2010 New England Patriots season The 2010 New England Patriots season was the 41st season for the team in the National Football League and 51st season overall . The Patriots improved on their 10 – 6 record from 2009 by finishing with a league - best 14 – 2 record and clinching the top seed in the AFC , before losing to the New York Jets in the playoffs . After losing to the Baltimore Ravens at home in the first round of the 2009 playoffs , the Patriots went into the 2010 season without either an offensive or defensive coordinator following the departure of defensive coordinator Dean Pees , in what was called a " bridge " or rebuilding season . An October 6 trade sent All - Pro wide receiver Randy Moss to the Minnesota Vikings , and eventually led to the return of wide receiver Deion Branch from the Seattle Seahawks in a separate deal . After acquiring Branch , the Patriots won 11 of their last 12 games of the season to finish with a 14 – 2 record and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs . Quarterback Tom Brady finished the regular season with an NFL - record 335 pass attempts without an interception and was named NFL MVP . The Patriots committed an NFL - record low 10 turnovers on the season , setting an NFL record with seven consecutive games without a turnover . In their Divisional playoff game against the Jets , the Patriots could not recover from a 14 – 3 halftime deficit , dropping the contest 28 – 21 to the underdog Jets . Offseason . Staff changes . Four days after the Patriots ' playoff loss against the Baltimore Ravens , defensive coordinator Dean Pees announced that he would not seek to renew his contract , which expired at the end of the 2009 season . He was named the Ravens ' linebacker s coach on January 26 . The Patriots did not name a formal replacement for defensive coordinator . The team did , however , add former defensive back and Notre Dame defensive coordinator Corwin Brown as a defensive backs coach , which was later clarified to mean Brown would coach the team ' s safeties , alongside existing defensive backs coach Josh Boyer . Additionally , tight end s coach Shane Waldron left the team following the season and later joined the coaching staff of the Hartford Colonials of the United Football League . No formal replacement was named . In the personnel department , pro scout Brian Smith was named assistant director of college scouting . Departures . On the eve of the start of the free agent signing period , the Patriots released tight end Chris Baker , who had signed a five - year deal the year before . The team also lost two unrestricted free agents : defensive end Jarvis Green signed with the Denver Broncos , while tight end Benjamin Watson joined the Cleveland Browns . On April 26 , the team released veteran linebacker Adalius Thomas after three seasons with the team . Weeks later , the Patriots released veteran cornerback Shawn Springs after one year with the team . On September 14 , after the Patriots ' first game of the season , running back Laurence Maroney was traded to the Denver Broncos along with a sixth - round selection in the 2011 NFL Draft in exchange for the Broncos ' fourth - round pick in 2011 . In the week leading up to the Patriots ' 2010 season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals , Randy Moss , who was entering the final year of his contract told CBS Sports that he " did not feel wanted " in New England absent a contract extension offer . After the game , Moss told reporters that it would be his final season with the Patriots . The " Boston Herald " reported weeks later that Moss requested a trade following the game . Two days after the Patriots ' Week 4 game against the Miami Dolphins , Moss was traded to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for the Vikings ' third - round selection in the 2011 NFL Draft . The Patriots also sent a 2012 seventh - round selection to the Vikings as part of the trade . Arrivals . Three days before the deadline for doing so , the Patriots assigned the non - exclusive franchise tag to unrestricted free agent nose tackle Vince Wilfork , while expressing their desire to reach a long - term contract with Wilfork . On March 5 , the first day of free agency , the Patriots re - signed Wilfork to a five - year , $ 40 million contract with $ 25 million in guaranteed money . Before the start of free agency , the Patriots signed wide receiver David Patten , who was with the team from 2001 – 2004 but had spent the 2009 season out of football . They also signed unrestricted free agents linebacker Marques Murrell and tight end Alge Crumpler , as well as defensive linemen Damione Lewis and Gerard Warren , and wide receiver Torry Holt , who were all released