Patriots Live Blog: Brady Takes Knee To Seal 201st Career Victory
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
Final, 26-10 Patriots: This one is over, mercifully. The Rams decided to kick deep, and the ball bounced through the end zone.
Brady took the field with the offense with 1:15 to play, and he took a knee to seal his 201st career victory. The Rams didn't use either of their final two timeouts, and a second kneeldown inside of 40 seconds officially put this one in the books.
It was not a beautiful football game by any stretch, but the Patriots asserted themselves as the better team from start to finish.
Fourth quarter, 1:15, 26-10 Patriots: Hey. Hey! The Rams had a big play! Sixty-six yards, to be exact. It came on a fourth down, and Kenny Britt just fooled Malcolm Butler with a double move and ended up wide open up the right side of the field. Goff hit him stride, and he wasn't tackled until he was just short of the goal line.
They were stuffed on first-and-goal, and then the Patriots committed consecutive penalties (12 men, encroachment). On second-and-goal from the 1-inch line, Goff rolled right and hit Britt in the end zone for the most meaningless touchdown in football history.
Fourth quarter, 3:29, 26-3 Patriots: Brady remained in the game, and he was firing away, throwing a handful of passes and moving the Patriots out of trouble deep in their own end and getting them out to the 30-yard line. Now the Rams take over at their own 35-yard line, as the game crawls toward the finish line.
Fourth quarter, 5:52, 26-3 Patriots: Another Rams possession. Another punt. Rough stuff out there for Jeff Fisher's team. Rough stuff.
Fourth quarter, 7:07, 26-3 Patriots: Malcolm Mitchell made another catch for another first down, but he also dropped a pass on third down, leading to a punt. The game should really have gone to a running clock for the fourth quarter, but as it stands, we've got seven minutes left. The Patriots just want to escape without any further injury.
Fourth quarter, 9:10, 26-3 Patriots: Another drive to nowhere for the Rams, with Goff missing badly on a first-down pass, then gaining just 2 yards on a short pass on second down, and then taking a sack on third down. It was Chris Long who had the honors for the Patriots this time.
Hekker unleashed an absolute bomb of a punt over the head of Cyrus Jones, who tracked it down and returned it to the 20. But a holding penalty sends it back to the 10.
Fourth quarter, 10:48, 26-3 Patriots: Stephen Gostkowski has had a laser-like focus today, and it's shown in his results. He's now 4-for-4 on field goals, after sending a 45-yarder through the uprights to extend the Patriots' lead to 23 points.
Malcolm Mitchell was the star on that drive, making consecutive catches for a total gain of 32 yards to get the Patriots across midfield.
End of third quarter, 23-3 Patriots: The beat goes on for the miserable Rams offense. They did pick up a first down on a pass to Quick, but that was it. Goff barely escaped another sack, and then he threw high to Quick on third-and-13.
Hekker punted another boomer, and the Pats took over at their own 16-yard line. Brady went with a quick pass to Lewis to start the drive for a gain of 7 yards prior to the quarter ending.
Third quarter, 3:06, 23-3 Patriots: Malcolm Mitchell did good work after the catch to pick up a first down up the left sideline, but the drive stalled there. Brady completed a short pass to White on third-and-11 but he was immediately tackled.
Gostkowski came on for a 45-yarder, and it was good, stretching the Patriots' lead to 20 points with 18 minutes left to play.
Third quarter, 5:02, 20-3 Patriots: Another forced turnover for the Pats' D. This one was a joint effort, as Jabaal Sheard got a hand on Goff's throwing arm while the QB was throwing a pass. The wobbly pass over the middle was picked off by Kyle Van Noy, and the Pats take over at the Rams' 40-yard line.
Third quarter, 5:08, 20-3 Patriots: Stephen Gostkowski is looking good today. The kicker just came on and perfectly booted a 48-yard field goal to get the Patriots to 20 points on the day. The Patriots had to settle for a field goal after Amendola and Brady weren't on the same page on an option route on third-and-8 from the 30-yard line.
The big play of that drive came thanks to Brady and Edelman's relationship. Brady heaved up a deep ball to Edelman and trusted his undersized receiver to get it. He did, coming down with a 32-yard reception to start the drive.
Brady went back to Edelman up the right seam on the next play for 15 more yards, bringing Edelman's total to 76 yards today.
Third quarter, 7:50, 17-3 Patriots: Fortunately for Jeff Fisher, a head coach need not necessarily have his challenge flag available in order to challenge a play. Head linesman Ed Camp (the same official who missed the facemask penalty in the first half) didn't see Brian Quick tap his second foot inbounds before falling out of bounds. Fisher wanted to challenge the play, but couldn't find his flag. He was able to catch the officials' attention and verbally challenge, but for a coach who this week couldn't name the Patriots' running backs, that doesn't inspire much confidence.
The play was, rightfully, overturned, saving L.A. from a third-and-17 from midfield.
But on third down from the 32-yard line, Eric Rowe hauled down Brian Quick after a short completion, and it was well short of the sticks.
Greg Zuerlein came on for a 44-yard field goal, and it curled through the uprights to get the Rams on the board.
