Read More: Tom Brady (QB – NEP), Matt Light (OT – NEP), Logan Mankins (G – NEP), Sebastian Vollmer (OT – NEP), New England Patriots

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was not present at the media portion of the team’s Wednesday practice as his teammates prepared for their regular season finale against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

Brady, who was seen wearing an ice pack on his non-throwing shoulder after getting hit during the Miami Dolphins game in Week 16, spoke to reporters during media availability and is still expected to play on Sunday.

The Patriots were also without offensive linemen Logan Mankins and Sebastian Vollmer during the media portion of the practice. Mankins sprained his MCL during the Dolphins game and is not expected to play against the Bills. Vollmer injured his right foot against the Philadelphia Eagles on Nov. 27 and hasn’t played since.

Left tackle Matt Light miss Saturday’s win against the Dolphins, but returned to practice on Wednesday.

For more Patriots coverage, visit our team page or our blog Pats Pulpit.

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FOXBORO — 

Houston Antwine, one of the Patriots’ top defensive players in their early years, and his wife, Evelyn, have died, the team said yesterday.

Antwine, 72, died Monday in Memphis, Tenn., of heart failure, and his wife died yesterday of lung cancer, the team said.

A member of the Patriots’ 50th Anniversary Team, Antwine played from 1961-71 with the franchise before spending the 1972 season with the Philadelphia Eagles.

In 142 regular-season games for the Patriots, he had 39 sacks, leading the team in that category during the 1967, 1968, and 1969 seasons, although sacks were not an official statistic then.

“For those of us who grew up watching the Boston Patriots, this is a really sad day,” Patriots owner Robert Kraft said. “In the 1960s, the defensive tackle tandem of ‘Twine’ and Jim Lee Hunt were as good as any in the league and helped propel the Patriots to the franchise’s first division championship in 1963.

“I loved hearing Houston’s stories about those early days in Boston. It was such a thrill for me, personally, to spend time with the players from that era.

“I am saddened to learn of the deaths of both Houston and Evelyn and want to express my deepest sympathies to the Antwines’ daughter, Regina, and all who mourn her losses. Let us all cherish life and remind loved ones how we feel about them daily.”

Antwine attended Southern Illinois, where he became a multiple sport athlete, a defensive tackle and an NAIA wrestling champion.

At 6-foot, 270 pounds, he was drafted by the Houston Oilers in the eighth round (64th overall) in 1961, then traded to the Patriots before ever playing a game for the Oilers. Antwine became a defensive catalyst for the Patriots, making the all-star team from 1963-68.

In addition to making the Patriots’ 1960s All-Decade team, he was chosen to the all-time All-AFL team.

If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Houston Antwine, one of the Patriots’ top defensive players in their early years, and his wife, Evelyn, have died, the team said Tuesday.

Antwine, 72, died Monday in Memphis, Tenn., of heart failure, and his wife died Tuesday of lung cancer, the team said.

A member of the Patriots’ 50th Anniversary Team, Antwine played from 1961-71 with the franchise before spending the 1972 season with the Philadelphia Eagles. In 142 regular-season games for the Patriots, he had 39 sacks, leading the team in that category during the 1967, 1968, and 1969 seasons, although sacks were not an official statistic then.

“For those of us who grew up watching the Boston Patriots, this is a really sad day,” Patriots owner Robert Kraft said. “In the 1960s, the defensive tackle tandem of ‘Twine’ and Jim Lee Hunt were as good as any in the league and helped propel the Patriots to the franchise’s first division championship in 1963.

“I loved hearing Houston’s stories about those early days in Boston. It was such a thrill for me, personally, to spend time with the players from that era.

“I am saddened to learn of the deaths of both Houston and Evelyn and want to express my deepest sympathies to the Antwine’s daughter, Regina, and all who mourn her losses. Let us all cherish life and remind loved ones how we feel about them daily.”

Antwine attended Southern Illinois, where he became a multiple sport athlete, a defensive tackle and an NAIA wrestling champion.

At 6-foot, 270 pounds, he was drafted by the Houston Oilers in the eighth round (64th overall) in 1961, then traded to the Patriots before ever playing a game for the Oilers. Antwine became a defensive catalyst for the Patriots, making the all-star team from 1963-1968.

In addition to making the Patriots 1960s All-Decade team, he was chosen to the all-time All-AFL team.

