Okay, we all know that Wes Welker should have caught that 4th quarter throw from quarterback Tom Brady that would have put the Patriots at the Giants' 20 with a two point lead and less than four minutes to play. But Welker's drop isn't the "reason" the Patriots lost. Yeah, that play is going to be tough to watch for a very long time, but the Patriots had plenty of other opportunities.

When I look back at Super Bowl XLVI, I'm going to see a game of missed opportunities. The defense was great at keeping points off the field for about 57 minutes. However, they let three fumbles hit the ground and didn't recover one. They had a turnover called back by a ridiculously bone-headed 12 men on the field penalty. They missed a couple of opportunities at interceptions. They could have made a stop on the Giants final drive... they didn't.

Tom Brady and the Patriots offense didn't score a single point following the opening drive of the second half. Tom Brady missed throws. There was that unfortunate interception. Had the Patriots scored any of those drives, we're not talking about Wes Welker as the goat of the game.

The bottom line is that football is a team sport. The Patriots had opportunity after opportunity to put that game away, and the ball just didn't bounce in their favor. It sucks to lose another Super Bowl like that, but what are you going to do?

Wes Welker has been a terrific football player for the New England Patriots. The Patriots likely aren't even in Super Bowl XLVI without the guy. I know he's going to take this one hard. I know the fans of New England are going to take this one hard. But for once, instead of throwing out blame, lets give "da Welkah" some support.

Join me in tweeting @WesWelker with words of encouragement.

Editor's Note: Apparently this didn't post an hour ago when it was originally scheduled. Just got back to the media center. Sorry for the hiccup.

A last second lost in the Super Bowl to the Giants for the second time in four years. Yeah, it sucks.

Looks like that hail mary almost went down.

But alas, the 2011 season is over.

I think we'll move on from this one as quick as possible. Although I will say this: the legacies of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are tainted. As great of a season as this was, the Patriots just couldn't make the big plays down the stretch despite leading nearly entire second half

I'm going to head down to the locker room, not sure how to treat this one.

The Patriots had so many opportunities to win this game, but they just couldn't take advantage. They had the long drive in the fourth quarter, but Tom Brady couldn't hit a wide open Wes Welker to seal the deal.

Use this thread to vent. Use it to reflect. Use it to curse.

And... oh yeah, trolls better stay away. We're going to be quick to ban "unruly fans."

1. Stopping Rice -

RB Ray Rice: 22 touches, 78 yards (3.54 ypt), 0 TDs

If you told me that the Patriots could hold Ray Rice to that stat line, I'd be ecstatic and assume that Rice had a terrible day. We reviewed how the Patriots would have to line up in order to slow down Rice and the Ravens run game. Here's a picture:

By splitting the gaps, the Patriots were able to get into the backfield and disrupt Rice's favorite running lanes. The most impressive factor in how they limited Rice? They didn't have a spy. They let Rice run wherever he wanted- they just made him pay for it. If he wanted to block, he was going to get trucked. If he was splitting through a gap to be a receiver, a linebacker would engage him at the line of scrimmage. If he was in the open field, the Patriots had two players in zone coverage to deter Joe Flacco from making the throw. The Patriots defense was impressive and it seemed to evolved into a more complicated, exotic, and physical defense than it had been for the rest of the season. It's a good look for them and it definitely has to do with the return of Pat Chung and Brandon Spikes. Win for the Patriots.

Continue reading this post »

Assigning a grade to the Patriots' offense for their performance in New England's 23-20 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship:

Passing Offense

Quarterback Tom Brady had his lowest rated passing game of the year. He went 22/36 for zero touchdowns and two interceptions. He missed an open Rob Gronkowski for a touchdown in the first quarter, he floated a couple of passes into coverage. He threw a fourth quarter interception in the fourth quarter on a drive where the Patriots could have essentially put the game away. No, it wasn't the best day for Tom Brady and the Patriots passing offense. But I will give you this: The Patriots moved the ball well and sustained drives all game, and a lot of that was due to the passing game. And in the fourth quarter, with the Patriots down by four, Tom Brady delivered one of his vintage moments on an 11 play, 63 yard drive that gave the Patriots the lead for good, 23-20.

The Patriots' receivers / tight ends also played well, although Deion Branch only had two catches. In addition, the protection also held up well, with Tom Brady only being sacked once by Paul Kruger.

Grade: C

Rushing Offense

The Patriots' rushing offense was one of the pleasant surprises of the game. On the Patriots first touchdown drive of the game in the second quarter, running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis carried the ball 4 times for 35 yards. He capped the drive off with a beautiful, patient, seven yard touchdown run. For the game, Green-Ellis carried the ball 13 times for 68 yards. Danny Woodhead added six carries for 18 yards, while Aaron Hernandez also received three carries for nine yards. I would have liked to see the Patriots stick to the run a little bit more, particularly in the second half. However, the running game was certainly critical to the Patriots success. In fact, the Patriots only other touchdown came on a Tom Brady quarterback sneak to give the Patriots the lead late in the fourth quarter.

Grade: B

OVERALL OFFENSIVE GRADE: C+

The Patriots went three and out on their first drive, but then moved the ball pretty well for the rest of the game. The thing that bothered me most about the Patriots' offense was the points that the unit left on the board. Three times they were stopped in the red zone. The two turnovers also didn't help. Fortunately, the defense bailed out the 'O' on several occasions. But there's no doubt, if the Patriots are to beat the Giants in Super Bowl XLVI, they will need to be more opportunistic when on offense.

For eight years, Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork has been known as a man eater. He was the classic nose tackle who occupied blockers, didn't make a lot of big plays, but was crucial to the Patriots' success. Wilfork never racked up the big stats or made the highlight reel plays.

