Yesterday afternoon was a pleasant afternoon for any New England Patriots' football fan, despite all the hoopla around the Randy Moss trade to the Minnesota Viking last week.
Even with Randy Moss on the team, the Pats were doubted for their weak defense. The loss of Moss only made those doubts grow stronger. Many were saying that the Patriots would not be as well off as they would be if Randy Moss was still on the team. Without Moss, they wouldn't be considered as as good of a team or one of the top elite teams in the league.
On Sunday afternoon, they seemed to have overcome any doubts of becoming less of a team by defeating the 4-1 powerhouse Baltimore Ravens 23-20 in an overtime thriller. The New England Patriots were led by Tom Brady and Randy Moss's replacement, Wide Receiver Deion Branch.
In an interview after the game, Branch had made a statement to make all Patriots fans feel much more comfortable: "Tom and I have been away for four years and I honestly don't feel we missed a beat," Branch told the Associated Press.
Branch led the Patriots with 9 receptions for 98 yards in his homecoming debut for his old team. Branch was MVP of the 2005 Super Bowl when he caught 11 passes for 133 yards. After 4 seasons away from the Patriots playing for the Seattle Seahawks, Branch made his presence known to everyone at Gillette stadium and all the fans watching at home.They had simply put some of the doubts that the Patriots would struggle without Moss to rest for the time being.
Tom Brady completed 27 of 44 passes for 292 yards and one touchdown. His touchdown was to no other than Deion Branch for a 5-yarder in the back corner of the end zone late in the fourth quarter. The touchdown put the Patriots in reach with a chance to tie a game where they trailed 20-10 going into the 4th Quarter. A Stephen Gostkowski 24-yard game tying field goal with 1:51 left in the fourth quarter sent the teams into overtime.
What was a defensive battle throughout the entire game leading toward the end of regulation play led all the way to the bitter end of an overtime period. After the Ravens won the coin toss, the Patriots defense held the Ravens and forced them to punt three times. The Ravens forced a Patriots' punt only twice.
On the last possession of overtime, Branch caught passes for 23 and 10 yards, setting up the winning field goal kick by Stephen Gostkowski. The New England Patriots defeated the heavily favored Ravens 23-20 and have Tom Brady, Deion Branch and the rest of the team and defense to thank for it. The Patriots improved to 4-1 on the season, trailing the New York Jets in the AFC East. The Jets are now 5-1 after defeating the Denver Broncos late yesterday on a late touchdown to make the final, 24-20.
The Patriots look to improve to 5-1 next Sunday when they face the 2-4 San Diego Chargers out in California at a 4:15 p.m. start next Sunday.
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