Patriots vs. Steelers: Breaking it down

The Steelers are a big, physical, tough team! It doesn't mean the Patriots can not beat them though.

The Patriots rushing attack will have its hands full with the Steelers Defense. Opponents are averaging 2.9 yards per carry against the Steelers. The Steelers are surrendering just 66.5 rushing yards per game, putting them on pace to break their single-season franchise record of 74.7, in 2001. Look for the Patriots to still rush, but not get a lot of yardage.

When the Patriots get into the Red-zone (yes, they will!), they will be facing the league's No. 1 team in scoring defense. The Steelers are holding opponents to an average of 14.5 points per game. Red-zone success has been key, as they rank No. 1 in that category, holding opponents to 11 touchdowns in 32 possessions (34.4 percent). Offensively, they rank fifth in the red zone (20 touchdowns, 31 trips, 64.5 percent). The Patriots offense has been on fire lately, so they will put the Steelers to the test.

The Steelers have been banged up at cornerback in recent weeks, which forced CB Fernando Bryant (who was with the Patriots in training camp) onto the field after he was signed as a free agent. With that in mind, the Patriots will likely look to test matchups in that area in multiple-receiver packages.

The Steelers do have issues with pass protection. The Steelers have surrendered 35 quarterback sacks on the season, the same total as the Patriots. Only the Bengals, Lions, Rams and 49ers have allowed more. The Patriots will need to get to Ben Roethlisberger to slow the Steelers down.

Like the Patriots as well, the Steelers have been bitten by the injury bug. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (shoulder), running back Willie Parker (knee, shoulder), cornerback Deshea Townsend (hamstring), cornerback Bryant McFadden (forearm), safety Ryan Clark (shoulder), and tight end Heath Miller (ankle) are a few of the notable players who have either played through injuries or have been sidelined by them.

The Patriots have been great of the offensive side of the ball in previous weeks...the defense now needs to step it up this weekend.

What is in the cards for Matt Cassel?

Could Patriots lose out on Matt Cassel?

There is the outside possibility that the Patriots and Matt Cassel's representatives could hammer out a contract extension before the start of the 2009 league year in late February/early March. But given that Cassel is already close to the open market - which most players yearn to hit just once, especially when their value is rising - there is likely to be little motivation for him to pursue an extension. Plus, the Patriots simply might not be able to offer him what others can: a starting opportunity. Which is why, in the end, the Patriots are likely going to see another team benefit from an asset they produced. In a sense, they are handcuffed by their own success. The consolation prize in that case would be a compensatory draft choice in 2010. If Cassel lands a megabucks contract elsewhere - and other pieces fall into place - chances are the Patriots would receive the highest possible compensatory draft choice, a third-rounder. -- Boston Globe

Will Pats tag QB Matt Cassel?

Patriots QB Matt Cassel's stunning emergence (he hadn't started a game since high school prior to this season) and potential earning power (he's making the minimum $520,000 this season) are becoming more powerful stories each week. So given all that, what are the Patriots' options with such a valuable asset? One possibility is assigning Cassel the franchise tag. The player is tendered a one-year contract at the average of the top five players at the position, which will be approximately $14 million for quarterbacks in 2009. While some might see the tagging of Cassel as potentially violating the spirit of the rule, the Patriots would have a strong case if they made the decision out of concerns about Tom Brady's health. Still, financial considerations could lead the team away from that choice. If Cassel was counting about $14 million against the salary cap, coupled with quarterback Brady's $14.6 million charge, the Patriots would have almost $29 million of the projected $123 million cap on two players. The transition tag is another option, although it's seldom used. A player with that tag would be tendered a one-year contract that averages the top 10 salaries at the position, which for quarterbacks could be in the range of $10 million in 2009. -- Boston Globe

Matt Cassel named AFC Offensive Player of the Week

Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel has been named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for games played the 12th week of the 2008 season (November 20, 23-24). This is Cassel’s second AFC Offensive Player of the Week Award. He won the award in Week 7 of 2008.

