Post by MizzouTiger on Dec 30, 2007 12:19:12 GMT -5
www.kansascity.com/sports/story/423667.html
Patriots end regular season 16-0 with win over Giants
By RANDY COVITZ
The Kansas City Star
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. | The perfect season came down to the perfect play.
Who else to author it but New England quarterback Tom Brady, and who else to score the game-winning touchdown but Randy Moss?
One play after Moss dropped a sure touchdown catch, Brady came right back to him on a similar, deep corner route and connected for a 65-yard touchdown pass on Saturday night at Giants Stadium that inscribed the Patriots, Brady and Moss into the NFL record book.
The touchdown was the backbreaking score in New England’s 38-35 victory over the New York Giants that capped the Patriots’ perfect 16-0 season.
The Patriots became the fourth team in the NFL’s 88-year history to finish a regular season undefeated and untied, and the first since the 1972 Miami Dolphins went 14-0 and finished 17-0, including a victory in Super Bowl VII. The 1934 and 1942 Chicago Bears went unbeaten in the regular season but lost title games.
The Brady-to-Moss touchdown — their second of the game — was the 50th of the season for Brady, breaking the NFL single-season mark of 49 set by Indianapolis’ Peyton Manning in 2004; and the touchdown catch was the 23rd of the season by Moss, eclipsing the mark of 22 set by San Francisco’s Jerry Rice in 1987.
“Not only to get the records, but the way they got it … ” New England defensive lineman Richard Seymour said of Brady and Moss. “We needed it.”
The Patriots stared at their largest deficit of the season — 28-16 midway through the third quarter — after the Giants’ Plaxico Burress caught a 19-yard pass from Eli Manning.
New England drew within 28-23 on a 6-yard run by Laurence Maroney before Brady and Moss capped one of the greatest seasons compiled by a quarterback and one of his receivers.
Moss raced past fallen safety Gibril Wilson at the Giants’ 15, but failed to catch Brady’s slightly underthrown pass at his knees. Brady, a lock for the first MVP award of his career, called Moss’ number again, and this time Moss blew by safety James Butler and coasted in for a 29-28 lead.
“I made a bad throw,” Brady said of the first attempt. “I tried to redeem myself.”
Maroney ran for a two-point conversion and later scored on a 5-yard run after an interception. New England withstood Eli Manning’s 3-yard touchdown pass to Burress with 64 seconds left in regulation and recovered the Giants’ onside kick.
“Those guys deserve everything they get, all the accomplishments that come their way, because they put in the work,” Seymour said of Brady and Moss. “They’re good teammates, you enjoy seeing someone who’s successful that does it the right way. Not only are they super-talented, but they do the little things. That’s one of the reasons they were able to accomplish the things they have.”
The Giants, 10-6, had no reason to play as well as they did. New York is locked in the No. 5 seed in next week’s NFC playoffs, and had several players, including Burress and hard-running Brandon Jacobs, who could have used a week off to rest their injured ankles.
But both teams came to play in a game marked by intensity and quality that would be the envy of a Super Bowl. The Giants’ 35 points were the most scored against New England this season.
Don’t tell New England coach Bill Belichick or New York’s Tom Coughlin the game was meaningless.
“I’ll go back to something a coach (Bill Parcells) I worked for used to say, and I believe every word of it,” Belichick said. “What Bill said is there are no meaningless games when you’re playing them. When we’re playing in a game, it means something to us. And I know it meant something to the Giants.
“It might not mean anything in the standings, but if you’re playing in it, and you’re competitive, it means something to you, and I think that was reflected out on the field.”
And it meant 16-0.
“It’s nice to step in the company with other great teams,” Seymour said. “The ’72 Dolphins, give them a lot of credit. To do it in the modern era is very remarkable. But our ultimate goal wasn’t to go 16-0.”
Now the goal is 19-0 and a fourth Super Bowl title in seven years.
“It’s a great feeling,” Belichick said. “Now is the time to take a day or two and appreciate what this team has done, and at the same time look forward … we have our biggest game of the year coming up (in the playoffs).”
