Whatever Happened to the Patriot Way - A Madden NFL 25 New England Patriots CFM

[patriotway]

With the playoffs on the horizon, NFL teams are putting forward their best efforts in hopes of being able to play when January comes around. As for the teams that have been eliminated from playoff contention, they are already preparing for the next season, while also trying to complete the current one. Before any team can look ahead to future endeavors, they must first get through week 14 of the 2013 NFL season.


Detroit Lions (5-7) @ Philadelphia Eagles (6-6)
While neither the Eagles' nor the Lions' seasons have gone well up to this point, both teams are in a surprisingly good position to make a run at not only their respective division titles but a spot for the playoffs as well. Despite the misfortune both teams have faced, individuals on both teams are enjoying successful seasons. The question remains whether or not these individuals will be able to give thier teams the boost that they need.

Calvon Johnson has been the most dominant receiver in the league this season gaining over 1,200 receiving yards.

Indianapolis Colts (8-4) @ Cincinnati Bengals (9-3)
While the Colts are sitting comfortably atop the AFC South, the Bengals are tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for first in the AFC North. A strong surge from the Steelers and inconsistent play from the Bengals has left the latter team in a tough fight for the division. Things won't get any easier for the Bengals when they face the Colts' top 5 defense and offense. After losing two of their last three, the Bengals will try to prove whether or not they can finish the season on the same strong foot they started it on.

Rober Mathis leads the Indianapolis Colts 4th ranked defense against the Cincinnati Bengals, one of the AFC's top teams.

Week 13 Schedule

Thursday's Games

Houston Texans (6-5) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (5-6) l 8:25 PM

Sunday's Games

Buffalo Bills (6-6) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-10) l 1:00 PM

Carolina Panthers (9-3) @ New Orleans Saints (9-3) l 1:00 PM

Cleveland Browns (3-9) @ New England Patriots (8-4) l 1:00 PM

Detroit Lions (5-7) @ Philadelphia Eagles (6-6) l 1:00 PM

Indianapolis Colts (8-4) @ Cincinnati Bengals (9-3) l 1:00 PM

Kansas City Chiefs (8-3-1) @ Washington Redskins (7-5) l 1:00 PM

Miami Dolphins (3-9) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3) l 1:00 PM

Minnesota Vikings (7-5) @ Baltimore Ravens (5-7) l 1:00 PM

Oakland Raiders (3-9) @ New York Jets (1-11) l 1:00 PM

Tennessee Titans (3-9) @ Denver Broncos (6-5-1) l 4:05

New York Giants (5-7) @ San Diego Chargers (5-7) l 4:25 PM

Seattle Seahawks (10-2) @ San Francisco 49ers (6-6) l 4:25

St. Louis Rams (2-10) @ Arizona Cardinals (6-6) l 4:25 PM

Atlanta Falcons (9-3) @ Green Bay Packers (7-5) l 8:30

Monday's Games

Dallas Cowboys (8-4) @ Chicago Bears (4-8) l 8:40 PM

BYE WEEKS: None

[patriotway]

The San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys will be happy to see their key players returning to the lineup this week. Frank Gores' return couldn't come at a better time, as the 49ers will host their division rival Seattle this weekend.

Down to their third string quarterback Zac Dysert, the Denver Broncos sign Brady Quinn this week. The team is still undecided on who will start against the Bengals this week.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers runningback Isaac Redman signs with the Cleveland Browns this week to provide the team with depth until Willis McGahee is able to return.


Jason Spitz returns to the Green Bay Packers to help the team after injuries have decimated depth along the offensive line.


Keeping the proper amount of depth at the tight end position is key for the New England Patriots. Marquise Cole is expected to be resigned when Rob Gronkowski returns to the line up.


The New Orleans Saints cut two players this week to make room for center J.D. Walton and defensive tackle Antonio Dixon. While Dixon will only provide depth, Walton will start in place of injured center Brian de la Puente.


Jared Gaither is also expected to start this week for the San Francisco 49ers in place of injured left tackle Joe Staley.