by their former teams . The Patriots also signed former Australian Rules Footballer David King as a punter . The Patriots also re - signed a number of their own unrestricted free agents . Linebacker Tully Banta - Cain was re - signed to a three - year contract , while guard Stephen Neal signed a two - year contract . Cornerback Leigh Bodden , running back Kevin Faulk , and linebacker Derrick Burgess were also re - signed . Restricted free agents Stephen Gostkowski and Pierre Woods were re - signed ; Gostkowski was later re - signed to a four - year extension before the season . Restricted free agent running back Chris Taylor was not offered a tender , making him an unrestricted free agent , but he was later re - signed . Exclusive rights free agent linebacker Gary Guyton signed a two - year contract through 2011 ; while fellow exclusive - rights free agent safety Bret Lockett also re - signed . Guard Logan Mankins became a restricted free agent under the terms of the NFL - NFLPA collective bargaining agreement , which entered its final , uncapped year ; Mankins otherwise would have been an unrestricted free agent in a normal season . The Patriots tendered at the highest possible level for a restricted free agent , $ 3 . 26 million , which have required any team signing Mankins in the restricted free agent signing period , which ended on April 15 , 2010 , to surrender first - and third - round draft selections to the Patriots . On June 15 , with Mankins yet to sign his tender , the Patriots were able to lower Mankins ' tender amount to 110 % of his prior year salary , or $ 1 . 54 million . The Patriots did so , and Mankins , who was looking for a long - term contract , reacted by publicly asking for a trade . He did not attend the Patriots ' mandatory June minicamp , which he was not required to attend as he was not under contract at the time . Mankins remained unsigned through the team ' s training camp , preseason , and the start of the regular season . Mankins reported to the Patriots and signed his tender on November 2 , in advance of the team ' s Week 9 game against the Cleveland Browns . He did not have to report until Week 12 in order to be on the roster for the necessary six games to earn his sixth accrued season of free agency credit . The NFL granted the Patriots a two - game roster exemption for Mankins upon his reporting . However , the Patriots activated Mankins on November 6 , before using either game of the exemption . On August 23 , the Patriots acquired offensive lineman Quinn Ojinnaka from the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for a seventh - round selection in the 2011 NFL Draft . On September 4 , the day the team was required to cut down to 53 players , they acquired linebacker Tracy White and a 2012 seventh - round selection from the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2012 sixth - round selection , as well as safety Jarrad Page from the Kansas City Chiefs for an unannounced draft selection . Nearly a week after a trade sent wide receiver Randy Moss out of New England , the Patriots traded a 2011 fourth - round selection to the Seattle Seahawks for receiver Deion Branch . Branch played for the Patriots from 2002 – 2005 and was the MVP of the team ' s Super Bowl XXXIX win . 2010 NFL Draft . The Patriots traded their original fifth - round pick ( # 153 overall ) to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in April 2009 in exchange for tight end Alex Smith . In August 2009 , the Patriots traded their original third - and fourth - round selections ( # 85 and No . 119 overall ) to the Oakland Raiders in exchange for defensive end Derrick Burgess . The trade was made on the condition that , because the Patriots had already traded their fifth - round selection , the fourth - round selection sent to Oakland would become a fifth - round selection once the Patriots re - acquired one . Later that month , the Patriots traded defensive lineman Le Kevin Smith to the Denver Broncos along with a seventh - round pick ( # 231 ) they acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles to the Denver Broncos in exchange for the Broncos ' fifth - round pick ( # 158 overall ) , which was sent to Oakland for the Patriots ' original fourth - round pick ( # 119 overall ) . The Patriots then re - acquired the seventh - round pick that had been sent to Denver in the Le Kevin Smith trade in exchange for offensive lineman Russ Hochstein . The Patriots traded a conditional seventh - round pick to the Baltimore Ravens for linebacker Prescott Burgess in September 2009 . 