Now this is what we signed up for. A night after watching the Red Sox lose the ALCS most Boston sports fans were seeking some solace in the Patriots game Monday night against Denver. After the first couple weeks on the season you had to wonder if the Pats could match up against the vaunted Denver offense. Well, after last night that question was answered and then some.
Before we get into the highlights of the game. Let us all take a moment to mourn the passing of Laurence Maroney. Here’s how I think it played out. Bill called Maroney into his office and explained that the game plan this week was they’re going to run it down Denver’s throats. Maroney says he has sand in his vagina and doesn’t think he’ll be able to play this week. So Bill tells him to pack his bags and head home, he’s being put on IR with Sandyvagititus.
So with no Maroney and LaMont Jordan still nursing a sore calf the running fell on the shoulders of Sammy Morris. Sammy took the ball and ran with it, literally. He had 138 yards in the first half and the way the Pats were running the ball, you figured he could have broken the 200 yard mark easily. Then the news that he was out for the rest of the game with a knee injury.
If Morris goes down and you’ve already lost Maroney, your running backs look pretty thin. Even with BenJarvus Green-Ellis playing well in the second half, you have to wonder if he’s that good or the Denver defense is really that bad.
So bad in fact that they gave up three passing touchdowns to Matt Cassel. Six times Cassel was sacked, but he didn’t make dumb decisions and the one time he did, the play was challenged and overturned.
So is this what we have to look forward to for the rest of the year? I tend to doubt it. Even when Denver was putting monster points on the board, the defense was handing them right back showing they’re not a defensive juggernaut. I think that Cassel will struggle with the tougher defenses but the question remains. Are they a playoff team? Vote and let me know.