Cassel led the Patriots' offense to 530 total net yards (the second-highest total in team history) and also added an eight-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter. His 415 passing yards marked the fifth time in NFL history that a quarterback totaled 400 or more passing yards in consecutive games (400 yards against Jets on 11/13/08). The first-year starter is the first player to register 400 passing yards in back-to-back games since Billy Volek accomplished the feat in 2004 with the Titans (426 yards on 12/13/04 and 492 yards on 12/19/04). -- Boston Globe

NFL could suspend Pats key blocker Matt Light

Matt Light's fate is in the league's hands. The NFL is reviewing the skirmish between Light and Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder toward the end of Sunday's 48-28 victory in Miami. Light was blocking for a 30-yard field goal when he became entangled with Crowder, who lost his helmet. Light landed a few punches to Crowder's exposed head before both were ejected. League spokesman Greg Aiello said last night that NFL director of football operations Gene Washington will investigate the incident, which is standard operating procedure after such altercations. A decision to suspend and/or fine Light could come as soon as today, though the league typically doesn't confirm such information until Friday. He'd have the right to appeal, and it's possible his appeal could be heard before the weekend. -- Boston Herald

Patriots vs. Dolphins: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Patriots Game 11: Patriots 41 – Dolphins 28

The Good:

QB Matt Cassel went over 400 yards passing for the second straight week (Cassel completed 30 of 43 passes, including touchdowns of 25, 8 and 29 to Moss, and ran for a score).

WR Randy Moss was the recipient of all three of Cassel's touchdown passes, totaling 125 yards on eight catches. In a game that featured seven lead changes, Moss was responsible for two of them.

RB Kevin Faulk is a dual threat with eight rushes for 53 yards and a touchdown, and adds six catches for 52 yards.

Any chance the Dolphins had of rallying back was nullified when Patriots CB Brandon Meriweather intercepted Chad Pennington on the drive after the 29 yard Cassel to Moss TD.

Nose tackle Vince Wilfork anchored the defense's solid performance against the run, as the Dolphins were held to 25 rushing yards on eight "Wildcat" plays, and 62 yards on 19 carries overall.

The Bad:

Three times the Patriots lost the lead (but also took it back three times).

The Dolphins made four trips inside the 20-yard line and score four touchdowns.

In the first quarter alone, right guard Stephen Neal was called for a holding penalty, a personal foul (offsetting), and a false start.

RB Sammy Morris loses a fumble in the second quarter that is ultimately turned into seven points by the Dolphins. He finished with eight carries for 35 yards.

The Ugly:

Miami linebacker Channing Crowder and New England tackle Matt Light were ejected midway through the fourth quarter. Crowder lost his helmet when blocked by Light on a field-goal attempt and shoved Light, who responded by taking several swings at Crowder's head.

Final Thoughts:

"It's nice to come down to Florida and win. It certainly hasn't been a great venue for us through the years. It's good to come out on top. I thought our players stepped up and played hard today. Miami is a good football team. We definitely had our hands full. Offensively, we had a lot of good production, other than when we had some penalties and a couple miscues. I thought those guys really stayed after it and moved the ball effectively. Defensively, we were just trying to hang in there." -- Patriots Coach Bill Belichick

In Week 3, the Dolphins burned the Patriots for 119 yards and four touchdowns using their "Wildcat" package. This time around, the Patriots were ready, holding Miami to 25 yards on eight direct snaps to Ronnie Brown.

New England bounced back from an overtime loss to the Jets on Nov. 13. Since the start of the 2003 season, the Patriots are 17-1 in games following a loss.

Matt Cassel became the first QB in Patriots franchise history with back-to-back 400-yard games.

Tidbit: The Patriots are 6-0 when winning the coin toss. They are 1-4 when losing the toss.

Patriots vs. Jets: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Patriots Game 10: Patriots 31 – Jets 34 (OT)

The Good:

Rookie linebacker Jerod Mayo fills gaps in the running game with authority, finishing with a team-high 20 tackles (16 solo), while adding one pass defended.

Randy Moss' 16-yard touchdown with one second left, in which he kept his feet in bounds and caught the ball outstretched while falling out of bounds is one of the great clutch catches in recent memory.

The Bad:

Kickoff coverage Unit, comprised of Kelley Washington, Pierre Woods-or-Le Kevin Smith, Sam Aiken, Heath Evans, James Sanders, Larry Izzo, Gary Guyton, Brandon Meriweather, Matthew Slater, Ellis Hobbs-or-Ray Ventrone and Stephen Gostkowski struggled to contain Leon Washington.

While the Patriots out gained the Jets 511-375, New York made the plays when it counted, going 9-of-16 (56 percent) on third downs, while New England was just 4-of-14 (28 percent).

The Jets scored on their first three series, plus a 92-yard kickoff return by Leon Washington, four days after scoring on all seven of their first-half possessions in a 47-3 rout of the St. Louis Rams.

Cornerback Ellis Hobbs can't make the play on a 46-yard catch in the second quarter that sets up a touchdown to give the Jets a 24-6 lead.

The Patriots picked up a pair of first downs on their second possession of the second half, but the drive was short-circuited by a mis-communication on a shotgun snap that led to a 24-yard loss when Matt Cassel wasn't ready for the feed from center Dan Koppen.