Services and burial information were not yet available.

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Boston Patriots Houston Antwine. (Photo courtesy New England Patriots)

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Patriots, Dolphins still have plenty to play for

By HOWARD ULMAN

AP Sports Writer

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) The New England Patriots are in the playoffs for the ninth time in 11 years. The Miami Dolphins missed them for the ninth time in 10.

Both, though, have a lot at stake on Saturday with the Patriots going for a first-round bye and many Dolphins playing for jobs next season.

And both have the same approach to moving toward those goals. Forget about them.

“Right now, all we’re worried about is Miami,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick told reporters. “All the rest of it is just something for you guys to write about.”

Todd Bowles, a head coach for just one NFL game compared with Belichick’s 291, isn’t focused on what a victory would mean for his future in that position.

“I don’t have any expectations, really,” he said. “I’m just trying to get the guys to play hard and play better and play fast and try to come out with wins. I don’t control those decisions.”

The Patriots (11-3) clinched their third straight AFC East title last Sunday with a 41-23 win at the Denver Broncos. There are several ways for them to secure a bye this week, the easiest being a victory combined with a loss or tie by the Houston Texans. They even can clinch the top seed in the AFC and home-field advantage throughout the conference playoffs if they win and Houston, Pittsburgh and Baltimore all lose or tie.

“I don’t think we think about any of those things other than Miami,” quarterback Tom Brady said. “We prepare hard, focus on what we can focus on, control what we can control, go out there and play with great effort, good execution and we’ll be in good position.”

The Dolphins (5-9) will focus on stopping Brady. They couldn’t do it in their season-opening 38-24 loss in Miami in which Brady threw for a franchise record 517 yards. Bowles, who led the Dolphins to a 30-23 win over the Buffalo Bills last Sunday after replacing the fired Tony Sparano, was the secondary coach then.

“It was the toughest game for me as a coach,” Bowles said. “You don’t see those kind of numbers every day. Nothing worked. .man (to man), zone, pressure, prevent. He completed everything. You write it off as a bad loss.”

But he remained confident and the secondary has improved considerably since then.

“I just think it was a bad game,” he said. “You just write it off and move on next week.”

The Patriots also have a dangerous offensive threat to handle. Reggie Bush rushed for a career-high 203 yards against Buffalo last Sunday, the same day New England allowed 167 yards rushing in the first quarter alone.

In their last two games, the Patriots have been burned for a total of 422 yards on the ground.

“He’s a special guy,” New England linebacker Rob Ninkovich said of Bush. “A guy like Reggie can do a lot of different things. … So you’ve just got to make sure you don’t let him do those things.”

Bush already has shown he can thrive as an every-down back, something he didn’t do in his other five NFL seasons, all with the New Orleans Saints.

So what motivates him with his team out of the playoff race?

“It’s the New England Patriots,” he said. “Anytime you’re playing a divisional opponent it’s always big and we want to finish the season strong. At the same time, we know that we’re still being evaluated. No matter what the record says, we’re all still being evaluated on a daily basis, on a weekly basis.”

Bush’s job for next season is secure.

Matt Moore is still trying to enhance his resume as the starting quarterback after Chad Henne suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in the fourth game.

The Dolphins rebounded after losing their first seven games with a 5-2 record, but Moore has completed fewer than 60 percent of his passes in each of the last four games.

Still, Bush said, “he’s been the backbone of this team. I honestly believe that. Without him, we wouldn’t (have) been able to put together the stream of wins that we have. …I think you see when we give him time to throw the ball he can be dangerous, he can be effective.”

He very well could be against the Patriots. Starting with the third week of the season, their defense has been ranked worst in the league in both total yards and yards passing allowed. And now they must go on without defensive end Andre Carter, the team leader with 10 sacks who suffered a season-ending injury to his left quadriceps against the Broncos.

“He works incredibly hard and he’s been having a great season,” cornerback Devin McCourty said. “To lose a guy like that, we just have to come together as a group.”

If they succeed, they could lock up a playoff bye with one regular-season game left. But if the Dolphins play spoilers?

“We’re not trying to spoil anything,” Bowles said. “We’re just trying to get better as a team and try to close out the season on a winning note. So we’re just going to worry about us now.”

