Patriots Clinch Playoff Spot as Jaguars are Put to Sleep
There was no stopping Tom Brady, as after rare back-to-back poor performances, the quarterback threw 4 touchdowns without any interceptions, going 23-26.
Another player under scrutiny was Randy Moss. People thought he was not giving his all to the organization, and there was severe skepticism towards the receiver after being sent home for being late a few weeks prior to the game. Last week he played well, with a TD catch, but this week he torched the Jags’ secondary, as he caught 3 touchdowns, the 4th time he has achieved this feat as a Patriot.
Seemingly as always, Wes Welker racked up 10+ catches, as he caught 13 balls. Despite missing two games, Welker leads the NFL in receptions with 122 catches. Astonishingly, this is 21 more catches than the Brandon Marshall, second place in recepetions with just 101 catches.
Based on his average, had Welker not missed those two games he would have over 138 catches.
Sammy Morris also played very well, as he had multiple long runs in the first half which set up touchdowns, including one short, goal line score from himself. Laurence Maroney, after fumbling a goal line handoff, saw limited action. If he wants to continue to have the opportunity to play (something he was becoming accustomed to), he’ll have to hold the ball.
Despite the stellar offensive performance, it was the defense that stepped up. The Patriot defensive squad held a potent Jacksonville offense built around small and powerful Maurice Jones-Drew to just 7 points. Jones-Drew was held to just 63 yards on 18 carries, a not so solid 3.5 average.
In addition, the defense forced two turnovers, both interceptions, demonstrating respectable pass coverage. Shawn Springs and Brandon Meriweather both picked off Jacksonville QB David Garrard.
The horrific pass rush from New England? Not so horrific anymore, as the defense mustered two sacks from Gary Guyton and Tully Banta-Cain.
I would like to mention James Sanders, who after losing his starting spot to Brandon McGowan continued to work hard, improve his game, and has now regained his role. McGown, still a solid player, continues to contribute, as he assisted in 2 tackles. Also, Jerod Mayo seems to be breaking out of his sophomore slump, as he had 11 solo tackles.
The unit is seemingly coming together, generating respectable rush against opposing QB’s and making the most of opportunities in the secondary.
The defense has put together multiple high-quality performances now, against the Bills, Panthers and now Jags. The offense, finally generating some power after relying on the defense in the mentioned games, is also continuing to gel.
Essentially, this team is hitting its stride, and now after clinching the AFC East it will roll into the playoffs with some important momentum.
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