team in the series.
• The lone tie in the series (24-24) came on October 2, 1966 when both clubs were part of the AFL.
• This is the second meeting between the two teams at the new Meadowland’s Stadium.
• The home team has won the last five regular season meeting between the teams.
• The two teams last met in Week 5 at Foxboro the Patriots won, 30-21

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 406-366-9.  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.

Since 2003 New England is 26-3 following a loss and have lost back-to-back games only three times; once in 2006, once in 2009 and this season.

Since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994 the Patriots are 23-14 vs. the Jets.

The Patriots are 52-16 vs. the AFC East since 2001.

Since 2000 have the Patriots the second best road record in the NFL at 59-33 only Philadelphia is better 58-32-1.

The Patriots are 17-14 all-time on Sunday Night Football.

New England three times has had a season high of four turnovers in a game (at Buffalo, Week 3; vs. Dallas, Week 6 and vs. New York Giants, Week 9).

The Patriots have swept the Jets 13 times in the series the last time was in 2007.

The Patriots defense has allowed opponents to convert 43.7% (45 of 103) of the time on 3^rd down, while the offense has a 3^rd down conversion rate of 47.9% (45 of 94).

The New England defense has sacked the opponents quarterback 15 times in 8 games.

The Patriots are tied for 4th in the NFL in points per game with 27.8.  While they allow 23.0 points per game good for a tie for 20th in the NFL.

New England is now EVEN in turnover differential, tied for 15th best in the NFL. The offense has given up 10 INT and 4 fumbles, while the defense has 10 INT and 4 fumble recoveries.

Patriots Staff Notes

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

Bill Belichick is 17-10 vs. the Jets in his career.  He is 16-9 against them as the head coach in New England and that includes two playoff games (1-1).

Overall in his NFL career Belichick is 167-96 in 16 NFL seasons.  He is 129-53 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 182-102.

Belichick’s 182 wins are good for 10^th all-time.  Bill Parcells is 9^th with 183 wins.

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

Patriots Possible Starters

Offense:

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

Defense:

• DE: Ellis
• DT: Wilfork
• DT: Love
• DE: Carter
• OLB: Mayo
• ILB: Guyton
• OLB: Ninkovich
• LCB: McCourty
• RCB: Arrington
• S: Chung
• S: Ihedigbo

Patriots Players Notes

This Tom Brady’s 12^th NFL season he is 15-5 vs. the Jets including 1-1 in the playoffs.

Overall Brady is 116-34 as a starting QB and is 14-5 in the playoffs for an overall record of 130-39.  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 20 TD’s and 10 INT’s while being sacked 16 times in 8 games.

Brady has 281 TD passes in his career he is now 8th all-time.  Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas is 7^th with 290.

With a win on Sunday Brady and Belichick will break the record they share with Dan Marino and Don Shula as the winningest quarterback-coach combination in the Super Bowl era with 116 wins.

WR Wes Welker now has catches in 90 consecutive games including playoffs, 73 as a Patriot.  The last time Welker did not have a catch in a game was 12/24/05 as a Dolphin.

CB Kyle Arrington has a team leading 5 INT’s in 2011, DT Vince Wilfork is 2^nd with 2.

Arrington is tied for the NFL lead in INT’s with Green Bay’s Charles Woodson and Seattle’s Eric Weddle.

CB Devin McCourty leads the team in tackles with 58, S Patrick Chung is 2^nd with 57.

DE Mark Anderson and DE Andre Carter lead the team with 4.5 sacks apiece.  Carter also leads the team with 8 quarterback hits while Anderson has 6.

Anderson, Wilfork, Carter and LB Jerod Mayo have each forced a fumble this season while LB Rob Ninkovich has recovered 2 opponents fumbles.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have claimed former Patriots DT Albert Haynesworth off of waivers.

Rookie RB Stevan Ridley has seen his chances reduced the last few weeks.

Special Teamer Tracy White is ready for the challenge of playing the Jets.

There’s a whole lotta Love for a quiet contributor on the defensive line.

Vince Wilfork believes in his teammates even if no one else does.

S Patrick Chung (foot), LB Brandon Spikes (knee), OL Ryan Wendell (concussion) and LB Dane Fletcher (thumb) did not participate in practice on Wednesday and Thursday.  9 other players were limited due to lingering injuries.  Based on what’s been said during the week Spikes, Wendell and Fletcher should be doubtful, while Chung and WR Taylor Price (hamstring) will be most likely be questionable. DE Shaun Ellis (ribs), CB Kyle Arrington (foot) and Kevin Faulk (knee) will probably be game time decisions, while LB Jerod Mayo (knee), WR Wes Welker (ribs), T Sebastian Vollmer (back), LB Gary Guyton (shoulder) and RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis (toe) should all play.

