Favre
\fah-va-ruh\
v. 1: To blow it. <Dude, I Favred my final exam.>
2: To screw someone over. <Somehow both Pats and Jets fans got Favred.>

Like Sunday’s blustery elements in Orchard Park, New York, this season remained out of the Patriots’ control. New England fans got the first half of what they needed, a 13-0 win by their team; the second half of their wish list went unanswered, as both the Jets and the Jaguars failed to beat the Dolphins and the Ravens, respectively. Thus, Miami took the AFC East crown while the Ravens nabbed the remaining wild card spot, leaving no room for the 11-5 Patriots.

Favre. v. 1: To complete fifty percent of your passes and throw three interceptions in your final game of an over-glorified season.

You know what? The Patriots won their last game of the year. Let’s appreciate that, at least for the next several paragraphs.

As they have for much of 2008, the Bills did the one thing they couldn’t, turning the ball over early in the second half. After Mike Vrabel recovered Jarvis Green’s strip sack of quarterback Trent Edwards on Buffalo’s 43, New England began the lone touchdown drive of the day.

Following both teams’ first-half game plans, the Patriots continued running against the wind (hey, unintentional Bob Seger reference). Sammy Morris (24 rushes, 85 yards) picked up a first down with two runs. LaMont Jordan (20 runs, 64 yards, one TD) came in for an eight-yard run. On third and one, Jordan got stopped for a loss by linebackers Kawika “Last-name-first” Mitchell and Paul “Way-too-many-consonants” Posluszny, but a well-executed fourth-down call saw Cassel fake the handoff and run up the middle for the necessary yardage (credit Jordan with a swell cut-block that helped clear a path).

I was going to describe the fourth-down play as “gutsy,” but with the way the previous field goal attempts had kited, going for it was the best choice. That decision looked even better on the ensuing fourth down, when Cassel threw a surprise pass against the wind to Wes Welker. Coming out of the three-receiver “bunch” formation, Welker ran an out toward the left sideline, took the pass and motored 12 yards to the two. From there, Jordan slid through a gap in the right side of the line to give the Pats a 10-0 lead with 4:39 left in the third, wrapping up a six-minute possession.

If 10-0 didn’t ice it, New England’s last scoring drive made this contest cooler than a woolly mammoth.  The Pats drove 80 yards to get Stephen Gostkowski within field goal range (and with the type of wind that sent Dorothy’s house to Munchkinland, that was no mean feat). In 15 plays, the visitors ran ten times (Morris eight, Jordan two) to take eight minutes off the clock bridging the third and fourth quarters. Cassel completed three of four passes, converting two key third downs (one an eight-yarder to Kevin Faulk, the other a 14-yarder to Welker). His last pass of the drive skimmed off Randy Moss’ fingertips in the end zone, leaving Gostkowski to boot the ball through the wind for a 23-yard field goal and the final, 13-0 advantage with 10:18 left.

The Bills’ fourth-quarter effort resembled most of my forays as a single man: fruitless and a little embarrassing. With almost seven minutes left, Buffalo faced a fourth and one at New England’s 39. Yes, Edwards had been passing well against a lessening wind (14 of 25, 128 yards), but the visiting defense had no answer for Fred Jackson (27 rushes, 136 yards). The home team needed one yard to continue the drive and increase the pressure.

They should have run it, right? I mean, wouldn’t you have run that thing? Instead, Coach Dick Jauron watched his QB’s pass veer to the right of Josh Reed. Patriots’ ball.

Compare that bit of futility to the Pats’ follow-up possession: Jordan ran twice for two yards, taking time off the clock. On third and eight from their own 41, Cassel punted. That’s right, he quick-kicked, sending the ball up into the waiting wind. With no returner back for the Bills, the gusts pushed it to the two-yard line. While most onlookers had sat wondering how to convert third down, Coach Bill Belichick and Co. had thought ahead. After all, if Buffalo boasted great special teams units, why not avoid them?

The Bills then went on a dentist’s-office drive, the kind that seemed to take forever and resulted in pain. They took 15 plays to get to New England’s 34, but on fourth and 10 Jerod Mayo sprinted around left end to corral Edwards on the right side after a one-yard gain. Two-and-a-half minutes later, the visitors had kept their post-season hopes breathing. At least until the Jets buried them in the Meadowlands.