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 . Opening training camp roster . As of the Patriots ' first training camp practice at Gillette Stadium on July 29 , they had one fewer than the NFL maximum of 79 players signed to their roster . Restricted free agent Logan Mankins did not count against that limit , as he had yet to sign his tender . Derrick Burgess was placed on the Reserve / Did Not Report list and did not count against the limit . Regular season results . Week 1 : vs . Cincinnati Bengals . The Patriots began their season at home with an AFC duel against the Cincinnati Bengals . In the first quarter the Patriots had the early lead when quarterback Tom Brady got a 9 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Wes Welker , followed by kicker Stephen Gostkowski hitting a 32 yard field goal . In the second quarter the Patriots ' lead increased when Brady completed a 4 - yard touchdown pass to Wes Welker , followed by linebacker Gary Guyton returning an interception 59 yards for a touchdown . The Bengals then made their first score of the half when kicker Mike Nugent nailed a 54 yard field goal . In the third quarter the Patriots increased their lead again when wide receiver Brandon Tate returned a kickoff and ran 97 yards for a touchdown . The Bengals responded with quarterback Carson Palmer throwing a 1 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Jermaine Gresham , followed by Palmer completing a 28 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Chad Ochocinco . In the fourth quarter the Patriots scored again with Brady throwing a 1 - yard touchdown pass to rookie tight end Rob Gronkowski . The Bengals replied with running back Cedric Benson rushing for a 1 - yard touchdown , but couldn ' t score any further , giving the Patriots a win . With the win the Patriots began the season at 1 – 0 . Week 2 : at New York Jets . New England went on the road to face division rival New York in the latest meeting between the two teams at the New Meadowlands Stadium . The Jets had lost their opener to the Baltimore Ravens the previous week and started slow , accruing no passing yards during the first quarter , as the Patriots went down the field in two long drives taking up most of the time in the first half . In the second quarter , the Patriots took the early lead as quarterback Tom Brady completed a 6 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Wes Welker , but the Jets replied with quarterback Mark Sanchez completing a 10 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Braylon Edwards . The Patriots scored again with Brady finding wide receiver Randy Moss on a 34 - yard touchdown pass . The Pats lead slowly narrowed when kicker Nick Folk nailed a 49 - yard field goal , followed by him making a 36 - yard field goal in the third quarter . The Patriots fell behind when Sanchez completed a 2 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery ( with a successful 2 - point conversion ) , followed in the fourth quarter by Sanchez making a 1 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Dustin Keller . The Patriots committed 3 turnovers in the game , allowing the Jets to score 18 unanswered points in the second half . With the loss , the Patriots fell to 1 – 1 . Week 3 : vs . Buffalo Bills . Hoping to rebound from their loss to the Jets , the Patriots returned to home ground for an AFC East match against the Bills . In the first quarter New England trailed early when Bills kicker Rian Lindell nailed a 39 - yard field goal . The Patriots took the lead when quarterback Tom Brady completed a 7 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Randy Moss . The Bills replied in the second quarter with Lindell making another 39 - yard field goal , which was followed by quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing a 5 - yard touchdown pass to running back C . J . Spiller . The Patriots responded and took a narrow lead when running back Danny Woodhead made a 22 - yard touchdown run . Then they fell behind when Lindell hit a 34 - yard field goal . The Patriots got the lead back after kicker Stephen Gostkowski booted a 43 - yard field goal . The Patriots rallied in the third quarter when Brady found Moss again on a 35 - yard touchdown pass , but Buffalo scored quickly when Spiller returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown . The Patriots increased their lead when Brady completed a 5 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Rob Gronkowski , followed in the fourth quarter by running back BenJarvus Green - Ellis going in on a 7 - yard touchdown run . The Bills tried to come back into the game when Fitzptrick made a 37 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Steve Johnson , but the Patriots defense prevented anything else from happening , giving New England the win . With the win , the Patriots improved to 2 – 1 . Week 