Updated December 22, 2011

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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP)—The New England Patriots are in the playoffs for
the ninth time in 11 years. The Miami Dolphins missed them for the ninth time in
10.

Both, though, have a lot at stake on Saturday with the Patriots going for a
first-round bye and many Dolphins playing for jobs next season.

And both have the same approach to moving toward those goals. Forget about
them.

“Right now, all we’re worried about is Miami,” Patriots coach Bill
Belichick told reporters. “All the rest of it is just something for you guys to
write about.”

Todd Bowles, a head coach for just one NFL game compared with Belichick’s
291, isn’t focused on what a victory would mean for his future in that position.

“I don’t have any expectations, really,” he said. “I’m just trying to get
the guys to play hard and play better and play fast and try to come out with
wins. I don’t control those decisions.”

The Patriots (11-3) clinched their third straight AFC East title last Sunday
with a 41-23 win at the Denver Broncos. There are several ways for them to
secure a bye this week, the easiest being a victory combined with a loss or tie
by the Houston Texans. They even can clinch the top seed in the AFC and
home-field advantage throughout the conference playoffs if they win and Houston,
Pittsburgh and Baltimore all lose or tie.

“I don’t think we think about any of those things other than Miami,”
quarterback Tom Brady said. “We prepare hard, focus on what we can focus on,
control what we can control, go out there and play with great effort, good
execution and we’ll be in good position.”

The Dolphins (5-9) will focus on stopping Brady. They couldn’t do it in
their season-opening 38-24 loss in Miami in which Brady threw for a franchise
record 517 yards. Bowles, who led the Dolphins to a 30-23 win over the Buffalo
Bills last Sunday after replacing the fired Tony Sparano, was the secondary
coach then.

“It was the toughest game for me as a coach,” Bowles said. “You don’t see
those kind of numbers every day. Nothing worked. .man (to man), zone, pressure,
prevent. He completed everything. You write it off as a bad loss.”

But he remained confident and the secondary has improved considerably since
then.

“I just think it was a bad game,” he said. “You just write it off and
move on next week.”

The Patriots also have a dangerous offensive threat to handle. Reggie Bush
rushed for a career-high 203 yards against Buffalo last Sunday, the same day New
England allowed 167 yards rushing in the first quarter alone.

In their last two games, the Patriots have been burned for a total of 422
yards on the ground.

“He’s a special guy,” New England linebacker Rob Ninkovich said of Bush.
“A guy like Reggie can do a lot of different things. … So you’ve just got to
make sure you don’t let him do those things.”

Bush already has shown he can thrive as an every-down back, something he
didn’t do in his other five NFL seasons, all with the New Orleans Saints.

So what motivates him with his team out of the playoff race?

“It’s the New England Patriots,” he said. “Anytime you’re playing a
divisional opponent it’s always big and we want to finish the season strong. At
the same time, we know that we’re still being evaluated. No matter what the
record says, we’re all still being evaluated on a daily basis, on a weekly
basis.”

Bush’s job for next season is secure.

Matt Moore is still trying to enhance his resume as the starting quarterback
after Chad Henne suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in the fourth game.

The Dolphins rebounded after losing their first seven games with a 5-2
record, but Moore has completed fewer than 60 percent of his passes in each of
the last four games.

Still, Bush said, “he’s been the backbone of this team. I honestly believe
that. Without him, we wouldn’t (have) been able to put together the stream of
wins that we have. …I think you see when we give him time to throw the ball he
can be dangerous, he can be effective.”

He very well could be against the Patriots. Starting with the third week of
the season, their defense has been ranked worst in the league in both total
yards and yards passing allowed. And now they must go on without defensive end
Andre Carter, the team leader with 10 sacks who suffered a season-ending injury
to his left quadriceps against the Broncos.

“He works incredibly hard and he’s been having a great season,” cornerback
Devin McCourty said. “To lose a guy like that, we just have to come together as
a group.”

If they succeed, they could lock up a playoff bye with one regular-season
game left. But if the Dolphins play spoilers?

“We’re not trying to spoil anything,” Bowles said. “We’re just trying to
get better as a team and try to close out the season on a winning note. So we’re
just going to worry about us now.”

Gotta run!.

The New England Patriots travel to Denver to face off with the Broncos on Sunday. The Patriots will attempt to extend their current five-game winning streak; with a high powered offense that has had to offset their defensive deficiencies thus far. New England head coach Bill Belichick will look to improve on his 3-6 record against the Broncos; as Denver looks to add yet another victory in their march for an improbable AFC West title.

