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http://hosted.stats.com/fb/preview.asp?g=20131118029&home=29&vis=17

 

(AP) -- The last time Tom Brady and the New England Patriots took the field, they put up the highest point total in the NFL this year.

 

It's highly unlikely they will come close to duplicating that effort Monday night.

 

The Patriots will go on the road to face a Carolina Panthers team that has won five straight and flexed its defensive muscles by allowing the NFC's fewest points.

 

It hasn't been an easy season for Brady, who owns the lowest passer rating of his career at 82.7 and has been frustrated often by an inexperienced group of targets that has dropped 12.2 percent of catchable balls for the league's worst mark.

 

New England (7-2) put aside those problems for a 55-31 rout of Pittsburgh on Nov. 3 as Brady enjoyed season highs of 432 yards passing and four touchdowns.

 

Now the AFC East leaders come out of their bye to face the Panthers, who are yielding 12.8 points per game and held defending NFC champion San Francisco without a touchdown in last Sunday's 10-9 road victory.

 

"They're one of the best defenses in the league," Brady said. "We have to play really well. I think our execution has to be at its best."

 

Carolina (6-3) has outscored foes 140-57 during its longest win streak since a six-game run Oct. 3-Nov. 13, 2005. Linebacker Luke Kuechly earned conference defensive player of the week honors for an 11-tackle performance as part of a defense that sacked Colin Kaepernick six times.

 

The second-year player out of Boston College now gets his first chance to face Brady.

 

"Tom Brady is a very cerebral guy, he's been around a while, he knows where he's going with the ball, he's smart, he understands defenses," Kuechly said. "So we've just got to do a good job of playing our job, doing our responsibilities and make sure we're in the right spot."

 

Kuechly and unheralded safety Mike Mitchell each have three of the Panthers' 13 interceptions that tie the club for the league's most.

 

The Patriots have also been boosted by Stevan Ridley's six rushing touchdowns over his last four games. He will face a Carolina front that allows an average of 82.0 yards on the ground for the NFL's second-lowest mark.

 

Just getting Brady enough snaps could be a challenge since Cam Newton has guided an offense that leads the NFL in time of possession at 33:48 per game heading into his first matchup with the Patriots.

 

"He's playing very efficiently. He does a good job," said Patriots coach Bill Belichick about Newton. "He's obviously a threat with the ball in his hands to run. He can make all the throws. He can put the ball on the sideline."

 

Carolina has rushed for an average of 120.4 yards during its win streak while the Patriots allow 128.2 yards per game on the ground for the league's third-worst mark.

 

Belichick believes his team will be prepared for Newton having already faced Buffalo's EJ Manuel and the Jets' Geno Smith.

 

"I think that a lot of the plays that Carolina runs we've seen from Buffalo and the Jets," Belichick said. "The fact that we have seen some of those plays, we've worked on the basic blocking schemes and how to fit on them, where everybody needs to be."

 

Newton owns a 67.4 completion percentage over the last five games. He has helped the Panthers convert a league-high 36.4 percent of third downs of at least 10 yards, and they are third on all third downs at 46.2 percent.

 

He'll try to avoid a New England pass rush that has produced 29 sacks to match Carolina and is led by Chandler Jones' 8 1/2.

 

Jones is tied for seventh in the league in sacks with the Panthers' Charles Johnson, who forms an impressive pass rushing duo with fellow defensive end Greg Hardy (six sacks).

 

"That's our style of defense," Hardy said. "We dominate. We take what we want. We do what we want."

 

Those pass rushers have clearly been helped by the additions of rookie defensive tackles Star Lotulelei and Kawann Short.

 

"We're playing young guys who have learned very quickly," coach Ron Rivera said. "These guys know what we want them to do."

 

Both teams have been very disciplined with New England committing 41 accepted penalties and Carolina 44 to rank in the NFL's top six.

 

Brady is 13-4 on Monday nights, an event the veteran still enjoys.

 

"Monday Night Football is always pretty cool, especially when you play a really good team on Monday Night Football," he said. "It's a fun night."

 

The Patriots have won three of five all-time meetings, including 32-29 in Super Bowl XXXVIII.

 

 

One of the few MNF games this season that, at least on paper, is interesting. Hopefully it doesn't suck.

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This could end up being the second best game of the week :smug:

 

All depends on how Cam plays honestly. Carolina's D is awesome, but they'll have to put up 28+ to win I think.

 

:patriots: 24

:panthers: 21

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It just dawned on me that if the Pats lose the next 2 games, which is very possible, and the Jets win their next 2 games (not quite as likely), that we will be tied with the NY Jets.

 

Shane Vereen coming back is going to help our offense a ton, especially on 3rd down. Can't wait to see him out there. I'd hold Talib out until the Denver game next week as well.

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Panthers declared RB Kenjon Barner, CB Drayton Florence, LB Chase Blackburn, WR Tavarres King, WR Marvin McNutt, TE Ben Hartsock, G Chris Scott, and DE Frank Alexander inactive for Week 11 against the Patriots.