4 : at Miami Dolphins . Coming off their divisional home win over the Bills , the Patriots flew to Sun Life Stadium for a Week 4 AFC East duel with the Miami Dolphins on Monday night . New England trailed in the first quarter after Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne completed a 19 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Davone Bess . The Patriots would cut away at their deficit in the second quarter with kicker Stephen Gostkowski making 23 - yard and 30 - yard field goals . New England took the lead in the third quarter when wide receiver Brandon Tate returned the second half ' s opening kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown , followed by a 12 - yard touchdown run by running back BenJarvus Green - Ellis . Miami tried to catch up as Henne connected with running back Ricky Williams on a 28 - yard touchdown pass , but the Patriots came right back when quarterback Tom Brady threw an 11 - yard touchdown pass to running back Danny Woodhead . New England would add onto their lead in the fourth quarter as cornerback Kyle Arrington returned a blocked field goal 35 yards for a touchdown , followed by safety Patrick Chung returning an interception 51 yards for a touchdown . With the win , not only did the Patriots head into their bye week at 3 – 1 , but Brady picked up his 100th win in the fewest career starts ( 131 ) in NFL history . New England became the first team in NFL history to have a rushing , passing , interception return , kickoff return , and blocked field goal return for a touchdown in the same game . Week 6 : vs . Baltimore Ravens . Coming off their bye week the Patriots played on home ground for an AFC duel with the Ravens . In the first quarter the Patriots trailed early as kicker Billy Cundiff hit a 26 - yard field goal , but took the lead when running back BenJarvus Green - Ellis had a 2 - yard touchdown run . The Ravens got the lead back when quarterback Joe Flacco threw a 16 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Todd Heap , followed in the third quarter by Flacco finding wide receiver Anquan Boldin on a 25 - yard touchdown pass . The Patriots replied with kicker Stephen Gostkowski hitting a 38 - yard field goal , but the Ravens responded with Cundiff making a 25 - yard field goal . The Patriots then rallied with quarterback Tom Brady throwing a 5 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Deion Branch . This was followed by Gostkowski making a 24 - yard field goal . The Patriots got the ball back and took it to Baltimore ' s 44 yard line but , instead of trying a 61 - yard field goal , Tom Brady tried an Hail Mary which was intercepted by Ken Hamlin with no time left on the clock . Then , a 35 - yard field goal in overtime gave the Patriots a win . Following the game safety Brandon Meriweather was heavily fined by the league for a helmet - to - helmet hit on Todd Heap . With the win , New England improved to 4 – 1 . Week 7 : at San Diego Chargers . Hoping to extend their winning streak the Patriots flew to Qualcomm Stadium for an AFC duel with the Chargers . In the first quarter the Patriots trailed early as Chargers kicker Kris Brown made a 32 - yard field goal , but they rallied to when quarterback Tom Brady threw a 1 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Rob Gronkowski ; followed in the second quarter by kicker Stephen Gostkowski making a 40 and a 35 - yard field goal . In the third quarter running back BenJarvus Green - Ellis had a 1 - yard touchdown run to put the Patriots up 20 – 3 . In the fourth quarter the Chargers replied with Brown hitting a 28 - yard field goal , but the Patriots continued to score with a 35 - yard field goal from Gostkowski . The Patriots ' lead was narrowed with Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers throwing a 4 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Antonio Gates , and with fullback Mike Tolbert running for a 1 - yard touchdown , but a missed field Kris Brown 50 - yard field goal that bounced off the right post late in the fourth quarter sealed a victory for the Patriots . With the win , the Patriots improved to 5 – 1 . Week 8 : vs . Minnesota Vikings . Hoping to extend their winning streak , the Patriots played on home ground for a game with the Vikings , who came to Foxboro with former Patriot Randy Moss . In the second quarter , the Patriots trailed early as Vikings running back Adrian Peterson ran for a 1 - yard touchdown run , but the Patriots later responded when running back Danny Woodhead scored on a 3 - yard touchdown run . The Vikings attempted to punch in a touchdown from the Patriots ' 1 - yard line on fourth down late in the first half but were stopped . Minnesota re - took the lead