[patriotway]

Week 14 Power Rankings
RK (LW)	Team	Record	Next Game
1 (4)	Seattle Seahawks	10-2	@ San Francisco 49ers
2 (1)	Pittsburgh Steelers	9-3	vs. Miami Dolphns
3 (2)	New Orleans Saints	9-3	vs. Carolina Panthers
4 (6)	Atlanta Falcons	9-3	@ Green Bay Packers
5 (7)	Carolina Panthers	9-3	@ New Orleans Saints
6 (3)	Cincinnati Bengals	9-3	vs. Indianapolis Colts
7 (5)	Kansas City Chiefs	8-3-1	@ Washington Redskins
8 (9)	Indianapolis Colts	8-4	@ Cincinnati Bengals
9 (8)	Dallas Cowboys	8-4	@ Chicago Bears
10 (11)	New England Patriots	8-4	vs. Cleveland Browns
11 (12)	Minnesota Vikings	7-5	@ Baltimore Ravens
12 (10)	Green Bay Packers	7-5	vs. Atlanta Falcons
13 (14)	Washington Redskins	7-5	vs. Kansas City Chiefs
14 (13)	Buffalo Bills	6-6	@ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
15 (15)	Arizona Cardinals	6-6	vs. St. Louis Rams
16 (21)	Philadelphia Eagles	6-6	vs. Detroit Lions
17 (16)	San Francisco 49ers	6-6	vs. Seattle Seahawks
18 (17)	Houston Texans	6-6	@ Jacksonville Jaguars
19 (18)	Denver Broncos	6-5-1	vs. Tennessee Titans
20 (19)	Jacksonville Jaguars	6-6	vs. Houston Texans
21 (22)	Baltimore Ravens	5-7	vs. Minnesota Vikings
22 (24)	San Diego Chargers	5-7	vs. New York Giants
23 (25)	Detroit Lions	5-7	@ Philadelphia Eagles
24 (20)	New York Giants	5-7	@ San Diego Chargers
25 (23)	Chicago Bears	4-8	vs. Dallas Cowboys
26 (27)	Cleveland Browns	3-9	@ New England Patriots
27 (29)	Miami Dolphins	3-9	@ Pittsburgh Steelers
28 (26)	Oakland Raiders	3-9	@ New York Jets
29 (28)	Tennessee Titans	3-9	@ Denver Broncos
30 (30)	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	2-10	vs. Buffalo Bills
31 (31)	St. Louis Rams	2-10	@ Arizona Cardinals
32 (32)	New York Jets	1-11	vs. Oakland Raiders

[patriotway]

Matchup Preview *|* December 8, 2013
	@
Cleveland Browns (3-9, 1-4 Away)		New England Patriots (8-4, 5-1 Home)
Offensive Stats Comparison 3153 (30th) Total Offensive Yards 5063 (1st) 2235 (28th) Passing Yards 3206 (5th) 918 (29th) Rushing Yards 1857 (4th) 14.9 (27th) Points Per Game 30.2 (1st) 12 (Tied - 18th) Passing TD 23 (1st) 4 (Tied - 29th) Rushing TD 13 (Tied - 6th) 133 (31st) First Downs 252 (1st) 19 (30th) Red Zone Attempts 50 (1st) 7-6 Red Zone TD-FG 30-16 68% (Tied - 24th) Red Zone Percentage 92% (1st) Defensive Stats Comparison 4105 (20th) Total Yards Allowed 4210 (23rd) 2535 (12th) Passing Yards Allowed 3467 (32nd) 1570 (23rd) Rushing Yards Allowed 743 (1st) 22.9 (23rd) Points Per Game 20.6 (Tied - 14th) 16 (Tied - 23rd) Sacks 40 (2nd) 6 (Tied - 11th) Fumble Recoveries 6 (Tied - 11th) 7 (Tied - 24th) Interceptions 22 (1st) 34 (Tied - 17th) Red Zone Attempts 31 (Tied - 10th) 11-15 Red Zone TD-FG 18-7 76% (Tied - 18th) Red Zone Percentage 80% (Tied - 24th) Injury Report W. McGahee/ Broken Wrist (Out 3 Weeks) R. Gronkowski/ Shoulder Tear (Out 3 Weeks) J. Sheard/ Pulled Groin (Out 2 Weeks) T. Benjamin/ Pulled Groin (Out 1 Week) Game Notes To be honest, the Cleveland Browns don't have much except for pride (and their jobs) to play for at this point. None of their stats on paper stand out aside from how poor they are. Nonetheless, the Browns are professional football players. If the New England Patriots overlook this opponent, then they'll risk a lot more than just a loss.