The Ugly:

Jay Feely knocked in a 34-yard field goal with 7:11 remaining in overtime to give the Jets a 34-31 win. The victory gave New York sole possession of first place in the AFC East!!!

Brett Farve played mistake free football! After seven consecutive games with an interception earlier this year, Favre didn't throw one for the second straight contest. Favre went 26-of-33 for 258 yards and two touchdowns, and was 5-of-6 for 54 yards in OT, setting up Feely's winning field goal.

The Patriots had won eight consecutive overtime games (including playoffs) before falling to the Jets. It was the longest such streak in NFL history.

Final Thoughts:

"I would say it was a tough loss. I thought our players fought hard. We made a lot of plays, the Jets made a lot of plays. In the end they made a couple more than we did. Give them credit. We’re close, just not quite good enough tonight." -- Patriots Coach Bill Belichick

"Anytime you can come back from a 24-6 deficit, it's a building block. That was great for the team." -- Patriots QB Matt Cassel

“This is big win for the morale of the team. The enthusiasm and the excitement of the guys on the team, I haven’t seen that in a long time. It brings back fond memories of what I got accustomed to." -- Newly Jets acquired CB Ty Law

The loss to the Jets wasted a brilliant performance by Matt Cassel, whose first pro start after Brady's season-ending knee injury in the opener came in a 19-10 win over the Jets. Cassel completed 30 of 51 passes for 400 yards, all career highs, and three touchdowns. He ran eight times for 62 yards.

WR Wes Welker extended his record of catching at least six passes in a game to start the season to 10 games.

Matt Cassel threw for 400 yards and ran for 62 yards, becoming the first player since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to have 400 or more passing yards and 60 or more rushing yards in a game. His 62 rushing yards are the most by a Patriots quarterback in a game in more than 30 years.

How do the Patriots stack up?

A look at some key NFL stats and where the Patriots rank among all clubs:

Points scored
21.9 per game
NFL rank: tied-19th

Points allowed
19.4 per game
NFL rank: 9th

Turnover differential
Plus-2 (15 takeaways, 13 giveaways)
NFL rank: tied-15th

Third-down offense
64 of 144 (44.4 percent)
NFL rank: 8th

Third-down defense
53 of 122 (43.4 percent)
NFL rank: 27th

Red-zone offense (based on TD percentage)
38 trips, 19 touchdowns (50 percent)
NFL rank: 21st

Red-zone defense (based on TD percentage)
29 trips, 18 touchdowns (62.1 percent)
NFL rank: 29th

Patriots vs. Bills: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Patriots Game 9: Patriots 20 – Bills 10

The Good:

Rookie running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis topped the 100-yard rushing mark, totaling 26 rushes for 105 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown was his fourth of the season and his fourth in as many weeks.

Wide Receiver Wes Welker ended the game with a season-high 10 receptions for a season-best 107 yards. The game was his first 100-yard receiving game of the season

Defensive end Ty Warren quietly continues to have a solid season, leading the team with seven tackles while adding a sack.

Cornerbacks Ellis Hobbs and Deltha O'Neal come up with interceptions and a physical approach against Lee Evans pays off. Cornerback Ellis Hobbs intercepted a Trent Edwards offering with 13 seconds to play in the first quarter. Cornerback Deltha O'Neal stepped in front of Bills tight end Robert Royal to intercept a Trent Edwards offering.

The Patriots tied the longest drive in team history (in terms of number of plays) when they embarked on a 19-play, 92-yard drive in the fourth quarter, chewing up 9:08 of clock time and protecting what was then a 13-3 lead.

The Patriots allowed just one sack on Matt Cassel. After allowing Cassel to be sacked 28 times through their first seven games, the Patriots have given up one sack over their last two games.

The Patriots once again had a decisive time-of-possession advantage, marking the seventh time in their nine games that they've won the clock battle. The team is averaging 32:59 per game, which ranks fourth in the NFL.

The Bad:

Kicker Stephen Gostkowski mishits a kickoff that sails out of bounds and gives the Bills the ball at the 40, in addition to missing a tough 49-yard field goal attempt.

Leodis McKelvin's 69-yard kickoff return set up a 1-play drive in which James Hardy reeled in a 14-yard touchdown pass from Trent Edwards. McKelvin finishes with three returns for 138 yards.

Bills defensive tackle Marcus Stroud came up with a strip-sack of Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel and Buffalo safety George Wilson recovered. The Bills took over at their own 44 with 13:43 remaining in the game.

