2008 New England Patriots season The 2008 New England Patriots season was the 39th season for the team in the National Football League and 49th season overall . Despite finishing the regular season with an 11 – 5 record , the Patriots did not qualify for the playoffs — becoming the first 11 - win team since the expansion to a 12 - team playoff in 1990 to " not " make the playoffs , as well as only the second team since the NFL expanded to a 16 - game regular season in 1978 . This came just one year after finishing with the only 16 – 0 regular - season record in NFL history . In the season opener , quarterback Tom Brady , the NFL ' s MVP in 2007 , suffered a knee injury and missed the remainder of the season . Backup quarterback Matt Cassel replaced Brady . Cassel ' s start in Week 2 was his first start in a game since high school , and he led the Patriots to a win , which extended the Pats ' regular - season winning streak record to 21 games before a loss the next week ended the streak . This record was broken by the Indianapolis Colts in 2009 . Despite entering the last week of the season with a three - game winning streak , the Patriots found themselves not controlling their own destiny . In addition to a Week 17 win , they also needed either a Miami Dolphins loss to win the AFC East , or a Baltimore Ravens loss to earn a wild card berth . However , both Baltimore and Miami won , and the Dolphins , Ravens and Patriots each finished the season with an 11 – 5 record . Miami qualified for the playoffs by winning the AFC East division over the Patriots on the fourth divisional tiebreaker ( better conference record : 8 – 4 to 7 – 5 ) . Baltimore qualified for the playoffs as a wild card team , defeating the Patriots on the second wild card tiebreaker ( better conference record : 8 – 4 to 7 – 5 ) . The Patriots thus became the first team since the 1985 Denver Broncos to finish with an 11 – 5 record and not make the playoffs . Offseason . Incidents off the field . Two days after Super Bowl XLII , defensive back Willie Andrews was arrested in Lowell , Massachusetts on February 5 for possession of a half pound of and driving an unregistered car . On May 9 , Andrews ' case was continued without finding for one year , during which time Andrews was ordered to pay a fine , speak to student athletes about the dangers of narcotics , and complete an NFL substance abuse program . On June 30 , Andrews was arrested again and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm in Mansfield , Massachusetts , after his fiancée accused him of pointing a gun at her head . Andrews ' fiancée called police , who searched Andrews ' vehicle but did not find a gun ; she later took her child to a hotel for the night , where Andrews then met her again before being arrested . The weapon , a Glock pistol , was later recovered in a dumpster near Andrews ' apartment . Andrews was released on July 1 . On February 22 , running back Kevin Faulk was issued a misdemeanor summons after he was found with four marijuana cigarettes at a Lil Wayne concert in Lafayette , Louisiana . Upon returning to New England , Faulk passed a drug test and did not have to enter the NFL ' s substance abuse program . Faulk pleaded no contest to the charge on July 8 and was sentenced to a five - month suspended jail term , given one year of probation , fined , and ordered to complete community service and substance abuse treatment programs . Faulk was later suspended for the first game of the 2008 regular season for a violation of the NFL ' s substance abuse policy . On April 27 , according to " The Boston Globe " , offensive lineman Nick Kaczur was arrested in Whitestown , New York , when police discovered Kaczur had a " small amount of controlled substance for which he did not have a prescription , " which was later identified as oxycodone . Kaczur was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree , a misdemeanor . In May , the article states Kaczur participated in a Drug Enforcement Administration sting operation , wearing a hidden recording device while purchasing $ 3 , 900 worth ( 100 pills ) of OxyContin . The three transactions , on May 1 , May 6 , and May 13 in the area near Foxborough , Massachusetts , led to the arrest of Kaczur ' s dealer Daniel Ekasala , who was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 3 for three counts of possession of oxycodone with intent to distribute . When " The Globe " asked for comment , however , Kaczur denied any involvement in the case . Staff changes . Following the 2007 regular season , the Atlanta Falcons hired Patriots Director of College Scouting Thomas Dimitroff to be their new general manager . Former Pro Personnel Director Nick Caserio , who had spent the 2007 season as wide receiver s coach , returned to the personnel department as the director of player personnel , a position that partly replaced both Dimitroff ' s and Caserio ' s former responsibilities under Vice President of Player Personnel Scott Pioli . Regional scout Jon Robinson was also promoted to assistant director of college scouting . The Patriots then promoted offensive assistant Bill O ' Brien to wide receivers coach to replace Caserio . Additionally , the Patriots announced secondary coach Joel Collier would not return to the team in 2008 , and hired former Carolina