midway through the third quarter , with a 24 - yard field goal from kicker Ryan Longwell , but the Patriots grabbed the lead when quarterback Tom Brady threw a 65 - yard touchdown pass to Brandon Tate , followed by a 13 - yard touchdown run from BenJarvus Green - Ellis . In the fourth quarter Vikings quarterback Brett Favre was injured after a hit by Myron Pryor , but backup quarterback Tarvaris Jackson subsequently threw a 1 - yard touchdown pass to fullback Naufahu Tahi ( with a two - point conversion ) . However , the Patriots responded with a 2 - yard touchdown run from Green - Ellis , sealing the victory for the Patriots . With the win , the Patriots improved to 6 – 1 . Week 9 : at Cleveland Browns . Hoping to increase their winning streak the Patriots flew to Cleveland Browns Stadium for an AFC duel with the Browns . In the first quarter the Patriots trailed early as kicker Phil Dawson nailed a 38 - yard field goal , followed by a 2 - yard Peyton Hillis touchdown run . The Patriots responded in the second quarter with quarterback Tom Brady completing a 2 - yard pass to tight end Aaron Hernandez , but they fell further behind when Chansi Stuckey took an end - around for an 11 - yard touchdown run . This was followed in the third quarter by Browns quarterback Colt McCoy scrambling 16 yards to the end zone for a touchdown . Dawson then made a 37 - yard field goal to put the Browns up 27 – 7 . The Patriots replied when Brady found Hernandez on another 1 - yard touchdown pass , but their opportunity for a comeback ended when Hillis added a 35 - yard touchdown run . With the loss , the Patriots fell to 6 – 2 . Week 10 : at Pittsburgh Steelers . Hoping to rebound from their loss to the Browns , the Patriots flew to Heinz Field to face the Steelers . The Patriots took the early lead when quarterback Tom Brady threw a 19 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Rob Gronkowski . This was followed by kicker Shayne Graham hitting a 31 - yard field goal . The Steelers responded in the second quarter with kicker Jeff Reed nailing a 22 - yard field goal , cutting the lead to 10 – 3 . The Patriots kept scoring in the third quarter when Brady threw a 9 - yard touchdown pass to Gronkowski . This was followed by Brady scrambling 3 yards to the end zone for a touchdown ; however , Graham missed the extra point wide right for a 23 – 3 lead . The Steelers scored first in the fourth quarter when quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completed a 6 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders , but their comeback came to a halt on the next drive as a Roethlisberger pass was intercepted by safety James Sanders and returned 32 yards for a touchdown , with a failed two - point conversion . The Patriots ' lead narrowed to 29 – 18 with Roethlisberger throwing a 15 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mike Wallace with a successful two - point conversion , but New England replied with Brady throwing a 25 - yard touchdown pass to Gronkowski . The Patriots ' lead was cut to 36 – 26 when Roethlisberger completed a 33 - yard touchdown pass to Wallace with another successful two - point convert , but the Patriots replied to put the game away after Graham hit a 36 - yard field goal . With the win , New England improve to 7 – 2 . Week 11 : vs . Indianapolis Colts . Coming off their win over the Steelers the Patriots played on home ground against the Colts for the first time in four seasons . In the first quarter the Patriots took the lead when quarterback Tom Brady threw a 22 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Wes Welker . This was followed in the second quarter by Brady throwing an 8 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Aaron Hernandez . The Colts narrowed the lead when quarterback Peyton Manning completed a 1 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Gijon Robinson , but the Patriots responded with a 5 - yard touchdown run by running back BenJarvus Green - Ellis . The lead was narrowed again after Manning found wide receiver Reggie Wayne on an 11 - yard touchdown pass . The Patriots increased their lead in the third quarter with running back Danny Woodhead running for a 36 - yard touchdown , followed in the fourth quarter by kicker Shayne Graham nailing a 25 - yard field goal . The Colts tried to close the gap after Manning completed a 5 - and an 18 - yard touchdown passes to wide receiver Blair White , but his final pass attempt , in Patriots territory with less than a minute remaining was intercepted by Patriots safety James Sanders at the 6 - yard line , giving the Patriots the win . With the win , the Patriots improved to 8 – 2 . Week 12 : at Detroit Lions . Coming off their win over