Third quarter, 12:45, 17-0 Patriots: An illegal shift negated a first-down pickup on the first play of the Pats' drive, and the Patriots were unable to recover. They punted and the Rams now have good field position at their own 45.
Third quarter, 14:03, 17-0 Patriots: The Rams' offense can't do anything, and that's a problem that's now extended into the second half. After a false start, Britt dropped another pass. Goff threw a pass directly at Jabaal Sheard on second down, and a short third-down completion was well shy of the sticks.
Patriots take over at their own 15.
Third quarter, 14:55, 17-0 Patriots: The second half is underway. The Rams are starting at their own 21.
Halftime, 17-0 Patriots: The Patriots faced another fourth-and-1. Once again, they handed to LeGarrette Blount. Once again he picked up the first down.
Though he didn't end up busting it for a long touchdown, he did gain 6 yards. (Penalty yards should have been added on, but the officials weren't interested in calling an obvious and blatant late facemask.)
The drive ended up leading to a golden opportunity for Bennett to make a touchdown catch, but T.J. McDonald had it covered well. Brady maybe could have thrown that one a little higher to let Bennett use his height advantage, but football is hard.
Gostkowski came on and hit a 28-yard field goal from the left hash, and the Pats lead 17-0.
Second quarter, 5:30, 14-0 Patriots: The Rams should have had a first down there. But Kenny Britt couldn't hang on to a pass in his chest as Devin McCourty delivered a hit, and the Rams were forced to punt. Hekker punted from just outside his own end zone, and the Patriots will take over at their own 42.
Logan Ryan nearly succeeded in getting another sack on first down, but Goff was able to just get off a pass before taking the hit.
You know that the Patriots would like to extend this lead before halftime. With just about 25 yards to get into field-goal range and 58 yards to get into the end zone, this is a great opportunity.
Second quarter, 6:20, 14-0 Patriots: That drive had some life to it, with Amendola coming up with a 17-yard reception on a third-and-11 and Mitchell making a 14-yard catch on another third down.
But on third-and-11, the Patriots tried to run a screen to White, but the Rams' rush was too much. Brady spiked the ball into the turf and ended up getting slammed down by T.J. McDonald. The safety stayed on top of the quarterback a little longer than Brady would have liked, so Brady issued a little bit of a shove and then gave an icy stare after the two separated. Brady might have been taking a number on that walk off the field.
A good Allen punt from midfield was fairly caught at the 0-yard line.
Second quarter, 10:58, 14-0 Patriots: Logan Ryan went flying into the backfield on a second-and-8, and nobody saw it coming. That included Jared Goff, who was hauled down for a loss of 12 yards. Goff completed a short pass on third-and-20, but it wasn't nearly enough to keep the drive alive.
Danny Amendola was back deep, after Jones had muffed the previous punt, and he returned it just 8 yards out to the 22-yard line.
Second quarter, 13:04, 14-0 Patriots: Dion Lewis. Dion Lewis. Dion Lewis. Chris Hogan. Touchdown.
That was some drive from the Patriots. Lewis picked up 5 yards on a pass, then 5 yards on a run, then 6 yards on another run. On second-and-4 from the 14, Brady threw the ball right at the front left pylon of the end zone. Though E.J. Gaines had tight coverage, Hogan expertly timed his spin and leap to catch the ball while still keeping his feet inbounds.
Gostkowski's PAT, once again set up on the left hash, was good, and it's 14-0 New England.
End of first quarter, 7-0 Patriots: The Los Angeles Rams are not a good offensive football team. No, they are not.
Goff threw 20 yards downfield to Brian Quick, who was wide open. But Goff's throw was behind the receiver, and Quick made a bad adjustment, and it went for an incompletion. Two plays later on third down, Goff hit Lance Kendricks in the hands on a potential chain mover, but Kendricks let it bounce off his hands and right into the bread basket of Malcolm Butler.
It was the second pick of the year for Butler, who returned it to the 30-yard line.
First quarter, 2:21, 7-0 Patriots: The Patriots haven't been able to replicate the success of their first drive, and they were just forced to punt again.
Blount did break off a 7-yard run before Brady connected with Edelman for a gain of 13. But the drive stopped there. Blount lost two yards before a Brady pass was tipped at the line on second down. White somehow managed to go up and get the ball while in a sea of white jerseys, but on third down, Brady threw deep to nobody while taking a hit on a corner blitz.
There was some confusion on the punt play, as a Rams player bumped into the return man. The Patriots fell on the loose ball, thinking they had possession, but it turned out that no Rams player had touched the ball.
So the ball goes back to Goff and Co. at their own 18-yard line.
First quarter, 5:39, 7-0 Patriots: Another drive for L.A., another punt. Goff tried to go deep up the right sideline on first down, but instead of a football coming out of his hand it was a delicious roast duck. Malcolm Butler nearly made the pick while falling backward toward the turf.
After a short run on second down, the Patriots got immense pressure up the middle. Goff completed a pass to Brian Quick, but he was surrounded by Patriots short of the sticks.
