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Game notes

Email|Link|Comments (8) Posted by Mike Reiss, Globe Staff November 3, 2008 12:49 AM

Game notes from the Patriots' 18-15 loss to the Colts, courtesy of the team's media relations staff:

WELKER TIES RECORD FOR MOST GAMES WITH SIX OR MORE CATCHES TO OPEN SEASON
On a 10-yard reception in the fourth quarter - his sixth catch of the game - Wes Welker tied the NFL record for most games with six or more receptions to begin a season. Welker has had six or more receptions in each of the Patriots’ eight games this season and ties the NFL record established by Jacksonville’s Jimmy Smith in 2001.

EVEN STEPHEN
Stephen Gostkowski hit three field goals -- a 29-yard field goal in the second quarter to cut the Colts’ lead to 7-3 and a 35-yard kick later in the quarter to cut the lead to 7-6 and a 25-yarder in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 15. The kicks raised Gostkowski to 19-for-20 (95 percent) on field goals this season. Following his boots against the Colts, Gostkowski had nailed 26 of his last 27 kicks (96.3 percent) dating back to last season. Gostkowski is the Patriots’ all-time leader in field goal percentage, hitting 60-of-70 kicks (85.7 percent) since being selected by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft.

GREEN-ELLIS SCORES FOR THIRD STRAIGHT WEEK
Rookie running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis gave the Patriots a 12-7 lead on a 6-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. The scoring run was Green-Ellis’s third of the season, the third of his career and his third in as many weeks, having also scored against Denver on Oct. 29 and against St. Louis on Oct. 26. Green-Ellis, who was originally signed by the Patriots in the offseason as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Mississippi, was signed to New England’s active roster on Oct. 11. He has now scored a touchdown in three of his four professional games.

QUICK HITS

Kelley Washington tackled Colts punt returner Marvin Harrison at the Indianapolis 9-yard line in the first quarter after just a 2-yard punt return, helping the Patriots to net 62 yards on a 64-yard Chris Hanson punt.

Mike Vrabel tripped up Joseph Addai in the backfield for a 1-yard loss on third down in the second quarter, forcing a Colts punt on the next play.

Kevin Faulk completed a pass to Wes Welker for a 2-yard loss in the second quarter. The completion was the second of Faulk’s career, and came on his fourth career passing attempt (and his first since 2003). Faulk’s only career completion prior to tonight’s game came on a 23-yard completion to Tom Brady in 2001.

The Patriots were called for a false start penalty in the third quarter, breaking a streak of seven penalty-free quarters. Prior to the third-quarter false start, the last time the Patriots were penalized was in the third quarter against Denver on Oct. 20. Last week against St. Louis, the Patriots played the first penalty-free game in franchise history.

Richard Seymour and Mike Vrabel combined to stop Joseph Addai for a 2-yard loss on first-and-goal in the third quarter.

The Patriots outgained the Colts in total net yardage, 342-301.

The Patriots outrushed the Colts 140-47.

Jerod Mayo, the NFL’s defensive rookie of the month for October, led the Patriots with 11 tackles (8 solo).

SWAT TEAM
Terrence Wheatley knocked down a Peyton Manning pass intended for Marvin Harrison on third down on the Colts’ first possession of the game, forcing an Indianapolis three-and-out as the Colts punted on the next play.

FAULK BREAKS 3,000-YARD RECEIVNG MARK
On an 11-yard reception in the second quarter, Kevin Faulk recorded his 3,000th receiving yard, becoming the 14th player in Patriots history to break the 3,000 receiving yard mark. Following his 11-yard catch against the Colts, Faulk had 3,003 career receiving yards - a total that ranks 14th in team history. Faulk is the Patriots’ all-time leader in receptions by a running back, and his 343 receptions entering tonight’s game ranked fifth in team history.

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8 comments so far...

Who cares, Mike?

We lost....where are the locker room comments? Belichick on his bonehead timeout, Dave Thomas on his bonehead penalty or the officals on their bonehead blown call?

No point in staying up this late...

Posted by Gregg November 3, 08 12:59 AM

Care to comment on the Thomas penalty?

From the replay, it looked like Thomas simply may not have realized that the play was over.

Is "unnecessary roughness" typically called on blockers finishing a block? I mean, I know it was a penalty, but wasn't it the kind of penalty that is typically ignored? Thomas was not trying to hurt anybody after all.

Posted by RickD November 3, 08 01:08 AM

Patriots blew it. Pats were the better looking team. Dropped touchdown. Critical, game-changing "unnecessary roughness" call. I dunno... Could've been called on anyone. The same type of incident probably happened at least 5 other times in the game and never got called. We drove on them methodically and had trouble finishing. Peyton looked like he was pressing to save his reputation for the season. We bottled up the run pretty well. The Pats just looked more solid. We should've had it. A collection of unfortunate events, tonight. Crap! This one hurts. We should have beaten the colts. Now we're 5-3 like the Bills and the Jets and the rest of the NFL. With most teams hovering around .500, the NFL is what it is this year -- a mediocre product and a mediocre season. Gotta love those Titans, huh. Just dominating at 8-0.... LOL!!

Posted by Greg November 3, 08 01:12 AM

Yeah, the coaching made some bad choices. Thomas....who knows what that was about. But most amazing was that damned Adam V making a damned 52 yarder!!!

Posted by Ghost November 3, 08 01:18 AM

sigh...right when Terrence Wheatley looked like he was going to break out and have a great game he gets injured...any idea on how serious? i would looooooooove if he would start over deltha for the rest of the year to get some great experiance for next year and so we can see if we really need to pick someone up to be a future starter in fa or the draft. I would prefer to go elsewhere in the draft though...mostly oline/olb/ss/rb/wr/etc

Posted by andrew November 3, 08 01:21 AM

Greg, I disagree about the NFL being a "mediocre product." I dig the parity; by my reckoning, there are many 26 teams that are capable with competing against any of the other 31 on any given weekend. Even the 2-win Rams have shown flashes.

I think the salary cap allows the teams that are well-coached and whose infrastructure and spending are well-organized to consistently rise to the top. (You know, like the NE Patriots.) I love that the modern league places a premium on brains! I truly believe that Theo and Brian Cashman would flounder miserably in the NFL. front office.

Posted by Matt November 3, 08 03:10 AM

Finishing a block? He didn't even start it until the play was over.

Posted by Vic Mackey November 3, 08 03:25 AM

This one hurts more than the blow-outs to Miami and Chargers, because it should have been won, could have been.
I hate these 'we played well and lost' games. Aggravating!
Gaffney...deary me.

Posted by GlasgowPat November 3, 08 05:48 AM

DO NOT HIT THE SUBMIT BUTTON MORE THAN ONCE!

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Mike Reiss, Christopher L. Gasper and the rest of the Globe team provide regular updates –and a behind-the-scenes look– on the daily happenings of the Patriots.

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