The Ugly:

There are health concerns for the Patriots with Adalius Thomas, who left the game in the second quarter with an arm injury (most likely broken). He’s played 99 percent of the team’s snaps this season, so the Patriots have a sizable void to fill he doesn’t return.

Final Thoughts:

The Patriots have won 10 straight games against the Bills. Under Bill Belichick, New England has not lost to the Bills at home. The Patriots (6-3) moved a game ahead of the Bills (5-4), who are 1-4 since winning their first four games. The New York Jets routed St. Louis 47-3 and remained tied with New England. Miami (5-4) beat Seattle.

“The New England Patriots put their pants on just like we do and they get paid just as well as we do and the coaches scheme just like we do. Whether it was them outdueling us or out-scheming us or us shooting ourselves in the foot, we just can’t have that. ” -- Bill Tackle Langston Walker

"It’s good to win. It is good to get back on the winning track. I am really proud of the way our team held up there. I thought defensively we played a pretty solid game. I was certainly concerned about Lee Evans and their passing game but I thought our secondary did a pretty good job against them. Offensively, I thought overall Josh [McDaniels] and the offense - those guys did a great job of controlling the ball. That last drive was awesome and took a lot of time off the clock and ended up getting seven points. I thought it was real good time management and execution offensively when we needed it especially in the second half in the fourth quarter." -- Patriots Coach Bill Belichick

Wes Welker recorded season highs in receptions (10) and yards (107), passing former Jaguars receiver Jimmy Smith to become the only player in NFL history with at least six catches in his team's first nine games.

Patriots Grade: New England vs. Indianapolis

Grogan's Grade: Former New England Patriots quarterback Steve Grogan provides weekly insights on the progress of the Patriots during the 2008 football season. Here are some snippets from week 9:

Current game planning?: "I thought both teams played a very good football game, and actually if you look at the stats, the Patriots outplayed the Colts in most catagories. I think the big problem for the offense right now is the coaches are so conservative about letting Matt Cassel throw the ball. He's throwing the ball well but they won't take any chances with him. It's starting to drive me crazy a little bit, and then they have to settle for three field goals. Every week it seems like they're settling for field goals instead of trying to get the ball in the end zone and last night that cost them."

Cassel's improvement?: "I really think he's getting better every week and what I'm seeing from him is when he can't find that second guy, you know, when the first guy's covered and he can't find the second guy theres no hesitation, he's putting the ball away and taking off with it, and he has the ability to do that to pick up some positive yards. He's doing that a lot better and I think it helps keep drives alive."

"He's got good mechanics, he really does. He throws the ball well and again, I just think sometime they have to cut him loose and letting him fling it down the field because he's got the arm to get it down there and they've got guys that can go down the field. He threw a beautiful ball to Gaffney who dropped it. That would have been the difference in the game."

Was Home Field an Advantage?: "You want to win every week, and when you struggle a little bit like the Colts have, you know what you have to do. I don't think you get any more desperate, I think the fact they got to play at home was probably the difference in who won and who lost. I think if they had played this game in New England I think the home field advantage would have given the Patriots the win. They were just two good football teams that just battled each other hard all night and unfortunately the Patriots ran out of time to get it done."

Where was Moss?: "He didn't catch any balls in the first half, and they weren't even looking at him in the first half. I think the Colts were taking that away from them so they didn't even bother with it. In the second half when they started running the ball pretty good it got him in some single coverage out there for Moss and they were able to throw to him."

Let Cassel do more?: "He could probably say it ["hey guys just let me go let me cut it loose"], I don't know how much they're going to listen to him. I would think if one of the veteran guys like Randy Moss or Wes Welker said 'this kid's doing a heck of a job for us. Let's have him throw the ball down the field some' it would probably resonate better with the coaching staff than having him do it."

Thougths on the Buffalo Game: "I think that's a real big game. The next two against the Bills and the Jets, are both division teams. They can kind of seperate themselves in the division by winning both of those games and they're both at home so that's good."

Grogan's Grade For Week 9:

OFFENSE: B-
DEFENSE: B+
SPECIAL TEAMS: B
OVERALL: B

"Overall I give them a B. It probably would have been an A if they had won. Good effort all around but hard to earn an A when you don't win."

Note: Grogan's Grade Airs On "The Morning Buzz" every Monday at 7:30am, and appears on PatsFans.com every Tuesday Morning. Grogan played in 149 games with the Patriots from 1975-1990, and was named to the Patriots Hall of Fame in 1995.

More money in the cards for Cassel?

