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
In the Wild Card round of the playoffs, the Patriots open at home against the Baltimore Ravens in a rematch of their week four game.
Last time the teams squared off Tom Brady looked like he was returning to form after a shaky start to the season, aided by the return of his favorite target, Wes Welker, who missed the previous two games with a knee injury.
This time a battered Brady, playing with three broken ribs, will have to face the Ravens defense without Welker, who tore both his anterior cruciate ligament and his medial collateral ligament.
The blow is devastating to the Patriots pass-happy offense. Welker led the team in receiving seven times this season, more than any other player. His 123 catches this season were the most in the NFL and set a franchise record, breaking the one he set himself in 2007.
Brady relies heavily on Welker. Without him, Brady’s completion percentage this season drops from 68% to 56% and his quarterback rating drops from 102.9 to a measly 68.9.
The opposing defense will now be able to double Randy Moss, which does not bode well for the receiver who already had been rumored to taking [...]

By: Scott Jackson, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
After dropping the ball last week, the report card is back.  Unfortunately the Patriots dropped the ball this week, losing to Houston 34-27.
Quarterbacks:
Tom Brady didn’t look like a man with three broken ribs.  He did, however, look like the game didn’t matter, coughing up an interception that set-up Houston’s winning score.  Backup Brian Hoyer played well; until the final drive when he couldn’t complete a pass.
My grade: C-

Runningbacks:
No Laurence Maroney.  No problem.  Future Hall of Famer Fred Taylor scored two touchdowns.  BenJarvus Green-Ellis set-up Taylor’s first score with a big block.  But the group didn’t do a great job overall, only gaining 64 yards on the ground.  And Taylor did fumble the ball in his endzone, but that was mostly the fault of the offensive line.
My grade: C-
Receivers/Tight Ends:
Wes Welker will be missed.  But Julian Edelman filled in well, catching ten passes for 103 yards (it’s weird seeing a #11 out there who can run, isn’t it?).  Despite not scoring, Randy Moss had a good game, finishing with 75 yards.  And the tight ends stepped up with Welker out, catching everything thrown their way.
My grade: B
Offensive Line:
An offensive line has two jobs.  The first is [...]

By: Jess Lander, YawkeyTalkies Editor
What headlines are buzzing via morse code today?
Bruins make a deal with the devil. Not really. The Bruins signed 35-year old Miroslav Satan, who has been inactive since winning a Stanley Cup with the Penguins last year. Pros of the deal: It is only costing $350,000 and Satan is known to score. Over 13 seasons he has scored 354 goals and added 367 assists over 1,012 games. Ten of his seasons have over 20 goals. Cons of the deal: He’s old, and rusty, not having played yet this season. Satan should be on the ice in about two weeks and we’ll see what he’s got. Either way, this deal can’t really hurt, and could possibly help.
Brady sees the glass half full. Brady addressed Wes Welker’s injury on WEEI and found a positive spin on his absence for this coming week. “It’s one less player they have to worry about, obviously,” Brady said. “But there’s going to be other things. We’re going to evolve a little bit as an offense now. It was a very Wes Welker-oriented offense. And now, maybe part of the advantage is Baltimore really doesn’t know what they’re going to see from us [...]

By: JessLander, YawkeyTalkies Editor.
So, in case you turned off your TV because you assumed the Patriots had it in the bag yesterday, they failed to close, again. Right when we thought they had made up for fumbling on the line for a Houston touchdown with a fourteen-point lead, the Pats defense let the Texans stomp into their territory for three touchdowns and the win (the game-winner coming off of an interception). The final score was 34-27.
Luckily though, the Patriots weren’t the Giants (lost 44-7), the Eagles (lost 24-0, dropping to a Wildcard 6th seed), the Colts (lost 30-7 to the BILLS), or the Bengals (lost 37-0 allowing the Jets in the playoffs) . They also weren’t one of the five AFC teams that had their playoff hopes dashed yesterday. I’m sure the Patriots are also okay enough losing to Houston since they still have a spot in the playoffs and Houston, well doesn’t. The glass can always be half full.
The bigger scare of the day was actually in the first quarter when Wes Welker left the game with an injury. Reports now say that Welker tore both his MCL and ACL in his knee, and is most likely out for [...]

By: Scott Jackson, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
The Pats finally got it done on the road.  The team beat the Buffalo Bills 17-10 in Orchard Park.  Quite a nice early Christmas present for Kraft’s Kingdom.
Quarterbacks:
Tom Brady’s 115 yard performance was his worst of the year.  True, Tom is banged up.  And, as usual, is under near constant pressure.  Neither of these factors make Brady’s job any easier.  But at the end of the day, New England won.
My Grade: C
Runningbacks:
The corps made one of the leagues worst ground defenses look like one if its best.  The Bills D allows a league-worst 4.8 yards per carry on the year, but the Pats ‘backs averaged only 3.2 per.  They’ll be getting some coal in their stockings tomorrow morning.
My Grade: D
Receivers/Tight Ends:
Great touchdown reception by Randy Moss in the second quarter.  Randy finished with 70 yards on five grabs.  While Moss was criticized, incorrectly, about his effort against Carolina, he’s the only one who really showed up Sunday.  Wes Welker tripped himself up twice, and Sam Aiken let two deep throws fall through his hands.  As for the tight ends, no balls went their way, but they did a solid job blocking.
My Grade: C
Offensive Line:
The Bills [...]

By: Scott Jackson, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
What a poor game for the Patriots.  If you look up the definition on blown-out, you’ll probably see Monday’s game as an example.  The team hadn’t played this bad in the bayou since Super Bowl XX, when the Bears downed the Pats 46-10.
Quarterbacks:
Tom Brady struggled mightily in this one.  Terrible Tom threw two interceptions.  The first was an excusable throw while being flushed from the pocket.  The second was a desperation heave with needing points badly.  On the plus side, Brian Hoyer didn’t look too bad.
My grade: D+

Runningbacks:
Sure. Laurence Maroney scored two touchdowns (clinching a victory in fantasy football for fellow columnist Dan Massar).  But he also coughed up the ball again (though in his defense he forced a fumble to take the ball back).  Sammy Morris was a near non-factor in his return.  Kevin Faulk made some plays in the passing game, as usual.
My grade: C-
Receivers/Tight Ends:
The Saints defensive back corp was whittled down for this one because of injuries.  You wouldn’t have known this watching the game, as Randy Moss and Wes Welker were both effectively covered all game.  It’s never good when Sam Aiken is your leading receiver.  The tight ends were [...]