Panthers and Houston Texans head coach Dom Capers as a special assistant / secondary coach . Don Davis , who joined the coaching staff as an assistant strength and conditioning coach and team chaplain after retiring in 2007 , left the organization to pursue Christian ministry . Finally , special teams coaching assistant Kevin Bickers was made a special assignment scout , and replaced by Brian Flores , formerly a pro scout . Former football operations assistant Shane Waldron re - joined the team as an offensive coaching assistant . Departures . Prior to the start of free agency , the Patriots released linebacker s Oscar Lua and Rosevelt Colvin , who had started 39 games in his five seasons with the team . Both ended the 2007 season on injured reserve and failed post - season team physicals . Tight end Kyle Brady was released at the start of free agency , also after having failed a physical . The Patriots declined multi - year contract options on wide receivers Kelley Washington and Donté Stallworth , making them both free agents ; Stallworth signed with the Cleveland Browns , while Washington re - signed with the Patriots . Also departing via free agency were defensive backs Asante Samuel ( Philadelphia Eagles ) , Randall Gay ( New Orleans Saints ) , and Eugene Wilson ( Tampa Bay Buccaneers ) . Restricted free agent defensive lineman Rashad Moore was not tendered a qualifying offer , making him an unrestricted free agent . Arrivals . After losing a combined 122 games of starting experience for the team in Samuel , Gay , and Wilson , the Patriots added back to their secondary by signing cornerbacks Lewis Sanders and Fernando Bryant , who were both released by their former teams , as well as two unrestricted free agents – cornerback Jason Webster and safety Tank Williams . Also signed via unrestricted free agency were wide receiver Sam Aiken , linebacker Victor Hobson . and tight end Marcus Pollard . Free agents or potential free agents Tedy Bruschi , Lonie Paxton , Kelley Washington , Randy Moss , Jabar Gaffney , Ray Ventrone , Mike Wright , Wesley Britt , and Pierre Woods were all re - signed . 2008 NFL Draft . As a penalty for violating the " league policy on the use of equipment to videotape an opposing team ’ s offensive or defensive signals " during a September 9 , 2007 game against the New York Jets , the Patriots forfeited their original first round pick , which would have been the 31st overall pick due to their loss in Super Bowl XLII . Opening training camp roster . As of the Patriots ' first training camp practice at Gillette Stadium on July 24 , they had the NFL maximum of 80 players signed to their roster . First - round draft pick Jerod Mayo , who was not signed until after training camp began , did not count against that limit until his signing . Regular season results . Week 1 : vs . Kansas City Chiefs . The Patriots began their regular season at home against the Chiefs . On the first drive of the game , a running - into - the - kicker penalty committed by the Chiefs on a fourth - down punt gave the Patriots a fresh set of downs , but three plays later , wide receiver Wes Welker fumbled after catching a pass from quarterback Tom Brady . The Chiefs recovered and started their next drive at their own 48 yard line but failed to convert on third down and punted . On the ensuing Patriots possession , the Chiefs again recovered a fumble by a Patriots receiver after a catch ; this time wide receiver Randy Moss lost the ball after a 28 - yard completion from Brady . After the throw , Brady was hit in his lower left leg by Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard , left the game , did not return , and was later placed on injured reserve with a torn ACL and a torn MCL . Quarterback Matt Cassel replaced Brady for the Patriots ' next drive , which began from the Patriots ' 2 - yard line . Seven plays after a 51 - yard completion to Moss from inside the Patriots ' 1 , Cassel hit Moss in the end zone from 10 yards out for a touchdown , giving the Patriots a 7 – 0 lead early in the second quarter . The teams then exchanged three - and - outs twice , before the Chiefs ended a 13 - play , 51 - yard drive with a 40 - yard Nick Novak field goal to cut the Patriots ' lead to 7 – 3 at the end of the first half . After a Chiefs punt on a drive in which Chiefs quarterback Brodie Croyle was injured on a sack by Adalius Thomas , the Patriots drove 80 yards on 11 plays , capping off the series with a 5 - yard touchdown run by running back Sammy Morris to extend the Patriots ' lead to 14 – 3 . The next Chiefs drive began with backup quarterback Damon Huard replacing Croyle . The Chiefs drove 63 yards and trimmed the Patriots ' lead to 14 – 10 on a 13 - yard touchdown reception by wide receiver Dwayne Bowe . After three punts , Huard and the Chiefs began a fourth - quarter drive by throwing an interception to Patriots cornerback Ellis Hobbs ; a 15 - yard unnecessary roughness penalty on the Patriots caused their ensuing series to begin at their own 47 - yard line . A handful of Morris runs and Cassel passes , including an 11 - yard reception by Morris , brought the Patriots into the Chiefs ' red zone , but the Patriots failed to convert on third down and settled for a 37 - yard Stephen Gostkowski field goal to make their lead 17 – 10 . Starting