Patriots end regular season 16-0 with win over Giants
By RANDY COVITZ
The Kansas City Star
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. | The perfect season came down to the perfect play.
Who else to author it but New England quarterback Tom Brady, and who else to score the game-winning touchdown but Randy Moss?
One play after Moss dropped a sure touchdown catch, Brady came right back to him on a similar, deep corner route and connected for a 65-yard touchdown pass on Saturday night at Giants Stadium that inscribed the Patriots, Brady and Moss into the NFL record book.
The touchdown was the backbreaking score in New England’s 38-35 victory over the New York Giants that capped the Patriots’ perfect 16-0 season.
The Patriots became the fourth team in the NFL’s 88-year history to finish a regular season undefeated and untied, and the first since the 1972 Miami Dolphins went 14-0 and finished 17-0, including a victory in Super Bowl VII. The 1934 and 1942 Chicago Bears went unbeaten in the regular season but lost title games.
The Brady-to-Moss touchdown — their second of the game — was the 50th of the season for Brady, breaking the NFL single-season mark of 49 set by Indianapolis’ Peyton Manning in 2004; and the touchdown catch was the 23rd of the season by Moss, eclipsing the mark of 22 set by San Francisco’s Jerry Rice in 1987.
“Not only to get the records, but the way they got it … ” New England defensive lineman Richard Seymour said of Brady and Moss. “We needed it.”
The Patriots stared at their largest deficit of the season — 28-16 midway through the third quarter — after the Giants’ Plaxico Burress caught a 19-yard pass from Eli Manning.
New England drew within 28-23 on a 6-yard run by Laurence Maroney before Brady and Moss capped one of the greatest seasons compiled by a quarterback and one of his receivers.
Moss raced past fallen safety Gibril Wilson at the Giants’ 15, but failed to catch Brady’s slightly underthrown pass at his knees. Brady, a lock for the first MVP award of his career, called Moss’ number again, and this time Moss blew by safety James Butler and coasted in for a 29-28 lead.
“I made a bad throw,” Brady said of the first attempt. “I tried to redeem myself.”
Maroney ran for a two-point conversion and later scored on a 5-yard run after an interception. New England withstood Eli Manning’s 3-yard touchdown pass to Burress with 64 seconds left in regulation and recovered the Giants’ onside kick.
“Those guys deserve everything they get, all the accomplishments that come their way, because they put in the work,” Seymour said of Brady and Moss. “They’re good teammates, you enjoy seeing someone who’s successful that does it the right way. Not only are they super-talented, but they do the little things. That’s one of the reasons they were able to accomplish the things they have.”
The Giants, 10-6, had no reason to play as well as they did. New York is locked in the No. 5 seed in next week’s NFC playoffs, and had several players, including Burress and hard-running Brandon Jacobs, who could have used a week off to rest their injured ankles.
But both teams came to play in a game marked by intensity and quality that would be the envy of a Super Bowl. The Giants’ 35 points were the most scored against New England this season.
Don’t tell New England coach Bill Belichick or New York’s Tom Coughlin the game was meaningless.
“I’ll go back to something a coach (Bill Parcells) I worked for used to say, and I believe every word of it,” Belichick said. “What Bill said is there are no meaningless games when you’re playing them. When we’re playing in a game, it means something to us. And I know it meant something to the Giants.
“It might not mean anything in the standings, but if you’re playing in it, and you’re competitive, it means something to you, and I think that was reflected out on the field.”
And it meant 16-0.
“It’s nice to step in the company with other great teams,” Seymour said. “The ’72 Dolphins, give them a lot of credit. To do it in the modern era is very remarkable. But our ultimate goal wasn’t to go 16-0.”
Now the goal is 19-0 and a fourth Super Bowl title in seven years.
“It’s a great feeling,” Belichick said. “Now is the time to take a day or two and appreciate what this team has done, and at the same time look forward … we have our biggest game of the year coming up (in the playoffs).”