Cassel showed drive in the clutch
FOXBOROUGH - Matt Cassel already had done some pretty good things during last night's AFC East showdown against the Jets, but when the Patriots got the ball back trailing, 31-24, with 1:04 remaining in regulation, he had the opportunity to do something great.
He delivered.
Cassel raced the Patriots 62 yards, completing a pair of passes each to Benjamin Watson and Wes Welker, then on fourth and 1 from the Jets' 16, he rifled a pass to Randy Moss in the far right side of the end zone to send the game to overtime.
Jay Feely kicked a 34-yard field goal with 7:10 left in the extra session to lift the Jets to a 34-31 win and drop the Patriots a game back in the division, but Cassel's performance was another step forward.
Cassel completed 30 of 51 passes for 400 yards, all career highs, and picked up 62 yards rushing to account for a large chunk of New England's total offense (511 yards).
"It's not enough in a tight one like this," Cassel said.
Cassel led the Patriots back from an 18-point first-half deficit, starting with a two-minute drill that ended with a touchdown just before halftime. The Jets took a 31-24 lead with 3:10 to play.
After the Jets went three-and-out on their next possession, Cassel and the Patriots went to work. Cassel was so calm and confident, he almost looked like another Patriots quarterback known for leading dramatic drives.
"He was real cool back there in the pocket," said wide receiver Jabar Gaffney. "You look back there, it kind of looked like [No.] 12 was back there the way he ran the no-huddle."
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Moss was tightly covered by former Patriot Ty Law in the end zone, but managed to keep the ball in his hands and his feet inbounds.
"That's what Randy does," Cassel said.
Moss had an otherwise quiet night, however, with just two additional catches for 10 yards. Watson (eight receptions), Welker (seven), and Gaffney (seven) were Cassel's main targets.
Cassel had made strides in the last two games, an 18-15 loss to the Colts and last Sunday's 20-10 win over the Bills. He had said he was starting to get into a comfort zone and that things were starting to slow down for him.
"Every week Matt is coming into his own," said defensive end Richard Seymour, "and establishing his own personality."
Cassel showed poise on last night's tying fourth-quarter drive and continues to emerge as a leader.
"I hope I've earned the confidence of these guys on the team throughout the year," he said. "[The late-game, two-minute drill] is a situation we practice a lot and to be able to execute and score a touchdown when we need to is a confidence builder."
Cassel picked up three first downs rushing, including a career-long 19-yarder during the late-second-quarter scoring drive.
Cassel completed 4 of 8 passes for 47 yards on the march and ran twice for 21 yards. He threw a beautiful ball to Gaffney, who reached over cornerback Dwight Lowery in the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown.
The Patriots missed out on a couple of opportunities early in the third quarter (a Watson fumble and errant Dan Koppen snap), but Cassel completed a 10-yard TD pass to Watson at the end of the quarter, then connected with Gaffney on the 2-point conversion to get the Patriots within 24-21.
"[Cassel] played a great game," said running back Sammy Morris, who returned in a limited role after missing three games with a knee injury. "Matt is showing that he's a pretty good quarterback. He makes a lot of plays and has a lot of intensity and really sets up the offense."
Cassel watched from the sideline as the Jets got the ball first in overtime and Brett Favre moved New York into field goal range.
"It's frustrating," Cassel said. "You want to be out there and have the ball in your hand and have the opportunity to win the game." 