2009 New England Patriots season The 2009 New England Patriots season was the 40th season for the team in the National Football League and 50th season overall . They finished with a 10 – 6 record and a division title before losing to the Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs . After missing the playoffs in 2008 , the Patriots ' offseason was marked by a number of front office , coaching , and personnel changes . Vice President of Player Personnel Scott Pioli , who had been head coach Bill Belichick ' s personnel director since 2000 , departed to become the general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs , while offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was named head coach of the Denver Broncos . Quarterback Matt Cassel , who led the team to 11 wins in 2008 after starter Tom Brady was injured , was traded to the Chiefs along with veteran linebacker Mike Vrabel in March . Defensive starters Tedy Bruschi and Rodney Harrison both retired , while All - Pro defensive end Richard Seymour was traded to the Oakland Raiders for a first round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft days before the start of the regular season . In the season opener on Monday Night Football , the Patriots celebrated their 50th anniversary season with an American Football League " legacy game " against the Buffalo Bills . Down 11 points late in the fourth quarter , the Patriots would score two touchdowns to secure a victory in Brady ' s first game back from injury . In November , the 6 – 2 Patriots traveled to face the undefeated Indianapolis Colts ; with a six - point lead late in the fourth quarter , the Patriots tried to convert a 4th and 2 situation inside their own 30 - yard line but failed , setting up a Colts touchdown and the Patriots ' third loss of the season . After losing another two games of three , the Patriots went on to win their next three games to secure a division title ; the team also finished with their fourth perfect regular season record at home in seven years . With the third seed in the AFC playoffs , the Patriots faced the Baltimore Ravens at home in the Wild Card Playoffs . The Ravens opened a 24 – 0 lead in the first quarter and the Patriots could not recover , ending their season . Offseason . Staff changes . With the Patriots ' 2008 season ending more than a month before its 2007 season did , the month of January , reserved for playoff games in the prior five seasons , instead saw the departure of head coach Bill Belichick ' s top personnel executive in his first nine seasons in New England . Vice President of Player Personnel Scott Pioli accepted an offer to become the general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs , giving him final say over all of the team ' s football matters . Nick Caserio , the Patriots ' director of player personnel , took over Pioli ' s duties of overseeing the Patriots ' personnel and scouting departments , while former Tennessee Titans general manager Floyd Reese was given a multi - year contract to be a " senior football advisor . " Meanwhile , assistant director of college scouting Jon Robinson was promoted to director of college scouting , and former assistant director of player personnel Jason Licht , who had moved from the Patriots to the Philadelphia Eagles and the Arizona Cardinals as a personnel executive , returned to the Patriots as director of pro personnel . National scout Bob Quinn was promoted to assistant director of pro personnel . Belichick ' s coaching staff faced similar changes at the beginning of the 2009 offseason . Offensive coordinator and quarterback s coach Josh McDaniels agreed to become the head coach of the Denver Broncos , which at the time of his hiring made him the youngest head coach in the NFL . Wide receiver s coach Bill O ' Brien replaced McDaniels as quarterbacks coach , but no official replacement for offensive coordinator was named . Minnesota Vikings assistant special teams coach and offensive assistant Chad O ' Shea replaced O ' Brien as wide receivers coach . In addition , special teams coach Brad Seely agreed to join the Cleveland Browns as their assistant head coach / special teams coach under new head coach and former Patriots assistant Eric Mangini . Former Denver Broncos special teams coach Scott O ' Brien was named as a replacement . On defense , special assistant / secondary coach Dom Capers joined the Green Bay Packers as their defensive coordinator and was replaced by defensive coaching assistant Josh Boyer as defensive backs coach . Boyer was replaced as a coaching assistant by Patrick Graham , who was a defensive graduate assistant for former Patriots assistant Charlie Weis at the University of Notre Dame before being hired by the University of Toledo as a defensive line coach weeks before joining the Patriots . Finally , tight end s coach Pete Mangurian joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as their offensive line coach after the season ; offensive coaching assistant Shane Waldron replaced him . Scouting assistant Brian Ferentz replaced Waldron as an offensive coaching assistant . Departures . Quarterback Matt Cassel , who started 15 of the Patriots ' games in 2008 after an injury to starter Tom Brady , was an unrestricted free agent after the season under the terms of his 2005 seventh - round draft pick contract . On February 5 , the first day teams were allowed to place the franchise tag on a player , the Patriots assigned Cassel the non - exclusive version of the tag , tying up $ 14 . 65 million , the required amount of a one - year guaranteed tender , of their salary cap space . The tag allowed Cassel to negotiate with other teams , but any team signing Cassel to an offer sheet the Patriots refused to match would have had to surrender two first - round draft picks to the Patriots . Nevertheless , Cassel quickly agreed to the terms of the tag and signed it , putting him under contract with the Patriots for the 2009 season and guaranteeing him the tender salary , but also denying him the right to negotiate without permission . On February 28 , the second day of free agency , Cassel and linebacker Mike Vrabel , who was in the final year of his contract , were traded to the Chiefs for the Chiefs ' second - round draft pick in 2009 ( # 34 overall ) , in the first trade between Belichick and Pioli , his former colleague . Prior to the start of free agency , the Patriots released wide receiver Kelley Washington and offensive lineman Billy Yates ; Yates was re - signed days later to a revised contract . Unrestricted free agents , wide receiver Jabar Gaffney , long snapper Lonie Paxton , and running back LaMont Jordan all joined McDaniels and the Denver Broncos . Fullback Heath Evans signed with the New Orleans Saints and linebacker Larry Izzo signed with the New York Jets . During the second day of the draft , cornerback Ellis Hobbs was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles for two 2009 fifth - round draft selections . On June 4 , safety Rodney Harrison , who became a free agent following the 2008 season , retired from football . On August 17 , the Patriots traded defensive lineman Le Kevin Smith to the Denver Broncos with a seventh - round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft acquired in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles ( see below ) in exchange for the Broncos ' 2010 fifth - round pick , which became the selection that went to the Oakland Raiders in a prior trade . On August 25 , the Patriots again traded with the Broncos , this time sending offensive lineman Russ Hochstein to the Broncos for the same seventh - round draft selection in the 2010 draft . After playing in the team ' s first three preseason games as a reserve , linebacker Tedy Bruschi announced his retirement on August 31 , after 13 seasons with the Patriots . During final roster cutdowns , on September 5 , the Patriots traded tight end David Thomas to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for a conditional seventh - round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft , which later became a sixth - round pick . The next day , the Patriots traded All - Pro defensive lineman Richard Seymour to the Oakland Raiders in exchange for a first - round selection in the 2011 NFL Draft . Arrivals . The Patriots signed a number players who had been released by their former teams : longtime Jacksonville Jaguars running back Fred Taylor , cornerbacks Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden , tight end Chris Baker , wide receiver Joey Galloway , long snapper Nathan Hodel , and linebacker Tully Banta - Cain , who was a member of the Patriots from 2003 through 2006 before signing a free agent contract with the San Francisco 49ers . Center Al Johnson , offensive tackle Damane Duckett , safety Brandon McGowan , and linebacker Paris Lenon arrived via unrestricted free agency ; only McGowan made the Patriots ' opening roster . Free agents or potential free agents Eric Alexander , James Sanders , Russ Hochstein , Chris Hanson , Mike Wright , Tank Williams , Ray Ventrone , Pierre Woods , and Kenny Smith were all re - signed . Restricted free agent offensive tackle Wesley Britt was not offered a tender , making him an unrestricted free agent , but he was later re - signed . In August , offensive tackles Nick Kaczur and Mark LeVoir both received contract extensions through the 2012 and 2011 seasons , respectively . During the season , the team reached long - term contract extensions with linebacker Rob Ninkovich , guard Dan Connolly , wide receiver Sam Aiken , and linebacker Eric Alexander . In the first week of the free agency , the Patriots traded their fifth - round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft to the Philadelphia Eagles for wide receiver Greg Lewis and the Eagles ' seventh - round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft . Shortly after the draft , the Patriots acquired tight end Alex Smith from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for a fifth - round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft . Smith was released by the Patriots during roster cutdowns on September 5 , while Lewis was released two days later . On August 6 , the Patriots acquired defensive end Derrick Burgess from the Oakland Raiders in exchange for third - and fifth - round selections in the 2010 NFL Draft . The Patriots , without a fifth - round selection at the time , originally sent a fourth - round pick to the Raiders with the condition it would become a fifth - round pick once the team acquired one . A fifth - round pick was then acquired in the Le Kevin Smith trade and sent to the Raiders instead of the fourth - round selection . During final roster cutdowns , on September 5 , the Patriots acquired tight end Michael Matthews from the New York Giants in exchange for a conditional draft choice in the 2011 NFL Draft . He was waived on October 20 ; the condition for the trade was not met , meaning the Patriots did not surrender their draft choice . On September 22 , in the third week of the season , the Patriots acquired linebacker Prescott Burgess from the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for a conditional seventh - round draft choice . He was waived by the Patriots six days later . Since the trade was conditioned on Burgess being active for a certain number of games , and since Burgess was inactive in the only game for which he was with the Patriots , the Patriots kept the pick . 