Pats-Bills hots and nots, and game notes
Thanks much to Shalise Manza Young of the Providence Journal for forwarding the game notes to me, and I dutifully pass them along to you:
WHO'S HOT
RANDY MOSS: You knew they were going to try to get him the ball. Five catches for 70 yards and a touchdown isn't a world-beating effort, but it was positive motion on a day when the Patriots were more balanced offensively.
TULLY BANTA-CAIN: Three sacks and six tackles will be another feather in his cap coming contract time.
DERRICK BURGESS: On the field in a new formation in which the Patriots had no defensive linemen in the game, the ex-Raider responds with six solo tackles and a sack.
MIKE WRIGHT: Solid fill-in work in place of Ty Warren with six tackles and a sack. Wright's versatility serves him well.
JONATHAN WILHITE: Interception stops second-quarter drive that was building momentum for the Bills.
LAURENCE MARONEY: By golly, I think he’s finally getting it (23 carries, 81 yards, one TD). Still not Corey Dillon in the fourth quarter, though.
WHO'S NOT
LEIGH BODDEN: Shoved out of the way by Lee Evans and overruns the Buffalo receiver, who comes back to the ball and scores the TD that brought the Bills within seven points.
FOURTH-QUARTER OFFENSIVE PLAYCALLING: The Patriots simply do not know how to put a close game away.
WHO'S LUKEWARM
TOM BRADY: He completed 11 of 23 passes for 115 yards, with one TD and one interception, doing just enough to win the game and fortunately, not enough to lose it.
WES WELKER: Tough to judge against his recent performances, but it wasn’t a great day -- four catches for 40 yards, the biggest being the 9-yarder on the last possession. He also had a couple drops. No one will accuse him of “dogging it,” though.
RON BRACE: Bills’ ability to run up the middle early in the game proves he’s no Vince Wilfork. His shortcomings were minimized by a revitalized pass rush.
PATRIOTS' GAME NOTES
ANNUAL ACHIEVEMENT
The Patriots won their ninth game of the season at Buffalo and are the only team in the NFL to have recorded nine or more wins in each of the last nine seasons.
MOST SEASONS OF 9+ WINS SINCE 2001
New England 9
Indianapolis 8
Philadelphia 7
Green Bay 6
*Pittsburgh 6
Seattle 6
Dallas 6
(the following teams with five can still reach nine wins this season: NY Jets, Miami, Denver. Dallas and Baltimore)
ANNUAL ACHIEVEMENT, PART 2
With their ninth win of the season, the Patriots have won more than half of their games for the ninth straight year. They are the first team to win more than half of their games in nine straight seasons since free agency began in 1993 and the fifth team to do so since the 1970 merger, joining the 49ers, the Cowboys, the Raiders and the Steelers.
RANDY MOSS REGISTERS 10TH RECEIVING TD OF THE SEASON
WR Randy Moss scored on a 13-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to record his 10th touchdown of the season. Moss now has nine 10-plus touchdown seasons to tie Jerry Rice for the most NFL seasons with 10-plus receiving touchdowns.
MOSS IS THE FIRST PATRIOTS PLAYER TO RECORD THREE SEASONS OF 10-PLUS TOUDCHOWN CATCHES
Moss is the first Patriots player to record three 10-plus touchdown seasons with 23 in 2007, 11 in 2008 and 10 so far in 2009.
MOSS MOVES INTO PATRIOTS TOP TEN IN SCORING
The 13-yard touchdown in the second quarter moved Moss moved into the Patriots all-time top 10 in scoring. He entered the Buffalo game with 260 points and moved past Tony Collins (264) into 10th place with 266 points. Jim Nance is in ninth place with 276 points.
MATTHEW SLATER HAS FIRST TOUCH ON OFFENSE
Matthew Slater had his first offensive touch when he took a handoff on an end around for a six-yard gain in the second quarter.
LAURENCE MARONEY SCORES NINTH TOUCHDOWN OF THE SEASON
Laurence Maroney scored his ninth touchdown of the season on a one-yard run in the second quarter. The Patriots have had a player rush for 10 touchdowns or more in a season 11 times with the most recent being Corey Dillon’s 13 rushing touchdcowns in 2006.
PATRIOTS HAVE FIRST SEASON SINCE 1996 WITH TWO PLAYERS WITH NINE OR MORE TOUCHDOWNS
Moss (10) and Maroney (9) makes 2009 the first season since 1996 where the Patriots have had two players with nine or more touchdowns. It is the sixth time in team history it has happened (1996, 1976, 1974, 1966 amd 1961 are the others).
