Patriot fans at Devaney’s, a sports pub in Orlando, FL react to the demise of the Pat’s season. Thanks to them, for being awesome, and making me feel like I was home in Boston while on vacation. I think this covers the event better than anything else could. -Jess Lander, YawkeyTalkies Editor

By: Jess Lander, YawkeyTalkies Editor
Well, at least the Celtics won today?
This was probably the worst performance we’ve seen from the Patriots all season. And maybe all decade. Home was supposed to be where we were safe, undefeated there all season, undefeated there in playoffs all-time with Brady as our leader. We also had never lost to Baltimore before. All the statistics said the Pats should have had that in the bag.
But we looked like we were in foreign, hostile territory. On the first play of the game, the Ravens’ Ray Rice ran for an 83-yard touchdown. Five minutes into the game it was already 14-0. Three turnovers for Brady in the first quarter which ended 24-0, one fumble and three interceptions for him throughout the game.
Maybe they just couldn’t do it without Welker. Maybe it was Brady with three broken ribs. But either way, the Patriots got rocked. All of the Patriots. Brady was a mere 23 for 42 with just 154 yards. Moss, our go to without Welker, only caught five passes all game for 48 yards. The defense allowed 234 yards rushing. Belichick punted when the Pats desperately needed to go for points.
Welker’s replacement Edelman [...]

By: Phil Shore, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
The New England Patriots is the team that got Boston’s sports amazing decade started. They were the NFL dynasty of the past ten years. With three Super Bowl championships and a perfect regular season there isn’t much more that the region could ask of the franchise. Yes, that fourth Super Bowl win against the Giants would’ve been incredible, but it still was an absolutely magical decade for the Patriots. So without further ado, here are the top ten Patriot moments of the decade.
10. 59-0: Games in the snow are always memorable. This season against the Tennessee Titans in week six, the Patriots won by a margin of victory not even seen in their dominant 2007 perfect regular season (they also had not shut anyone out that season). Tom Brady took advantage of an already bad pass defense that was weakened even further due to a few injuries in the Titans’ secondary and threw for six touchdowns—five of which were in the second quarter, setting an NFL record. Six different Patriots scored and the defense didn’t allow leading rusher Chris Johnson into the end zone. It was a dominating all-around performance from the Patriots and a message [...]

By: Andrew Bruss, YawkeyTalkies Correspondent
Even with a 20-10 win over the North Carolina Panthers under their belt, all is not well in the world of the New England Patriots. True, Randy Moss has been underperforming, and word of Tom Brady possibly having a bad shoulder are concerning enough, but the real problem lies in the drama. In-fighting, trash talking, and baby-mama-drama have all contributed to a season that has many Pat’s fans worrying about post-season prospects in a way New Englander’s haven’t since the days of Drew Bledsoe.
Incomplete passes and interceptions have proven to play a big part of the problem on the field, but for a sport as combative as football, the moral of the troops is just as significant as the force of the blitz.  Herein lies the problem.
For every interception Brady has thrown, Pat’s fans everywhere have been asking, “What’s going through his mind?” With a pregnant wife at home, that question was answering itself.  Plenty of folks are hoping that now that Brady and Gisele are proud parents, the cornerstone of the Patriots offense will be more capable of keeping his mind on the game.
But aside from Brady’ attention span, clubhouse politics have taken [...]

By: Phil Shore, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
Two minutes, eight seconds remaining. That’s all that separates you from being the first team to knock off the undefeated Colts. It’s fourth down, two yards to go, and you’re on your own 28-yard line. Oh, and you’re winning—not losing—by six points.
Unless you’re a Madden madman, you punt. Surely, the coach recognized as one of the best in the league would know this.
He obviously didn’t and it was a costly decision.
The Patriots failed to convert, giving Peyton Manning 1:57, the ball needing to only gain 28 yards to keep the Colts unbeaten.
New England outplayed the Colts all game. They had more passing yards, more rushing yards, and more time of possession. The turnover battle was even. A Stephen Gostkowski field goal gave them a 13-point lead with only a little over four minutes remaining. All this was done in Indianapolis as the visitor. Truly, it was an inspiring performance.
However, great teams are able to close out games. The Patriots could not close, could not finish off the Colts.
“We didn’t finish,” said receiver Wes Welker. “When it comes down to it, the other stuff doesn’t matter. Coming down to the end, we’ve got to finish. We didn’t [...]

By: Ian Tasso, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
Not much surprises New England Patriots fans anymore. Fifty Brady touchdowns, a 16-0 record and three Super Bowls in four years will do that to you. But 2009’s Patriot defense might buck the trend. Ranked sixth in the NFL in pass defense and third in points allowed, the New England defense deprived of big names and bright stars has officially shocked – and even surprised – the football world. Overall they’ve been tremendous. But how do they stack up individually? Grades are in once again, and class is back in session.
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Defensive Line: The loss of Richard Seymour is a little bit more apparent than New Englanders would have hoped. Even so, the Patriot defensive line is performing admirably, with Mike Wright stepping up in number 93’s stead. Wright leads the team with 4.0 sacks, but unfortunately is the only member of the D-Line with more than one. Vince Wilfork is yet to record his first. With Jarvis Green now out, the Patriot’s inability to apply pressure with just the front men will prove to be testing, but as evident by the defense’s success thus far, it’s not a hugely concerning issue.
Individual Grades: Wright, [...]

By: Phil Shore, YawkeyTalkies Correspondent
If you had Tom Brady, Wes Welker, Randy Moss, or anyone else on the Patriots offense for that matter on your fantasy team yesterday (including kicker Stephen Gostkowski and the forgotten running back Laurence Maroney) you were having a great day. Heck, if for some bizarre reason you not only had Brian Hoyer on your team but you also started him he even rewarded you with nine completions, 52 yards, and a rushing touchdown (however, I wouldn’t recommend continuing to start him).
The Patriots beat up on a winless Tennessee Titans team yesterday 59-0, setting franchise records for points (59) and total offense (619 yards) in a game, and Brady set a record for most touchdown passes in a single quarter (5).
Head Coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots O came into the game with a clear gameplan: throw the ball. Even though the game was a blowout, the Patriots threw the ball 45 times, compared to 30 rushing attempts.
The Patriots planned on taking advantage of the Titans defense, a team that had the second-worse passing defense in the league. Not only were they already one of the league’s worst, they were missing both starting cornerbacks and a [...]