2009 NFL Draft . The Patriots traded their original fifth - round selection ( # 159 overall ) to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for wide receiver Greg Lewis and a seventh - round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft . Opening training camp roster . As of the Patriots ' first training camp practice at Gillette Stadium on July 30 , they had the NFL maximum of 80 players signed to their roster ( injured third - round pick Tyrone McKenzie , who was not signed until after training camp began , did not count against that limit until his signing ) . Additionally , rookies Eric Kettani and Tyree Barnes were on the Reserve / Military list and did not count against the limit . Schedule . Regular season . † These four games were among the 16 that the NFL designated as " AFL Legacy Games " in honor of the 50th anniversary of the American Football League . The Patriots wore their throwback uniform s during those four games , as did the Bills , Broncos , and Titans ( originally the Houston Oilers ) . ( The Dolphins , not one of the original AFL teams having joined the league only in 1966 , wore their standard uniforms . ) Regular season results . Week 1 : vs . Buffalo Bills . In the first game of a ESPN Monday Night Football opening doubleheader , the Patriots faced the Bills at home in an American Football League " legacy game " honoring the 50th anniversary of the founding of AFL , which added ten teams to the NFL as part of the 1970 AFL – NFL merger . As two of the eight founding teams of the AFL , the Bills and Patriots celebrated their 50th anniversaries by wearing throwback uniforms from the AFL era , while the officials also wore red - striped uniforms such as those worn by AFL officials . Following a Patriots three - and - out to open the game , the Bills punted to give the Patriots the ball at their own 17 - yard line . Nine players later , the Patriots were unable to convert on third down , setting kicker Stephen Gostkowski up for a 41 - yard field goal try . He missed it wide right , giving the Bills the ball at their own 32 - yard line . Bills quarterback Trent Edwards scrambled for 16 yards to move the Bills into Patriots territory before a Fred Jackson run gained another 16 yards . Jackson was filling in for suspended starter Marshawn Lynch ; Patriots linebacker and 2008 Defensive Rookie of the Year Jerod Mayo suffered a sprained MCL on the play and did not return . The next play , a dump - off pass to Jackson , gained 21 yards and put the Bills in the red zone . Two plays later , Edwards hit rookie tight end Shawn Nelson for an 11 - yard touchdown , giving the Bills a 7 – 0 lead . The Patriots next drive was a three - and - out , ending on an Aaron Schobel sack of quarterback Tom Brady on third down . The Bills punted back to the Patriots early in the second quarter , setting the table for a 14 - play , 72 - yard Patriots drive that culminated on a 1 - yard touchdown run by running back Fred Taylor to tie the game . Despite a 16 - yard dump - off to Jackson on the Bills ' next drive , they punted back to the Patriots before reaching midfield . On the very next play , a Brady pass intended for running back Sammy Morris was intercepted by Schobel and returned 26 yards for a touchdown , giving the Bills a 14 – 7 lead . Brady was more accurate on his next possession , throwing passes of 14 yards to tight end Benjamin Watson and wide receiver Wes Welker to move into Bills territory , and then hitting wide receiver Randy Moss on a 31 - yard strike within the two - minute warning . The drive stalled in the Bills ' red zone , and the Patriots were forced to settle for a 20 - yard Gostkowski field goal as the first half expired , cutting the Bills ' lead to 14 – 10 . Aided by more Jackson yardage and a 15 - yard roughing the passer penalty on Vince Wilfork , the Bills moved close to midfield on the opening drive of the second half before punting and pinning the Patriots at their own 3 - yard line . The Patriots would advance to the Bills ' 36 - yard line on 12 plays , but an incomplete pass on third down set up a fourth down conversion try , which failed on another incomplete pass . Three plays later , Edwards hit new target Terrell Owens for the first time in the game , good for 27 yards to put the Bills in Patriots territory . However , a run for a loss and a Tully Banta - Cain sack of Edwards set up a 3rd - and - 20 situation , where the Bills failed to convert , forcing a 40 - yard Rian Lindell field goal . After a punt , the Patriots began an 11 - play drive that spanned into the fourth quarter , ending it on a 28 - yard Gostkowski field goal that cut the Bills ' lead to 17 – 13 . The Bills responded by embarking on a 14 - play , 62 - yard drive that took more than six minutes off the clock and extended the Bills ' lead to 24 – 13 on a 10 - yard Jackson touchdown on a dump - off from Edwards . With 5 : 25 remaining in the game and down by 11 points , the Patriots shifted into their two - minute , pass - only offense , moving the ball 81 yards on 11 plays in 3 : 26 and scoring on an 18 - yard Watson touchdown pass from Brady . The Patriots ' two - point conversion try failed , keeping them within five points of the Bills . On the ensuing kickoff , Bills second - year returner Leodis McKelvin chose to return the kickoff out of the end zone , despite having his team ' s onside kick return unit on the field . Safety Brandon Meriweather hit McKelvin at the Bills ' 31 - yard line , which allowed linebacker Pierre Woods to come in from the side and strip McKelvin of the ball . Gostkowski recovered it at the same spot . Following the two - minute warning , the Patriots offense came back out onto the field . On the third play of the drive , Brady hit Watson on a nearly identical end zone route for a 16 - yard touchdown , which was upheld by official review . The Patriots two - point attempt failed again , holding their lead to one point over the Bills . With 45 seconds remaining , the Bills began their next drive and were able to reach their own 40 - yard line before another Banta - Cain sack pushed them back to the 30 - yard line . The next play was a last - minute deseperation multiple - lateral play that fell short for the Bills , giving the Patriots a 25 – 24 win , their first victory of the season . Week 2 : at New York Jets . Following their close home win over the Bills , the Patriots traveled to face the Jets in the final regular season matchup between the teams in Giants Stadium . In the week prior to the game , first - year Jets head coach Rex Ryan placed a phone message to all Jets season ticket holders asking them to " make it miserable for ( Tom ) Brady and company , " following up on his comments during the offseason that he would not " kiss Bill Belichick ' s Super Bowl ring s . " He told the Jets fans that " the Patriots had a better head coach and a better quarterback , " but that the game would decide " who has a better team . " Meanwhile , Jets safety Kerry Rhodes said the Jets intended on not just winning , but " embarrassing " the Patriots in the game , while nose tackle Kris Jenkins called it the Jets ' version of the Super Bowl ; the Jets had not defeated the Patriots at home since 2000 . On the first drive of the game , without an injured Welker , the Patriots drove to the Jets ' 36 - yard line before having to punt . The Jets ' first play from scrimmage was a strip - sack of rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez by defensive lineman Mike Wright ; Sanchez recovered the fumble at the Jets ' 3 - yard line . On 4th - and - 24 , the Jets punted back to their own 49 - yard line ; the Patriots could not capitalize on the field position and went three - and - out . However , Jets running back Leon Washington fumbled on the next play ; cornerback Leigh Bodden recovered it at the Jets ' 17 - yard line . Two holding penalties would push the Patriots back to the Jets ' 37 - yard line , setting up a 45 - yard Gostkowski field goal to give the Patriots a 3 – 0 lead . Following a Jets three - and - out , the Patriots moved to their own 41 - yard line before Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis intercepted a pass intended for Moss at the Jets ' 16 - yard line . The Jets offense would continue to struggle , however , going three - and - out again to end the first quarter . The Patriots began the second quarter with a 9 - play , 53 - yard drive , one that stalled at the Jets ' 7 - yard line ; the Patriots settled for another Gostkowski field goal , extending their lead to 6 – 0 . The Jets would pick up their initial first down of the game on their next possession , going 52 yards on 10 plays before a Jay Feely 33 - yard field goal cut the Patriots ' lead in half . Starting from their own 10 - yard line after a holding penalty on Sam Aiken on the kickoff , the Patriots took nearly six minutes off the clock , reaching the Jets ' 11 - yard line before two incomplete passes by Brady prevented the Patriots scoring their first touchdown of the game . Instead , Gostkowski kicked his third field goal of the day to increase the Patriots ' lead to 9 – 3 going into halftime . Receiving the opening kickoff of the second half due to their deferral of the opening coin toss , the Jets took the lead in barely a minute . Following a 43 - yard kick return by Washington , Sanchez hit wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery for 45 yards and a play later connected with tight end Dustin Keller on a 9 - yard touchdown pass . The 10 – 9 lead was the first for the Jets over the Patriots at home since 2001 . After a Patriots three - and - out , punter Chris Hanson ' s 30 - yard punt gave the Jets the ball at the Patriots ' 45 - yard line . From the Patriots ' 6 - yard line , Sanchez appeared to throw a touchdown pass to Chansi Stuckey , but the catch was overturned after the Patriots challenged . Two plays later , Feely hit his second field goal of the day to give the Jets a 13 – 9 lead . The Patriots ' ensuing possession reached the Jets ' 35 - yard line on a