 (Oh, Jets. We always knew you stunk, but did you have to prove it to us on this particular weekend?)

Because of the stakes, Pats/Bills had the feeling of a playoff game from the beginning. New England took the wind in the first quarter and stacked the box on defense, getting as many as nine defenders near the line of scrimmage. Despite this lineup, Jackson ran three straight times for four yards each carry, then busted upfield for a six-yarder on rush number four. Green figured prominently on the next two plays, stopping Jackson and then Xavier Omon for no gain (with help from Vince Wilfork and Junior Seau, respectively). The usually-golden foot of Brian Moorman could only muster a 13-yard punt, setting up the Pats at midfield.

New England didn’t make it easy early. Morris gained nine yards on two carries, but on third and one Jordan got swarmed for a loss, due in part to center Dan Koppen getting pushed back like a shopping cart. To make matters worse, the Pats’ decision to go for it on fourth down and two got negated by a Nick Kaczur false start. On the punt, New England had a huge opportunity when the ball touched Leodis McKelvin’s hand, but poorly-described “specialist” Matthew Slater failed to come up with it in the end zone.

When Jackson could only muster eight yards on three carries (credit linebackers Seau, Vrabel and Rosevelt Colvin), the Patriots got the ball back on their own 37 to begin the opening scoring drive of the day. Cassel threw his first pass of the game to Heath Evans, who galloped to Buffalo’s 44. After Morris ran twice for 11 yards total, Evans caught another pass for 12 (with two catches for 31 yards, Evans was the team’s leading receiver). Unable to advance beyond the 15, New England called on Gostkowski to get three. He did, giving the visitors a 3-0 lead with three minutes left in the first quarter that felt disappointing at the time.

Any questions about the wind’s effects came to an end during Rian Lindell’s field goal attempt early in the second. Lindell’s 45-yard try started on a compensatory left slant; however, once the wind hit, it careened to the right like a clay pigeon. Gostkowski missed a kick of his own at the other end after a seven-minute possession.

Buffalo failed to take advantage of a drive late in the half when, with no timeouts, they ran the ball and couldn’t get the field goal unit ready in time for an attempt. The Patriots led 3-0 at halftime, with both sides believing they should have had more.

Defensively, New England had trouble getting off the field on third down again (Buffalo converted nine of 17), but the fourth-down stops and strip-sack made the difference. Green had two sacks to go with his five tackles. Old man Seau led with nine tackles, followed by James Sanders with eight and Mayo with seven. Had they determined earlier that it’s better to tackle Jackson low than go on a series of Nantucket Sleigh Rides, defensive backs Brandon Meriweather and Ellis Hobbs would have been more effective stopping the run. But I’m not complaining. It seems silly to complain after a shutout.

The Patriots needed to get younger on defense this year, and they did, at least until injuries forced them to call on Seau and Colvin (and possibly Pepper Johnson if it got any worse). Rookies Mayo, Gary Guyton and Jonathan Wilhite showed promise while youngsters Meriweather and Sanders continued to flourish. Throw in Vince Redd, Terence Wheatley and Pierre Woods (the latter two on IR), and next year’s roster has myriad possibilities. And that’s not even including three potential first-day draft picks.

We don’t know what will happen with Cassel. Wherever he plays, whether it’s Detroit, San Francisco, or even back in Foxboro, we should hope that he’s happy. And rich. Because when he was called to action in September, he delivered. Unlike a certain other quarterback.

Thank you to everyone at Patriots Daily for all their help in putting out a column just about every week. Keep watching this space for playoff and Pats’ off-season commentary. (Off-season. Ugh.)

Possibly keeping the holidays in mind, Arizona gave New England a 47-7 runaway victory. The Patriots’ gift to the Cardinals? A chance to rest their starters in the fourth quarter.

Arizona had a few conditions working against them, especially a wintry day more fit for reindeer than runners. Considering the Cards had already clinched their playoff spot atop the NFC West, they couldn’t have been too psyched. Add their 10-a.m.-Mountain-Time start, and you’ve got a nice little recipe for a Patriots victory. Served cold, of course.

The Patriots had to win to keep pace in the tight AFC East. Three teams began the day at 9-5. After Miami prevailed at Kansas City, the Jets stumbled through the Seattle snow, putting the Dolphins atop the division at 10-5 (ahead of New England with the tie-breaker). Now Pats fans find themselves in the awkward position of rooting for Brett Favre next week when Miami travels north. Strange league, this NFL.