the Colts , the Patriots flew to Ford Field , donned their throwback uniforms , and played a Week 12 Thanksgiving duel with the Detroit Lions . New England delivered the game ' s opening punch in the first quarter with a 19 - yard field goal by kicker Shayne Graham , but the Lions answered with quarterback Shaun Hill completing a 19 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Calvin Johnson . Detroit added onto their lead in the second quarter as running back Maurice Morris got a 1 - yard touchdown run , yet the Patriots responded with a 15 - yard touchdown run from running back BenJarvus Green - Ellis . The Lions closed out the half with kicker Dave Rayner making a 44 - yard field goal . New England tied the game in the third quarter as quarterback Tom Brady found wide receiver Wes Welker on a 5 - yard touchdown pass , but Detroit came right back with a 1 - yard touchdown run from Morris . The Patriots soon struck again as Brady connected with wide receiver Deion Branch on a 79 - yard touchdown pass . This was the Patriots ' longest play from scrimmage of their 2010 season . New England regained the lead in the fourth quarter as Brady found Branch again on a 22 - yard touchdown pass , followed by a 16 - yard touchdown pass to Welker . Afterwards , the Patriots pulled away with a 1 - yard touchdown run from Green - Ellis to win 45 – 24 . During the extra point and afterwards , the Lions were called for three personal fouls , including one on defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh . This allowed the Patriots to kick off from the Lions ' 40 - yard line , and Graham was able to put the ball through the uprights , to a storm of boos from the Ford Field crowd . With the win , New England improved to 9 – 2 . Brady ( 21 / 27 , 341 yards , 4 touchdowns , perfect 158 . 3 passer rating ) was named CBS ' s All - Iron Award winner by Phil Simms . Runners up for the award included Suh , Johnson , Branch , and Morris . Week 13 : vs . New York Jets . Coming off their win over the Lions on Thanksgiving , the Patriots returned home for a highly - anticipated Monday Night Football game with the New York Jets . In the first quarter , the Patriots took the early lead , with a 41 - yard field goal from kicker Shayne Graham , followed by a 1 - yard touchdown run from running back BenJarvus Green - Ellis and a 25 - yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tom Brady to wide receiver Deion Branch . In the second quarter , the Jets got on the board , with a 39 - yard field goal from kicker Nick Folk , in what would be the Jets ' only score of the game . Later in the second quarter , the Patriots replied , with Brady throwing a 4 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brandon Tate . The Patriots continued their offensive onslaught in the third quarter , with Brady throwing an 18 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Wes Welker . In the fourth quarter , Brady threw a 1 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Aaron Hernandez , followed by a 5 - yard touchdown run from Green - Ellis . With the win , the Patriots improved to 10 – 2 , and took sole possession of first place in the AFC East . Tom Brady was 21 / 29 , 326 yards , four touchdowns , and a 148 . 8 passer rating , extending his streak of 228 passes without an interception ( 7 consecutive games , setting a franchise record of most starts without an interception ) . Additionally , Brady won his 26th consecutive home game as a starting quarterback , dating back to 2006 , breaking Brett Favre ' s previous record of 25 games ( 1995 – 1998 ) . Week 14 : at Chicago Bears . Coming off their 45 – 3 win over the Jets , the Patriots flew to Soldier Field for a snowy game with the Bears . The Patriots took the early lead in the first quarter , with quarterback Tom Brady throwing a 7 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Rob Gronkowski . In the second quarter , running back Danny Woodhead ran for a 3 - yard touchdown , followed by linebacker Gary Guyton returning a fumble 35 yards for a touchdown . The Patriots extended their lead on field goals of 30 and 25 yards by placekicker Shayne Graham , and a 59 - yard touchdown pass from Brady to wide receiver Deion Branch ( with a missed extra point ) . The Patriots defense also held the Bears ' offense to 33 net yards , two first downs , and zero points in the first half . In the third quarter , Graham added a 29 - yard field goal , followed by the Bears getting on the board with a 1 - yard touchdown run from running back Chester Taylor . The points ended up being the last of the game , with both teams held scoreless in the fourth quarter . Brady extended his streak of pass attempts without an interception