third down , but back - to - back delay of game penalties on Brady , an incomplete pass , and a facemask penalty on Moss on the punt backed the Patriots up to their own 40 - yard line . However , Hanson ' s subsequent attempt was better than the first , nullified by the penalty , and the Jets began their next drive from their own 15 - yard line . On a 14 - play , 63 - yard drive that spanned into the fourth quarter , the Jets extended their lead to 16 – 9 on a 39 - yard Feely field goal . The Patriots started their next drive from their own 15 - yard line as well , but were unable to reach midfield before punting . A Jets three - and - out gave the Patriots another opportunity with five minutes remaining , but a Watson holding penalty in the middle of the drive helped set up a 2nd - and - 20 situation and eventually another punt . Just before the two - minute warning , Sanchez was sacked , but a penalty on BenJarvus Green - Ellis on the ensuing punt meant the Patriots had to start their last drive of the game from their own 10 - yard line . After a Julian Edelman 18 - yard reception began it , four straight incompletions ended the drive and the game . The loss dropped the Patriots to 1 – 1 , their first such record since the 2005 season . It also marked the first time that New England was held without a touchdown since December 10 , 2006 . Week 3 : vs . Atlanta Falcons . Looking to avoid back - to - back losses , the Patriots returned home to face the Atlanta Falcons , missing Welker for the second straight game . The Falcons moved the ball 72 yards on their 12 - play opening drive , but settled for a 26 - yard Jason Elam field goal after being stopped on 3rd - and - 3 from the 8 - yard line . The Patriots responded with a 15 - play drive of their own , beginning with a 19 - yard dump - off pass to Morris . No other play on the drive would go for more than 9 yards , and the Patriots themselves were stopped short of a touchdown , with wide receiver Joey Galloway catching a pass with his foot out of bounds in the back of the end zone on what would have been a 7 - yard touchdown pass . Instead , the Patriots could not reach further than the Falcons ' 2 - yard line and settled for a 21 - yard Gostkowski field goal to tie the game . The Falcons next drive was a three - and - out that began the second quarter , with a 29 - yard Michael Koenen punt and a 5 - yard penalty on the Falcons giving the Patriots the ball at their own 49 - yard line . After two pass attempts , Taylor had runs of 8 , 19 , 6 , and 8 yards , with the final rush good for a touchdown and a 10 – 7 Patriots lead . Beginning their next drive from their own 41 - yard line after a 33 - yard return by Eric Weems , the Falcons moved into Patriots territory on one play before an apparent strip - sack of second - quarter quarterback Matt Ryan by safety Brandon McGowan ; the Falcons challenged the ruling ( which included a touchdown return by cornerback Shawn Springs ) and won , as Ryan ' s arm was going forward when he lost the ball . Another Jenkins reception , this one for 21 yards , moved the Falcons deeper into Patriots territory before running back Michael Turner ran for a 2 - yard touchdown that tied the game . Following a Patriots three - and - out , the Falcons again moved into Patriots territory , but a Turner fumble at the Patriots ' 27 - yard line , forced by McGowan , was recovered by safety James Sanders with just under four minutes remaining in the half . The Patriots ' 12 - play drive brought them into the red zone , but a dropped pass by Galloway just outside of the end zone and an incompletion to wide receiver Sam Aiken in the end zone forced a 33 - yard Gostkowski field goal that gave the Patriots a 13 – 10 lead going into halftime . The Patriots began where they left off at the start of the second half , embarking on a 13 - play drive that entered into the red zone on a 23 - yard Watson catch . However , the Patriots ' offense stalled in the red zone again , with two incomplete passes to Moss setting up a 22 - yard Gostkowski field goal . Ryan and Jenkins continued to connect on the Falcons ' ensuing drive ; a 26 - yard reception put the Falcons in Patriots territory and then a 36 - yard touchdown pass was nullified on a pass interference penalty on Jenkins . With a subsequent false start penalty , the Falcons were pushed back into Patriots ' territory and eventually forced to punt . The Patriots next drive spanned 70 yards on 16 plays and was kept alive on a 4th - and - 1 conversion from the Patriots own 24 - yard line . Again , it did not involve a touchdown though , as Gostkowski kicked a 33 - yard field goal to extend the Patriots ' lead to 19 – 10 early in the fourth quarter . After an exchange of three punts , the Patriots began a 6 - play drive that resulted in their first passing touchdown of the day , a 36 - yard reception by tight end Chris Baker that extended the Patriots lead to 26 – 10 ; it was also Brady ' s 200th career touchdown pass . After a Falcons three - and - out , the Patriots held the ball for the final 6 : 52 of the game to seal a 26 – 10 victory . Week 4 : vs . Baltimore Ravens . Coming off their win over the Falcons , the Patriots stayed at home for a Week 4 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens . The opening kickoff was fumbled by Ravens returner Chris Carr and recovered by McGowan at the Ravens ' 12 - yard line . However , the Patriots could not capitalize on the field position , settling for a 32 - yard Gostkowski field goal to give them an early 3 – 0 lead . The Ravens began their first drive from their own 19 - yard line and advanced on a 15 - play drive , capping it with a 20 - yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joe Flacco to wide receiver Derrick Mason . The Patriots responded with a 14 - play drive of their own , going 76 yards before Brady scored on a 1 - yard quarterback sneak to re - establish a Patriots lead at 10 – 7 . The Ravens reached midfield on their next drive with a 22 - yard reception by tight end Todd Heap , but the drive stalled at the Patriots ' 38 - yard line , setting up a punt by Sam Koch that gave the Patriots the ball at their own 9 - yard line . Similarly , the Patriots reached Ravens ' territory before having to punt ; Hanson ' s punt landed in the end zone for a touchback . On the second play of the Ravens ' ensuing drive , left tackle Jared Gaither injured his head falling into Flacco during a block ; while he had motion in his extremities , the game was stopped for 15 minutes as Gaither was loaded onto a stretcher and taken to the hospital for tests . The Ravens ' drive finished as a three - and - out . The Patriots then went 63 yards on six plays , extending their lead to 17 – 7 on a 12 - yard touchdown run by Morris . With just under four minutes remaining in the half , the Ravens mounted a drive that reached the Patriots ' 17 - yard line with 1 : 17 left ; Flacco was intercepted by Bodden to prevent the Ravens from scoring again before halftime . The Patriots first drive of the second half was aided by a 15 - yard unsportsmanlike penalty on the Ravens ' bench , but the Patriots were unable to capitalize as a Matt Light holding penalty and a Jarret Johnson sack of Brady forced a punt . Starting from their own 16 - yard line , the Ravens advanced to their 45 - yard line before a Wright sack of Flacco set up another punt . Kevin Faulk fielded the return but fumbled ; Bodden recovered the fumble for the Patriots at their own 14 - yard line . On the next play , Brady dropped back and was strip - sacked from his blind side by Terrell Suggs ; defensive lineman Dwan Edwards recovered the fumble for the Ravens in the end zone for a touchdown , cutting the Patriots ' lead to 17 – 14 . Brady quickly recovered , hitting passes to Taylor for 13 yards , Aiken for 26 yards , and Moss for 20 yards to put the Patriots in the Ravens ' red zone . Three plays later , Brady and Moss connected for their first touchdown of the season ; the 14 - yard strike extended the Patriots ' lead to 24 – 14 . The Ravens had similar success on his next drive , with Flacco hitting Mark Clayton on a 13 - yard catch , Mason on a 20 - yard catch , and then running back Ray Rice breaking a 50 - yard rush to put the Ravens well into Patriots territory . A few plays later , Flacco kept pace with Brady on a 13 - yard touchdown pass to running back Willis McGahee to cut the Patriots ' lead to 24 – 21 . The Patriots would control the ball for the next seven minutes , reaching the Ravens ' 9 - yard line on a second down . After two incomplete passes , the Patriots lined up in a field goal formation but the holder , Hanson , took a quick snap and passed to Baker , who had motioned outside of the formation . Baker was tackled around the first down marker , but was called for an illegal motion on the play . The Ravens challenged the ruling of a catch and the first down spot , as they would have declined the penalty if Baker had been short . The ruling was upheld and the Patriots took a 27 – 21 lead on a 33 - yard Gostkowski field goal . After an exchange of three - and - outs , the Ravens mounted a drive with 3 : 32 left , reaching the Patriots ' red zone with under a minute remaining . On third and fourth down , Flacco ' s passes fell incomplete to Mason and Clayton , ending the Ravens ' hopes of a comeback . Brady then kneeled to hand the Ravens their first loss of the season and better the Patriots ' record to 3 – 1 . Week 5 : at Denver Broncos . The Patriots traveled to Denver to face a fourth straight undefeated team , a stretch only matched by one other post - merger team ( the 1986 Philadelphia Eagles ) . The game also marked the first time former Patriots assistant Josh McDaniels , who became the head coach of the Broncos in 2009 , faced his former team . On the first drive of the game , the Broncos advanced to the Patriots ' 30 - yard line before Matt Prater attempted a 48 - yard field goal ; he missed wide right . With field position at their own 38 - yard line , the Patriots moved into the red zone on a 35 - yard dump - off to Morris . Three plays later , Brady and Welker connected on their first touchdown pass of the season ; the 8 - yard score gave the Patriots a 7 – 0 lead . Three plays later , Mayo , in his first game back from his knee injury , forced a fumble of Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno ; McGowan recovered it at the Broncos ' 43 - yard line . After a 10 - yard Morris run began the Patriots ' ensuing possession , they lost two yards over their next three plays , setting up a 53 - yard Gostkowski field goal ( a career long ) that extended the Patriots ' lead to 10 – 0 . Following a Broncos three - and - out , the Patriots had a three - and - out of their own ; the punt was fumbled by returner Eddie Royal but recovered by Broncos cornerback Jack Williams and returned to the Broncos ' 38 - yard line . The Broncos then advanced into Patriots territory but were forced to punt again . This set up a Patriots drive that moved to the Broncos ' 41 - yard line before a failed third down conversion and an unnecessary roughness penalty on guard Logan Mankins pushed the Patriots back past midfield and forced a punt . Despite starting from their own 10 - yard line with a sack , the Broncos quickly advanced into Patriots territory on Kyle Orton completions of 11 , 10 , and 13 yards plus a roughing the passer penalty on Ty Warren . More Orton completions resulted in an 11 - yard touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall that cut the Patriots ' lead to 10 – 7 . With under five minutes remaining in the half , the Patriots mounted a 10 - play , 74 - yard drive , capping it off with a 7 - yard touchdown pass to Watson , giving the Patriots a 17 – 7 lead going into halftime after Moss ' first career interception on a last - second hail mary pass from Orton . The Patriots began the second half with a three - and - out ; the Broncos then moved 66 yards on 12 plays before their drive stalled at the Patriots ' 6 - yard line and Prater kicked a 24 - yard field goal to cut the Patriots ' lead to 17 – 10 . Two plays later , Brady connected with Moss on a 36 - yard pass , but the Patriots were unable to get past the Broncos ' 22 - yard line and there , Goskowski missed a 40 - yard field goal . Following a Broncos punt , the Patriots mounted a 12 - play drive that spanned into the fourth quarter ; however , the drive began from the Patriots ' 4 - yard line and only reached the Broncos ' 47 - yard line , resulting in another punt . The Broncos ' ensuing possession began from worse field position ( the Broncos ' 2 - yard line ) but 10 of its 12 plays were Orton passes , the last of which was another 11 - yard Marshall touchdown catch that tied the game . Following two three - and - outs , the Patriots had the ball again at their own 30 - yard line . The final play before the two - minute warning was a 19 - yard Morris run to bring the Patriots close to midfield . Morris fumbled on his next run but tackle Nick Kaczur recovered it at the Broncos ' 49 - yard line . On the next play , Brady was strip - sacked by defensive lineman Vonnie Holliday ; Broncos linebacker Elvis Dumervil recovered the fumble at the Patriots ' 45 - yard line with 1 : 37 remaining . However , the Broncos were forced to punt after a Banta - Cain sack and Brady kneeled to send the game into overtime . The Patriots lost the overtime coin toss , and Gostkowski kicked off into the back of the end zone to spot the ball at the Broncos ' 20 - yard line . On an 11 - play , 58 - yard drive , the Broncos advanced to the Patriots ' 22 - yard line . Prater then kicked the game - winning field goal from 41 yards out to give the Broncos another win , bettering their record to 5 – 0 and dropping the Patriots to 3 – 2 . Week 6 : vs . Tennessee Titans . For the first time in 2009 , the Patriots played a team with a loss on their record ; the 0 – 5 Titans traveled to Foxborough to face the Patriots for an AFL Legacy game in an early season snowstorm . The Titans gained one yard on their first possession and went three - and - out ; Edelman returned the 35 - yard punt 35 yards to give the Patriots the ball at the Titans ' 29 - yard line . However , a third down sack by Kyle Vanden Bosch forced the Patriots to attempt a field goal , a 39 - yarder that fell wide right . Following a Titans punt , the Patriots advanced past midfield before a 45 - yard touchdown run by Maroney that gave the Patriots a 7 – 0 lead . After a Titans three - and - out , the Patriots moved into the red zone on a 48 - yard pass from Brady to Welker , and then took a 10 – 0 lead on a 33 - yard Gostkowski field goal . On the ensuing Titans possession , early in the second quarter , running back LenDale White fumbled at the Patriots ' 41 - yard line ; it was recovered at the 35 - yard line by cornerback Jonathan Wilhite . After crossing midfield , Brady connected with Moss on a 40 - yard touchdown pass , extending the Patriots ' lead to 17 – 0 . On the next play from scrimmage , Titans quarterback Kerry Collins fumbled the snap ; it was recovered by the Patriots ' Wright at the Titans ' 31 - yard line . Two plays later , Moss caught a 28 - yard touchdown pass from Brady , making the score 24 – 0 . Three plays into the Titans ' ensuing possession , Collins was intercepted by rookie cornerback Darius Butler at the Patriots ' 35 - yard line . Four plays later , Brady hit Faulk on a dump - off pass that went 38 yards for a touchdown . After a Titans three - and - out that ended in a 41 - yard Reggie Hodges punt to the New England 21 - yard line , Brady capped a 76 - yard drive with a 30 - yard touchdown pass to Welker immediately after the two - minute warning , giving the Patriots a 38 – 0 lead . The Titans went three - and - out again , but Hodges shanked the punt , which traveled only 21 yards . The subsequent 10 - play , 49 - yard drive ended in Welker ' s second touchdown , a 5 - yard reception . This gave the Patriots a 45 – 0 halftime lead , the largest in NFL history . It was also Brady ' s fifth touchdown pass of the quarter , an NFL record . The 45 points scored in the half were a team record , as were the 35 points scored in the second quarter . Brady ' s 345 passing yards and five touchdowns in the half were also team records . Due to their deferral of the opening coin toss , the Patriots began the second half with possession . They advanced 65 yards on nine plays , with Brady throwing his sixth and final touchdown pass of the day to Moss , from 9 yards out . The six touchdowns tied a team record set by Brady in November 2007 . The Titans moved into Patriots territory on a 48 - yard run by Chris Johnson , but attempted to convert a 4th - and - 10 from the Patriots ' 17 - yard line . On the play , Collins was chased 15 yards into his own backfield by rookie defensive tackle Myron Pryor ; Collins managed to complete a pass to receiver Nate Washington , who fumbled and recovered it another seven yards deep . Undrafted rookie Brian Hoyer replaced Brady at quarterback and led a 12 - play , 61 - yard drive , ending in a 1 - yard touchdown run by Hoyer to give the Patriots a 59 – 0 lead . Gostkowski ' s included extra point was his eighth of the game , tying his team record set in November 2007 . The 59 points also set a Patriots team record , and the eight touchdowns tied another . Vince Young replaced Collins at quarterback for the fourth quarter , but had his first pass intercepted by rookie safety Pat Chung . The Patriots attempted on a fourth down conversion in the Titans ' red zone on their ensuing possession but it failed . The Titans then advanced into Patriots territory before fullback Ahmard Hall fumbled ; it was recovered by 40 - year - old linebacker Junior Seau , who returned to the team in the days prior to the game . The Patriots ' next play was a 5 - yard run by Green - Ellis which gave the Patriots 599 total yards on the day , breaking the previous team record of 597 set in 1979 . They would finish with 619 net yards ; 426 of those were passing , tying a team record . Following a Titans punt , the Patriots and Titans kneeled to end the game at 59 – 0 , improving the Patriots ' record to 4 – 2 and keeping the Titans winless at 0 – 6 . The 59 – 0 shutout tied the largest post - merger shutout and margin of victory with a 59 – 0 win by the Los Angeles Rams over the Atlanta Falcons in 1976 . Week 7 : at Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Following their home win over the Titans , the Patriots flew to Wembley Stadium in London for the year ' s NFL International Series game against the winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Five plays into the game , Buccaneers quarterback Josh Johnson was intercepted by Meriweather , who returned it 39 yards for a touchdown . On the ensuing drive , the Buccaneers advanced to the Patriots ' 33 - yard line before Meriweather again intercepted a Johnson pass , this time at the Patriots ' 15 - yard line ; he returned this one 31 yards . However , the Patriots could not capitalize on the turnover and went three - and - out . Following a Buccaneers punt , the Patriots began a drive with an end - around to rookie wide receiver Brandon Tate , who was active for his first NFL game after spending the first six weeks of the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list ; the run went for 11 yards . Two plays later , Brady connected with Moss on a 37 - yard pass , which was followed a few plays later with a 14 - yard Welker touchdown reception that gave the Patriots a 14 – 0 lead . After a penalty on the kickoff , the Buccaneers began their next drive at their own 11 - yard line and could not advance one yard before punting ; the 43 - yard punt was returned by Welker 24 yards . Starting from the Buccaneers ' 30 - yard line , the Patriots moved to the 11 - yard line before Brady was intercepted by safety Tanard Jackson in the end zone early in the second quarter . Following a Buccaneers three - and - out , Brady threw a short pass to Aiken that turned into a 54 - yard scoring strike , extending the Patriots lead to 21 – 0 . After another Buccaneers punt , Brady was intercepted by Aqib Talib on a deep pass intended for Brandon Tate ; Talib returned it to the Buccaneers ' 41 - yard line . The 0 – 6 Buccaneers could not cross midfield though , and were forced into another three - and - out . On a 4th - and - 2 from their own 46 - yard line , the Patriots attempted a fake punt that was negated by a false start on Mankins ; this set up a 26 - yard Hanson punt . With less than three minutes remaining in the half , the Buccaneers drove into Patriots territory and then completed two passes to wide receiver Antonio Bryant ; the second went for 33 yards and a touchdown , cutting the Patriots ' lead to 21 – 7 . The Patriots could not advance the ball on their ensuing drive and punted ; two plays later , on the final play of the half , Butler intercepted Johnson at the Patriots ' 11 - yard line . The Patriots began the second half with a 10 - play , 73 - yard drive that was capped off with a 35 - yard touchdown pass to Watson from Brady . After an exchange of punts , the Buccaneers embarked on a drive that extended into Patriots territory but stalled at the 37 - yard line , resulting in a punt . This was followed by two more three - and - outs , before early in the fourth quarter the Patriots completed a 10 - play , 89 - yard drive with a 1 - yard Maroney touchdown run , increasing the Patriots ' lead to 35 – 7 . After another Buccaneers punt , the Patriots advanced past midfield before punting after the two - minute warning . On an ensuing 4th - and - 7 conversion attempt , Johnson was strip - sacked by Derrick Burgess to set up two Patriots kneeldowns to end the game . The Patriots bettered their record to 5 – 2 entering their bye week , while the Buccaneers remained winless at 0 – 7 . Week 9 : vs . Miami Dolphins . Coming off their bye week , the Patriots returned home to face the Dolphins for the first time in the season . On the third play of the game , Brady attempted a deep pass to Moss ; it was intercepted by rookie cornerback Vontae Davis at the Dolphins ' 7 - yard line and returned 15 yards . Six plays later , the Dolphins moved into Patriots territory on a 21 - yard catch by tight end Joey Haynos from Chad Henne ; after the catch , McGowan forced Haynos to fumble , but the ball went out of bounds at the spot of the catch , the Patriots ' 39 - yard line . On the next play , Henne appeared to have been strip - sacked by Banta - Cain , with linebacker Adalius Thomas returning it 59 yards for a touchdown . However , the Dolphins challenged that Henne ' s arm was moving forward and it was an incomplete pass and the play was reversed . Three plays later , a Dan Carpenter 52 - yard field goal gave the Dolphins a 3 – 0 lead . The Patriots began their next drive at their own 37 - yard line after offensive lineman Dan Connolly returned a short kickoff 16 yards . A few plays later , Brady connected with Moss on a 36 - yard pass to the Dolphins ' 1 - yard line ; Maroney then ran for a 1 - yard touchdown to give the Patriots a 7 – 3 lead . On the ensuing possession , Henne found his other tight end , Anthony Fasano on a 20 - yard strike to move into Patriots territory , but a " Wildcat " formation run by Ricky Williams for a loss and a sack by Chung moved the Dolphins out of field goal territory and forced a punt . The Patriots advanced to the Dolphins ' 42 - yard line on their next drive before punting on the final play of the first quarter . Following a Dolphins three - and - out , the Patriots began an 11 - play , 49 - yard drive that reached the Dolphins ' 11 - yard line on first down before a short pass , and incompletion , and sack led to a Gostkowski field goal ; the 30 - yarder put the Patriots ahead 10 – 3 . The Dolphins introduced rookie quarterback Pat White on their next drive , employing him as part of an option offense that first had White run for a 33 - yard gain and later in the drive had White option to Williams for a 15 - yard touchdown run , tying the game . Following a 34 - yard punt return by Tate , the Patriots quickly moved back into Dolphins territory on completions of 14 yards to Faulk and 23 yards to Watson . However , a Watson pass interference penalty on a 17 - yard Faulk reception pushed the Patriots back to the Dolphins ' 35 - yard line . Gostkowski would later kick a 38 - yard field goal to re - establish a Patriots lead at 13 – 10 . On their next drive , the Dolphins would punt shortly after the two - minute warning , setting up a 10 - play , 70 - yard Patriots drive that ended the half with a 34 - yard Gostkowski field goal after Brady was again sacked in the red zone . With possession and down 16 – 10 at the start of the third quarter , the Dolphins moved downfield on a 16 - play drive that lasted more than ten minutes , eventually scoring on a 1 - yard touchdown catch by Haynos from running back Ronnie Brown out of the " Wildcat , " giving the Dolphins a 17 – 16 lead . Three plays later , Brady and Moss connected on a 71 - yard touchdown pass and then again on the two - point conversion to re - take the lead at 24 – 17 . The Dolphins would continue to employ both White and the " Wildcat " on their next drive , but it resulted in a Brandon Fields punt early in the fourth quarter . An exchange of punts consumed the next six minutes of the game , with the Dolphins choosing to use all three of their timeouts to gain back possession with 3 : 38 left . However , three straight incompletions and a penalty set up fourth down , when Henne again was unable to complete a pass from his own 27 - yard line . The Patriots re - gained possession and ran the ball three times before Gostkowski kicked a 40 - yard field goal to extend the Patriots ' lead to 27 – 17 . The game would end four plays later on a 23 - yard Greg Camarillo reception to the Patriots ' 23 - yard line . The win bettered the Patriots record to 6 – 2 entering their matchup with the 8 – 0 Colts . Week 10 : at Indianapolis Colts . For the second time in three seasons , the Patriots made a November visit to Indianapolis to face an undefeated Colts team . Both teams went three - and - out on their first possessions , setting up a Colts drive to begin from their own 10 - yard line . After two 25 - yard passes from Peyton Manning to tight end Dallas Clark and wide receiver Reggie Wayne , the Colts moved deep into Patriots territory . On a 3rd - and - 11 from the Patriots ' 15 - yard line , running back Joseph Addai scored on a pass from Manning , capping the 8 - play , 90 - yard drive . The Patriots responded with a 55 - yard Moss catch from Brady four plays later , setting up a 1 - yard Maroney touchdown run to tie the game at 7 – 7 . Following a Colts punt , the Patriots began their ensuing drive with a 29 - yard Faulk run to move to the Colts ' 42 - yard line . Nine plays later , the Patriots found themselves in a 3rd - and - goal from the Colts ' 4 - yard line , but Brady was sacked by defensive end Robert Mathis . Gostkowski then hit a 31 - yard field goal to give the Patriots a 10 – 7 lead early in the second quarter . After a Colts three - and - out , it took the Patriots two plays and less than a minute to score , with Brady connecting with Moss on a 63 - yard touchdown pass , extending the Patriots ' lead to 17 – 7 . The Colts faced a 3rd - and - 5 on their next drive , but Manning was sacked by Mayo to force another punt . On the next play , Watson caught a 36 - yard pass from Brady , setting up a 9 - yard touchdown catch by Edelman , the first of the rookie ' s career , four plays later . Down 24 – 7 , the Colts embarked on an 8 - play , 80 - yard drive , cutting the Patriots ' lead to 24 – 14 on a 20 - yard touchdown reception by Wayne . An exchange of four punts ended the first half . Due to their deferral of the opening coin toss , the Patriots had possession to begin the second half . They advanced to the Colts ' 33 - yard line before a Brady pass intended for Moss was intercepted by safety Antoine Bethea at the Colts ' 14 - yard line and returned 19 yards . However , four plays later , Manning himself was intercepted by Bodden at the Patriots ' 24 - yard line ; an unsportmanlike conduct penalty on Bodden moved the Patriots back to their own 12 - yard line . Despite this field position , the Patriots offense moved deep into Colts territory on a series of Brady passes and Faulk runs , eventually setting up a 2nd - and - 2 from the Colts ' 2 - yard line . On the play , Maroney attempted to push a pile into the end zone , but in the process Colts linebacker Philip Wheeler forced him to fumble ; it was recovered by fellow Colts linebacker Gary Brackett in the end zone for a touchback . The Colts could not capitalize on the turnover and were forced to punt . Welker returned the punt 69 yards to the Colts ' 7 - yard line , the longest Patriots punt return since 2001 . Two plays later , on the second play of the fourth quarter , Moss caught his second touchdown pass of the night ; the 5 - yard reception gave the Patriots a 31 – 14 lead . However , the Colts offense advanced 79 yards on five plays on their ensuing possession , cutting the Patriots ' lead to 31 – 21 on a 29 - yard touchdown catch by Pierre Garçon . The Patriots punted on the next drive , but received the ball right back after Manning was intercepted by Wilhite on the next play , setting up a Patriots drive from the Colts ' 31 - yard line . The Patriots moved into the red zone but stalled there and were forced to settle for a 36 - yard Gostkowski field goal , extending their lead to 34 – 21 with 4 : 17 remaining in the game . On their ensuing possession , the Colts again advanced 79 yards for a touchdown , this time on six plays , the final one being a 4 - yard Addai touchdown run , reducing the Patriots ' lead to six points with 2 : 23 left in the game . The Patriots used a timeout before their first play , and in addition to a timeout used early in the third quarter , this left them with one remaining in the game . The Patriots next two plays failed to gain first down yardage , setting up a 4th - and - 2 from their own 28 - yard line . The Patriots used their final timeout before deciding to attempt to convert the fourth down . On the play , Brady motioned Faulk out of the backfield into the slot out of the shotgun , and then threw a quick pass to Faulk off the snap . Faulk caught the pass with the necessary yardage falling towards the sideline before being hit by safety Melvin Bullitt and pushed back towards the line of scrimmage . However , the officials ruled that Faulk bobbled the pass and did not have possession until Bullitt had pushed him behind the first down marker ; if he had caught the ball cleanly his forward progress would have given the Patriots the first down with only one Colts timeout remaining . Further , the play began before the two - minute warning , and without any timeouts , Belichick was unable to challenge the spot of the ball on the field ; if the play had occurred after the two - minute warning , there would have been the possibility for a booth review . With two minutes remaining and possession at the Patriots ' 29 - yard line , Manning completed a 15 - yard pass to Wayne before Addai gained another 13 yards , setting up 1st - and - goal from the 1 - yard line with 36 seconds left in the game . The Patriots stopped Addai on his next run , but Manning threw a 1 - yard touchdown pass to Wayne on the play after that , giving the Colts a 35 – 34 lead with 13 seconds remaining . After the kickoff , with nine seconds remaining , Brady completed a short pass to Welker , who lateraled to Watson , who was then tackled to end the game . The Patriots dropped to 6 – 3 and 1 – 3 in road games , while the Colts remained undefeated at 9 – 0 . It was the fifth Patriots loss to the Colts in the previous six games between the two teams . Week 11 : vs . New York Jets . Coming off their loss to the Colts , the Patriots returned home to face the Jets , who had lost six of their last eight games after defeating the Patriots in Week 2 . After an exchange of punts to begin the game , the Patriots moved into Jets territory on their second drive with a 25 - yard catch by Faulk . Two plays