The Patriots have four New England natives on the roster they are: TE Aaron Hernandez (Bristol CT); OL Donald Thomas (New Haven CT); S James Ihedigbo (Northampton MA) and DE Ron Brace (Worcester MA).  They have 8 players who played for a New England school or a Big East Conference member.  They are: WR Deion Branch (Louisville); S James Ihedigbo (UMass); C Dan Koppen (Boston College – IR); CB Devin McCourty (Rutgers); NT Vince Wilfork (Miami), OL Donald Thomas (UConn); DE Mike Wright (Cincinnati – IR) and DE Ron Brace (Boston College).

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 feel free to cast your votes for deserving players.

Jets Team Notes

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

2011 Jets Schedule/Results

The Jets all-time record is 357-417-8 and they are 12-13 in the playoffs with their last playoff appearance coming in 2010. Last season the Jets lost on the road to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship game, after having beaten Indianapolis and New England on the road to get there.  The Jets last appeared in a Super Bowl following the 1968 season and defeated the Baltimore Colts 16-7 to win Super Bowl III. At that time was considered the biggest upset in sports history.  They were the first AFL team to win the Super Bowl.

The Jets also won the 1968 AFL Championship when they beat the Oakland Raiders, 27-23 at Shea Stadium.

New York has lost 14 of the last 19 meetings with New England including playoffs.

The Jets have beaten the Patriots in their only meeting at the new Meadowland’s Stadium.

The Jets have won their last two home games against New England.

New York is 33-32 vs. the AFC East since 2001.

The Jets and Giants new stadium, which was called the New Meadowland’s Stadium in 2010, now has a name after the naming rights were sold.  It is now known as Met Life Stadium.

The New York defense has allowed opponents to convert 31.4% (32 of 102) of the time on 3^rd down, while the offense has a 3^rd down conversion rate of 40.0% (42 of 105).

The New York defense has sacked the opponents quarterback 18 times in 8 games.

The Jets are tied for 10th in the NFL in points per game with 24.9.  While they allow 20.4 points per game good for 8th in the NFL.

New York is PLUS 4 in turnover differential, tied for 7th best in the NFL.  The offense has given up 7 INT and 8 fumbles, while the defense has 13 INT and 6 fumble recoveries.

Jets Staff Notes

Read what New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan had to say to the New England media about the match up.

Rex Ryan is 25-15 in his third season as a head coach.  He is 4-2 in the playoffs for an overall record of 29-17.

He is 3-3 vs. New England in his career including playoffs.

Ryan and Company are cooling their Jets when it comes to the Patriots.

Jets Players Notes

Mark Sanchez is 23-15 as a starting QB and is 4-2 in the playoffs for an overall record of 27-17.  Sanchez was the Jets 1^st round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft out of the University of Southern California.

Sanchez is 3-3 vs. the Patriots including 1-0 in the playoffs.

Sanchez has thrown 13 TD passes and 7 INT’s while being sacked 17 times in 8 games.

It’s time for Sanchez to raise his game.

LB Bart Scott is imploring Jets fans this season to stay off their iPads and Twitter while at the game and bring the noise to help make Met Life Stadium a real home field advantage for the team.  So far it’s worked they’re 4-0 at home.

S Jim Leonard says the Patriots are not invincible.

C Nick Mangold is the Jets second quarterback on the field.

CB Antonio Cromartie knows the key to stopping Wes Welker.

WR Plaxico Burress (back), S Brodney Pool ((knee) and RB Joe McKnight (toe) did not practice Wednesday or Thursday.  DL Mike DeVito (knee), TE Dustin Keller (head) and RB Shonn Green (head) all had full practices on Wednesday and Thursday after missing the game Sunday against Buffalo.

New York’s captains for 2011 are Sanchez, WR Santonio Holmes, CB Darrelle Revis, S Eric Smith and DL Sione Pouha.  This is the first time in 3 seasons that Ryan has named permanent captains having done them before on a game by game basis.

The Jets have 7 players who played for a New England school or a Big East Conference member.  They are: OL Vladimir Ducasse (UMass); CB Darrelle Revis (Pittsburgh); RB Bilal Powell (Louisville); TE Matthew Mulligan (Maine); DE Mike DeVito (Maine); Jamaal Westerman (Rutgers) and Muhammad Wilkerson (Temple).

New York has 3 retired numbers they are: 12 – Joe Namath, 13 – Don Maynard and 73 – Joe Klecko.

Next Week

The Patriots host the Kansas City Chiefs next Monday at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro MA.  Kick off is at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN.

Follow Steve on Twitter @djstevem