to 268 passes , while marking his sixth straight game with at least two touchdowns without an interception , tying Don Meredith ' s record set in 1965 – 1966 . The Patriots also became the first team in NFL history to have five consecutive games with zero turnovers and at least 30 points in every game . With the win , the Patriots not only improved to 11 – 2 , but also became the first team in the league to clinch a playoff berth . Week 15 : vs . Green Bay Packers . Coming off their road win over the Bears , the Patriots returned home for a game with the Green Bay Packers . The Patriots trailed early after Green Bay recovered their own opening kick - off onside kick and eventually scored on a 31 - yard field goal by Mason Crosby . New England grabbed the lead with a 33 - yard touchdown run by running back BenJarvus Green - Ellis . At the beginning of the second quarter , the Packers re - took the lead after quarterback Matt Flynn , starting in place of an injured Aaron Rodgers , threw a 66 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver James Jones , and extended the lead to 17 – 7 following a 1 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Greg Jennings . After a 71 - yard kickoff return by offensive lineman Dan Connolly , Patriots quarterback Tom Brady threw a 2 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Aaron Hernandez to close the half . In the third quarter , the Patriots re - established the lead ( 21 – 17 ) when cornerback Kyle Arrington returned an interception 36 yards for a touchdown . Flynn then threw a 6 - yard touchdown pass to fullback John Kuhn , followed in the fourth quarter by a 19 - yard field goal by Crosby , giving the Packers a 27 – 21 lead . The Patriots responded , with a 38 - yard field goal by kicker Shayne Graham , then took the lead , 31 – 27 , with Brady throwing a 10 - yard touchdown pass to Hernandez . The Patriots ' defense thwarted the Packers ' final drive with a sack by linebacker Dane Fletcher causing Green Bay to use its final timeout , and ended the Green Bay drive and the game with a fourth - and - 1 sack with seconds left on a Tully Banta - Cain strip - sack of Flynn . With the win , the Patriots improved to 12 – 2 . It was Brady ' s seventh consecutive game with at least two touchdowns without an interception , breaking Don Meredith ' s 1965 – 1966 record of six such games . Brady attempted 24 passes and his streak of consecutive pass attempts without an interception was extended to 292 – 3rd longest all - time , behind only Bernie Kosar ' s 308 ( 1990 – 91 ) , and Bart Starr ' s 294 ( 1964 – 65 ) . Brady did break the single season record also held by Kosar . Week 16 : at Buffalo Bills . The Patriots ' fifteenth game was an AFC East rivalry rematch against the Bills . In the first quarter the Patriots trailed early after Bills kicker Rian Lindell hit a 26 - yard field goal , but commanded the rest of the game with Danny Woodhead running for a 29 - yard touchdown , followed by quarterback Tom Brady completing an 8 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Rob Gronkowski , then with kicker Shayne Graham nailing a 34 - yard field goal . The Patriots added to their lead with Brady completing 4 - yard and 8 - yard touchdown passes to tight end Alge Crumpler and to Gronkowski respectively . Their lead was expanded when Graham kicked a 26 - yard field goal . With the win , New England improved to 13 – 2 , clinched the AFC East along with the number one seed and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs . Brady had his ninth consecutive game without an interception , and in the process broke Bernie Kosar ' s record of pass attempts without an interception ( 308 , from 1991 – 1992 ) . It was also his eighth consecutive game with at least two touchdowns and no interceptions . Week 17 : vs . Miami Dolphins . The Patriots ' final regular season game was an AFC East rematch against the Dolphins . The Patriots took the lead in the first quarter when quarterback Tom Brady threw a 13 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Rob Gronkowski , followed by BenJarvus Green - Ellis running for a 1 - yard touchdown . They extended their lead on a 28 - yard Shayne Graham field goal and a 94 - yard Julian Edelman punt return for a touchdown . Brady then threw a 10 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Alge Crumpler , followed by backup quarterback Brian Hoyer completing a 42 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brandon Tate . The Dolphins had their only score of the game with quarterback Tyler Thigpen throwing a 21 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Davone Bess in the fourth quarter . It was Brady ' s tenth consecutive game without an