It would be easy to say that Tom Brady going down in Week One was the defining moment of the 2008 New England Patriots.
Sure, in many ways it was, but with Brady going down just twelve minutes into 2008 there was still a full season of football to be played. So, ultimately the 2008 Patriots were not defined by a lack of Tom Brady, they were defined by not being able to beat any of the elite teams they faced.
In a season where the AFC East was decided by the third tie-breaker (conference record) there were a handful of plays that, had they gone the other way, the Patriots would've been crowned division champs.You never truly know that mistakes that will come back to haunt you when they happen. Some people may point to Jabar Gaffney's dropped touchdown pass or David Thomas' Unnecessary Roughness penalty against the Colts that cost the Pats at least a shot at overtime, and potentially a win, but there was another play that I believe was truly the difference in the 2008 Patriots season.
That play came in overtime against the New York Jets in Week 11.
Matt Cassel had threaded a touchdown pass to Randy Moss as time expired to force overtime. The Pats had amassed over 500 yards of offense and looked primed for a huge come-from-behind win. But, as fate would have it, the Jets won the coin toss and choose to receive the ball in overtime.
When the New York offense took the field on their 20-yard line it was impossible to know that the playoff fate of the Patriots hung in the balance.
On first down, Pierre Woods, in his first start filling in for an injured Adalius Thomas, sacked Brett Favre for a loss of 5-yards. Then Gary Guyton broke up a pass intended for Leon Washington on second down forcing the Jets into a 3rd-and-15 situation.Given how the Patriots offense was clicking on all cylinders, it's likely a stop on this 3rd down would've given New England a good shot at winning the game.
But that is easier said than done. 3rd down was the Achilles Heel for the 2008 New England Patriots, where they ranked 26th in the NFL in forcing a punt.As Brett Favre dropped back, the Patriots rushed only three defenders, dropping the rest into coverage. Unfortunately, Jerod Mayo, who had his "coming out party" this game with a game high 20 tackles, dropped to the wrong zone leaving Jet TE Dustin Keller with a seam down the middle.
Favre saw the mistake and exploited it. Keller made the catch and busted through Brandon Meriweather to pick up the first down. You can see this play here at the 5:10 mark.In and of itself, this was just another 3rd down conversion given up by the New England defense. The Jets were still 35-yards from the edge of Jay Feely's field goal range, so there were other chances for the Pats to make a stop. But none were as favorable as the 3rd-and-15.
The New York drive continued and culminated with Feely making a 34-yard Field Goal to give the Jets the win.
The Patriots lost only one more game in 2008, a blowout to the Pittsburgh Steelers, before sweeping their final four games to bring them to a tie record-wise for the division lead at 11-5. But it was too late, the tie-breaker went to Miami by virtue of their AFC conference record which was one game better than the Pats'.
You never know when the plays that define your season are happening until you can look back in hindsight, but in many ways it was appropriate that the Patriots biggest weakness in 2008 was ultimately their downfall. It's amazing that a simple mistake by a rookie linebacker who had, until that point, been playing the best game of his pro career, can be the difference between a team making the playoffs and not making the playoffs.
Who knows, maybe the Jets would've stopped Cassel, Moss and Welker even if the Pats had gotten the ball back. Or maybe it would've ended in a tie.
"Woulda, Shoulda, Coulda" is not something the New England Patriots dwell on, however it's still interesting to look back upon the seemingly insignificant plays that will define your season.
Mike Dussault is a Patriots Community Leader and the author of numerous unproduced screenplays. He can be reached at PatriotsPropaganda@gmail.com.