WELKER SETS CAREER-HIGH IN RECEIVING YARDS
Wes Welker set a career-high in receiving yards on a 5-yard pass from QB Tom Brady in the third quarter to surpass the 1,175 yards he had in 2007. He finished the game with 40 yards to push his 2009 total to 1,198 yards. That total is fourth all-time in New England history behind 1,493 by Randy Moss in 2007, 1,491 by Stanley Morgan in 1986 and 1,199 by Troy Brown in 2001.
BANTA-CAIN HAS CAREER-HIGH THREE SACKS TO SET SINGLE-SEASON HIGH OF 8.5
LB Tully Banta-Cain set a career-high with three sacks to push his 2009 season total to 8.5. His previous best for a season was 5.5 in 2006 with the Patriots. It is his second game in 2009 with at least two sacks and fourth of his career. All three of his sacks came in the fourth quarter.
BRADY NEEDS ONE MORE TD FOR 25
Tom Brady threw his 24th touchdown of the season on a 13-yard pass to WR Randy Moss in the second quarter. He needs one more touchdown to record his fifth season with 25 or more touchcowns.
MOST SEASONS WITH 25-PLUS TOUCHDOWN PASSES
12 Peyton Manning
11 Brett Favre
7 Dan Marino
6 Joe Montana
5 Drew Brees
PATRIOTS CLOSE OUT THE AFC EAST REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE
The Patriots closed out the 2009 AFC East schedule with a 4-2 record. It is the Patriots ninth consecutive winning record in AFC East play.
PATRIOTS EXTEND WINNING STREAK OVER BUFFALO
The Patriots extended their winning streak to 13 games over Buffalo. The 13-game winning streak is for the fourth longest winning streak in NFL history.
LONGEST NFL SERIES WINNING STREAKS
Team Opponent Win Streak Last Loss
Miami Buffalo 20 (1970-79)
San Francisco Rams 17 (1990-98)
Miami Colts 14 (1980-87)
New England Buffalo 13 (2003-present)
Dallas Cardinals 13 (1990-96)
San Diego Oakland 13 (2003-current)
PATRIOTS IN DECEMBER
The Patriots improved to an NFL-best record of 26-3 in the month of December since 2003. Overall, QB Tom Brady is now 28-5 in the month of December.
WHO'S HOT
RANDY MOSS: You knew they were going to try to get him the ball. Five catches for 70 yards and a touchdown isn't a world-beating effort, but it was positive motion on a day when the Patriots were more balanced offensively.
TULLY BANTA-CAIN: Three sacks and six tackles will be another feather in his cap coming contract time.
DERRICK BURGESS: On the field in a new formation in which the Patriots had no defensive linemen in the game, the ex-Raider responds with six solo tackles and a sack.
MIKE WRIGHT: Solid fill-in work in place of Ty Warren with six tackles and a sack. Wright's versatility serves him well.
JONATHAN WILHITE: Interception stops second-quarter drive that was building momentum for the Bills.
LAURENCE MARONEY: By golly, I think he’s finally getting it (23 carries, 81 yards, one TD). Still not Corey Dillon in the fourth quarter, though.
WHO'S NOT
LEIGH BODDEN: Shoved out of the way by Lee Evans and overruns the Buffalo receiver, who comes back to the ball and scores the TD that brought the Bills within seven points.
FOURTH-QUARTER OFFENSIVE PLAYCALLING: The Patriots simply do not know how to put a close game away.
WHO'S LUKEWARM
TOM BRADY: He completed 11 of 23 passes for 115 yards, with one TD and one interception, doing just enough to win the game and fortunately, not enough to lose it.
WES WELKER: Tough to judge against his recent performances, but it wasn’t a great day -- four catches for 40 yards, the biggest being the 9-yarder on the last possession. He also had a couple drops. No one will accuse him of “dogging it,” though.
RON BRACE: Bills’ ability to run up the middle early in the game proves he’s no Vince Wilfork. His shortcomings were minimized by a revitalized pass rush.
PATRIOTS' GAME NOTES
ANNUAL ACHIEVEMENT
The Patriots won their ninth game of the season at Buffalo and are the only team in the NFL to have recorded nine or more wins in each of the last nine seasons.