from his own 22 - yard line with 2 : 20 remaining , Huard was strip - sacked on the third play of the series , but recovered his own fumble at the Chiefs ' 27 - yard line . On the next play , Huard hit wide receiver Devard Darling for a 68 - yard completion , giving the Chiefs first - and - goal from the Patriots ' 5 - yard line with 53 seconds left . However , the Patriots ' defense prevented the Chiefs from advancing another yard , as an incomplete pass , a Larry Johnson run for no gain , and two more incomplete passes gave the Patriots the ball back to seal their first victory of the season , and their 20th consecutive regular - season win . Week 2 : at New York Jets . In their first divisional game of the season , the Patriots traveled to Giants Stadium , where they had not lost since 2000 . On the first series of the game , the Jets drove to the Patriots ' 13 - yard line but the game remained scoreless after kicker Jay Feely missed a 31 - yard field goal . Eleven plays later , the Patriots faced 3rd - and - goal from the Jets ' 2 - yard line , but a run for a loss by running back Laurence Maroney set up a 21 - yard Gostkowski field goal to give the Patriots a 3 – 0 lead . After a Jets punt , the Patriots extended their lead to 6 – 0 on a 37 - yard Gostkowski field goal early in the second quarter . The Jets responded with a 77 - yard drive , highlighted by a 54 - yard Laveranues Coles completion from quarterback Brett Favre , which brought them as close to the end zone as the Patriots ' 1 - yard line , but they again had to settle for a field goal ; this time Feely completed the 21 - yard attempt to cut the Patriots ' lead to 6 – 3 . The Patriots and Jets exchanged punts to end the first half . After a Patriots punt began the second half , the Jets started their next possession from their own 23 - yard line . Three offensive penalties later , with the Jets at 2nd - and - 25 , defensive back Brandon Meriweather earned his first career interception on an errant Favre pass , giving the Patriots the ball at the Jets ' 31 - yard line . Despite a Kris Jenkins sack of Cassel to begin the drive , the Patriots moved into the red zone on a 22 - yard completion to running back Kevin Faulk on a 3rd - and - 9 play . Three plays later , Morris ran it in from the Jets ' 1 - yard - line for a touchdown , extending the Patriots ' lead to 13 – 3 . On an ensuing Jets punt , a 24 - yard Faulk return set up the Patriots ' next drive at the Jets ' 39 - yard line ; nine plays later , a 28 - yard Gostkowski field goal gave the Patriots a 16 – 3 lead and ended the third - quarter scoring . Beginning from their own 20 - yard line for the sixth time in the game , the Jets drove into the Patriots ' red zone and then cut the Patriots ' lead to 16 – 10 on a 2 - yard touchdown catch by wide receiver Chansi Stuckey . The Patriots ' next drive went for 71 yards and ended on a 27 - yard Gostkowski field goal to build the Patriots ' lead to 19 – 10 . This would be the final score , as the Jets ' next drive , which included a 20 - yard sack of Favre by Adalius Thomas , went three - and - out and the Patriots held the ball for the final 3 : 45 in the game . The win brought the Patriots ' record to 2 – 0 and kept the team tied for first place in the AFC East . Gostkowski finished the day 4 - for - 4 on field goals and earned five touchbacks on six kickoffs . Week 3 : vs . Miami Dolphins . Playing their second divisional opponent in as many weeks , the Patriots returned home looking for their 22nd straight regular season victory , a streak extending back to December 2006 when the Dolphins shut out the Patriots in Miami . Despite a 50 - yard Hobbs return on the opening kickoff , the Patriots and Dolphins exchanged three - and - out punts to begin the game . On their second drive , the Patriots got as far as the Dolphins ' 7 - yard line , but back - to - back sacks of Cassel set up 3rd - and - goal , where Cassel threw his first interception of the season , to Dolphins defensive lineman Randy Starks . Starting from their own 26 - yard line , the Dolphins drove into the Patriots ' red zone in part from two catches by tight end Anthony Fasano from Chad Pennington for 47 yards . On 2nd - and - goal from the Patriots ' 2 - yard line , the Dolphins lined up with an unbalanced offensive line and with Pennington as a wide receiver and had running back Ronnie Brown take a direct snap from a shotgun formation ; Brown proceeded to fake an end - around to running back Ricky Williams before running for the touchdown to give the Dolphins a 7 – 0 lead . This formation , known as the " Wildcat , " was developed by Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano and quarterbacks coach David Lee following the Dolphins ' loss to the Arizona Cardinals the week prior . The Patriots ' ensuing possession reached the Dolphins ' red zone again on 13 plays , but ended with the Patriots settling for a 37 - yard Gostkowski field goal , trimming to the Dolphins ' lead to 7 – 3 early in the second quarter . The Dolphins ' next drive began with a 33 - yard reception by wide receiver Greg Camarillo ; five plays later , Brown scored his second touchdown of the day with a 15 - yard third - down run , extending the Dolphins ' lead to 14 – 3 . On their next drive , the Patriots reached the Dolphins ' 28 - yard line on a 21 - yard completion by Welker on a Cassel pass that was tipped by Dolphins safety Renaldo Hill . However , the Patriots gained only two more yards before Gostkowski hit his second field goal of the day , this one from 44 yards out , to cut the Dolphins ' lead to 14 – 6 . On the first play of the ensuing drive , the Dolphins again employed a direct snap to Brown , who this time proceeded to hand off to Williams , gaining three yards on the play . With two minutes remaining in the first half , the Dolphins faced a 1st - and - 10 from the Patriots ' 45 - yard line ; Williams again took the hand - off on the direct snap to Brown , but this time went for 28 yards to put the Dolphins in the Patriots ' red zone . Three plays later , the Dolphins again used the " Wildcat " formation , and Brown took the direct snap and ran five yards for his third touchdown of the day , giving the Dolphins a 21 – 6 lead at the half . After an exchange of punts began the second half , the Dolphins drove from their own 21 - yard line to a 3rd - and - 3 from the Patriots ' 19 - yard line . The Dolphins again used the " Wildcat " ; this time Brown threw a halfback pass to Fasano for a 19 - yard touchdown that extended the Dolphins ' lead to 28 – 6 . Hobbs returned the ensuing kickoff 81 yards to have the next Patriots ' possession begin from the Dolphins ' 23 - yard line . On 4th - and - 3 , Cassel hit wide receiver Jabar Gaffney for a 5 - yard touchdown that cut the Dolphins ' lead to 28 – 13 . The Dolphins ' ensuing possession featured Brown touching the ball on every play ; after a first - down reception , Brown ran four times in a row to give the Dolphins a 1st - and - 10 from their own 38 - yard line . The Dolphins again lined up Brown to receive the direct snap ; this time he ran 62 yards for his fourth rushing touchdown of the day , a Dolphins record . Early in the fourth quarter , Hobbs returned the Patriots ' next kickoff 31 yards , setting his own team record with 237 kickoff return yards in the game . Three plays later , Cassel fumbled on a third - down scramble that was forced by Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter and recovered by Dolphins defensive lineman Phillip Merling at the Patriots ' 49 - yard line . After a Dolphins ' three - and - out , the Patriots began their next drive with a Cassel interception thrown to Hill that was negated on a roughing the passer penalty on defensive lineman Vonnie Holliday ; the Patriots punted four plays later . The Dolphins ' next drive ended in a 39 - yard Dan Carpenter field goal that gave the Dolphins a 38 – 13 lead . After an unsuccessful fourth - down conversion attempt on a pass by backup Patriots quarterback Kevin O ' Connell and a Dolphins punt , that score became the final . The loss dropped the Patriots to 2 – 1 and to second place in the AFC East . Week 5 : at San Francisco 49ers . Coming off their bye week , the Patriots traveled to Candlestick Park to face the 49ers in the first of two straight West Coast games for the Patriots . After a 49ers punt on their first series started the game , Cassel ' s second pass of the game was intercepted by linebacker Takeo Spikes to give the 49ers the ball at the Patriots ' 45 - yard line . On the next play , 49ers quarterback J . T . O ' Sullivan threw an interception of his own , this one to Meriweather at the Patriots ' 4 - yard line . A three - and - out for the Patriots on their ensuing drive ended in a 35 - yard Chris Hanson punt that gave the 49ers the ball at the Patriots ' 30 - yard line to begin their next drive . A defensive holding penalty on Patriots cornerback Deltha O ' Neal on third down extended the drive , leading to a 16 - yard touchdown catch by running back Frank Gore that gave the 49ers a 7 – 0 lead . On the Patriots ' next drive , a fumbled snap by Cassel set up 3rd and 8 from the Patriots ' own 34 - yard line ; Cassel then threw a deep pass to Moss , which was caught at the 49ers ' 21 - yard line and run in for a 66 - yard touchdown that tied the game at 7 – 7 . A 38 - yard Isaac Bruce reception from O ' Sullivan on the 49ers ' ensuing possession backed the Patriots ' defense up to their own 22 - yard line , and two plays later , O ' Sullivan and Bruce again connected on a pass , this one a touchdown from 6 yards out to give the 49ers a 14 – 7 lead . An exchange of punts brought the teams into the second quarter , where on the third play of a Patriots drive Cassel threw his second interception of the day , this one to Nate Clements on the 49ers ' 6 - yard line on a deep pass intended to Moss . The 49ers went three - and - out , leading to a 13 - play , 40 - yard Patriots drive where a third down sack of Cassel in the red zone set up a 35 - yard Gostkowski field goal that trimmed the 49ers ' lead to 14 – 10 . The 49ers punted again on their next possession , giving the Patriots the ball on their own 20 - yard line with just over three minutes remaining in the first half . 