later , Edelman fumbled a direct snap as he went in motion , but recovered his fumble , setting up a 4th - and - 1 . Maroney then had a 2 - yard run to convert , but on the next play fumbled ; this time the Jets recovered it at their own 34 - yard line . Four plays later , Sanchez was intercepted by Bodden at the Patriots ' 47 - yard line ; Bodden returned the interception 53 yards for a touchdown , giving the Patriots a 7 – 0 lead . The Jets went three - and - out on their ensuing possession . The Patriots then began a 9 - play , 76 - yard drive , ending in a 4 - yard touchdown pass from Brady to Moss , extending the Patriots lead to 14 – 0 on the final play of the first quarter . After another Jets punt , from their end zone after a Banta - Cain sack , the Patriots began their next drive from their own 41 - yard line . Seven plays later , Maroney ran in from two yards out to give the Patriots a 21 – 0 lead . Following a 44 - yard kickoff return by Dwight Lowery , the Jets again turned the ball over , with Sanchez throwing his second interception of the game to Bodden , who returned it seven yards to the Patriots ' 48 - yard line . The Patriots ' next drive again reached the red zone , but this time the Patriots could not score a touchdown and were forced to settle for a 26 - yard Gostkowski field goal , giving the Patriots a 24 – 0 lead . Another Jets punt gave the Patriots the ball with just over two minutes remaining . With just under a minute left in the half , Hanson ' s punt attempt was blocked by Eric Smith and returned four yards for a touchdown by the Jets ' Brad Smith . With 45 seconds remaining , the Patriots quickly advanced downfield , but a 40 - yard Gostkowski field goal attempt with 15 seconds left in the half fell wide right , keeping the Patriots ' lead at 24 – 7 going into halftime . With possession at the start of the second half due to their deferral of the opening coin toss , the Jets moved 80 yards on 11 plays , scoring on a 29 - yard pass from Sanchez to Cotchery . With a 10 point lead , the Patriots responded with an 11 - play drive that reached the Jets ' 49 - yard line before sack eventually forced a punt . The Jets reached midfield on their next possession before punting as well , with Jets punter Steve Weatherford pinning the Patriots at their own 8 - yard line . This forced another Patriots punt , on the first play of the fourth quarter , but the Patriots received the ball right back after Sanchez threw his third interception of the day , again to Bodden , at the Patriots ' 26 - yard line . The Patriots could not capitalize on the turnover though , and were again forced to punt . Three plays later , Sanchez threw his fourth interception of the game , this time to Meriweather , who returned it four yards to the Jets ' 25 - yard line . This set up an 8 - play , 25 - yard Patriots drive that ended in a 1 - yard Maroney touchdown run , extending the Patriots ' lead to 31 – 14 . The Jets responded with a 37 - yard kickoff return by David Clowney followed by a drive to the Patriots ' 24 - yard line . On a 1st - and - 10 , Sanchez was strip - sacked by Banta - Cain ; the fumble was recovered by Burgess at the Patriots ' 29 - yard line . With 3 : 24 left in the game , the Patriots ran the clock down to 25 seconds before punting , giving the Jets the ball to end the game . With the 31 – 14 win , the Patriots improved their record to 7 – 3 , while the Jets dropped to 4 – 6 . Statistically , Welker had 15 catches for 192 yards on the game , second most in team history , trailing only Troy Brown ' s 16 receptions in an overtime game on September 22 , 2002 . Week 12 : at New Orleans Saints . For the second time in three weeks , the Patriots went on the road to square off against an undefeated team ; the 10 – 0 Saints entered the game with the most points scored in the league . After the Patriots deferred the opening coin toss , the Saints returned the opening kickoff to their own 35 - yard line before a 33 - yard pass from Drew Brees to wide receiver Devery Henderson on the game ' s first play put the Saints quickly in Patriots territory . However , the Patriots defense stopped the Saints on a 3rd - and - 4 from the 15 - yard line , setting up a 30 - yard John Carney field goal . The Patriots responded by holding the ball for nearly eight minutes , advancing 80 yards on a 14 - play drive that ended in a 4 - yard touchdown run by Maroney on 4th - and - 1 , the second such conversion of the drive . The score put the Patriots ahead 7 – 3 . The Saints did not reach midfield on their next drive and punted ; however , the Patriots turned the ball back over when on the ensuing play Brady was intercepted by cornerback Mike McKenzie , who returned it eight yards to the Saints ' 41 - yard line . Seven plays later , early in the second quarter , the Saints took a 10 – 7 lead when a Brees dump - off pass to running back Pierre Thomas resulted in an 18 - yard touchdown . The Patriots could not reach midfield on their next possession and punted . On the ensuing play , Brees connected with Henderson on a 75 - yard touchdown pass that extended the Saints ' lead to 17 – 7 . The Patriots faced a 3rd - and - 12 early on their next drive , but Brady threw a 33 - yard pass to Aiken to move the Patriots into Saints territory . The drive stalled at the Saints ' 18 - yard line , forcing a 36 - yard Gostkowski field goal to cut the Saints ' lead to 17 – 10 . Four plays later , Brees hit former Patriots tight end David Thomas on a 25 - yard pass before wide receiver Robert Meachem caught a 38 - yard touchdown pass to give the Saints a 24 – 10 lead with just under two minutes left in the half . The Patriots ' offense was able to reach the Saints ' 32 - yard line on first down with 35 seconds left , but advanced no further , setting up a 50 - yard Gostkowski field goal attempt on fourth down that fell wide left . With possession to begin the second half , the Patriots lost it when a 6 - yard pass to Maroney , the first play of the half , resulted in a fumble by Maroney at the Patriots ' 26 - yard line . Saints defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis recovered the fumble and returned it seven yards before he too fumbled ; Welker recovered the ball for the Patriots at that spot . Later in the drive , on 3rd - and - 9 from their own 42 - yard line , Brady hit Aiken on a 11 - yard pass to convert ; on the play , Brady passed Drew Bledsoe as the Patriots ' all - time passing leader . Two plays later , Brady connected with Moss on a 47 - yard pass down to the Saints ' 2 - yard line , setting up a 2 - yard Maroney touchdown run that cut the Saints ' lead to 24 – 17 . However , the Saints responded on their next play with a 68 - yard pass from Brees to wide receiver Marques Colston , setting up a 2 - yard touchdown catch by tight end Darnell Dinkins two plays later , re - establishing a 14 - point Saints lead . The Patriots moved down to the Saints ' 10 - yard on their next drive , but attempted to convert on 4th - and - 4 from that spot instead of kicking a field goal ; Brady ' s pass attempt to Moss fell incomplete . The Saints ' next drive spanned into the fourth quarter but ended on a punt from the Saints ' own 35 - yard line . The Patriots fared no better , going three - and - out on their ensuing possession . The Saints continued to build a lead when Brees ended a 9 - play , 75 - yard drive with a 20 - yard touchdown pass to Colston . Down 38 – 17 with under eight minutes to go , the Patriots tried to mount a drive but two plays in , Brady was intercepted by safety Darren Sharper on a deep pass ; Sharper returned it 38 yards to the Patriots ' 25 - yard line . However , the Saints could not convert a first down and Carney missed a 37 - yard field goal wide right . With 5 : 26 remaining in the game and down 21 points , the Patriots replaced Brady with his backup , Hoyer , on their next possession ; the Patriots went three - and - out . After a Saints punt , the Patriots held the ball for the final 1 : 52 of the game , ending it on an 8 - yard sack of Hoyer . With the loss , the Patriots dropped to 7 – 4 on the season , and 1 – 4 in road games . Week 13 : at Miami Dolphins . Coming off their Monday night loss to the Saints , the Patriots traveled to Miami to face the Dolphins with a two game lead in the division . The Patriots received the ball to start the game and six plays in , converted a 3rd - and - 8 to keep the drive alive . On the next play , Brady threw a 58 - yard touchdown pass to Moss to take an early 7 – 0 lead . Brady was injured on the play and went to the locker room but returned by the next offensive snap . In the mean time , the Dolphins ' first possession reached the Patriots ' 42 - yard line before Henne was sacked by Banta - Cain and Mayo for a loss of seven yards . On the next play , the Dolphins used White in their " pistol " formation and attempted a play action option run , but White ' s option toss to Ricky Williams was errant and recovered by Williams for a loss of 13 yards . Following the Dolphins ' punt , the Patriots began a 13 - play , 80 - yard drive with 6 : 41 left in the first quarter and did not surrender the ball until early in the second quarter , extending their lead to 14 – 0 on a 6 - yard Faulk draw for a touchdown . The Dolphins responded with a 10 - play , 88 - yard drive of their own , including a 29 - yard pass to Camarillo , that ended in a 13 - yard touchdown pass from Henne to Davone Bess , cutting the Patriots ' lead to 14 – 7 . Despite a 16 - yard Welker reception to begin the Patriots ' next drive , they were forced to punt after four plays . The Dolphins again moved into Patriots territory on their ensuing possession , reaching the 49 - yard line before Henne was intercepted by Meriweather at the Patriots ' 19 - yard line . Following a 19 - yard return , a 15 - yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Wilfork , and a false start penalty on Watson , the Patriots ' next drive began at their own 18 - yard line . The Patriots quickly moved into the red zone on a 58 - yard Welker catch , but on a 4th - and - 1 from the 6 - yard line , the Patriots tried to convert , and Morris was stopped short of the first down marker . Off the turnover and with under two minutes remaining , the Dolphins moved 83 yards on 11 plays , cutting the Patriots ' halftime lead to 14 – 10 on a 29 - yard Carpenter field goal . The Dolphins , who had deferred the opening coin toss , chose to receive at the start of the second half but went three - and - out . On the next play ( after a penalty ) , Brady threw a short sideline pass to Aiken , who caught the ball over the defender and proceeded to run down the sideline for an 81 - yard touchdown , extending the Patriots ' lead to 21 – 10 . It