Perfect Patriots Pounce On Bengals!

The Cincinnati Bengals walked in to Gillette Stadium licking their chops at the possibility of defeating the New England Patriots in their own back yard but walked out on Foxborough with the same deflated feeling that the Pats had experienced themselves last week. Defeat to the Chiefs 41-14 had raised many questions over the brightness of the future for the legendary duo of Brady and Belichick but the two executed tonight's game plan brilliantly as they rallied to an early 14-0 first quarter lead against the Bengals.

Brady was back to his magical best completing 23 of 35 passing attempts for 2 touchdowns to Tim Wright who had a breakout night and Rob Gronkowski who looks to be back to his best which is fantastic news for the Patriots. I called for Timothy Wright's breakout game to be last week but it came tonight and whilst many have questioned the Logan Mankins trade which exposed New England's offensive line problems after tonight everyone will be praising the genius of Belichick as Wright, the man who moved the other way as part of that trade with Tampa Bay, had an Aaron Hernandez type performance and had 5 receptions for 85 yards and one score.

This helped Rob Gronkowski get free and avoid double coverage throughout the game with the big man catching 6 passes from Brady including the catch which saw Brady eclipse 50,000 passing yards during his NFL career becoming only the 6th quarterback to do so; Gronk finished the night with 100 yards, one score and averaged 16.7 yards per catch. The fantastic performances by the two tight ends along with an inspired performance by the offensive line which helped Brady get his flow back in the passing game as well as also helping the team establish the running game, something New England fans have been crying out for.

The 6th QB to reach the landmark for passing yards

Josh McDaniels made the right play calls and used the one-two punch of Ridley and Vereen to devastating effect with the two combining on the ground for 203 rushing yards; Ridley had over 100 and got one touchdown. The effectiveness in the run game really did give the Patriots the balance they needed to win tonight's game and is something they have been renowned for having over the years. The passing game had 8 different receivers haul in a catch from Brady with the efficient display on offense seeing them post 36 points with Stephen Gotskowski kicking all 5 of his field goals successfully.

The other touchdown was a fumble return by Kyle Arrington who had a brilliant night on the defense. The defense did what I and many people expected after last weeks humiliation if not better by bouncing back in style with Darrelle Revis having his best game in a Patriot uniform to date limiting AJ Green in the passing game. Coach Belichick gave him the freedom to match up with the receiver one on one with Revis winning the battle throughout the game; Revis also had a forced fumble on a night which saw the Patriots force 3 turnovers with Jamie Collins causing the other. The Patriots also managed to get a pass rush going which unsettled Andy Dalton at times who despite actually having a good night personally, 15/24 for two touchdowns, suffered as the rest of the team around him depleted.

Tonight's 43-17 victory is just the bounce back performance that the New England Patriots needed to silence the doubters and get their season back up and running. They now sit joint first in the AFC East with a 3-2 record ahead of two divisional games coming up against the Bills next Sunday and the New York Jets the following week on Thursday Night Football. Before the Chiefs game I sang the Patriots praises regarding their ability of performing under the lights of prime time television and while last week didn't go too well for them they sure as hell did well tonight! Brady now owns a 13-8 record on Sunday Night Fooball and the Patriots are an NFL best 38-9 in the month of October since 2003 including a home record of 23-1 in that time which is very impressive.

Brady was all fired up after guiding New England to victory

Brady himself knows there's a long way to go on the season but to beat a team that many had down as the most complete in the conference has to boost morale; this victory was New England's 32nd straight regular season victory at home against AFC opposition. That record will definitely be put to the test in week 9 when they host Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos which comes after the two divisional matchups mentioned earlier on and just after a home encounter against the Chicago Bears. That means that 3 of the Patriots next 4 games are at Gillette Stadium which could give this team even more confidence before they head in to their bye week come week 10.

So Brady and co are back with a vengeance with quarterback's career record after a loss now standing at 35 wins with just 8 losses (won last 9). As well as this since 2009 in 33 games Brady is 29-4 throwing 65 touchdowns to just 13 interceptions with a QB rating of 112. Anyone who questioned the Patriots will now surely feel foolish and the team will now have their road trip to Buffalo in sight as they look to take control of the division which after tonight many analysts and experts will expect them to do. Tonight may have been just one game but it showed the heart as well as the spirit that this New England team has and that is something you cannot teach and will definitely come in hand throughout the long regular season and more importantly come playoff time.