[patriotway]

Cleveland Browns at New England Patriots
Dec 8, 2013	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
Cleveland Browns (4-9)	3	3	3	7	6	22
New England Patriots (8-5)	6	7	0	3	0	16

Team Stats Comparison
	CLE	NWE
Total Offense	322	350
Rushing Yards	57	240
Passing Yards	265	110
First Downs	16	22
Punt Return Yards	10	49
Kick Return Yards	116	125
Total Yards	448	524
Turnovers	2(0)	2(0)
3rd Down Converstion	4-14(28%)	7-17(41%)
4th Down Conversion	0-0(0%)	0-0(0%)
2-Point Conversion	0-0(0%)	0-0(0%)
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	1/1	1/2
Penalties	5-45	9-105
Posession Time	28:42	35:01

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		CLE	NWE
11:47	(NWE) S. Gostkowski, 36 Yd FG	0	3
5:03	(NWE) S. Gostkowski, 45 Yd FG	0	6
0:00	(CLE) B. Cundiff, 50 YD FG	3	6
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		CLE	NWE
3:51	(NWE) S. Ridley, 2 Yd run (S. Gostkowski kick)	3	13
0:27	(CLE) B. Cundiff, 38 Yd FG	6	13
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		CLE	NWE
2:18	(CLE) B. Cundiff, 30 Yd FG	9	13
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		CLE	NWE
14:10	(CLE) C. Johnson 7 Yd pass from B. Weeden (B. Cundiff Kick)	16	13
6:57	(NWE) S. Gostkowski, 23 Yd FG	16	16
OVERTIME SCORING		CLE	NWE
12:11	(CLE) J. Gordon 40 Yd pass from B. Weeden	22	16

Cleveland Browns PASSING C/A YDS TD INT B. Weeden 26/42(61%) 265 2 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD F. Whittaker 15 24 1.6 0 C. Ogbonnaya 11 32 2.9 0 B. Weeden 1 0 0.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD C. Ogbonnaya 6 32 5.3 0 J. Cameron 6 69 11.5 0 J. Gordon 5 103 20.6 1 F. Whittaker 4 22 5.5 0 C. Johnson 2 13 6.5 1 D. Bess 2 16 8.0 0 I Redman 1 10 10.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK J. Greco 1 0 DEFENSE T-A SACK INT TD D. Jackson 7-0 0 0 0 T. Ward 6-0 0 0 0 A. Rubin 6-0 0 0 0 P. Kruger 5-0 1 0 0 T. Gipson 5-0 0 0 0 C. Owens 5-0 0 0 0 B. Skrine 4-0 0 1 0 B. Mingo 3-0 1 0 0 J. Haden 3-0 0 0 0 L. McFadden 3-0 1 0 0 C. Robertson 3-0 0 1 0 P. Hazel 3-0 0 0 0 I. Kitchen 2-0 0 0 0 D. Bryant 1-0 1 0 0 P. Taylor 1-0 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG B. Cundiff 3/3 1/1 10 51 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 S. Lanning 5 221 44.2 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD F. Whittaker 4 116 29.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD D. Bess 1 10 10.0 0

New England Patriots PASSING C/A YDS TD INT T. Brady 19/45(42%) 140 0 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD S. Ridley 20 147 7.3 1 L. Blount 11 64 5.8 0 S. Vereen 3 29 9.6 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD S. Vereen 6 51 8.5 0 D. Amendola 5 33 6.6 0 M. Hoomanawanui 2 8 4.0 0 A. Dobson 2 17 8.5 0 K. Thompkins 2 22 11.0 0 J. Edelman 1 9 9.0 0 S. Ridley 1 0 0.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK L. Mankins 5 0 D. Connolly 2 0 N. Solder 2 1 S. Vollmer 0 1 DEFENSE T-A SACK INT TD J. Mayo 10-0 0 0 0 S. Gregory 5-1 0 0 0 D. Hightower 5-0 0 0 0 K. Arrington 5-0 0 1 0 B. Spikes 4-0 0 0 0 C. Jones 4-1 0 0 0 J. Collins 4-1 0 0 0 A. Talib 3-0 0 1 0 R. Ninkovich 3-1 0 0 0 A. Dennard 2-0 0 0 0 D. McCourty 2-0 0 0 0 L. Ryan 2-0 0 0 0 M. Buchanan 1-0 0 0 0 V. Wilfork 1-0 0 0 0 D. Fletcher 1-0 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG S. Gostkowski 3/4 1/1 10 46 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 R. Allen 5 213 42.6 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD J. Boyce 5 125 25.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD J. Edelman 4 49 12.2 0

A game like this was supposed to be over before it even began. How would the 8-4 New England Patriots lose to the 3-9 Cleveland Browns. The Patriots had come off of two dominating performances in their last couple of games, out scoring the opponent 85-19 in the process. Meanwhile, the Browns had lost three of their last four games. Injuries were taking a toll on their defensive line and they are without starting running back Willis McGahee. A home game against the Browns with these circumstances should have been a cakewalk. Right?