Johnny Hekker faked like he was going to run a fake punt, before dropping back and taking a normal snap. Rookie Cyrus Jones looked like he had trouble picking up the ball, and he ended up muffing the punt. But Patrick Chung was on the spot to recover the loose ball, and the Patriots will take over at their own 19-yard line.
Here's a good shot of Blount's touchdown celebration, just for fun:
First quarter, 7:20, 7-0 Patriots: The offense got off to a good start, with Edelman catching a pass over the middle for 12 yards. But it got called back due to a holding penalty on Joe Thuney. On first-and-20, Brady went with a fake screen to the left and a screen pass to the right to Bennett. But Shaq Mason missed his block, and Bennett was tackled after a short gain.
White ran for four yards on second down, and a pass to Lewis went for just two yards on third down, leading to a Ryan Allen punt.
The Rams take over at their own 28.
First quarter, 9:38, 7-0 Patriots: The Pats' defense follows up the offense's efforts with as good a start as possible, forcing a three-and-out from the Rams. Alan Branch swallowed up Todd Gurley on first down for a loss of a yard. A Goff pass over the middle on second down got tipped and nearly picked, and on third down Goff escaped a sack from Ninkovich but threw out of bounds on the run.
Hekker's punt sailed 50 yards to the 35-yard line, where the offense will get back to work. I'd expect some more ground game.
First quarter, 10:38, 7-0 Patriots: The Patriots offense came out of the gate going heavy with the run. And with good reason.
Blount ran for 9 yards following a 4-yard run by Lewis. White then scampered for 9 himself.
Brady's first two passes were screens, one to Malcolm Mitchell for 6 yards and another to Lewis for a loss of 3. A screen pass to James White on a third-and-10 near midfield went for 9 yards.
Belichick decided to go for it on fourth-and-1. It worked out.
Brady handed to Blount, who made a cut behind the line of scrimmage, broke off the right end and then burst up the sideline, sending Maurice Alexander spinning circles en route to scoring a 43-yard touchdown.
That's the start the Pats wanted. It's 7-0.
Of note: Gostkowski set up his PAT attempt on the left hash. I believe that's new.
First quarter, 14:57, 0-0: Cyrus Jones caught the opening kick a few yards deep in the end zone and decided to bring it out. He got the ball out to the 21-yard line, and this one is underway in Foxboro.
1 p.m.: The Rams won the opening coin toss and elected to defer. Tom Brady will start this game with the football.
12:48 p.m.: Good news is a relative term with regard to Rob Gronkowski's status, but if you had any fears that the 27-year-old might not play again, he made a statement that he's focused on getting back on the field. Specifically, he's trying to "get this core extra strong and looking super fresh." So. That's good.
11:38 a.m.: The inactive lists are out. Here's what they look like.
PATRIOTS
Jordan Richards, S
Matt Slater, WR/ST
Woodrow Hamilton, DL
D.J. Foster, RB
LaAdrian Waddle, T
Darius Kilgo, DL
Justin Coleman, CB
RAMS
Tavon Austin, WR
Robert Quinn, DL
Sean Mannion, QB
Temarrick Hemingway, TE
Rodger Saffold, OL
Steve Williams, DB
Pace Murphy, OL
For the Rams, Austin and Quinn represent some pretty big absences. Austin was listed as doubtful with a chest injury, while Quinn was questionable with a concussion.
There aren't any surprises with the Patriots. Coleman's appearance means Eric Rowe will be back in the cornerback fold today, coming off a strong performance vs. the Jets. Slater is still out, but his return to practice this week shows that he's progressing.
10:45 a.m.: It's been a long week in Foxboro. But it's finally time for some football.
Yes, they now know that they officially won't have Rob Gronkowski for the remainder of the season and postseason, but life goes on for the New England Patriots. Today, they'll be hosting the 4-7 Los Angeles Rams at Gillette Stadium.
It may seem like a throwaway game of sorts, but we all said the same thing last week when the Patriots visited the 3-7 Jets. The Patriots had to fight for a full 60 minutes to earn that win. So we shall see what today brings.
In some ways, the Rams don't make an ideal opponent today, considering their defense is not their weakness. It's not exactly a soft landing for an offense that is tweaking a few things to deal with Gronkowski's absence, but the flip side is that the Rams can present a good challenge to help push the Patriots.
And on the other side of the ball, if the Patriots can't stop Jared Goff and this Rams offense ... well, it'll be a long week for all involved in New England.
In terms of personal accomplishments, a victory would give Tom Brady his 201st of his career. He's currently tied with Peyton Manning for most of all time, so it would/will be quite the accomplishment for Brady.
On a more humorous note, reports came out today that somehow, Rams head coach Jeff Fisher has signed a contract extension. He's 31-43-1 as head coach of the Rams since 2012, and that came after a 142-120 record coaching the Titans and Oilers from 1994 to 2010. Like Brady, Fisher is on the verge of securing an all-time title, albeit a less desirable one: most losses by a head coach ever. Two more losses, and he'll be tied with Dan Reeves.
As for this particular game, I'll have updates from pregame with the inactives and through the whole game, with updates and analysis throughout. Check back early and often.
You can email Michael Hurley or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.