The End Of An Era? Bengals vs Patriots

Following last Monday's humiliation at Arrowhead Stadium the New England Patriots and Tom Brady in particular have come under a lot of criticism. Last week was one of Tom Brady's worst ever performance in the NFL with the future hall of fame quarterback finishing the game sitting on the sidelines looking deflated and just pure angry.

But you see this is when Tom Brady always brings out his best, right in the face of adversity. We all know this fairytale story; drafted as the 199th pick in round 6 back in the 2000 draft to then go on and move up the depth chart from 4th string quarterback all the way to beating out the well established Drew Bledsoe and then go on to new unthinkable heights as Brady made a massive contribution to the Patriots dynasty that won 3 Super Bowl titles in 4 years (2001 season, 2003 and 2004)

Since then he has only furthered his legacy making two more Super Bowl's, winning MVP awards in 2007 and 2010, most playoff wins as a quarterback with 18 playoff wins among many other records so yes the list is endless. Now I or any other NFL fanatic could sit here all day praising Tom Brady's abilities but after last Monday's blowout defeat to the Chiefs the question is that is there any more magic left from Tom Terrific?

Tom Terrific has it all to prove again starting with tonight

Well I say yes there is but there are definitely more concerns around this Patriot's offense now then there have been over the past decade. 2nd year wide-out Kenbrell Thompkins was released yesterday which leaves the receiving core with Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, Aaron Dobson and Brandon LaFell along with special teams specialist Matthew Slater and undrafted free agent Brian Tyms who remains inactive.

Edelman is a fantastic receiver but when your best receiver is a former high school quarterback that says it all. Amendola was supposed to be the second coming of Amendola but the realistic scenario happened with him being a flop. Dobson has a lot of potential but injuries have haunted him over this first quarter of the season and I personally feel like LaFell is building up a good rapport with Brady albeit rather slow; he was one of if not the only positive from last week's loss in Kansas.

Tight end Rob Gronkowski remains Brady best and most reliable weapon in this offense as he is a superstar when healthy but unfortunately he'll take time to get back to his best. Brady is not surrounded with the weapons that Peyton Manning has right now in Denver but Colts fans from the past will say Brady had better weapons at his disposal when the two use to face of years ago. That debate is for another day but one things for sure Tom Brady is a man who is known for making average receivers look good.

Sadly for Brady you can't do that when you have a depleted offensive line and the play-calling is terrible. Josh McDaniels was using Vereen as a 3 down back last week which was horrible as every Patriot knows his skills come off screen and trick plays. While I have criticised running back Stevan Ridley in the past there are no denying this young mans talents; he finished last season with 10 touchdowns in the regular season and 2 in the divisional round playoff win against the Colts.

The Patriots need to establish a running game to take the pressure off Brady as at the moment opposing defenses are not afraid of the passing game and a talented group like Cincinnati will be licking their lips at the prospect of facing New England tonight. Despite 9 out of 10 people ruling the Patriots out tonight I personally think they will bounce back and win tonight as the Pats defense has so much talent and will put in a much better performance than last week which will provide a platform for the rest of the team to believe again.

Brady may not have the weapons that everyone believes he deserves but that can't be changed and the Patriots just need to get on with it. Once the team has a offensive line that is starting together regularly then they'll hope that in time it will come good. Many people will be choosing the Bengals to walk in to Gillette stadium and win tonight but I remember last season when the 4-0 Patriots walked in to Paul Brown Stadium against the 2-2 Bengals with all the praise in the world being heaped on the Patriots only for them to lose 13-6 in a game which was contested in monsoon like weather.

A year later and now the tables have turned with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick saying in his press conference that "They [The Bengals] have a lot of good players. They're well-coached. They're tough, they're physical, they're explosive. It's been a while since I've seen a team that's as complete as they are." so yes tonight will be a heavy challenge but the turnover in who is the top dogs in the NFL is what makes it so exciting to watch. That is why Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots deserve so much credit for the level of consistency they have shown for over the past 10 years. They thrive off adversity and will take it head on when it's right in their face, some people say good things can't last forever well I think tonight will prove otherwise and whether it's ugly or pretty the Patriots will move on to 3-2 and leave the Bengals at 3-1 come the end of Sunday Night Football.

Prediction: Bengals 24-27 Patriots

The good, the bad and the ugly

                                                    The Good!

Brady looking happy after the Pats blowout Pittsburgh

                                                      The Bad!