Fans can debate the exact point when New England took control of this one, but the team’s field-goal drive late in the first half summarized the entire game. With 1:24 until halftime and everyone’s football cleats sliding like hockey pucks, the Patriots could have been content to run out the clock and keep their 28-0 lead intact.

They could have. But they didn’t.

Quarterback Matt Cassel (lest we forget, a former Matt Leinart backup) hit Jabar Gaffney twice on deep outs of 14 and 16 yards. He then found Wes Welker along the right sideline, where the mercurial mite sped ahead for 20. Two plays later, Stephen Gostkowski came on to kick the first of his four field goals, the ball shaving the right upright to give the home team a 31-0 lead with two seconds remaining.

Cassel, who hit 20 of 36 passes for 345 yards and three touchdowns, has kept his team in contention. Sure, you can argue the recent competition has been bush league (and low-lying bushes at that), but if you consider where he was three months ago, his work this season has been remarkable. My wish for Cassel this coming year: make a ton of money going to a team where you’ll start.

Just remember to have lackluster games vs. your old teammates.

Aided by a snowplow running game and a QB who seemed undisturbed by conditions, the Patriots scored touchdowns on four of their first five possessions. After Arizona’s opening three-and-out (all rushes, the third snuffed out by Mike Vrabel for a three-yard loss), New England took advantage of great field position. Welker (seven catches, 68 yards, one TD) had a 23-yard punt return to the Cardinal 33. Behind lineman Russ Hochstein at fullback, Sammy Morris (15 runs for 88 yards) ran four times for 26 yards. LaMont Jordan carried it twice for the final two yards and a 7-0 lead six minutes into the game. Jordan finished with two touchdowns on the day, with 20 rushes for 78 yards.

New England’s defense (and, okay, the elements) shut down Tim Hightower (10 rushes, 17 yards) and held Kurt Warner to 30 yards passing (six for 18). Arizona appeared to get a first down on their second possession, but an iffy illegal-hands-to-the-face call forced a third and long. Warner’s attempt fell incomplete, forcing the punt with seven minutes left in the first quarter.

On the ensuing drive, Morris gathered in a screen pass on the left side, eluded two tacklers, found his way to the right and followed Randy Moss along the sideline for 42 yards. From Arizona’s 14, Jordan carried three times and touched the end zone again, giving the home team a 14-0 lead at 3:46 of the first.After the Cardinals sandwiched the Patriots’ three-and-out with two of their own, Cassel needed only two passes to garner his first TD of the day. Out of the shotgun, he connected with Gaffney along the right seam, giving the receiver room to slash upfield for a total of 37 yards. Two plays later, Kevin Faulk scored on a 15-yard screen pass that seemed to develop at stalactitic speed. Escorted by Logan Mankins and Dan Koppen, Faulk high-stepped through a defender and scooted past a block by Gaffney for a 21-0 advantage with 12:04 left in the half.

Much like Juliet waking up to Romeo, Arizona’s signs of life came too late. The Cards got three first downs but failed to convert a fourth-down pass at New England’s 31. Plays of note on the following New England drive (really, it was turning into a highlight reel at this point) included a bruising Hochstein block that cleared Jordan for 11 yards up the middle; a clutch, leaping grab on third and 10 by Gaffney; and a 16-yard Cassel sprint on fourth and 10 to Arizona’s 14. On third and seven, Welker dragged across the field from left to right, snatched the ball at the six and accelerated into the end zone for a 28-0 lead with under two minutes left. No one even cared that Welker got a penalty for making a celebratory snow angel.

At least, no fans cared. The coach might be a different story.

The Cards gave the ball back in under 30 seconds, passing (and dropping) the ball three times in a row. Mike Wright rushed Warner on third down, forcing him to throw a screen to Edgerrin James before James was ready (it was probably just a drop, but we can be generous. It’s the holiday season). New England then took over for their field goal drive to finish up the half.

Patriots fans didn’t have to wait long for the biggest second-half highlight: on the first play from scrimmage, Moss took advantage of a freshly-plowed field (and a Mankins block) to find a clear path along the left sideline, flying past any and all Cardinals for a 76-yard TD. With their team leading 38-0, Gillette fans began polishing their snowman-building and/or scoreboard-watching skills.