Not only will Bill Belichick have to game plan for the traditional high altitude in Denver, but also the heightened optimism of Broncos’s fans; as “Tebow fever” has a stranglehold on the region. Thoughts of a division title were foreign in Denver back in October; with the Broncos possessing a 1-4 record heading into the team’s bye week. At that moment, head coach John Fox made a decision that would change the team’s fortunes the rest of the way; inserting second-year quarterback Tim Tebow for struggling incumbent starter Kyle Orton.

Since the quarterback change, the Broncos have won seven of eight games; including six dramatic come-from-behind wins led by the spirited efforts of Tebow. The former Florida Gator and Heisman Award winning quarterback has transformed the city of Denver and the league into believers; in spite of an unorthodox throwing motion and less traditional physical running style that has not hampered his, nor the team’s success.

The passing statistics do not begin to demonstrate Tim Tebow’s contributions on the field. While Tebow has completed only 48.5 percent of his passes and 117.3 yards per game, his athleticism and physical running ability has more than compensated for the passing deficiency. With an option offense in Denver tailored to Tebow’s strengths, the lefty as he has amassed 517 rushing years this season; supplementing the NFL’s top-rated rushing offense. Broncos running back Willis McGahee is on pace for his first 1,000 yard season since 2007 with the Baltimore Ravens.

Encountering Denver’s option offense will be a first for the Patriots under Bill Belichick; which presents challenges in itself. The Patriots have struggled in the past when encountering new and unconventional offensive schemes for the first time. Back in 2008, the Miami Dolphins exploited the new “wildcat” offense to shock New England 38-13 in their first meeting. several weeks later, Belichick was able to adjust and respond to the latest offensive fad by routing Miami 48-28. Belichick will not have the luxury of prior experience against an option quarterback that has had success at the professional level.

Tebow’s pedestrian 83.9 quarterback rating is also deceptive; as his performance in the fourth quarter in overtime more than makes up for his early game struggles. Tebow’s possesses a fourth quarter passer rating of 107.9 as compared to a 65.1 rating through the first three quarters of his games this season.

The Patriots’ defensive secondary has been porous for most of the season and has contributed to opposing quarterbacks having season-best performances. Chad Henne, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jason Campbell, Ben Roethlisberger, Vince Young and Dan Orlovsky comprise a lengthy list of quarterbacks who all passed for more yards against the Patriots than any other opponent this year.

The defensively challenged Patriots secondary continues to struggle with injuries as well. Patrick Chung has missed the past five games due to a foot injury; while Devin McCourty and James Ihedigbo struggled through injuries in last Sunday’s narrow victory against the Washington Redskins.

The recent string of success in Denver cannot be solely attributed to the offense, as the defense has become stout and keps games close enough for the late game comebacks to happen. Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil have combined to register 20 sacks for the Broncos this year; while also holding opponents to an average of 16.7 points in their last seven victories. The front seven of the Denver defense will look to apply pressure on Brady in hopes of forcing turnovers.

How the Patriots’ defense can control and corral the league’s latest phenomenon will go a long way in determining the outcome of Sunday’s contest. Getting out to an early lead is no guarantee that the Patriots will win easily; as Tebow continues to demonstrate with his late game heroics. The general belief in Denver is that the team is now a team of destiny. Whether destiny is realized will all be resolved in the thin air of the mile high city.

Scott Duhaime is a fan and follower of the New England Patriots for over 30 years, witnessing the team’s ascent from league irrelevance to among the league’s elite franchises. His professional career includes a solid foundation of analytics that contributes to a better appreciation of player and team contributions.

Sources:

Yahoo! Sports New England Patriots roster, boxscores, and player statistics

Yahoo! Sports Denver Broncos roster, boxscores, and player statistics

Yahoo! Sports New England Patriots team report

Yahoo! Sports Denver Broncos team report

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Not much else going on in the NFL world today.

New England Patriots defensive tackle Gerard Warren was not listed on the team’s injury report, but he will not suit up for Sunday’s game against the Washington Redskins.

Warren was a healthy scratch Sunday, the team announced, and it is not clear why he was declared inactive.

Warren has nine tackles in nine games this season.