Brady curses after the refs miss a PI call against the Panthers

                                                      The Ugly!

The Pats welcome Manning's forehead to Gillette Stadium on Sunday Night Football

The New England Patriots headed in to their bye week in full spirits after a huge 55-31 win over the Steelers which saw them put up their most impressive offensive display in this 2013 season. With an extra week to prepare for the high flying Panthers it made Monday Night's matchup intriguing and it didn't disappoint as the game went down to the final play with the refs deciding there was no foul on the field when clearly Rob Gronkowski should have had a pass interference call for this:

with the ball in the air you can clearly see Gronk is being held

More evidence to confirm the bad call

The Patriots should have had one shot to win the game but it wasn't to be. The beauty of the NFL is the twist and turns even if sometimes things are so blindingly obvious. After a bye week New England were 10-3 under coach Belichick and on Monday Night Football Tom Brady had a 13-4 record before this defeat. There shouldn't be any shame in this defeat though as the Patriots came up against one of the best front sevens in the league yet they showed they are improving and that when healthy their offense can cause problems for any opposing defenses.

Next up for the Brady bunch is the visit of the Denver Broncos which means we will get the 14th installment of Tom Brady vs Peyton Manning on this weeks episode of Sunday Night Football! The argument over who is better has been a debate that has continued for over a decade and tomorrow nights game will add further fuel to the fire. Brady currently holds a 9-4 record over Manning in their head to head with Brady also holding a 6-2 record over Peyton in games played in New England. Brady has thrown 23 touchdowns to 12 interceptions in their meetings to Mannings' 27 TD's and 19 picks.

Tom Brady has three Super Bowl rings from five appearances in the big game while Peyton Manning has one win and one loss whereas Peyton Manning has four regular season MVP awards to Brady's two. In the playoffs Tom Brady has a fantastic record with 17 wins and 7 losses to Peyton Manning's not so impressive 9 victories and 11 losses which is impressive from Terrific Tom's corner when you consider he has started four more playoff games than Peyton too.

Generally speaking if you had to choose between the two 90% of people would probably accept flipping a coin and taking either because both are two of if not the two greatest quarterbacks to play in the NFL. Brady has Manning's number to a degree but that doesn't mean Peyton won't cause Brady any problems whether that be this Sunday or up until their careers end. In regards to Sunday night's game it will be a mouthwatering encounter as the 9-1 Broncos have looked unstoppable at times this season but you have to take in to account that the Patriots have an amazing record after a loss over these last 6 plus years having won 23 of 26.

The 2013 Broncos offense is devastating as Manning has many weapons from Moreno in the running game to Welker, Decker and Demaryius Thomas in his receiving core and that's not even mentioning breakout star at the tight-end position Julius Thomas. Whilst their defence might let them down at times thankfully for Denver they have the potential to outscore any opponent. New England on the other hand has found ways to grind out victories this season despite many key injuries on defense and an offensive group which has talent but also young or just new players to the system. Now that Danny Amendola, Rob Gronkowski and the versatile Shane Vereen have returned we have seen a real improvement from Tom Brady and this offense plus when you take it to account the talent of rookies Aaron Dobson and Kenbrell Thompkins then you can only imagine how much this offense could improve which will strike fear in to opponents with the playoffs really and truthfully only just around the corner.

Despite the defensive injuries to the likes of Jerod Mayo and Vince Wilfork the Patriots still rank 7th in the league in the least yardage given up which is a good sign for New England especially when you consider Peyton Manning's woes in cold weather games (below 30 degrees): 7 games, 2-5 record, 8 touchdowns to 8 interceptions and a passer rating of 75.8. This is in comparison to Tom Brady who has played 35 games in below 30 degrees in which he has won 33 and lost just 2 throwing 67 touchdowns to 22 interceptions leaving him with a passer rating of 91.2

Not only is information like this crucial to tomorrow's game but it is key to the rest of the season because come the playoffs we know Tom Brady can get it done whatever the weather and despite the high expectations Tom, Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft set you have to admit that there is probably less expectations on them this year when you weigh up everything that has happened. As for the Broncos well Peyton Manning's window for a second ring is closing and when you consider the talent he has around him well you have to say that expectations are sky high for all those involved with the franchise.