Gostkowski’s third field goal late in the third quarter was his 33rd of the year, setting a record for a Patriots season. (The previous record holder? Tony Franklin, the barefoot kicker who always looked like he’d just rolled off his La-Z-Boy five minutes before the game. Not the first record-holding kicker to come to mind, but there you go.)

On defense, Junior Seau and Jerod Mayo led the Pats with seven tackles each (setting what must be a record for co-leading-tackler age difference). Mayo and Meriweather each forced a fumble, Meriweather’s coming on a carbon-copy blitz of the game-deciding play against Seattle two weeks ago. (Also blitzing on that play: rookie utilityman Matthew Slater playing safety. Thought you might want to know that.) During a day when the visitors searched for any sign of intensity, New England had all of it from the start.

That bodes well for the playoffs. Put them on your wish list, and have a Happy Holiday.

Chris Warner’s ‘Game Day Rear View’ appears after every game on Patriots Daily. He can be reached at chris.warner@patriotsdaily.com.

First, the good news: the Patriots’ 49-26 dismantling of the Raiders on a rainy day in Oakland kept them in the hunt for post-season play. New England scored touchdowns on their first four possessions, racing out to a 28-7 lead early in the second quarter, largely due to quarterback Matt Cassel (18 for 30 passing, 218 yards, four touchdowns, one Benjamin-Watson-tipped interception). The Pats had 487 total yards of offense.

This game was almost the opposite of last week’s tense-off at Seattle. When the Patriots went up 42-14 at the beginning of the third, fans sat back and sighed in relief. New England stayed in contention with a 9-5 record, nominally tied atop the AFC East.

Now let’s get the bad news out of the way. The Pats lost two more players to injury (tackle Matt Light, linebacker Gary Guyton) during this game, which could impact future contests. Meanwhile, the Jets won this week thanks to Buffalo putting the game in quarterback J. P. “Loose Cannon” Losman’s hands, even though running back Marshawn Lynch averaged over six yards a carry. With 2:06 remaining, Losman dropped back, got sacked, and fumbled. Sean Ellis recovered and scored the game-winner. Nice work there, Buff.

Miami, meanwhile, took care of San Francisco, 14-9. Among myriad other scenarios, New Englanders find themselves hoping for a Jets loss to Seattle next week and a Miami loss to New York in Week 17. And maybe a scandal involving Brett Favre, but let’s not get all greedy.

This is hard to say, but someone must: the Patriots as currently constructed would have a hard time beating Boston University’s football team, much less a bunch of professionals. (For those of you who don’t know much about B. U. football, here’s some history. You see my point.)

One play showed fans how steep this uphill climb could be. With 5:45 remaining in the third quarter, Raider Darren McFadden swept to his right. Linebackers Rosevelt Colvin and Junior Seau (they of the formerly retired set) seemed in decent position to make the tackle, but McFadden ran around them like a deer past a couple of tree stumps. Twelve yards, first down. Oakland scored two plays later on what was quite possibly the best pass of quarterback JaMarcus Russell’s career, a fade to Ronald Curry in the right corner of the end zone past (seriously, this is true) Ellis Hobbs.

Now, as a New England fan, you’re saying, “Hold on, there! You can’t count a third-quarter score against them! The game was decided! These guys just need some work!”

First off: stop yelling. I can’t hear you. Second: one team can only take so much. Guyton is a solid cover linebacker (there’s a reason Oakland had success with those short passes to McFadden: three for 68 yards); Light is their starting left tackle (though Mark LeVoir stepped in well). James Sanders is out. Tedy Bruschi is out. When you think about it, it’s actually kind of amazing this team has nine wins.

But enough with the negative stuff. Much praise goes to Cassel, who overcame personal tragedy to have a remarkable game. Any questions on how his father’s death would affect him were answered on the Patriots’ first possession. Starting at Oakland’s 40 after a three-and-out and 14-yard punt return by Kevin Faulk, New England mixed passes with runs by Sammy Morris (14 for 117 yards, one TD) and Kevin Faulk (six rushes for 45 yards, six catches for 66 and the TD I’m about to mention). Cassel converted three third downs, the first two on respective 16- and seven-yarders to Wes Welker (six catches, 69 yards, one TD). On third and goal, Cassel hit Faulk from seven yards out, the running back crossing from right to left. Faulk ditched his man at the five and picked up a block by Welker to find wide-open spaces and a 7-0 Patriots lead less than five minutes into the game.