Barner is a healthy scratch, as are McNutt and King. Hartsock, the team's blocking tight end, has a knee injury. Florence is battling a groin issue. A.J. Klein will get another start in place of Blackburn on the weak side.

 

 

 

 

Brandon Bolden is a healthy inactive for Monday night's Week 11 game against the Panthers.

Bolden wasn't on the injury report this week, for what seems to be the first time all season. But with Shane Vereen back in the mix as the passing-down back, Bolden's role has evaporated and he'll be in sweatpants on the sideline.
Also inactive for the Patriots are G Chris Barker, LB Steve Beauharnais, DE Jake Bequette, S Steve Gregory, CB Alfonzo Dennard, and RB Leon Washington. Dennard has a knee injury. Kenbrell Thompkins and Josh Boyce are both active.

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God damn it. Now my joke is ruined.

Edited by Bay

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That was the best game I've seen all year. Even with that shit pile no-call they dumped on us all at the end of the game.

 

Patriots got robbed there, but I'd say the scale is still tipping in their favor since that one call in 2002...

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I'm not gonna get too upset about this. As a Pats fan I think I get spoiled sometimes, many teams would kill to be 7-3 right now. I know we're going to the playoffs and we'll put forth a good effort there. Maybe we can get a Bye, but probably not. Maybe if we had Wilfork and Mayo but without them it is too difficult a task most likely.

 

Brady and Newton were both spectacular today, A+ performances from both. Newton is easily a top 10 QB. Way better than guys like Stafford or Dalton.


That was the best game I've seen all year. Even with that shit pile no-call they dumped on us all at the end of the game.

 

Patriots got robbed there, but I'd say the scale is still tipping in their favor since that one call in 2002...

I'd say the AFC Championship game in 06 made up for the Tuck Rule, the infamous "face guarding" call.

 

Shouldn't have even come down to that though. I'm kind of mad that it happened cause now everyone in NE is talking about that instead of how shitty the defense was all game.

Edited by BradyFan81

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If Gronk would've tried to come back to the ball, at all, I think he would've got the call. Maybe not though, since they threw the flag and then picked it up and then proceeded to whistle off the field.

 

Great game though, one of the best all year.

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Brady and the Patriots may have only put up 20 points, but he tore the Panthers defense apart in the second half. They did fine in the first but then failed to respond in the 2nd.

 

The Panthers have allowed something like 21 points in the entire first half all season long. Someone is failing at adjustments, clearly.

 

That said, Cam Newton looked amazing tonight. He missed like two throws all game. That throw to Smitty over Talib was just beautiful, and the TD drive that took 5 minutes off the clock to take the lead was awesome.

 

Defense needs work against elite QBs, offense came through for them in an off-night. (We only have to face Brees as far as elite QBs though, for the remaining games on our schedule.)

 

7-3 feels good.

Edited by Thanatos19

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I agree its just the way the game goes sometimes, but still, I would rather the call is made and we stop them anyway.

 

Of course, I would also rather the refs give Cannon a 15-yard penalty, (that was on a 12-yard run during the Patriots second-half opening TD drive), for a leg-whip on Charles Johnson that took him out of the game for the entirety of the second half. I didn't realize this, but Charles doesn't come back in until the very last Patriots series, and he only plays, I believe, two downs on it. That completely changed the way the game was going. The Patriots were able to double up on Hardy and we just had no pressure from the other side of the line.

 

I thought our DE depth might be a bit of a weak spot, I'm afraid this game just confirmed it. The defense's entire play just completely changed in the second half after Charles got knocked out. I really hope he is okay, because we might be in some serious trouble if not. It may be fine against Miami and Tampa, but going into New Orleans, he better be back.

 

And yeah I love how practically no one was talking about the choke-hold on that last Pats TD against the Saints.

 

I'd also love to be a fly on the wall, as it were, and hear that conversation the refs had that made them pick up the flag. I'm guessing the back-judge threw it and then (incorrectly) relied on the other refs judgment as to whether or not the ball was catchable.

 

Oh yeah and Gronk needs to take a lesson from Olsen. When being held by a defender, fight him and make it obvious that you are doing so.

 

What just kinda ticks me off though. Luke has to know better. Lester has absolutely perfect position. I'm not saying Gronk could never in a million years take it away from him, because Gronk is ridiculous, but Lester has undercut the route and is in perfect position to pick it off. I dont think Gronk makes the catch if Kuechly never enters the picture, not because it was uncatchable, but because Lester has him beat. (Not saying it isn't a penalty, as that isn't the definition of the rule.) There was no reason to even go there. Kuechly had a lot of tackles, and some really good plays, but he also had at least three boneheaded ones. All this talk of him being the best LB in the league is a bit premature. San Fran still has that guy, in my mind. Kuechly is still learning.