Tomorrow's game could have big implications in regards to who gets the home field advantage in the postseason and personally I feel it is more crucial to Denver although even a defeat tomorrow would mean that they could regain control of the first seed and the AFC West with a second victory against the Chiefs next weekend. When you consider that the last three Super Bowl winners, and six of the last eight, opened their title run with a win on wild-card weekend you can play down the importance of gaining a bye in the playoffs as arguably it "kills momentum" but this won't be in either teams mindsets as the world will be watching to see who comes out victorious when Tom Brady and Peyton Manning go head to head once again... Who knows folks we could well see segment 15 of this classic tale in the playoffs come the turn of the year!

Then there's the Patriots' amazing record after a loss the last 6-plus years, winning 23 of 26. Gotta roll with Tommy
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/eagles/20131122_Brady__Patriots_will_send_Manning__Broncos_back_to_earth.html#hSsXZaWJXZVIvH6B.99

Then there's the Patriots' amazing record after a loss the last 6-plus years, winning 23 of 26. Gotta roll with Tommy
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/eagles/20131122_Brady__Patriots_will_send_Manning__Broncos_back_to_earth.html#hSsXZaWJXZVIvH6B.99

Then there's the Patriots' amazing record after a loss the last 6-plus years, winning 23 of 26. Gotta roll with Tommy
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/eagles/20131122_Brady__Patriots_will_send_Manning__Broncos_back_to_earth.html#hSsXZaWJXZVIvH6B.99

Then there's the Patriots' amazing record after a loss the last 6-plus years, winning 23 of 26. Gotta roll with Tommy
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/eagles/20131122_Brady__Patriots_will_send_Manning__Broncos_back_to_earth.html#hSsXZaWJXZVIvH6B.99

Patriots move to 4-0; on to the next one!

Easy work on Sunday night!

Tom Brady led the New England Patriots to a fantastic 30-23 road victory against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football. It ensured that the Pats moved on to 4-0 for the third time in Bill Belichick's tenure and it was the head coach's 209th win which moved him to joint 5th all-time with Chuck Noel. It was a back to the future performance for Tom Brady who just seems to keep on getting better with age even despite being surrounded by a cast of rookie receivers. The future hall of fame quarterback is pulling off a great achievement with this receiving core and he is helping turn these players in to legitimate NFL wideouts so early on in their careers; Brady finished Sunday night's game with a season high of 316 passing yards completing 20 out of 31 passes.

Not for the first time this season we saw the Patriots defense come up big with Aqib Talib being the stand out performer versus Atlanta as he hauled in an interception early on as well as the providing the game-sealing defensive breakup in the end zone to stop the Falcons late comeback attempt. Unfortunately Vince Wilfork suffered a season ending injury when he tore his achilles on Sunday night which has come as a massive blow for this Patriots team. The franchise has the 'next man up' approach but he will be a big miss. Thankfully for New England its entire defense has been contributing so far this season which has been a big factor in this four game winning streak; they are tied for 6th in forced fumbles recovering 3 out of 5 and are tied for 10th in interceptions with five picks. This defense is for real and despite Wilfork's absence Belichick will find a way to make things work.

Tom Brady has won 140 games to just 39 losses which is outstanding. He has 45,820 passing yards and a fantastic touchdown to interception ratio of 341-125. With this limited offense people dared to doubt the Golden Boy but he has built up a good rapport with the likes of Aaron Dobson and Kenbrell Thompkins as well as utilised Julian Edelman and even connected with Mike Mulligan for a touchdown on Sunday night. The running game has looked good with a well-run combined attack which saw Blount rush for 64 yards and a score, Ridley get 53 yards as well as Bolden chip in with 17 from 6 carries.

The offense will get stronger when Rob Gronkowski and Danny Amendola return from injury; two valuable weapons who Brady can rely on and will help take this team to another level. Tom Brady is working miracles at the moment I mean could Peyton Manning, Drew Brees or Alex Smith make things work with this receiving core? No. The Patriots are a Super Bowl contender if they have a healthy roster heading in to the playoffs and after starting the season 4-0 they’re on course for an impressive regular season.

Season Prediction: With the way things currently stand the next chapter of Brady and Manning could be on the cards in a potential mouth-watering AFC Championship game. Picture a Star Wars scenario with Wes Welker as Anakin Skywalker and he has left to join Emperor Peyton Manning on the dark side. Brady, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and his young receivers, they can represent Luke Skywalker, will go on the road to Mile High in a high stakes affair with the winner going to New York to play in Super Bowl XLVIII. Regular season: 13-3

who would prevail?