The visitors benefited from a 26-yard punt to start their next possession at Oakland’s 35. Morris broke for 15 yards up the middle. Two plays later, Cassel stepped up in the pocket to avoid the pass rush and threaded a line drive to Randy Moss near the left pylon, with Moss beating safety Rashad Baker on the play (Moss totalled five grabs for 67 yards and two touchdowns). Up 14-0, New England still had almost eight minutes left in the first quarter.

After their third consecutive three and out, the home team watched their guests embark on a nine-play drive to take a 21-0 lead. Cassel’s passing, Morris’ running and Oakland’s rule-breaking (16 yards on a holding penalty by  - watch spellcheck go nuts - Nnamdi Asomugha) got the Patriots to the Raider 29-yard-line. From there, Morris started up the middle, took a swift right turn and cut upfield past sliding cornerback Chris Johnson for the touchdown. With 3:43 left in the first quarter, the Pats had a 21-0 lead as Oakland fans looked at themselves in their over-the-top costumes and gained a brief, shocking moment of self-awareness.

(I’m just kidding. That never happened. Those crazy S.O.B.’s still wear makeup and plastic skulls, even though their team hasn’t finished .500 in forever. God bless ‘em.)

In the midst of the downpour, both teams’ defenders started acting as if they were playing on a Slip ‘N Slide. Hobbs became victim to the conditions, falling down as Johnny Lee Higgins took a short pass and cut up the sideline for 56 yards and the touchdown. New England blitzed on the play, demonstrating once again why the coaches are hesitant to send extra defenders after the opposing team’s QB. It didn’t help that Hobbs was only slightly closer to Higgins than Pats fans were as they watched from the East Coast.

For all the excitement the first quarter provided, the beginning of the second quarter saw three TDs scored in 33 seconds. Cassel finished off a seven-play, three-minute drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Welker. Up 28-7, the Pats looked like they could cruise to the win, but Oakland’s Justin Miller ran back the ensuing kickoff for 91 yards to cut the lead to 28-14. Hobbs played copycat, returning the following Raiders’ kick for a 95-yard TD and a more comfy 35-14 score.

The QBs traded interceptions before the half. Cassel’s came on the aforementioned tipped ball by Watson that would have given them a first down deep in Oakland territory. Rookie Jonathan Wilhite picked off Russell at the one-yard line three minutes later. New England looked to add a late field goal in the final seconds but an illegal motion penalty and subsequent clock runoff prevented them from doing so.

The Patriots’ ineffective end of the first half got overshadowed by their scoring drive to open the second. After Cassel threw two consecutive passes to Moss, Morris took a handoff left, shuffled to the middle, found some daylight and plowed ahead for a total of 35 yards inside Oakland’s 10. Cassel then found Moss working his way from left to right at the back of the end zone: touchdown, Pats, 42-14 at 11:36 in the third.

Both rain and an appreciation of the inevitable made the rest of this one sloppy. The Raiders sandwiched two touchdowns around the final Patriots score, a LaMont Jordan “Remember Me, Oakland?” 49-yard rumble to the right side behind solid blocking (including a surprisingly effective kickout by tight end David Thomas).

So, where does this win put the Pats? For the next six days, pundits and warblers alike will discuss the probability of New England making the playoffs. Maybe this team won’t get any help from others, and maybe they’ll end up as the only 11-5 squad to miss the postseason. Considering most of us figured this year had swirled around the bowl eight minutes in, it’s nice to think that at least New England has a chance.  

Chris Warner’s ‘Game Day Rear View’ appears after every game on Patriots Daily. He can be reached at chris.warner@patriotsdaily.com.

The New England Patriots let the backup quarterback of the 2-11 Seattle Seahawks run and pass all over them. Seneca Wallace eluded pressure, got big runs (three rushes, 47 yards) and had his best game as a pro (20 of 28, 212 yards, three touchdowns, zero interceptions). The Patriots only managed one sack of the career backup. But that sack turned out to be bigger than Santa’s.