The Patriots also announced Saturday that safety Patrick Chung (foot), center Dan Connolly (groin), linebacker Brandon Spikes (knee) and running back Shane Vereen (hamstring) would not play vs. the Redskins.

Patriots cornerback Kyle Arrington (foot), wideout Julian Edelman (back), cornerback Devin McCourty (shoulder) and running back Danny Woodhead (abdomen) are active after previously being listed questionable for Sunday’s game.

Visit www.nfl.com/inactives to see inactive players in every Sunday game.

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Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots waits for the play to be reviewed in the first half against the Indianapolis Colts on December 4, 2011 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

That’s all for today.

When the Indianapolis Colts take on the New England Patriots, the rest of the NFL world usually grinds to a halt so that everyone can watch the drama unfold. When it became clear last month, though, that the Colts were going nowhere this season, the league pulled the teams’ December 4 tilt from its original prime time slot and moved it to an afternoon block, where it would be easier to hide. This was just one more indignity for Colts fans in a year when nothing has gone right for our team, but I could certainly understand why the NFL made the move, and I expected nothing better than a blowout at the hands of the Patriots. In the end, new starting quarterback Dan Orlovksy made life a bit interesting for Tom Brady(notes) and company, but the final tally of 31-24 doesn’t really reflect how lopsided the scoring was.

The first half was unexpectedly close, as the Colts held the Pats to just three points until there were under three minutes left. Brady went to work then and led the Patriots on two scoring drives, aided by an Indianapolis three-and-out that quickly got the ball back in New England’s hands after the first touchdown. Not surprisingly, New England was able to shut down the Colts while Orlovsky acclimated to his starting role, and the score was 17-3 by halftime.

The Patriots pushed their advantage to 31-3 by the end of the third quarter, and the Colts were essentially done at that point, although they did kick in a little bit of extra effort late in the fourth. After Donald Brown(notes) ran in a five-yard touchdown about six minutes into the final period, the teams traded punts for the rest of the game until just before the two-minute warning. At that point, Orlovksy found Pierre Garcon(notes) for a 33-yard TD pass and then got the ball back 30 seconds later. The duo hooked up again for an 11-yard score, and then a failed on-side kick ended the what could have been a very dramatic finish.

After settling into the offense, Orlovsky actually turned in a very good game and was able to take advantage of the Patriots’ suspect secondary. For the game, he completed 30 of 37 passes for 353 yards and recorded two touchdowns to go along with one interception. If Orlovsky can put together that kind of performance against one of the Colts’ remaining opponents who aren’t as solid on offense as the Pats are, Indianapolis may yet pick up a win this season.

I’m not exactly counting on it, but it sure would be nice. And it might, finally, make Curtis Painter(notes) expendable.

Adam Hughes was raised, and still lives, in rural Indiana. He has been a Colts fans since the team arrived in Indianapolis on a snowy morning in 1984. The Blue and White eventually replaced the Chicago Bears as his #1 team, and Super Bowl XLI was a dream come true.

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That’s all the news for today.

The Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots have been one of the greatest rivalries of the last decade in the NFL. Peyton Manning(notes) and Tom Brady(notes) are the two greatest players of this era and have produced memorable games every year. This season, their game was moved out of primetime as the Colts are struggling and are currently 0-11 playing without Peyton Manning. Listed below are the five greatest games in the rivalry between the Colts and Patriots.

2006 AFC Championship Game, January 21, 2007, Colts 38, Patriots 34

This was the game that the Colts finally defeated their rivals and earned a trip to the Super Bowl. For Colts fans, defeating their rivals in the AFC Championship may have been equally as important as the Super Bowl. Going into this game the Patriots had their number and this was the game where Manning finally mastered Bill Belichick’s Patriots.

November 15, 2009, Colts 35, Patriots 34

This game is remembered as the 4th and two game. Indianapolis trailed 31-14 in the fourth quarter and pulled off a miraculous comeback. Led by Peyton Manning, the Colts were on a roll in the fourth quarter and Bill Belichick knew it. This caused him to make his boldest coaching move he’s ever made. With a six point lead and the ball on their own 28 yard line, Belichick chose to go for it and came up short. Manning then got the ball with a short field and Indianapolis scored on a touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne(notes).

