Posted by Mike Petraglia

It’s appropriate that Heath Evans and Sammy Morris were behind a steel barricade talking about not making the playoffs because that and a woeful performance by Brett Favre, were the only things keeping the New England Patriots from making another deep playoff run this season.

The Pats arrived back at Gillette Stadium Sunday night at about 8:10 p.m. out of the playoff picture for the first time since 2002.

There was almost a stunned silence as they came off four buses and headed into the stadium to collect their belongings and head home for the night. Just hours earlier, they were feeling like they would be one of the most dangerous teams if they only were given a chance in the playoffs. No one was arguing either after they manhandled the Buffalo Bills, 13-0, at Ralph Wilson Stadium, with winds gusting up to 60 miles an hour.

As much as they may not have wanted to face the reality of a January without football, Evans and Morris were up to the task and took questions from reporters behind a barricade.

The best answer came from Evans when asked how he felt about having to root for the Jets on the plane while heading back to New England.

“We were all watching,” he said. “The plane has the little TVs on it, so we saw our lovely Jets not helping us out.”

Evans was certainly speaking for all of New England watching Brett Favre throw three interceptions as the Dolphins clinched their first AFC East title since 2000 with a 24-17 win at the Meadowlands.

Then there was this statement from Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.

“As disappointed as we are that the season is over, I remain very proud of this team,” he said.

Belichick will have more to say on Monday morning when he address the media in a post-mortem on the season.

Sammy Morris ran for 85 yards on 24 carries and did what he could to power the Patriots in a four-game winning streak to end the season.

“It’s been kind of a roller coaster of emotions winning that game and getting out of the shower and having to get on the plane and wait to see what happened with the Jets game,” Morris said. “It was kind of a high and a low in a matter of hours.

“It’s difficult,” he continued. “The last part of the season we did our part. [We were] undefeated in December. That’s when playoff teams really make their push. We did our part toward the end, but that is part of having to rely on other teams.”

Heath Evans said Pats did their best down the stretch.

Evans on the Jets letting the Pats down.

Sammy Morris said 11-5 just turned out to not be good enough.

Morris said the Pats just feel short of their goal.

Morris said it was a roller coaster of emotions.

Morris said this is tough to take.

Posted by Mike Petraglia

The Patriots did their job in typical workman-like fashion on a day that was more suited for flying a kite than playing football in Western New York.

Here are five things the Patriots did to make Dick Jauron wish he were flying a kite instead of coaching Buffalo to a 13-0 loss to New England at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

1. Weather the elements. From the moment players took the field for warm-ups, winds between 40 and 60 miles an hour made anything but a run an adventure. The Patriots hit two field goals and Matt Cassel hooked up with Wes Welker on a key fourth-down conversion to set up the game’s only TD one play later.

2. Run, run, run. We actually had this listed as Job No. 1 coming in but that was before we saw a forecast calling for wind gusts up to 60 mph. Sammy Morris gained 85 yards on 24 carries while Jordan had 64 yards on 20 carries and the TD. Even Cassel had 19 key yards on three carries, including a fourth down run for a first down on the touchdown drive. Cassel only threw for 73 yards, but considering he was 6-for-8 on the day with no picks, he might as well have thrown for 473 yards.

3. Take care of the ball. The Patriots did not turn the ball over. Repeat, the Patriots did not turn the ball over. The only turnover came when Mike Vrabel pounced on a Jarvis Green strip sack of Trent Edwards that led to the game’s only touchdown.

4. Take advantage of opportunities. Aside from the aforementioned TD following two fourth-down conversions, the Patriots converted another fourth down and were a perfect 3-for-3 on fourth down. But arguably the turning point of the game was the ineptitude the Bills showed in clock management before halftime. With no timeouts, the Bills elected a run. Then their center Duke Preston got into a scrum with several Patriots. Instead of a attempting a game-tying field goal, the clock ran out, leading to our Point No. 5.

5. Demoralize a team out of the playoffs. Midway through the third quarter, about the time the Bills allowed LaMont Jordan to ramble in from two yards following two fourth-down conversions, you could tell the Bills were a beaten bunch. Quarterback Trent Edwards came off the field yelling at the Bills sidelines following a timeout he was forced to call as the Patriots had too many men on the field. Not exactly what Dick Jauron needed as a vote of a confidence.

Some other tidbits from New England’s 11th straight win over the Bills and 15th in 16 tries, thanks to Stacey James, Casey O’Connell and the great folks in Patriots P.R.

PATRIOTS TIE FIFTH-HIGHEST REGULAR-SEASON VICTORY TOTAL IN FRANCHISE HISTORY
The Patriots finished the 2008 regular season with an 11-5 record, tying the fifth highest regular-season win total in the team’s 49-season history. The Patriots have finished with more than 11 regular-season wins on just four occasions - 2007 (16), 2003 (14), 2004 (14) and 2006 (12). New England also won 11 games in 1976, 1978, 1985, 1986, 1996 and 2001.