Out of timeouts at New England’s 44-yard line, trailing by three, Wallace dropped back to pass but instead found himself smothered by blitzing safety Brandon Meriweather, who smacked the football out of his arms. Patriot Richard Seymour recovered, putting the visiting team on the winning end of a 24-21 contest they led for less than three minutes.

In this, only their second fourth-quarter comeback win of the season (the first was against the Rams), New England discovered some resiliency, scoring 11 points while shutting down the home team in the final fifteen minutes. During their winning touchdown drive, the Patriots got three third-down conversions, including a huge 13-yard Matt Cassel pass to Wes Welker on third and 10 during which Cassel got hammered by Seahawk Darryl Tapp. On the next play, Cassel tossed a bubble screen to Welker, who shot through a lane provided by the blocks of Jabar Gaffney and Matt Light, cut to the sideline and sped to the six. After a sack of Cassel, a six-yard draw from a slippery Kevin Faulk, and a Sammy Morris run for no gain, the Pats went for it on fourth down. Morris’ one-yard plunge over the left side of the line gave his team a one-point lead. Welker caught the two-point conversion after a fake-to-the-inside/cut-to-the-outside route that looked impossible to cover (but thanks for trying anyway, Seattle), giving the visitors a 24-21 advantage with under two minutes left.

On that final scoring possession, Cassel passed eight times in a row (it would have been more save for two sacks and a scramble), hitting on five (three to Welker, one each to Gaffney and Faulk). Welker earned hero status on the day, catching 12 passes for 134 yards, including four catches to convert third downs.

Before the visiting team’s heroics (or villainy, depending on your point of view), the Seahawks’ last TD had given them a 21-13 lead late in the third. The drive was fueled by a 63-yard Deion Branch catch-and-run that seemed to happen in slow motion, kind of like watching a wayward shopping cart roll downhill into your parked car. Wallace maneuvered his way to the right and fired a pass to Branch on the sideline. Branch juked Junior Seau (playing due to an injury to Tedy Bruschi), who took a surfing-type wipeout. The receiver then scampered across the field behind a series of Seattle blocks and cut up the left sideline to the nine. Though replays appeared to show him catching the ball out of bounds, the play was upheld. Branch added to his former fans’ misery by making a five-yard touchdown catch where he tipped the ball back to himself.

With all his success, announcers dubbed him “Former Patriot Deion Branch” for the rest of the day. Branch caught four passes for 88 yards and two touchdowns, his first scoring receptions of the season. I wanted to punch myself in the eye. And why on Earth couldn’t Ellis Hobbs get there in time to knock that pass away after Branch took long enough to tap it back to himself? Am I asking too much? Am I?

On the ensuing drive that bridged the third and fourth quarters, Cassel failed to connect with Randy Moss on first and second down but hit Gaffney on third for 28 yards to midfield. On the play, Cassel did a good job stepping up in the face of a blitz, while Gaffney did a good job getting open and reeling in the pass. So, hey, good job all around. Faced with another third down, Cassel managed to connect with Moss on a 33-yarder over Moss’ outside shoulder to Seattle’s 13. Stephen Gostkowski came on to cut the deficit to 21-16 with 12:19 left to play.

No one could have blamed New England fans for expecting the worst, as this game opened like the door to a well-trafficked outhouse. Seattle scored TDs on their first two possessions, running and gunning their way to a 14-3 lead early in the second quarter. On their first drive, the Seahawks held the ball for 13 plays over 6:35. The home team pounded the Pats with their ground game, as Maurice Morris and someone named Leonard Weaver gained 45 yards combined. Wallace found Branch in the near-left corner of the end zone for a 7-0 score in what looked to be the beginning of a long day.

After Gostkowski trimmed the lead with an impressive 50-yard field goal, Seattle scored their second TD. This drive only took three minutes off the clock, as Wallace got the final 46 yards in three plays: a 25-yard pass to rookie tight end John Carlson, an 11-yard scramble, and a 10-yard TD pass to Carlson, who had eight catches for 69 yards. Neither Jerod Mayo nor Meriweather could cover the tight end.

Remember when the Patriots had a tight end who caught passes? Those were the days.

