The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The Good:

Perfection is in the cards: The 18-0 Patriots will try to complete a perfect 19-0 season by defeating the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII! Let’ Mercury Morris know that Patriots are not only on the block, they are now knocking on the door!

Running attack in New England: RB Laurence Maroney totaled 122 yards rushing on 25 carries (4.9-yard average) against the Chargers. This also marked the second straight game Maroney has hit over the 100-yard mark. The Patriots have been using more 3-tight end packages to establish the run.

The X Factor Kevin Faulk: Faulk finished with a team-high eight catches for 82 yards, including a remarkable diving grab on the final drive of the game. He is a definite gamer! Should have been co-MVP at the AFC Championship game (Maroney being the other)

Bend not Break Defense: Many might say they are too old, but the Patriot defense will say they are seasoned! The Patriot defense is giving up the yardage, but are holding strong when it comes to giving up TDs (Chargers limited to four Field Goals). I am sure the Giants now know that Field Goals will not be enough to get it done against the Patriots. This is probably a good thing in Laurence Tyne’s mind!

The Bad:

The Boot: Brady appeared to be limping Sunday as he left his news conference. On Monday, there are published photographs of him in a cast! What are fans supposed to think? At least the reports right now are a high ankle sprain and he will play.

Interceptions: Ball protection is usually Brady’s strong suite, but against the Chargers, he actually looked average. Brady was 22 of 32 for 209 yards and two touchdowns, but intercepted three times, including once in the end zone by Antonio Cromartie. This was Brady's first red zone pick in two seasons. Brady actually lost the turnover ratio, but teamwork prevailed.

The Moss Factor: Randy Moss in the Chargers game finished with one catch for 18 yards, and one rush for 14 yards, and dropped a pass. The good thing though is that Moss still draws double coverage which means some else is not covered. We are just not used to seeing this Moss versus the one we saw all season. Brady says not to worry though, that Moss will be a factor in the Super Bowl. Let us hope Brady does not force anything though to make this happen.

The Ugly:

Backup QB: If Brady were unable to play so some reason, Matt Cassel would be the starter. Matt Cassel, who in six games this season has completed only 4 of 7 passes for 38 yards and an interception that was returned for a touchdown. That is a scary thought for the Super Bowl. In Brady we Trust.