PATRIOTS RECORD FIRST SHUTOUT SINCE 2006
The Patriots shut out the Bills today, recording their first shutout since downing the Green Bay Packers 35-0 on Nov. 19, 2006. Today’s shutout was the sixth for the Patriots since Bill Belichick became head coach in 2000. New England had three shutouts in 2003, one in 2005 and one in 2006.

2008 PATRIOTS SET NFL RECORD FOR FEWEST PENALTIES IN A 16-GAME SEASON
The 2008 Patriots finished their 16-game regular season with just 57 accepted penalties called against them, setting an NFL record for fewest penalties in a 16-game season. The NFL expanded its season from 14 games to 16 games in 1978. The Patriots broke the previous 16-game season record of 59 penalties, established by the Seattle Seahawks in 2007.

NFL RECORD BOOK / FEWEST ACCEPTED PENALTIES
SINCE 16-GAME SCHEDULE ESTABLISHED IN 1978
Team    Year    Penalties Accepted
New England Patriots    2008    57
Seattle Seahawks        2007    59
New Orleans Saints      1992    60
Miami Dolphins  1991    62
New York Jets   2001    62
NOTE: List excludes 1982 strike season (9 games)

2008 PATRIOTS HAVE MOST RUSHING YARDAGE FOR FRANCHISE SINCE 1985
Sammy Morris’ 6-yard run in the first quarter raised the Patriots’ 2008 team rushing yardage total to 2,135 yards, passing the team’s 2004 total (2,134 yards) as the franchise’s highest rushing total in 23 years (since the 1985 team gained 2,331 rushing yards). The Patriots finished the 2008 season with 2,278 rushing yards, a total that is the highest for a Patriots team since 1985.

2008 PATRIOTS HAVE FRANCHISE’S HIGHEST RUSHING TOUCHDOWN TOTAL SINCE 1981
LaMont Jordan’s third-quarter touchdown run was the 21st rushing score by the Patriots this season, tying the team’s fourth-best single-season rushing touchdown total (21 in 1974) and standing as the team’s highest rushing score total since having 23 in 1981. The Patriots set a franchise record with 30 rushing touchdowns in 1978. The Patriots finished the 2008 season with 21 rushing touchdowns, a total that is the highest for a Patriots team since 1981.

2008 PATRIOTS CLAIM SECOND HIGHEST SINGLE-SEASON FIRST DOWN TOTAL IN TEAM HISTORY
Matt Cassel’s 6-yard run for a first down in the third quarter was the Patriots’ 349th first down of the 2008 season, passing the 1994 squad’s 348 first downs to claim the second highest single-season total in team history. The Patriots’ 2008 first-down total trails only the 2007 squad’s team-record 393 first downs, a total that ranks second in NFL history. The Patriots finished the 2008 season with 356 first downs.

GOSTKOWSKI HAS FRANCHISE’S HIGHEST SINGLE-SEASON POINT TOTAL SINCE 1970 MERGER
With his 33-yard field goal in the first quarter, Stephen Gostkowski raised his season total to 144 points, setting a new Patriots record for most points in a season since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, topping Adam Vinatieri’s 141 points in 2004. He finished the season with 148 points, a total that ranks second in single-season team history, trailing only Gino Cappelletti’s 155 points in 1964 (7 TD, 36 XP, 25 FG, 1 2-pt). Gostkowski’s 2008 point total is the highest in team history by a player who scored all his points as a kicker.

MOSS BREAKS 1,000 RECEIVING YARDS FOR NINTH TIME IN CAREER
On a 13-yard reception in the fourth quarter, Randy Moss broke the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the season, marking the ninth time in his 11-year career that he has exceeded the 1,000-yard milestone. Moss’s nine 1,000-yard receiving seasons are tied for the second highest total in NFL history, trailing only Jerry Rice’s 14 seasons with 1,000 or more receiving yards. In addition to Moss, Tim Brown and Jimmy Smith also reached the 1,000-yard receiving mark nine times.

MOSS MOVES INTO NINTH PLACE ON NFL’S ALL-TIME RECEIVING YARD LIST
On a 13-yard reception in the fourth quarter, Randy Moss moved into ninth place on the NFL’s all-time receiving yardage list, passing Andre Reed’s career total of 13,198 receiving yards. Following his 13-yard catch, Moss had 13,201 career receiving yards. Henry Ellard ranks eighth on the league’s all-time receiving yardage list with 13,777 career receiving yards.

PATRIOTS RECORD SECOND-FEWEST PASSING ATTEMPTS IN FRANCHISE HISTORY
Facing extremely windy conditions, the Patriots recorded just eight passing attempts against the Bills today - the second fewest in any game in franchise history. The only game in which the Patriots attempted fewer passes was the “Snow Plow Game” on Dec. 12, 1982 against the Miami Dolphins. In that contest, played in a driving snowstorm, New England attempted just five passes in a 3-0 win.