11 plays later , the Patriots faced a 2nd and goal from the 49ers ' 2 - yard line , where a Faulk touchdown run gave the Patriots a 17 – 14 lead at halftime . On the Patriots ' opening possession of the second half , Cassel was sacked to begin the drive , and then again was sacked nine plays later on third down to force the Patriots to punt . Two plays later , O ' Sullivan was intercepted by safety Rodney Harrison to give the Patriots the ball at the 49ers ' 24 - yard line . The Patriots reached the 49ers ' 1 - yard line , but were denied the end zone twice by the 49ers , setting up fourth down from the 2 - yard line . Faulk took the direct snap on the play and ran in for his second touchdown of the game , giving the Patriots a 24 – 14 lead . Following a 49ers punt , an 8 - play Patriots drive resulted in a 40 - yard Gostkowski field goal that extended the Patriots lead to 27 – 14 early in the fourth quarter . Starting from their own 20 - yard line , the 49ers began an 11 - play drive that ended on a 5 - yard touchdown catch by Bruce from O ' Sullivan that cut the Patriots ' lead to 27 – 21 . The Patriots responded with a 10 - play series of their own ; six plays into the drive , Faulk caught a second - down pass and was originally deemed to be down short of the first down , but the Patriots challenged the play and Faulk was found to have gained the necessary first down yardage . An offensive pass interference penalty on Moss set up a 3rd and 20 that the Patriots did not convert ; Gostkowski then hit a 49 - yard line field goal to extend the Patriots ' lead to 30 – 21 . A third - down sack of O ' Sullivan led to a fourth - down interception by O ' Neal that gave the Patriots the ball with 2 : 45 remaining in the game . The 49ers used all of their timeouts during the Patriots ' next possession , and after a Patriots punt , the 49ers failed to convert on fourth down to give the Patriots the ball to end the game . Week 6 : at San Diego Chargers . Facing their second West Coast game in as many weeks , the Patriots elected to practice at San José State University and to stay in Santa Clara , California in advance of flying to San Diego to face the Chargers in a Sunday night game at Qualcomm Stadium . On the first play of the game , Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers completed a 48 - yard pass to wide receiver Vincent Jackson that brought the Chargers to the Patriots ' 32 - yard line . Three incomplete passes by Rivers from the Patriots ' 7 - yard line set up a 25 - yard Nate Kaeding field goal that gave the Chargers a 3 – 0 lead . On their first possession , the Patriots reached the Chargers ' 31 - yard line , where Gostkowski missed a 48 - yard field goal , his first such miss of the season . Four plays later , Rivers hit wide receiver Malcom Floyd on a 49 - yard touchdown catch that extended the Chargers ' lead to 10 – 0 . The Patriots punted on their ensuing possession ; the Chargers ' Darren Sproles returned the punt 28 yards to start the Chargers ' next drive from the Patriots ' 45 - yard line . A failed third - down conversion by the Chargers set up a missed 44 - yard field goal attempt by Kaeding . An exchange of punts early in the second quarter gave the Patriots starting field position at the Chargers ' 43 - yard line ; seven plays later , Gostkowski hit a 47 - yard field goal to cut the Chargers ' lead to 10 – 3 . After a Chargers punt set up the Patriots ' next drive to begin from their own 6 - yard line , the Patriots went three - and - out and a Jerod Mayo facemask penalty on the resulting punt gave the Chargers the ball at the Patriots ' 31 - yard line . Four plays later , Rivers extended the Chargers ' lead to 17 – 3 on a 4 - yard pass to Jackson . The Patriots began their next drive with a Marques Harris strip - sack of Cassel that was recovered by offensive tackle Mark LeVoir ; the Patriots then ran out the clock to end the first half . Starting from their own 22 - yard line to begin the second half , the Patriots drove to the Chargers ' 1 - yard line on eight - straight Cassel passes or scrambles , the last of which was a 28 - yard catch by Morris . However , the Chargers denied the Patriots the final yard needed for the touchdown on three straight downs , and on fourth down from the 1 - yard line , Cassel was sacked to turn the ball over on downs . A 59 - yard reception by Jackson on the second play of the Chargers ' next drive as well as a 32 - yard defensive pass interference penalty on Hobbs brought the Chargers to the Patriots ' 1 - yard line , where tight end Antonio Gates caught a 1 - yard pass from Rivers that extended the Chargers ' lead to 24 – 3 . On the next play from scrimmage , Cassel was intercepted by cornerback Quentin Jammer , giving the Chargers the ball on the Patriots ' 26 - yard line ; Kaeding would later hit a 35 - yard field goal to give the Chargers a 27 – 3 lead . A three - and - out by the Patriots on their next possession led to a 13 - play , 77 - yard Chargers drive that ended with the Patriots not allowing the Chargers past the Patriots ' 5 - yard line on three straight plays . On fourth down , Kaeding completed a 23 - yard field goal that made the score 30 – 3 in favor of the Chargers early in the fourth quarter . The Patriots ' next drive spanned six plays and lost two yards total , ending in a 23 - yard Hanson punt on 4th - and - 25 . However , the Chargers gave the ball right back to the Patriots on the first play of their ensuing possession , a fumble by running back Jacob Hester . Starting from the Chargers ' 46 - yard line , the Patriots drove to the Chargers ' 1 - yard line on seven plays , four of which were Faulk