interception and ninth consecutive game with no interceptions and two touchdowns . With the win , the Patriots ended their regular season with a 14 – 2 record . Postseason results . Divisional Round vs . New York Jets . Mark Sanchez completed 16 of 25 passes for 194 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Jets to victory , avenging a 45 – 3 loss to New England in December . On the Patriots first drive , Tom Brady threw his first interception since week five of the regular season , which linebacker David Harris picked off and returned 58 yards before tight end Alge Crumpler made a touchdown saving tackle at the 12 - yard line . But New York could not get any points off the turnover , as they were unable to get a first down and Nick Folk missed a 30 - yard field goal attempt . Several plays into New England ' s next drive , Brady completed a 28 - yard pass to Crumpler at the Jets 12 - yard line . But after a 5 - yard run by Danny Woodhead , Crumpler dropped a pass in the end zone and then Brady was sacked by Shaun Ellis , forcing them to settle for Shayne Graham ' s 34 - yard field goal to give them a 3 – 0 lead . In the second quarter , a third down sack of Brady by Drew Coleman forced New England to punt from their own 16 , and Jerricho Cotchery returned the ball 5 yards to the Patriots 49 - yard line . A few plays later , Sanchez ' 37 - yard completion to Braylon Edwards set up his 7 - yard touchdown pass to LaDainian Tomlinson . Later on , New England attempted a fake punt with a direct snap to safety Patrick Chung on fourth down and four . But Chung fumbled the snap and was tackled on his own 25 - yard line , and the Jets converted the turnover with Sanchez ' 15 - yard touchdown pass to Edwards with 33 seconds left in the half , making the score 14 – 3 . Late in the third quarter , New England drove 80 yards in 11 plays , with Brady completing a 37 - yard pass to Rob Gronkowski and two passes Deion Branch for 28 yards on the way to a 2 - yard touchdown pass to Crumpler . Then Sammy Morris scored a 2 - point conversion run , cutting their deficit to 14 – 11 . But the Jets quickly countered , with Sanchez throwing short pass to Cotchery , who took it 58 yards to the Partriots 13 - yard line . Two plays later , Sanchez threw a high pass for Santonio Holmes , who managed to catch the ball and land his in the end zone while falling out of bounds , giving New York a 10 - point lead two miuntes into the fourth quarter . After the kickoff , New England drove to the Jets 34 - yard line with an 8 minute drive , but then faced fourth down and 13 . Rather than risk a 52 - yard field goal attempt , they attempted to get the first down , but Branch dropped a pass from Brady and the Patriots turned the ball over . New England ' s defense then made a key defensive stand , forcing a quick three - and - out , and Julian Edelman returned Steve Weatherford ' s punt 41 yards to the New York 43 - yard line before being tackled by Weatherford himself . Brady then led New England to the 17 - yard line where Graham made his second field goal to cut their deficit to 7 points . However , Jets defensive back Antonio Cromartie recovered Graham ' s onside kick attempt and returned it 23 yards to the Patriots 20 - yard line . Then Shonn Greene scored with a 20 - yard run on the next play , making the score 28 – 14 with 1 : 12 left in the game . Brandon Tate returned the ensuing kickoff 23 yards to the 41 - yard line , sparking a 59 - yard scoring drive that ended with Brady ' s 13 - yard touchdown pass to Branch with 24 seconds left . But Graham ' s second attempt at an onside kick also failed , ending any chance of a miracle comeback . Brady finished the game 29 of 45 for 299 yards and two touchdowns , with 1 interception . Cotchery had 5 receptions for 96 yards Harris had 9 tackles , 3 assists , and an interception , while Ellis added 5 tackles and two sacks . With this win , the Jets advanced to their second consecutive AFC championship game in Sanchez ' first two years as a starter . Awards and honors . Pro Bowl and All - Pro selections . Six Patriots were elected to the 2011 Pro Bowl . Quarterback Tom Brady , guard Logan Mankins , and defensive tackle Vince Wilfork were named as starters , while cornerback Devin McCourty , linebacker Jerod Mayo , and safety Brandon Meriweather were named as a reserves . Offensive tackle Matt Light and wide receiver Wes Welker were later named to the game as injury replacements . Brady later pulled out of the game due to surgery for a stress fracture in his right foot . Brady , Mankins , and Mayo were also voted to the 2010 All - Pro First Team , while McCourty , Wilfork , and offensive tackle Sebastian Vollmer were named to the Second Team .