EVANS SETS CAREER HIGH FOR RECEIVING YARDS
Heath Evans caught two passes for 31 yards on a first-quarter Patriots field goal drive, setting a new single-game career high for receiving yards. Prior to today, Evans’ previous single-game career best was 29 receiving yards, achieved on Oct. 21, 2007 at Miami. Heading into today’s game, Evans had one reception this season, catching a 28-yard pass on Dec. 21 against Arizona.

JORDAN SCORES FOR THIRD STRAIGHT WEEK
LaMont Jordan gave the Patriots a 10-0 third-quarter lead with a 2-yard touchdown run with 4:39 left in the third quarter. The touchdown was Jordan’s fourth of the season and marked his third straight game with a touchdown. Jordan scored his first touchdown of the season on Dec. 14 at Oakland and followed that with a two-touchdown game against Arizona on Dec. 21. Jordan’s touchdown against Buffalo raises his career total to 27 rushing touchdowns.

CLUTCH PUNT
Chris Hanson booted a 46-yard punt into a 30-40 mile per hour wind in the third quarter with the Patriots facing a fourth down on their own 18-yard line. Hanson’s punt went out of bounds at the Bills’ 36-yard line and saved the Patriots from having to defend a short field with a 3-0 lead. On the Bills’ possession following Hanson’s punt, Jarvis Green strip-sacked Trent Edwards and the Patriots got the ball back on the Bills’ 43-yard line, setting up a LaMont Jordan touchdown run that made the score 10-0.

GREEN STRIP-SACK
Jarvis Green sacked Trent Edwards for a 6-yard loss in the third quarter and forced him to fumble on the play. Mike Vrabel recovered the ball at the Bills’ 43-yard line to give possession to the Patriots and set up a touchdown drive that ended in a scoring run by LaMont Jordan. The sack was Green’s first of the season and raised his career total to 26.0 sacks. Last season, Green had one strip-sack and in 2006, he tied Mike Vrabel for the team lead with three strip-sacks. Green’s forced fumble against the Bills was his ninth career forced fumble and his eighth career strip-sack. The Patriots have recovered the fumble following seven of Green’s eight career strip-sacks. Green added a 7-yard sack in the fourth quarter to record his fourth career multiple-sack game and his first since the 2007 regular-season opener on Sept. 9, 2007.

LOWEST-SCORING FIRST HALF OF PATRIOTS GAME SINCE 2005
The Patriots and Bills combined for three points in the first half, marking the lowest combined point total in the first half of a Patriots game since Oct. 20, 2005. On that day, the Bills led the Patriots 3-0 at halftime of a game the Patriots eventually won, 21-16.

CASSEL PUNTS 57 YARDS
Matt Cassel recorded a 57-yard punt into the wind on third down in the fourth quarter. The ball was downed at the Bills’ 2-yard line. Cassel became the first Patriots quarterback to record a punt since Tom Brady booted a 36-yard punt that was downed at the 1-yard line against Miami on Dec. 7, 2003.

QUICK HITS
•       The Patriots beat the Bills for the 11th straight time, tying the longest series winning streak in team history. New England has not lost to the Bills since the 2003 regular-season opener. The Patriots also beat Buffalo 11 straight times from 1982-87.
•       The Patriots won their 12th straight game in the month of December and improved to 24-2 in the month of December since 2003.
•       The Patriots swept the season series with the Bills for the fifth straight season, tying the franchise record for most consecutive divisional sweeps. New England also swept Buffalo in five straight years from 1983-87.

Posted by Alex Speier

The Patriots concluded their season with a solid 13-0 shutout victory over the Bills, closing the regular season on a four-game winning streak that gave them an 11-5 record. Now, the Pats hope to avoid becoming the first team since the playoffs expanded to a 12-team format in 1990 to win 11 games but miss the playoffs.

New England will win the AFC East if the Jets beat the Dolphins in the 4 p.m. game. The Pats can also reach the postseason if the Ravens lose to the Jaguars. Victories by both the Dolphins and Ravens would mean that the Pats are left to watch the playoffs from the comforts of their living rooms.

The Patriots victory, which came amidst wind gusts of 40-70 m.p.h., came with a steady ground attack. New England churned up 168 ground yards on 47 attempts, while throwing the ball just eight times. The Bills were able to move the ball on the ground (161 yards on 35 attempts), but ultimately faltered due to poor game management in Patriots’ territory.

For a full recap, click here. Check back later today for more on the Patriots’ future.

Posted by Mike Petraglia

Tom Brady’s recovery from repairs to his left ACL and MCL is slower than normal, according to Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports. Brady was knocked out for the season in a Week 1 hit by Kansas City’s Bernard Pollard in the first quarter at Gillette Stadium.

Once news broke of Brady’s infected knee following Oct. 6 surgery, renowned orthopedic specialist Dr. Tim Kremchek told WEEI.com on Oct. 23 that a setback was likely as Brady recovered.