In the 2011 season, Wilfork has completely shed the reputation. He has made big plays all year, picking up 52 tackles, a career high 3.5 sacks, and also came up with two interceptions. Against the Broncos in the Divisional Playoffs last week, Wilfork recorded 1.5 sacks. Still, Wilfork had yet to have that vintage performance that fans would refer back to for years to come.

Tonight, against the Baltimore Ravens, Vince Wilfork had that performance. Wilfork had six tackles and was in on two sacks. On a third and short with the Ravens driving deep in Patriots territory down 23-20, Wilfork had a huge run stuff on Ray Rice. On the ensuing fourth down, Wilfork pressured quarterback Joe Flacco and forced him to throw the ball away.

The Patriots then ran the ball down to less than two minutes, and ultimately a missed game tying field goal from Billy Cundiff helped give the Patriots the win and the Super Bowl birth.

Years from now, when voters look back at Wilfork's career and try to decipher whether or not he deserves Hall of Fame honors, they should look back at this tape. Eight years into his Patriots career, Vince Wilfork is still as important as any Patriots player not named Tom Brady.

Extra: Wilfork's post-game comments from the podium:

I think tonight was a big night for all of us. The fans, the organization, the coaches, the players. Everyone. It was a big, big night for us. We knew we had to come out here and play some good football to beat a good Ravens football team, and we did.

The New England Patriots are headed to Super Bowl XLVI.

With a 23-20 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship, the New England Patriots advance to their sixth Super Bowl in the Robert Kraft era.

The Patriots' victory wasn't pretty, but in the end, the only thing that matters is the scoreboard. Tom Brady had an off day for the Patriots, he threw two interceptions and made some questionable throws. Defensively, the Patriots kept points off the board, forced a key turnover in the fourth quarter, and ultimately made two big plays to hold the Ravens to what would be a game tying field goal.

And I feel like I've heard the story before: the Patriots have the lead for almost the entire game, only to see the team's opponent go all the way down the field for the game winning score. Finally, fortune was reversed. With just seconds left in the game, the Ravens' Billy Cundiff missed a 33 yard game tying field goal.

Sometimes, it's better to be lucky than good. Today, the Patriots didn't play their greatest game, but the end result is the same: a birth to Super Bowl XLVI and a chance for another world title.

vs.

13 - 10

AFC Championship Game Thread

New England Patriots (#1) vs. Baltimore Ravens (#2)

Sunday, January 22nd, 2012 | 3:00 PM ET | TV: CBS

Ravens Coverage: Baltimore Beatdown

The theme of the first half for the Patriots: missed opportunities. The team has three scoring drives of 10+ plays, have dominated the time of possession, yet have just thirteen points to show for it. On offense, the team had two drives stall within the 20 and Tom Brady also threw an interception in Ravens' territory.

Speaking of Brady, he seems to have lost some momentum since last week's big win over the Denver Broncos. He missed Rob Gronkowski for a wide open touchdown in the first quarter, and has been off on several other throws. He seemed to get back on track late in the first half, but managed just three points on a long drive.

The Patriots have been most successful, quite surprisingly, when turning to the ground. BenJarvus Green-Ellis is running with power and patience. He has fifty yards on eight carries and also has the team's only touchdown.

Defensively, the Patriots opened up in the 3-4, and forced the Ravens to negative yards and three and outs on the first three drives of the game. Since that point, the Ravens have managed to gain significant yardage on all of their drives, turning to the passing game. Joe Flacco has been gaining a lot of confidence. And although the Patriots have managed to shut down Ray Rice, Flacco's confidence has got to be a little concerning.

Overall, the Patriots are winning 13-10 after one half in the AFC Championship game. They have the ball to start the second half and will have the opportunity to extend their lead. It hasn't been a pretty first half, the Patriots are in for a tight one, but the Patriots are still 30 minutes from a potential trip to Super Bowl XLVI.

[Editor's Note: We'll be finishing our Broncos-Patriots review this afternoon, then moving into more on the Ravens and the AFC Championship game coverage starting this evening and carrying through Sunday.]

Grading the Patriots' offensive performance from the Patriots' 45-10 victory over the Denver Broncos in the Divisional Playoffs:

Passing Offense:

Tom Brady started the game 8-8 for two touchdowns. He finished the game by tying an NFL postseason record with six touchdown passes on 26/34 passing. Aside from one small stretch in the beginning of the second quarter, Brady was nearly perfect, and without a doubt, delivered his best passing game of the season.

Rob Gronkowski had huge numbers: 10 catches for 145 yards and three touchdowns. Wes Welker, Deion Branch, and Aaron Hernandez all had productive games while scoring their own respective touchdowns. The Patriots offense operated out of the no huddle most of the game and the Patriots' offensive line was superb in keeping quarterback Tom Brady upright.

Grade: A+

Rushing Offense:

The Patriots, overall, ran the ball effectively against the Broncos. They used Aaron Hernandez as a halfback when operating out of the no-huddle, and he ran for 61 yards on 5 carries. Stevan Ridley and Danny Woodhead had some minor production (although Ridley lost a fumble), and while BenJarvus Green-Ellis had just 27 yards on 13 carries, he broke some tackles and generally did what was asked.

Overall, not a great game from the rushing offense, but when the passing attack was as stellar as it was on Saturday, there's no reason to really complain.

Grade: B+

Overall Offensive Grade: A

For most of the game, the Patriots were unstoppable on offense. They came out strong, they finished strong, they never let their foot off the gas. While the Patriots didn't dominate the time of possession, they didn't need to. The defense played well, but the offense put up so many points so quickly, that it wouldn't have even mattered if the defense had struggled.