runs , and then scored on a 1 - yard Morris touchdown run that cut the Chargers ' lead to 30 – 10 with just over five minutes to play in the game . After a Chargers punt , the Patriots moved the ball into the red zone in the final minutes but no further to end the game and drop the Patriots ' record to 3 – 2 . Week 7 : vs . Denver Broncos . In their first home game in nearly a month , the Patriots faced the Broncos , winners of 16 of the last 19 games between the two teams , on Monday Night Football ; earlier that day , the Patriots placed Maroney on injured reserve with a shoulder injury after he had missed two of the team ' s last three games , and activated offensive lineman Stephen Neal from the physically unable to perform list . After winning the coin toss , the Patriots deferred their pick to the start of the second half ; the Broncos elected to receive . On the opening series , Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler injured his finger on the first play , but led the Broncos into Patriots territory , where running back Andre Hall , who replaced injured starter Michael Pittman two plays prior , fumbled at the Patriots ' 30 - yard line ; Patriots defensive lineman Le Kevin Smith ' s recovery gave the Patriots the ball at their own 32 - yard line to begin their first drive . A 29 - yard reception by Watson brought the Patriots into the Broncos ' red zone , where the drive ended and a 31 - yard Gostkowski field goal gave the Patriots a 3 – 0 lead . On the fourth play of the Broncos ' ensuing drive , Hall fumbled again ; this time , a scramble for the ball pushed it 25 yards in the Patriots ' favor to the Broncos ' 37 - yard line , where Mayo recovered it . A Broncos unnecessary roughness penalty on the play gave the ball to the Patriots at the Broncos ' 22 - yard line , but after failing to make a first down , a 40 - yard Gostkowski field goal extended the Patriots ' lead to 6 – 0 . An exchange of three punts brought the game into the second quarter , where Morris ran for 34 yards on the second play of a Patriots drive to put them in the Broncos ' red zone yet again . Four plays later , on 4th - and - 1 from the Broncos ' 4 - yard line , Morris ran for a 4 - yard touchdown that gave the Patriots a 13 – 0 lead . The Broncos ' next drive ended with Meriweather intercepting a deep throw by Cutler , setting up the Patriots ' next series at their own 16 - yard line . After a sack of Cassel put the Patriots even deeper into their own territory , a facemask penalty on Cassel on third down by Broncos linebacker Jamie Winborn gave the Patriots a new set of downs . Five plays later , on another 4th - and - 1 , Morris ran for 29 yards to give the Patriots a first down from the Broncos ' 13 - yard line ; he ran for a total of 138 yards on 16 carries . On the next play , Moss caught a 13 - yard touchdown pass from Cassel to extend the Patriots ' lead to 20 – 0 . The Broncos ' next drive began with backup Patrick Ramsey replacing Cutler at quarterback . On the fourth play , defensive lineman Mike Wright sacked Ramsey and forced a fumble , which undrafted free agent linebacker Gary Guyton caught to give the Patriots the ball at midfield . Cassel suffered his fifth sack on the next play , the final of the first half . The Patriots chose to receive the ball to open the second half . Another undrafted rookie , running back BenJarvus Green - Ellis , elevated from the Patriots ' practice squad before the Chargers game , replaced Morris , who left the game with a knee injury . A Patriots punt was followed by a Broncos three - and - out ; Welker returned the punt 44 yards to give the Patriots the ball at the Broncos ' 28 - yard line . After two Green - Ellis carries gained one yard , Cassel used a screen play to throw a 27 - yard touchdown pass to Moss to extend the Patriots ' lead to 27 – 0 . Three completed passes and an unnecessary roughness penalty on Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork moved the Broncos ' next drive into Patriots ' territory before the Broncos turned the ball over for the fifth and final time , with safety James Sanders intercepting a Cutler pass ; a second unnecessary roughness call , originally on Wilfork but later changed to be on Sanders , gave the Patriots the ball at their own 20 - yard line to begin the ensuing drive . Three plays after a 27 - yard Welker catch put the Patriots in Broncos territory , Broncos safety Calvin Lowry appeared to have intercepted an errant Cassel throw at the Broncos ' 1 - yard line , but , when the Patriots challenged , the pass was deemed incomplete , as the ball touched the ground before Lowry had possession . Two plays later , Welker caught his first touchdown pass of the season , this one from 6 yards out , to give the Patriots a 34 – 0 lead . Four plays later , former Patriots tight end Daniel Graham caught a 10 - yard touchdown pass from Cutler to cut the Patriots ' lead to 34 – 7 . The Patriots ' next drive got as far as the Broncos ' 33 - yard line but eventually ended in a punt . The Broncos , facing 3rd - and - 21 on their next drive , had a 21 - yard completion by Cutler pushed back by a Broncos holding penalty ; Richard Seymour sacked Cutler on the next play , forcing the Broncos to punt on 4th - and - 23 with 6 : 35 left in the game . On the ensuing Patriots drive , two 10 - yard runs by Green - Ellis and 16 - and 15 - yard runs by Faulk put the Patriots in the red zone , where Green - Ellis earned his first NFL touchdown , running in untouched from the 1 - yard line , to score the final points of the game . Another Broncos punt gave the Patriots the ball to end the game with a 41 – 7 victory that took the Patriots ' record to 4 – 2 . The Patriots accumulated 257 rushing yards , their largest total since the 1985 season . Cassel , who completed 18 of 24 passes for 185 yards , three touchdowns , and no interceptions , finished with a passer rating of 136 . 