MOST SEASONS OF 9+ WINS SINCE 2001
New England 9
Indianapolis 8
Philadelphia 7
Green Bay 6
*Pittsburgh 6
Seattle 6
Dallas 6
(the following teams with five can still reach nine wins this season: NY Jets, Miami, Denver. Dallas and Baltimore)
ANNUAL ACHIEVEMENT, PART 2
With their ninth win of the season, the Patriots have won more than half of their games for the ninth straight year. They are the first team to win more than half of their games in nine straight seasons since free agency began in 1993 and the fifth team to do so since the 1970 merger, joining the 49ers, the Cowboys, the Raiders and the Steelers.
RANDY MOSS REGISTERS 10TH RECEIVING TD OF THE SEASON
WR Randy Moss scored on a 13-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to record his 10th touchdown of the season. Moss now has nine 10-plus touchdown seasons to tie Jerry Rice for the most NFL seasons with 10-plus receiving touchdowns.
MOSS IS THE FIRST PATRIOTS PLAYER TO RECORD THREE SEASONS OF 10-PLUS TOUDCHOWN CATCHES
Moss is the first Patriots player to record three 10-plus touchdown seasons with 23 in 2007, 11 in 2008 and 10 so far in 2009.
MOSS MOVES INTO PATRIOTS TOP TEN IN SCORING
The 13-yard touchdown in the second quarter moved Moss moved into the Patriots all-time top 10 in scoring. He entered the Buffalo game with 260 points and moved past Tony Collins (264) into 10th place with 266 points. Jim Nance is in ninth place with 276 points.
MATTHEW SLATER HAS FIRST TOUCH ON OFFENSE
Matthew Slater had his first offensive touch when he took a handoff on an end around for a six-yard gain in the second quarter.
LAURENCE MARONEY SCORES NINTH TOUCHDOWN OF THE SEASON
Laurence Maroney scored his ninth touchdown of the season on a one-yard run in the second quarter. The Patriots have had a player rush for 10 touchdowns or more in a season 11 times with the most recent being Corey Dillon’s 13 rushing touchdcowns in 2006.
PATRIOTS HAVE FIRST SEASON SINCE 1996 WITH TWO PLAYERS WITH NINE OR MORE TOUCHDOWNS
Moss (10) and Maroney (9) makes 2009 the first season since 1996 where the Patriots have had two players with nine or more touchdowns. It is the sixth time in team history it has happened (1996, 1976, 1974, 1966 amd 1961 are the others).
WELKER SETS CAREER-HIGH IN RECEIVING YARDS
Wes Welker set a career-high in receiving yards on a 5-yard pass from QB Tom Brady in the third quarter to surpass the 1,175 yards he had in 2007. He finished the game with 40 yards to push his 2009 total to 1,198 yards. That total is fourth all-time in New England history behind 1,493 by Randy Moss in 2007, 1,491 by Stanley Morgan in 1986 and 1,199 by Troy Brown in 2001.
BANTA-CAIN HAS CAREER-HIGH THREE SACKS TO SET SINGLE-SEASON HIGH OF 8.5
LB Tully Banta-Cain set a career-high with three sacks to push his 2009 season total to 8.5. His previous best for a season was 5.5 in 2006 with the Patriots. It is his second game in 2009 with at least two sacks and fourth of his career. All three of his sacks came in the fourth quarter.
BRADY NEEDS ONE MORE TD FOR 25
Tom Brady threw his 24th touchdown of the season on a 13-yard pass to WR Randy Moss in the second quarter. He needs one more touchdown to record his fifth season with 25 or more touchcowns.
MOST SEASONS WITH 25-PLUS TOUCHDOWN PASSES
12 Peyton Manning
11 Brett Favre
7 Dan Marino
6 Joe Montana
5 Drew Brees
PATRIOTS CLOSE OUT THE AFC EAST REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE
The Patriots closed out the 2009 AFC East schedule with a 4-2 record. It is the Patriots ninth consecutive winning record in AFC East play.
PATRIOTS EXTEND WINNING STREAK OVER BUFFALO
The Patriots extended their winning streak to 13 games over Buffalo. The 13-game winning streak is for the fourth longest winning streak in NFL history.
LONGEST NFL SERIES WINNING STREAKS
Team Opponent Win Streak Last Loss
Miami Buffalo 20 (1970-79)
San Francisco Rams 17 (1990-98)
Miami Colts 14 (1980-87)
New England Buffalo 13 (2003-present)
Dallas Cardinals 13 (1990-96)
San Diego Oakland 13 (2003-current)
PATRIOTS IN DECEMBER
The Patriots improved to an NFL-best record of 26-3 in the month of December since 2003. Overall, QB Tom Brady is now 28-5 in the month of December.
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© 2012 Created by Colin Blaney.
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