Down 14-3 in the second quarter, New England responded with their first touchdown drive of the day (and we might add, not a bit too soon). After an impressive 55-yard kick return by Ellis Hobbs, the offense only had 43 yards to go. Cassel converted the lone third down with his legs, gaining three on third and two at the 22. LaMont Jordan (he’s back!) followed with an eight-yard slog through Seattle’s defense to the 11. New England benefited from a pass interference penalty where Marcus Trufant grabbed Moss. From the two, Cassel found Benjamin Watson (just to remind us that he’s here), closing the gap to 14-10 at the half.

Watson caught one pass for two yards. Just for perspective, I sat on my couch Sunday and caught only one fewer pass and gained only two fewer yards. The tight end also did little to endear himself by getting an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for using the ball as a celebratory prop. Now, if he’d done something imaginative, I could have lived with it. But stuffing the ball under his shirt? What is he, six?

You know, I’m complaining, and I really shouldn’t be. The Patriots had a come-from-behind win in a nasty environment. They lost Tedy Bruschi and Vince Wilfork to injury, adding to a list that at this point could make up an entire squad (I’m not exaggerating as much as I’d like). Seau’s going to be 40 next month. I’m turning 40 this week, and I wince at the thought of having to tackle anything tougher than a plate of nachos. Still, as nice as it is to have Old Home Week with Seau and Rosevelt Colvin back, it’s daunting to think of this defense going against Kurt Warner’s Cardinals in two games.

Save for two three-and-outs and one well-timed safety blitz, New England’s defense did little to stop the offense of what is now a 2-11 team missing its starting QB. Seattle converted 58 percent of its third downs. They rushed for 134 yards. A guy named Seneca completed over 70 percent of his passes.

Maybe I asked for this. Last week, I requested more one-on-one coverage and more rookies in the mix. Well, rookie linebackers Mayo and Gary Guyton started the game, as did rookie cornerback Jonathan Wilhite, with mixed results (Mayo had a dependable seven tackles, Wilhite had three, while Guyton had two and was pushed around by various blockers). While I’d like to see more of Wilhite over Deltha O’Neal at this point, seeing him in single coverage fails to give me a warm feeling (unless heartburn counts).

But what the heck: a win is a win, and this win put New England in a virtual tie for first place in the AFC East with the Jets (losers to San Francisco) and Dolphins. The Patriots, last year’s team to beat, have become a beat-up collection of underdogs, rookies and retirees. They are, to use a made-up word, rootable. A backup QB? Rookie starters? Undrafted and late-round players holding down the fort? And they’re still in playoff contention? Sign me up.

So here’s my advice to you, Patriots fans, and I’ll try to follow it myself: have some fun. Sure, this team will drive you nuts. Rookies miss tackles and blow assignments; receivers continue to drop passes. The line can’t seem to give their QB time, while the defense doesn’t rush or cover all that well. Cassel seems less like “Tom Brady II” and a little closer to “Sage Rosenfels, The Sequel.” Sometimes you just have to shake your head.

Next week, if Oakland’s JaMarcus Russell passes for 300 yards as the Raider defense holds New England to 14 points, fans can all hold their noses together at the fresh stench of another Pats mess. But if New England wins it - no matter how they win it - then they’ve got to smile.

No, it’s not easy being a Patriots fan this season, but look at it this way: at least you don’t have to root for Seattle.

Chris Warner’s ‘Game Day Rear View’ appears after every game on Patriots Daily. He can be reached at chris.warner@patriotsdaily.com.

Searching through the rain for something positive to say about New England’s 33-10 debacle vs. the Steelers, I came up with one small tidbit: they’re still in the playoff hunt. Sort of.

Sunday’s shame lies in the fact that a couple hundred miles south, the Jets were getting tossed around by the Broncos. Had the Patriots figured out a way to win, they would be tied at 8-4 atop the division (albeit with the Jets winning the tiebreaker). As it stands now, the Pats and Dolphins sit together in second place at 7-5.

Though the ball of yarn unraveled in the third quarter, when Pittsburgh scored 13 points while shutting out the home team to take a 23-10 lead, it first came loose late in the second, when the Patriots missed a key opportunity to score.

A 41-yard draw play to Kevin Faulk and a 14-yarder by Sammy Morris helped put the Patriots on the Steelers’ nine-yard line with 35 seconds left. When quarterback Matt Cassel threw a little bit behind a wide-open Randy Moss in the back of the end zone, Moss let the ball and the score slip through his fingers. Stephen Gostkowski missed the 27-yard field goal attempt, keeping the score tied going into the break.