3 , one of the ten highest single - game ratings in Patriots history , and was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance . Injuries . On the final play of the third quarter , as the Broncos were driving into Patriots territory , Harrison was injured while attempting to tackle Cutler . Harrison , whose 2005 and 2006 seasons were cut short by knee injuries that caused ligament damage , suffered a torn quadriceps muscle in his right leg . Harrison was carted off the field and placed on injured reserve two days later . Safety Antwain Spann was then activated from the practice squad . The Broncos also lost players to injury : Ramsey and linebacker Boss Bailey were also placed on injured reserve , while cornerback Champ Bailey was sidelined for several weeks by a torn groin muscle . Week 8 : vs . St . Louis Rams . The Patriots faced the Rams in Foxborough for the first time since the 2001 regular season , and for only the second time overall since the teams ' matchup in Super Bowl XXXVI . On the opening possession , a 35 - yard reception by Rams wide receiver Donnie Avery from quarterback Marc Bulger put the Rams in the Patriots ' red zone , but the Rams eventually settled for a 20 - yard Josh Brown field goal to take a 3 – 0 lead . The Patriots followed the Rams ' 12 - play drive with a 13 - play drive of their own , ending in a 2 - yard Green - Ellis touchdown run that put the Patriots ahead 7 – 3 . On the fifth play of the Rams ' ensuing possession , Bulger and Avery again connected on a pass ; this one went for 69 yards and a touchdown to reestablish a Rams lead at 10 – 7 early in the second quarter . The first punt of the game came on the Patriots ' next drive and set the Rams up to begin their next series from their own 20 - yard line . Wide receiver Keenan Burton then caught a 27 - yard pass from Bulger , and Pittman ran for 30 yards on two runs to help the Rams reach as far as the Patriots ' 23 - yard line on a first down . A subsequent holding penalty on Rams guard Jacob Bell , plus two sacks on Bulger by the Patriots ' Thomas and Seymour pushed the Rams back to the Patriots ' 40 - yard line , where they punted . The Patriots next drive saw Faulk replace Green - Ellis at running back as part of a predominantly shotgun offense ; an 18 - yard Faulk reception put the Patriots in the Rams ' red zone , but the 12 - play drive ended on a 30 - yard Gostkowski field goal to tie the game at 10 . Another sack of Bulger by Thomas , again for a loss of 13 yards , on the Rams ' ensuing possession helped force the Rams to punt and to do so from their own 3 - yard line . This gave the Patriots the ball at the Rams ' 46 - yard line with 19 seconds remaining in the half , where a 30 - yard reception by Moss set up a 27 - yard Gostkowski field goal to give the Patriots a 13 – 10 lead at the end of the half . The Rams went three - and - out to begin the second half , setting up the Patriots to begin their next drive from their own 10 - yard line . Five plays in , a Cassel pass to Moss was tipped and intercepted by Rams safety Oshiomogho Atogwe and returned to the Patriots ' 43 - yard line . Six plays later , the Rams tied the game at 13 on a 44 - yard Brown field goal . The Patriots ' next drive reached the Rams ' 44 - yard line , but Cassel again was intercepted , this time by cornerback Fakhir Brown after Wes Welker tripped and fell . When the Rams went three - and - out , the Patriots ' next drive advanced to the Rams ' 36 - yard line , where Green - Ellis was denied the yard necessary for the first down on two straight plays to give the Rams the ball back on downs . A 44 - yard Avery reception began the Rams ' next possession , which ended seven plays later on a 25 - yard Brown field goal that gave the Rams a 16 – 13 lead early in the fourth quarter . An exchange of punts gave the Patriots the ball at their own 48 - yard line to begin a drive that concluded with a 41 - yard Gostkowski field goal to again tie the game , this time at 16 . A Ty Warren sack of Bulger began the Rams ' next drive , a three - and - out to give the Patriots the ball at their own 47 - yard line after a punt . Cassel was sacked as well to begin the Patriots ' next drive , but he hit Moss on a 23 - yard completion on the very next play to put the Patriots in Rams ' territory . Five plays later , Faulk was on the receiving end of a 15 - yard touchdown pass by Cassel that put the Patriots ahead 23 – 16 with just over three minutes remaining in the game . The Rams managed to reach the Patriots ' 38 - yard line on the ensuing possession , but an O ' Neal interception returned for 47 yards gave the Patriots the ball back and set up three Cassel kneeldowns . The Rams were