Pick Six: Week 12

As I watched the Patriots get beat down by the Saints, I couldn’t stop thinking about an article I wrote earlier this season called “Love Letters.” The idea was I wrote two letters from the fans perspective to DL Richard Seymour and WR Jabar Gaffney. The letters pointed out how the team missed their contributions on the field.

We saw on Monday night what the team lacked and how having those two former players could had helped. The pass rush was near absent, with OLB Adalius Thomas with the only sack. And with WRs Randy Moss and Wes Welker pretty much taken away, there wasn’t a consistent third option that QB Tom Brady count on.

In all honesty, even if Seymour and Gaffney were still on the team, it wouldn’t had mattered. The final score might had been closer, but New England still would had lost.

1. This was the seventh game against an undefeated team this year. The Patriots are 3-4 in those games. The win-loss records are startling. The teams the Pats beat are a combined 16-17. The teams New England lost to are 34-10.

2. The Saints beat the Patriots at their own game. They scored 21 points in the second quarter to New England’s three. The Patriots lead the league in second quarter scoring.

3. To say big plays killed the Patriots would be an understatement. Here’s the list of long completions: 33, 75TD, 25, 38TD, 68, 27, 20TD. Throw in a run for 26 yards and that’s 312 yards and three touchdowns on eight plays.

4. Saints QB Drew Brees is in a class all by himself. He’s the first quarterback to throw three TDs in a quarter against a Bill Belichick-coached defense.

5. For the first time since 2005, the Patriots lost a regular season game to an NFC team. That was a week two 27-17 loss to Carolina. That ends a 17-game winning streak against the NFC.

6. Brady is now 0-3 against Drew Brees. He lost twice to Brees when Drew was the quarterback of San Diego in 2002 (21-14) and 2005 (41-17).

Extra Point: Brady eclipsed Drew Bledsoe for the franchise’s career passing yardage record. Go for Two: RB Laurence Maroney fumbled the ball on the first offensive play of the second half. It was the third straight week Maroney fumbled. At least he made up for it by forcing a fumble on the same play. The Patriots recovered and scored a touchdown on the drive.