was the third 50 + yard completion of the game for Brady , a career first , and the third longest completion of Brady ' s career . He also eclipsed 30 , 000 career passing yards on the play . Following a 51 - yard kickoff return by Ted Ginn , Jr . , the Dolphins took two plays to reach Patriots territory . On a 3rd - and - 4 from the Patriots ' 46 - yard line , Henne attempted a deep sideline pass to wide receiver Brian Hartline , who stopped and turned back to catch the ball but was taken down by Wilhite for a 37 - yard defensive pass interference penalty . However , the Pats surrendered only three yards and forced the Dolphins to kick a field goal ; Carpenter ' s 24 - yard score cut the Patriots ' lead to 21 – 13 . After a Patriots three - and - out , the Dolphins continued to pressure the Patriots defense , moving 64 yards on 12 plays and cutting the deficit to two points on a 7 - yard Hartline touchdown catch . The Dolphins attempted to tie the game on a two - point conversion pass attempt to Fasano , but the pass fell incomplete . The Patriots ' next drive reached the Dolphins ' 39 - yard line , where the Patriots again attempted to convert a fourth down , this one with three yards to gain . The Patriots appeared to do so at first , as Welker caught a 13 - yard pass from Brady , but the play was nullified by an Aiken offensive pass interference penalty . After another penalty on the first punt attempt , the second punt attempt by Hanson actually gave the Patriots a better break , pinning the Dolphins at their own 3 - yard line at the end of the third quarter . The Dolphins could not move past their 22 - yard line on the ensuing possession and punted , giving the Patriots the ball at their own 39 - yard line . After several quick first downs , the Patriots reached the red zone . However , a Brady pass attempt intended for Moss in the back corner of the end zone was intercepted by Vontae Davis for a touchback , maintaining a two - point deficit for the Dolphins . However , the Dolphins could not move a yard off the turnover and were forced to punt ; the Patriots too went three - and - out . The Dolphins moved to the Patriots ' 39 - yard line on their ensuing possession , and like the Patriots , faced a fourth down with two yards to go . Henne ' s pass intended for Bess was broken up by Butler to turn the ball over on downs . However , the Patriots did not gain a yard , and in fact lost one yard on their next possession , setting up a Dolphins possession with 3 : 44 left in the game . The Dolphins moved 51 yards on 10 plays , reaching the Patriots ' 23 - yard line with just over one minute remaining . Carpenter then hit a 41 - yard field goal to put the Dolphins ahead for the first time in the game , 22 – 21 . Only needing a field goal , the Patriots tried to set up a Gostkowski attempt with under a minute to go , but three plays into their drive Brady was hit as he threw and was intercepted by linebacker Channing Crowder to seal a Dolphins victory . The back - to - back losses were a first for the Patriots since November 2006 , and dropped their record to 7 – 5 , while the Dolphins improved to 6 – 6 and within a game of first place in the division . Week 14 : vs . Carolina Panthers . Coming off consecutive road losses , the Patriots returned home against the Panthers looking to avoid losing three straight games for the first time since 2002 . After the Patriots deferred the opening coin toss , the Panthers received the ball to start the game and went three - and - out on their first possession . The Patriots reached the Panthers ' 40 - yard line on their next drive before attempting to convert a 4th - and - 1 ; Morris was stopped short of the first down marker to turn the ball over . However , the Panthers and backup quarterback Matt Moore , playing for an injured Jake Delhomme , also went three - and - out on their ensuing possession . The Patriots responded by again advancing to the Panthers ' 40 - yard line before this time punting . After another Panthers punt , the Patriots turned the ball back over after Brady was intercepted by Chris Gamble on a short pass intended for Moss at the Patriots ' 48 - yard line . Two plays later , Moore connected with wide receiver Steve Smith on a 41 - yard touchdown pass to give the Panthers a 7 – 0 lead . The Patriots next drive reached the Panthers ' 37 - yard line before Moss caught a pass from Brady but then fumbled it ; the Panthers ' Dan Connor recovered the fumble at the Panthers ' 21 - yard line . The Panthers , however , lost a net of one yard on their next drive and punted . This was followed by a Patriots three - and - out , a short Panthers drive and a punt , and another Patriots three - and - out . The Panthers then mounted a 10 - play , 45 - yard drive that ended on a missed 53 - yard field goal attempt by John Kasay . The Patriots responded with a 5 - play , 57 - yard drive that moved deep into Panthers territory on a 30 - yard pass interference penalty on the Panthers ' James Anderson on a pass attempt to Watson . Faulk later ran in for a 3 - yard touchdown to tie the game at halftime . The Patriots ' first drive of the second half began at the Patriots ' 11 - yard line and ended on the Panthers ' 14 - yard line when Morris fumbled following a 10 - yard run ; it was recovered by the Panthers ' Captain Munnerlyn . The Panthers responded with a 26 - yard DeAngelo Williams run followed by a 12 - yard Jeff King catch to pass midfield ; however two consecutive Panthers illegal shift penalties would help force a punt after a 13 - yard Tyrell Sutton run on third down . The punt was downed at the Patriots ' 4 - yard line , and a Patriots challenge that the player who downed it , Quinton Teal , was in the end zone was not successful . However , the Patriots responded by mounting their longest drive of the season , 96 yards on 13 plays , and behind five Welker catches and a 5 - yard Watson touchdown catch took a 14 – 7 lead late in the third quarter . The Panthers moved back downfield on a 9 - play , 57 - yard drive that ended on a 36 - yard Kasay field goal after the Patriots defense held the Panthers to two yards after a 1st - and - 10 from the 20 - yard line . The Patriots extended their lead to 17 – 10 on a 48 - yard Gostkowski field goal following a 10 - play , 46 - yard drive . After a 34 - yard Panthers punt on their next possession , a three - and - out , the Patriots had the ball at the Panthers ' 42 - yard line but could only advance 13 yards on seven plays , with the drive being kept alive on a roughing the kicker penalty during a Patriots punt . The Patriots then took a 20 – 10 lead on a 47 - yard Gostkowski field goal . With under four minutes to go , the Panthers faced a 3rd - and - 10 from their own 25 - yard line , but a Burgess sack of Moore forced a punt . The Patriots then ran out the final 2 : 32 of the game to seal a 20 – 10 victory . With the win , the Patriots moved to 8 – 5 on the season . Week 15 : at Buffalo Bills . Trying to win their first road game in an opponent ' s stadium for the first time in 2009 , the Patriots traveled to Buffalo with a one game lead in the division . After winning the toss , the Bills received the opening kickoff and began a 14 - play , 69 - yard drive that elapsed over nine minutes of the first quarter . After the Bills reached the Patriots ' 2 - yard line on 3rd - and - goal , a false start penalty and an incomplete pass limited the Bills to a 25 - yard Lindell field goal . The Patriots ' first possession reached midfield before a Brady pass intended for Welker was intercepted by linebacker Paul Posluszny at the Bills ' 39 - yard line . However , another penalty and two straight sacks set up a Bills three - and - out . The Patriots ' next drive spanned into the second quarter , moving 75 yards on 5 plays ; the Patriots moved to the Bills ' 3 - yard line on a 43 - yard defensive pass interference penalty on Donte Whitner . Brady then hit Moss in the back of the end zone for a 13 - yard touchdown , putting the Patriots ahead 7 – 3 . The Bills offense continued to struggle on their next possession , facing a 2nd - and - 23 and a 3rd - and - 20 before punting ; the Patriots advanced into Bills territory on their next possession before also punting . This time the Bills offense began to move the ball , reaching midfield before quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick threw an interception to Wilhite at the Patriots ' 36 - yard line . With 3 : 30 remaining , the Patriots drove back downfield , and assisted by a 21 - yard defensive pass interference penalty , into the red zone . Maroney then ran for a 1 - yard touchdown to give the Patriots a 14 – 3 lead . Following a 41 - yard Bills kickoff return , they were able to reach the Patriots ' 38 - yard line and attempt a 56 - yard field goal at the end of the half , but it fell wide left to keep the score at 14 – 3 . Both teams opened the second half with three - and - out punts . The Patriots came back with a 14 - play , 64 - yard drive that ended on a 30 - yard Gostkowski field goal . The Bills , however , responded with a lengthy drive of their own before an offensive holding penalty and two incompletions set up a punt from the Patriots ' 38 - yard line early in the fourth quarter . After an exchange of four punts , the Bills drove to the Patriots ' 12 - yard line , before an incompletion , a one - yard run , and two more incompletions turned the ball over on downs . With just over four minutes left in the game , the Patriots were unable to gain a yard net on their next drive , in fact losing one yard in the process , before punting back to the Bills with 3 : 37 left ; a 38 - yard punt and a 20 - yard return gave the Bills the ball at the Patriots ' 28 - yard line . After a 17 - yard completion to Josh Reed , Fitzpatrick threw an 11 - yard touchdown pass to Lee Evans to cut the Patriots ' lead to 17 – 10 . The Bills attempted an onside kickoff with 3 : 02 remaining in the game , which was recovered by the Bills but nullified on an offsides penalty . The Bills then kicked off normally to the Patriots , hoping for a defensive stop . However , on the first play after the two - minute warning , the Patriots converted a third down on an 8 - yard pass to Welker , sealing a Patriots victory . The win moved the Patriots to 9 – 5 on the season and gave them a two game lead in the division . Week 16 : vs . Jacksonville Jaguars . Looking to secure their third straight win and another division title , the Patriots returned home to face the 7 – 7 Jaguars . After the Jaguars deferred the opening coin toss , the Patriots received the opening kickoff to begin a 10 - play , 82 - yard drive . On a 1st - and - goal run from the Jaguars ' 1 - yard line , Maroney fumbled before breaking the