2004 AFC Divisional Playoffs, January 16, 2005, Patriots 20, Colts 3

Peyton Manning once again ran into the New England Patriots in the playoffs and once again got sent home by the Patriots. In the snow the Patriot defense got the best out of the NFL MVP as Manning’s record against New England moved to 0-7 with this loss. Many Indianapolis fans thought the team was good enough this season to overcome the Patriots and were let down once again.

November 7, 2005, Colts 40, Patriots 21

Peyton Manning was winless in Foxboro in his career going into this game. Finally Manning and the Colts were able to defeat their nemesis on their home field. Manning threw for 321 yards and three touchdowns. Marvin Harrison(notes) and Reggie Wayne both played outstanding games for the Colts. Harrison had nine catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns. Wayne had nine catches for 124 yards and one touchdown. The Colts dominated this game from start to finish. As an Indianapolis fan, it was a relief and a big accomplishment for the team to finally win on the road in Foxboro.

November 30, 2003, Patriots 38, Colts 34

The 2003 regular season matchup between the Colts and Patriots once again did not disappoint. This game is memorable for New England’s goal line stand to end the game. New England was winning 38-34 when the Colts only needed to gain one more yard for a touchdown to win the game. Willie McGinest(notes) stopped Edgerrin James(notes) on a fourth down rush to end the game and keep the Colts out of the end zone.

Kyle Rapoza is a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network and has been a lifelong fan of the Indianapolis Colts. He attended Super Bowl XLIV in Miami and follows the team closely. Follow him on Twitter @kyler11.

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That’s all the news for today.

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

The New England Patriots not only won a game Sunday night, they survived a war of attrition. New England displayed an aggressive defensive attack not yet seen through their first eight games of play; led by AFC defensive player of the week Andre Carter, who established a franchise record 4.5 sacks and frustrated the New York Jets on way to a 37-16 rout. The win helped wrangle the division lead from their heated rivals; completing a two game sweep of Jets and lock up a key playoff tie-breaker which becomes more important as the playoffs approach.

Sunday’s game was clearly one that the fans would be unable to identify many of the players in the defensive backfield without a game program. The NFL’s last ranked defense in yards allowed played perhaps their most complete game; more impressive considering the players that missed action on Sunday night. Starters Brandon Spikes and Patrick Chung missed the game; while Kyle Love, Kyle Arrington and James Ihedigbo left the game due to injury.

The series of injuries provided a national spotlight for previously unknown names such as Jeff Tarpinian, Sterling Moore, Antwaun Molden and Tracey White; all of whom played well in their limited roles. The situation in the defensive secondary became so dire that reserve wide receiver and special team contributor, Julian Edelman was inserted as a slot cornerback late in the game. Edelman made an immediate impact with his tackle of Jets running back LaDainian Tomlinson; which resulted in Tomlinson limping off the field with a leg injury.

The linebackers stepped up their performance as well against the Jets; led by Rob Ninkovich, who intercepted Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez twice; returning one for a touchdown to put the game out of reach.

The outlook for New England was not very positive heading into week 10, as the team was looking to avoid the first three game losing streak in 10 years. As much as underperformance and inconsistency has hampered this team, the effort on Sunday provided a much needed spark and generated some measure of optimism; as the remaining schedule for the Patriots is the easiest in the entire league.

The lack of consistency and a healthy roster will continue to be key factors in determining how far this team goes in 2011. If the young reserves can continue to hold down the fort while the starters return from injury, the Patriots will be better prepared for a playoff push with a game-tested roster. Performances by Carter and Ninkovich give hope that the defensive front seven is ready to improve on their previously lackluster defense. This edition of the Patriots have several vulnerabilities thus far and do not compare with that of their championship predecessors; but a weak schedule with prove beneficial as the team competes in a wide open AFC; where inconsistency has been the norm.

With a potent offense and a defense filled with many young unproven players, there are many games left in the season for Belichick to form a defense that can build on Sunday’s win and make another run at a Lombardi trophy.

Scott Duhaime is a fan and follower of the New England Patriots for over 30 years, witnessing the team’s ascent from league irrelevance to among the league’s elite franchises. His professional career includes a solid foundation of analytics that contributes to a better appreciation of player and team contributions.

Sources:

Yahoo! Sports New England Patriots roster, schedule, and player statistics

Yahoo! Sports NFL Box Score: New England Patriots 37 @ New York Jets 16

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

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