The rest of the Patriots 2008 season may prove another steppingstone for Matt Cassel, as well as a bigger payday for him at season's end. "These players are all human stocks. They go up and down," an agent said yesterday. "But right now, we're at the midterm with Cassel. Let's see what happens down the road. Right now, his stock has definitely risen." In fact, Cassel would command something in the $6 million to $8 million per year range to be a starter next season, according to the agent. Should he remain a backup somewhere and continue to perform well, he could see something like $3 million per year, which Todd Collins was given to back up Jason Campbell in Washington. Even that would be a big raise from the $520,000 Cassel is making this season. -- Boston Herald

Patriots vs. Colts: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Patriots Game 8: Patriots 15 – Colts 18

The Good:

The passing game looks to be improving under QB Matt Cassel. His throws are becoming more accurate and he is not taking as many sacks. Cassel was not sacked once in the game.

Rookie LB Jerod Mayo was consistently around the ball, finishing with a team-high 11 tackles (8 solo).

The Patriots limit the Colts to 47 yards on 21 carries (2.2 avg.)

Rookie RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis gave the Patriots a 12-7 lead on a 6-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. The scoring run was Green-Ellis’s third of the season, the third of his career and his third in as many weeks.

The Patriots out gained the Colts in total net yardage, 342-301 and out rushed the Colts 140-47.

The Bad:

The Colts made two trips into the red zone and came away with touchdowns both times. New England, on the other hand, settled for field goals on three of their four trips inside the Indianapolis 20.

TE David Thomas was flagged for unnecessary roughness penalty that knocks the Patriots out of field goal range with 4:45 to go in the game (which would have tied up the game).

WR Jabar Gaffney dropped a would-be touchdown pass at the end of the third quarter.

The Patriots allowed Manning 21-of-29 for 254 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, his best performance of the season

The Patriots were called for a false start penalty in the third quarter, breaking a streak of seven penalty-free quarters.

The Ugly:

Adam Vinatieri hits a 52-yard field goal with 8:05 remaining in the fourth quarter, giving the Colts an 18-15 lead. The kick was Vinatieri's longest since a 57-yarder at Chicago on Nov. 10, 2002, and it should have come as no surprise to the Patriots, who used Vinatieri's right foot to win two Super Bowl titles.

This game ended when Colts safety Bob Sanders intercepted Matt Cassel on fourth-and-15 with 4:40 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Patriots had been in range for a game-tying field goal until a personal foul on TE David Thomas two plays earlier moved them back to the Colts' 46. Prior to this series, the Patriots looked extremely good on the evening.

The use of time-outs in this game was awful. When you needed them most, they were gone!

Final Thoughts:

“So, we’ve come out here the last couple of times and it has been just like this – the last possession, the last couple of plays. So, that’s how I would describe the game tonight. The Colts made a couple of more play than we did. We had our chances, disappointing but we have some pretty good games coming up; a game against Buffalo and we are going to turn out sights towards that.” -- Patriots coach Bill Belichick

“I hit it pretty well. It left my foot, and I hit it pretty well. I looked and saw the flag on the ground and I was like, ‘Please be on them.’ It was one of those where until you know, you don’t know, but yeah, when it left my foot it felt pretty good.” -- Colts Kicker Adam Vinatieri (on his 52-yard field goal)

“It was a mistake by me. Obviously they called it and I feel that it was a critical mistake by me and it really cost the team.” -- Patriots TE David Thomas(on his personal foul)

“They rely on me to make catches in tough situations. It’s the fourth quarter to put us up, they came back kicked a field goal and end up winning by three. If I make that touchdown we are up by one instead of down by three.” -- Patriots WR Jabar Gaffney

On an 11-yard reception in the second quarter, RB Kevin Faulk recorded his 3,000th receiving yard, becoming the 14th player in Patriots history to break the 3,000 receiving yard mark.

With seven catches, WR Wes Welker joined former Jaguars WR Jimmy Smith as the only players in NFL history to have at least six receptions in their team's first seven games of the season.

The 5-3 Patriots are in a three-way tie for first place in the AFC East, along with the New York Jets and this Sunday's opponent, the Buffalo Bills, while the Dolphins are 4-4.

Pats Stats Check

A look at some key NFL stats and where the Patriots rank among other clubs:

Points scored:
21.8 per game
NFL rank: tied-16th

Points allowed:
18.8 per game
NFL rank: 9th

Turnover differential:
plus-3 (12 takeaways, 9 giveaways)
NFL rank: tied-10th

Third-down offense:
41 of 98, 41.8 percent
NFL rank: 10th

Third-down defense:
33 of 85, 38.8 percent
NFL rank: 18th

Red-zone offense (based on TD percentage):
13 of 26, 50 percent
NFL rank: 18th

Red-zone defense (based on TD percentage):
12 of 20, 60 percent
NFL rank: 25th