On New England and Cleveland's opening drives, both teams went three and out. Little did either team know, this would be a common theme throughout the game. There was very little in the way of offense as both Tom Brady and Brandon Weeden were completely out-of-sync with their receivers. If passes did manage to find the receiver, the pass would most likely be dropped. While these issues kept Cleveland from doing much scoring in the first half, New Enlgand was able to rely on it's running game to move the ball down the field. This resulted in a 6-3 New England lead at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter wasn't any different for either team. Both teams struggled not only on offense, but it seemed both teams lacked discipline. Penalties occurred quite often in the second quarter. The Patriots had a scoring drive that wasn't finished as smoothly as they usually would have. Despite this and a two minute drive the ended on a turnover, the Patriots took a 13-6 lead into the second half.

Brady's inaccuracy resulted in two interceptions, one of them going to linebacker Craig Robertson.

In the third quarter, the Patriots continued to play sloppy while the Browns managed to play more consistently. Receivers held onto the ball and passes weren't off target for Cleveland, but those same issues continued to plague New England. As the third quarter went on, Cleveland's drives moved deeper and deeper into New England territory. Still, New England's defense did just enough to hold Cleveland to a single field goal in the quarter and protect their lead.

The defense played well for most of the game and outside linebacker Jerod Mayo was a big contributor.

The fourth quarter is when the game began to get interesting. Weeden and the Cleveland offense were able to find a rhythm in the passing game and this resulted in some big gains. Cleveland finally capitalized on this and found the end zone early in the quarter. New England later tied the game on a 23 yard field goal. With a tied game, neither New England nor Cleveland were able to score, although both teams had plenty of chances to do so.

With four quarters not enough to decide the game, New England and Cleveland went into overtime. Despite the many opportunities either team had to win the game, a crucial play left the ball in Cleveland's possession in overtime. A toss play on first down put the ball in the hands of Fozzy Whittaker and the running back was met by a swarm of Patriots players while trying to take the play outside. While being tackled, it appeared as though Whittaker lost the ball and it was clearly recovered by linebacker Brandon Spikes. When the play was reviewed, the officials overturned the fumble ruling, giving the ball back to Cleveland. Cleveland picked up a first down and also received help via a roughing the passer penalty on defensive end Rob Ninkovich. The final play of the game was a beautiful touchdown pass from Weeden down the left sideline to receiver Josh Gordon who had run by defensive back Alfonzo Dennard. With that, the Patriots fell to the Browns 22-16 in overtime.

Both Isaac Redman and Josh Gordon made huge plays in overtime. Redman fought for a first down while Gordon caught the game winning pass.

While it's easy to say that every team has games like this during the course of a season, the Patriots will have to asses everything that went wrong before they can move on to their next opponent. A game like this can't be played at this time of year, especially with everything the Patriots could lose. This loss puts the Patriots one game ahead of the Buffalo Bills, setting up what could possibly be an interesting week 17 game in New England. The division isn't the only thing the Patriots have to be aware of, as the Indianapolis Colts and the Cincinnati Bengals are also fighting for higher seeds in the AFC. Before the Patriots can look that far ahead, they'll have to focus on their next opponent.

Game Ball/ Extra Rep

Game Ball
Shane Vereen: Vereen has proven to be an excellent pass catcher and runner and his numbers have improved greatly over the last few games.

Aqib Talib/Kyle Arrington: Throwing Talib's way has been problematic for opposing quarterbacks as Talib picks up his eighth of the year. Arrington's also gets his sixth interception of the year.

Jerod Mayo: Despite playing most the game with a should injury, the veteran linebacker records ten tackles.

Extra Reps
Tom Brady: Brady has one of his worst games of the season and quite possibly his career. Brady completed only 42% of his passes and and didn't throw a touchdown.

Rob Ninkovich: Ninkovich is flagged multiple times on roughing the passer penalties including once in overtime.

Receivers: On top of Brady's struggle with his accuracy, the receivers fail to catch the passes that do find them, totaling nine drops in the game.

[patriotway]