Edited by Thanatos19

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Also the refs explanation is completely bogus. (This video specifically: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=9998877)

 

They say it isnt DPI because the ball was underthrown and intercepted. (What? So you can do whatever you want to a receiver if the ball is underthrown?)

 

But let's take that at face value. Then isn't it holding? Watching the play about five times now, he's holding him and he starts before the ball is thrown, so it should have been a five-yard penalty at the least.

 

Panthers played their butts off, I'd rather have seen the call made and the Panthers win anyway, so there would be no less excuses for why we're still not legit.

 

I will say those types of calls are hardly ever made in those situations. They had the same thing in the "Fail Mary" game where Golden Tate committed even more blatant OPI and it wasn't called.

 

Hats off to New England, was a great game, time to go beat the Fins.

 

Oh. And then there was this. Cam is a freak.

 

MeatyGregariousBarnacle.gif

 

Tates was more blatant? Kuechly was practically hugging Gronk lol wasn't even looking for the ball either.

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Um yeah. Kuechly runs into him and is falling down so he grabs Gronk to keep his balance, immediately realizes, hey this is a bad idea, and takes his hands off his back. His momentum is still carrying him into Gronk and Gronk's momentum is not enough to counteract that.

 

Tate just puts his hands on the back of a Packer and shoves him into the ground. There's no momentum involved, they're both standing still looking up at the ball.

 

After looking at it a couple more times, DPI is the only thing they could have called. Brady isn't in the pocket when contact occurs, so illegal contact is out. The ball is actually in the air when contact starts, so defensive holding is out. The only thing is DPI and the refs made a judgment call that the ball was uncatchable. (Which they really need to watch more Gronk highlights if they think so.)

 

Gronk didn't help his case by just passively letting Kuechly run into him. He should have fought for it.

Edited by Thanatos19

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Also the refs explanation is completely bogus. (This video specifically: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=9998877)

 

They say it isnt DPI because the ball was underthrown and intercepted. (What? So you can do whatever you want to a receiver if the ball is underthrown?)

 

But let's take that at face value. Then isn't it holding? Watching the play about five times now, he's holding him and he starts before the ball is thrown, so it should have been a five-yard penalty at the least.

 

Panthers played their butts off, I'd rather have seen the call made and the Panthers win anyway, so there would be no less excuses for why we're still not legit.

 

I will say those types of calls are hardly ever made in those situations. They had the same thing in the "Fail Mary" game where Golden Tate committed even more blatant OPI and it wasn't called.

 

Hats off to New England, was a great game, time to go beat the Fins.

 

Oh. And then there was this. Cam is a freak.

 

MeatyGregariousBarnacle.gif

I love how at the end of that run Newton pushes off the Pats player and wants to keep going. That was a spectacular play.

 

EDIT: Changed my original post after reading Thanatos' recent one.

Edited by BigBen07

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It was not DPI, but it certainly was defensive holding. The ideal scenario is an untimed play from the 13 yard line which, quite frankly, is very very unlikely to result in a TD, anyway. I'd have liked to see it just so people aren't making excuses. People are acting like the Patriots should have won. They got outplayed all night, and the Panthers defense was dominant until the obviously intentional and somehow uncalled leg whip.

 

If (was it Johnson) misses any time as a key part of Carolina's defense, then the uncalled hold was warranted. Games balance themselves out. I seriously doubt that it's that close at the end without that leg whip. I expect a suspension for that offensive lineman.

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Its not defensive holding.

 

The ball was in the air, by definition it cannot be defensive holding.

 

Brady was out of the pocket. Cannot be illegal contact.

 

It was DPI or it was nothing.

Edited by Thanatos19
  • Upvote 2

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Its not defensive holding.

 

The ball was in the air, by definition it cannot be defensive holding.

 

Brady was out of the pocket. Cannot be illegal contact.

 

It was DPI or it was nothing.

 

Well then the no call is right because Gronk had no play on the ball. I've already said it once or twice, Gronk went OoB on his own. Luke grabbed him, but the replay from behind the endzone shows absolutely no push on his part.

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Its not defensive holding.

 

The ball was in the air, by definition it cannot be defensive holding.

 

Brady was out of the pocket. Cannot be illegal contact.

 

It was DPI or it was nothing.

 

Well then the no call is right because Gronk had no play on the ball. I've already said it once or twice, Gronk went OoB on his own. Luke grabbed him, but the replay from behind the endzone shows absolutely no push on his part.

 

No he definitely had a play on the ball if Luke isn't bear hugging him.

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The fact is this: If Kuechly doesn't put his hands on him, but instead stops, Gronk would have to go through both him and Lester. The chances of him catching the ball are slim to none. However unlikely it may have been for Gronk to go through both of them and make a play on the ball, its not impossible. Thus, flag.

 

Which is why it was such a dumb penalty to risk taking. It's like those times you see a penalty happen away from the play. Sure, it most likely did not affect the outcome, but its still a penalty.

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