New England got the ball to begin the third and moved into Steeler territory with help from two penalties. On second and one, Cassel got sacked, killing the home team’s momentum and setting the stage for a blooper bonanza reminiscent of early 1990s Patriots. For those few minutes of playing time, that’s not an overstatement.

The Steelers held the ball for 6:53, taking 14 plays to get to the seven-yard line. There, after a couple of incomplete passes where Ben Roethlisberger had enough time in the pocket to boil an egg (the plays took nine and ten seconds, respectively), Pittsburgh settled for a field goal.

Down 13-10, New England looked to get the ball back and at least tie things up, but increasingly useless rookie Matt Slater performed his own personal football follies, muffing the kickoff and accidentally booting it into the arms of the onrushing Steelers at the eight. On second down, Roethlisberger tossed to Hines Ward for a touchdown. Cornerback Deltha O’Neal may have been in the same zip code on the play.

Wow. Who would have thought?

Who would have thought that, ten weeks after Tom Brady went down for the 2008 season, the quarterback position would have become the least of New England’s worries? Somewhere along the way, Mr. Matt Cassel has become a big-time professional.

Don’t be confused by your memories of the wide-eyed ninny running around the backfield during preseason games. What we have here, dear readers, is a bona fide NFL starter who passed for three touchdowns (30 of 43, 415 yards) and ran for another to propel his team to a 48-28 victory in a donnybrook with the Dolphins.

From an offensive standpoint, the holidays came early to New England. While Wes Welker (eight catches, 120 yards) and Jabar Gaffney (five, for 88) got open often, Randy Moss took advantage of single coverage throughout the afternoon, catching eight passes for 125 yards and three TDs.

Cassel began on a high note and kept singing, hitting Kevin Faulk (six grabs, 52 yards), Welker and Moss in succession to reach Miami’s 31. On first down from the 20, guard Stephen Neal was called for holding, putting New England back to the 30. (I, for one, am getting sick of the “least penalized team” graphic that shows up whenever the Pats commit a foul. For the record, they had six on Sunday.) Cassel hit Welker and Faulk to gain 18 of the necessary yards but couldn’t connect with Gaffney for the final two. Still, Gostkowski’s field goal at 10:13 told fans that the Pats had come to play.

After Cassel’s tipped-ball interception, Miami’s Chad Pennington (24 of 41, 341 yards, three TDs) made short work of a short field with a four-play, 42-yard touchdown drive to give the home team a 7-3 lead with 5:29 left in the first. New England’s defense failed to stop the Dolphins in the red zone all day, and even gave up 50 percent of third-down conversions.

Boy, this looked good in overtime. After a Pierre Woods sack and a Gary Guyton pass break-up, the Jets faced a third down and 15 from their own 15-yard line. Had the Patriots held there, they would have gotten the ball back into the hands of their molten-hot quarterback Matt Cassel, the guy who’d just directed a 62-yard touchdown drive with 1:04 left to tie it in regulation.

But New York got the first down on Brett Favre’s 16-yard pass to tight end/newly-established nemesis Dustin Keller, and they got every first down they needed after that, eventually getting a 34-yard field goal for the win.

Maybe Cassel’s performance (30 for 51, 400 yards, three touchdowns) will propel New England to better things. Maybe the play of the defense, led by Jerod Mayo (20 tackles), will become more consistent.

But - and this has to be in the mind of every New England fan this morning - maybe it’s too late to matter. The Patriots find themselves at 6-4, looking up at the Jets, AFC East leaders at 7-3. And the worst part is, it didn’t have to be this way.

Sure, the Patriots stayed close with a second-half surge, but they lost the game in plenty of ways. From early on, due to lack of energy and execution, it seemed it wouldn’t be the home team’s night. That became apparent during the Jets’ opening drive, on the incomplete pass to Lavernues Coles that was overturned for a first down, and the 21-yard pass to Keller (damn you, Keller!), and Favre’s bubble screen for to Leon Washington for a touchdown. Add to that Washington’s kick return touchdown and a near-impossible helmet catch by Jerricho Cotchery leading to New York’s third TD, and this one seemed well over before the half.

And yet … New England put together several solid second-half stands (my alliteration allotment for the column) and a couple of consistent offensive drives to tie this thing. For Patriots fans, that’s what hurts so much.