Week 14 Summary
Thursday's Games	Hi Passing	Hi Rushing	Hi Receiving
Houston 20, Jacksonville 3	M. Schaub 221	A. Foster 110	A. Johnson 123
Sunday's Games	Hi Passing	Hi Rushing	Hi Receiving
Cincinnati 24, Indianapolis 6	A. Luck 233	B. Green-Ellis 59	R. Wayne 67
Cleveland 22, New England 16	B. Weeden 265	S. Ridley 147	J. Gordon 103
NY Jets 12, Oakland 0	G. Smith 177	B. Powell 71	S. Hill 65
New Orleans 24, Carolina 20	D. Brees 338	D. Williams 99	L. Moore 84
Detroit 27, Philadelphia 3	M. Stafford 228	J. Bell 79	C. Johnson 112
Pittsburgh 21, Miami 19	B. Roethlisberger 337	D. Thomas 49	E. Sanders 150
Buffalo 27, Tampa Bay 3	J. Tuel 189	C.J. Spiller 106	S. Johnson 99
Washington 26, Kansas City 9	R. Griffin 206	J. Charles 102	J. Morgan 85
Minnesota 22, Baltimore 16	T. Taylor 182	A. Peterson 95	T. Smith 81
Tennessee 13, Denver 6	R. Fitzpatrick 222	S. Greene 71	W. Welker 106
Arizona 33, St. Louis 6	C. Palmer 221	R. Mendenhall 88	A. Pettis 95
San Diego 48, NY Giants 38	E. Manning 327	D. Wilson 72	H. Nicks 88
San Francisco 17, Seattle 16	C. McCoy 208	F. Gore 111	A. Boldin 69
Green Bay 34, Atlanta 20	A. Rodgers 320	J. Starks 88	R. Cobb 129
Monday's Games	Hi Passing	Hi Rushing	Hi Receiving
Dallas 17, Chicago 11	J. Cutler 189	D. Murray 107	D. Bryant 87
BYE WEEKS: None

Media Reaction:
Trey Wingo @WingoZEA: The Packers have now moved past 4,000 yards passing on the year.
Mark Schlereth @MarkSchlerethEA: The best jobs come with the most pressure, and R. Ryan knows that while struggling in New York this year.
Adam Schefter @AdamSchefterEA: Bears couldn't stop a nosebleed today, and no way they were stopping the Cowboys from winning.
Matt Miller @MattMillerEA: Buccaneers will be dissatisfied to say the least after coming up short at home.
Mike Hill @MikeHillEA: It's about this time of year you start looking at W-L records and see which coaches may be in trouble. #Titans
Skip Bayless @SkipBaylessEA: You're telling me J. Fisher doesn't KNOW he has to do better down the stretch.? #hotseat #Rams
Ross Tucker @RossTuckerEA: Just let T. Coughlin coach. He's got enough pressure already being the coach of the Giants. #hotseat
Lavar Arrington @LArringtonEA: Playoff intensity on that field this week. #49ers #Seahawks
Susannah Collins @SCollinsEA: Aaron Rodgers played so well!!! Came out firing and tore up the Falcons to get the win.
Chris Mortensen @mortreportEA: Many felt Chuck Pagano would have a better game plan coming into that game against the Bengals.

[patriotway]

Buffalo Bills
A. Branch (DT) - Broken Toe - 3 Weeks


Arizona Cardinals
P. Fanaika (G) - Broken Collarbone - 7 Weeks
M. Floyd (WR) - Dislocated Knee - 4 Weeks
M. Scaughnessy (LB) - Pulled Groin - 3 Weeks


Kansas City Chiefs
J. Asamoah (G) - Pulled Groin - 4 Weeks


Dallas Cowboys
T. Smith (T) - Pulled Groin - 3 Weeks


Miami Dolphins
B. Grimes (CB) - Broken Fibula - Placed on Injured Reserve


Atlanta Falcons
S. Maponga (DE) - Fractured Knee Cap - Placed On Injured Reserve


New York Giants
J. Brewer (G) - Dislocated Ankle - 6 Weeks
J. Cordle (C) - Pulled Groin - 2 Weeks


Jacksonville Jaguars
B. Gabbert (QB) - Upper Arm Fracture - Placed on Injured Reserve


Carolina Panthers
T. Wharton (G) - Pulled Groin - 3 Weeks


St. Louis Rams
S. Wells (C) - Torn Tricep - Placed On Injured Reserve
R. Quinn (DE) - Foot Fracture - 5 Weeks


Baltimore Ravens
A. Jones (DE) - Broken Ribs - 4 Weeks


New Orleans Saints
A. Dixon (DT) - Pulled Groin - 4 Weeks


Seattle Seahawks
C. Clemons (DE) - Dislocated Ankle - 6 Weeks


Pittsburgh Steelers
A. Brown (WR) - Pulled Groin - 3 Weeks


Tennessee Titans
P. Bailey (LB) - Dislocated Hip - 7 Weeks
K. Klug (DT) - Broken Toe - 5 Weeks
R. Pitoitua (DE) - Quad Tear - 5 Weeks

Media Reaction:
Skip Bayless @SkipBaylessEA: Don't know if the Dolphins will win another game without Brent Grimes on the field. He's out for the year.
Adam Schefter @AdamSchefterEA: St. Louis center Scott Wells placed on IR.
Chris Mortensen @mortreportEA: Rams are saying Robert Quinn did suffer a foot fracture during this weeks game.

[patriotway]