Matt Cassel rallied the New England Patriots when they needed
him most.
New England’s fill-in quarterback calmly stared down blitzes for completions
with his team’s playoff chances in the balance. Then Sammy Morris leaped into
the end zone from 1 yard on fourth down with 2:44 remaining and the Patriots
rallied past the Seattle Seahawks 24-21 on Sunday.
One week after flopping with four turnovers in a home loss to Pittsburgh that
put New England on the outside rail of the AFC playoff race, Cassel was 26 of 44
for 268 yards passing and a touchdown, with no turnovers.
The Patriots forged a three-way tie for first place in the AFC East lead after
Brandon Meriweather sacked Seneca Wallace with 1:54 left and Richard Seymour
recovered the fumble to clinch it.
The New York Jets lost at San Francisco. Miami beat Buffalo in Toronto. All
three teams are 8-5.
New England withstood the loss of four injured starters on defense and a rare
two-touchdown receiving day from former teammate Deion Branch...
Video Recap: The New England Patriots scored 11 points in
the fourth quarter to come from behind and beat the Seattle Seahawks 24-21. Dick
Enberg and Randy Cross recap all the action
Seneca Wallace passed to Deion Branch to the left for 14
yard gain (Olindo Mare made PAT)
0 - 7
0:48
NE
FG
Stephen Gostkowski kicked a 50-yard field goal
3 - 7
2nd Quarter
12:30
SEA
TD
Seneca Wallace passed to John Carlson to the right for
10 yard gain (Olindo Mare made PAT)
3 - 14
9:09
NE
TD
Matt Cassel passed to Benjamin Watson down the middle
for 2 yard gain (Stephen Gostkowski made PAT)
10 - 14
3rd Quarter
2:40
NE
FG
Stephen Gostkowski kicked a 42-yard field goal
13 - 14
0:41
SEA
TD
Seneca Wallace passed to Deion Branch to the left for 4
yard gain (Olindo Mare made PAT)
13 - 21
4th Quarter
12:19
NE
FG
Stephen Gostkowski kicked a 27-yard field goal
16 - 21
2:44
NE
TD
Sammy Morris rushed up the middle for 1 yard gain (2pt
attempt converted, Matt Cassel pass to Wes Welker)
24 - 21
Team Statistics
NE
SEA
First Downs
21
18
Passing
16
11
Rushing
4
7
Penalty
1
0
Third Down Efficiency
9-17
7-12
Fourth Down Efficiency
2-2
0-0
TOTAL NET YARDS
344
339
Total Plays
72
55
Average Gain Per Play
4.8
6.2
NET YARDS RUSHING
84
134
Rushes
25
26
Average Per Rush
3.4
5.2
NET YARDS PASSING
260
205
Completions-Attempts
26-44
20-28
Yards Per Pass Play
5.5
7.1
Times Sacked
3
1
Yards Lost to Sacks
8
7
Had Intercepted
0
0
PUNTS
3
5
Average Punt
40.3
39.4
PENALTIES
1
5
Penalty Yards
15
39
FUMBLES
1
2
Fumbles Lost
0
1
TIME OF POSSESSION
33:55
26:05
Pregame Previews, Storylines,
and News
New Page 1
Preview:
In a dismal second half
of their most recent game, the
New England Patriots picked a
poor time to play their worst 30
minutes of football this season.
Another performance like it, and
the NFL playoffs could be
Patriot-free for the first time
since 2002. New England may need
to win its final four games to
have a chance at a postseason
berth, a task coach Bill
Belichick's team hopes to begin
when it opens a weeklong West
Coast trip by visiting the
struggling Seattle Seahawks for
the first time in 15 years...
Prediction: The Patriots
learned last week against the Steelers that you just can't compete against the
elite with a decimated roster. However, the schedule supplies the Seahawks on
Sunday. Patriots 34 - Seahawks 17
Video Preview: If the New
England Patriots want to stay in the playoff race, beating the Seattle Seahawks
could go a long way in reaching that goal. Greg Amsinger and Charley Casserly
have the preview
7.8
20.5