plane of the goal line ; it was recovered by Jaguars linebacker Daryl Smith at the 1 - yard line . The Jaguars reached their own 35 - yard line on their ensuing possession before failing to convert on a fourth down attempt , turning the ball back over the Patriots . Two plays after a 21 - yard Morris run , Brady and Moss connected on a 2 - yard touchdown reception to give the Patriots a 7 – 0 lead . After the kickoff , the Jaguars drove to the Patriots ' 42 - yard line before a David Garrard pass intended for Marcedes Lewis was intercepted by Meriweather at the Patriots ' 17 - yard line and returned 56 yards . Two plays later , on the first play of the second quarter , Brady threw a 26 - yard touchdown pass to Baker to extend the Patriots ' lead to 14 – 0 . The Jaguars continued to move the ball on their next possession , reaching midfield on completions of 15 and 14 yards ; however a false start penalty negated another 15 - yard reception and the Jaguars were forced to punt . Following a Patriots ' three - and - out , Garrard was strip - sacked by Banta - Cain on the first play of the Jaguars ' next - drive ; tackle Eben Britton recovered the fumble for the Jaguars , who punted three plays later . On the third play of their ensuing drive , the Patriots moved into the red zone on a 55 - yard Morris run , and later took a 21 – 0 lead on a 1 - yard Morris touchdown run . After another Jaguars three - and - out , the Patriots moved into Jaguars territory on a 29 - yard Welker catch and later extended their lead to 28 – 0 on a 6 - yard touchdown reception by Moss . This would remain the score after the Jaguars ended the half on another punt . The Jaguars began the second half with a 16 - play , 69 - yard drive that took over eight minutes off the clock ; however , it ended without any points after Garrard was intercepted by Springs at the Patriots ' 2 - yard line on a 3rd - and - goal from the 5 - yard line . The Patriots responded with a 10 - play , 90 - yard drive of their own , despite a false start penalty to begin it . On the first play of the fourth quarter , Brady hit Moss on his third touchdown catch of the game , putting the Patriots ahead 35 – 0 . However , the Jaguars responded quickly , moving past midfield on a 22 - yard Rashad Jennings run and into the red zone on a 20 - yard Nate Hughes reception . Two plays later , Garrard scrambled two yards for a touchdown , cutting the Patriots ' lead to 35 – 7 . With 12 : 41 remaining in the game , the Patriots received the ball after the kickoff . What ensued was a 20 - play drive , with the Patriots reaching midfield with about ten minutes remaining in the game , and reaching the Jaguars ' 10 - yard line by the two - minute warning . The drive included five first downs , including two off fourth down conversions . One play after the two - minute warning , Hoyer replaced Brady at quarterback , and one play later , the Patriots turned the ball over on downs after a failed 4th - and - 2 run by Morris . The Jaguars , with 29 seconds left in the game , ran one play to end the game . With the win , the Patriots secured their first division title since 2007 and posted a 10 – 5 record heading into the final week of the season . Week 17 : at Houston Texans . On the final week of the regular season , the Patriots traveled to Houston having wrapped up a division title but still playing for the third seed in the AFC playoffs . The Texans , meanwhile , needed a victory plus help from other teams to earn a playoff berth . The Patriots did not activate Wilfork , Warren , Faulk , Maroney , or Bodden for the game . The Texans won the opening coin toss and received the opening kickoff , driving 76 yards on seven plays and taking a 7 – 0 lead on a 25 - yard touchdown reception by tight end Joel Dreessen . On the fourth play of the Patriots ' opening drive , Welker caught a 12 - yard pass from Brady , and when cutting to avoid a tackler , had his knee buckle and fell to the ground . He suffered a torn MCL and ACL on the play in his left knee and was placed on injured reserve . The Patriots , who replaced Welker with Edelman , drove to the Texans ' 42 - yard line before punting . Following a Texans three - and - out , the Patriots began a drive from their own 37 - yard line and capped a 9 - play , 63 - yard drive with a 4 - yard touchdown run by Taylor , tying the game at 7 – 7 . After a 36 - yard kickoff return by André Davis , the Texans passed midfield on a 16 - yard Dreessen catch , but could not advance any further and punted , early in the second quarter . The Patriots responded with a 9 - play , 58 - yard drive that ended in a 51 - yard Gostkowski field goal to give the Patriots a 10 – 7 lead . On their ensuing possession , the Texans drove to the Patriots ' 1 - yard line before attempting to convert a fourth down ; quarterback Matt Schaub ' s pass fell incomplete to Andre Johnson to turn the ball over on downs and give the Patriots the ball at their own 1 - yard line . On the next play , Taylor fumbled after a handoff from Brady ; the ball was recovered by Bernard Pollard in the end zone for a touchdown . However , kicker Kris Brown missed the extra point to keep the score at 13 – 10 . Hoyer entered the game at quarterback for the Patriots on their next drive . He led the Patriots from their own 9 - yard line to the Texans ' 25 - yard line , with the Patriots settling for a 43 - yard Gostkowski field goal with less than a minute remaining in the first half . Brown missed a 56 - yard field goal as time expired in the half for the Texans to keep the score tied at 13 at halftime . Brady re - entered the game for the Patriots to begin the second half , but the Patriots failed to reach midfield and punted . The Texans then drove from their own 16 - yard line to the Patriots ' 15 - yard line before a Schaub pass intended for wide receiver Jacoby Jones was tipped and intercepted by Butler at the 9 - yard line and returned 91 yards for a touchdown , giving the Patriots a 20 – 13 lead . The Texans continued to move the ball on their next possession , reaching the 20 - yard line before Brown missed another field goal , a 38 - yarder . The Patriots next drive spanned into the fourth quarter , and ended with an 11 - yard Taylor touchdown to extend the Patriots ' lead to 27 – 13 . However , the Texans again drove on the Patriots , with a 26 - yard defensive pass interference penalty on Butler setting up an 8 - yard touchdown pass from Schaub to Jones . The Patriots went three - and - out on their next possession , giving the ball back to the Texans with 7 : 30 left in the game . After a 31 - yard punt return by Jones , the Texans drove from the Patriots ' 34 - yard line and tied the game on a 1 - yard touchdown run by Arian Foster with 4 : 46 left . Two plays later , Brady was intercepted by Pollard on a long pass intended for Aiken ; Pollard returned the interception from the Patriots ' 43 - yard line to the 28 - yard line . On the first play after the two - minute warning , Foster ran in for a 3 - yard touchdown to give the Texans a 34 – 27 lead . Hoyer entered the game again for the Patriots and reached the Texans ' 34 - yard line before a fourth down pass intended for Edelman fell incomplete . The Texans then kneeled to end the game . The loss gave the Patriots 10 – 6 record for the season and also gave the Texans their first winning season in franchise history , at 9 – 7 . Postseason results . Wild Card Round vs . Baltimore Ravens . The Ravens converted three first quarter turnovers by Patriots quarterback Tom Brady into 17 points on their way to a 24 – 0 lead New England could not recover from . It was the Patriots ' first home loss of the season and their first home loss in the playoffs in more than 30 years . On top of that , it was the Ravens ' first ever win against the Patriots after five consecutive losses . Baltimore stormed to a 7 – 0 lead on the first play of the game with Ray Rice ' s 83 - yard touchdown run , the second longest run in NFL playoff history . Then linebacker Terrell Suggs forced and recovered a fumble from Brady on the Patriots 17 - yard line , and they scored another touchdown with a 1 - yard run by Le ' Ron McClain . Following an exchange of punts , cornerback Chris Carr intercepted a pass from Brady and returned it to the New England 25 - yard line , setting up Rice ' s second touchdown on a 1 - yard run . Just two plays after the ensuing kickoff , Ravens safety Ed Reed intercepted a deep pass from Brady and returned it 25 yards before lateraling the ball to safety Dawan Landry , who took it another 25 yards to the Patriots 9 - yard line . The Ravens could not gain any yards on their ensuing drive , but Billy Cundiff kicked a field goal to make the score 24 – 0 . New England was forced to punt on their next drive , but Baltimore returner Tom Zbikowski muffed the kick and Kyle Arrington recovered the ball for the Patriots at the Ravens 16 - yard line . Five plays later , Brady threw a 6 - yard touchdown pass to Julian Edelman . But midway through the second half , Brady threw his third interception of the game , this one to Landry , who returned it 42 yards to the New England 22 - yard line to set up another Cundiff field goal . Taking the ball back at the Patriots 47 - yard line after Darius Butler ' s 42 - yard kickoff return , New England responded with a 53 - yard scoring drive . Brady finished it with his second touchdown pass to Edelman to cut their deficit to 27 – 14 . Zbikowski returned the ensuing kickoff 30 yards to his own 48 - yard line , sparking a 52 - yard drive that ended with a 3 - yard touchdown run from Willis McGahee , making the score 33 – 14 after the two point conversion failed . New England responded with a drive deep into Baltimore territory , but Stephen Gostkowski missed a 44 - yard field goal attempt with 7 : 19 left in the game , ending any chance of a miracle comeback . Rice rushed for 159 yards and two touchdowns , while McGahee added 62 yards and a score . Neither quarterback had much success , as Brady was held to 154 yards and intercepted three times , while Baltimore ' s Joe Flacco completed only 4 of 10 passes for 34 yards . Awards and honors . Pro Bowl and All - Pro selections . Four Patriots were elected to the 2010 Pro Bowl . Guard Logan Mankins and defensive tackle Vince Wilfork were named as starters , while wide receiver Wes Welker and quarterback Tom Brady were named as a reserves . After Welker suffered a season - ending injury in Week 17 , Randy Moss was named as his replacement in the Pro Bowl , while safety Brandon Meriweather was also an injury replacement . Moss subsequently pulled out of the game due to injury , as did Brady . Welker and Mankins were also voted to the 2009 All - Pro First Team and Second Team , respectively .