then unable to score on the only play of their final series to seal a 23 – 16 Patriots win , one that brought the 5 – 2 Patriots into a tie with the Bills atop the AFC East . For the first time in franchise history , the Patriots finished a game with zero assessed penalties ; tackle Matt Light was called for holding in the fourth quarter , but the penalty was declined . It was also the first penalty - free performance by any NFL team in 2008 . Week 9 : at Indianapolis Colts . The Patriots traveled to Indianapolis for a Sunday night game with the Colts in Lucas Oil Stadium . Both teams went three - and - out to start the game , setting up a Colts possession that began from their own 9 - yard line . The Colts then went 91 yards on a 15 - play drive that lasted over nine minutes , included six first downs , and culminated in a 12 - yard Anthony Gonzalez touchdown pass from Peyton Manning to give the Colts a 7 – 0 lead . The Patriots responded with a 13 - play , 56 - yard drive of their own that brought the game into the second quarter . Part way through the drive , the Patriots employed the same " Wildcat " formation concept used against them earlier in the season against the Dolphins , using Faulk as the back receiving the direct snap on a run for five yards . The Patriots reached as far as the Colts 11 - yard line but could not advance any further ; a 29 - yard Gostkowski field goal cut the Colts ' lead to 7 – 3 . After a Colts punt , the Patriots began their second drive of the game and were able to move the ball 61 yards on 13 plays to as far as the Colts ' 17 - yard line . The possession saw another use of the " Wildcat " formation ; this time Faulk threw to Welker off the direct snap , but Welker then was tackled for a two yard loss . Two plays later , Gostkowski hit a 35 - yard field goal to trim the Colts ' lead to 7 – 6 . The Colts began their next drive from their own 18 - yard line with one timeout and 1 : 22 remaining in the first half . A 26 - yard Marvin Harrison reception put the Colts in Patriots territory , but Harrison was injured on the tackle and was unable to step out of bounds to stop the clock . Manning spiked the ball at the Patriots ' 26 - yard line with one second remaining , but was called for a false start ; by rule , the penalty incurred a ten - second clock run - off to end the first half . The Patriots ' opening drive of the second half spanned 72 yards and nearly eight minutes but also ended with the Patriots having one timeout to use thereafter . On a Faulk run for no gain part way through the drive , the Patriots challenged that the Colts had too many players on the field , contending a Colts player substituting out of the game was unable to get off the field in time . The challenged failed , costing the Patriots their first timeout of the second half . Seven plays later , the Patriots used their second timeout of the half . A 6 - yard Green - Ellis touchdown run put the Patriots ahead 12 – 7 , but a two - point conversion attempt on a Faulk run kept the Patriots ' lead to five points . A 39 - yard Pierre Garçon return on the ensuing kickoff set up the Colts ' next drive to begin from their own 43 - yard line ; nine plays later , Gonzalez ' s second touchdown reception of the night , this one from 9 yards out , put the Colts ahead 13 – 12 . The Colts also went for the two - point conversion , and were successful , with a Reggie Wayne catch extending the Colts ' lead to 15 – 12 . The Patriots responded with a 15 - play , 69 - yard drive that brought the game into the fourth quarter , but one which included a dropped would - be touchdown catch by Gaffney on the penultimate play of the third quarter . On a 3rd - and - 11 from the Colts ' 17 - yard line , Cassel completed a pass to Welker for 10 yards ; the Patriots initially brought Cassel and the offense back out onto the field for a fourth down conversion try , but Belichick decided against it and called the Patriots ' final timeout of the game . A 25 - yard Gostkowski field goal then tied the game at 15 . Four plays into the Colts ' next possession , a third down Gonzalez catch went for 24 yards and put the Colts in Patriots territory . The Colts were unable to make a first down and called upon former Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri for a 52 - yard field goal . The kick was good , and it put the Colts ahead 18 – 15 with just over eight minutes to play in the game . The Patriots next drive reached Colts territory on a 16 - yard David Thomas catch . Two plays later , on a 2nd - and - 2 from the Colts ' 32 - yard line , the tight end committed an unnecessary roughness penalty after a Green - Ellis run to set up a 3rd - and - 16 from the Colts ' 46 - yard line . Faulk gained one yard on a pass from Cassel , setting up a 4th - and - 15 where Cassel threw an interception to Colts safety Bob Sanders . A 14 - yard Harrison catch on the Colts ' next possession gave them a fresh set of downs , and the Patriots , without any timeouts , did not receive the ball again until after a Colts punt with just over 21 seconds left in the game . After two incomplete passes , Cassel completed a pass to Moss , who proceeded to fumble on a lateral attempt . The fumble was recovered by Colts cornerback Tim Jennings to end the game and bring the Patriots ' record to 5 – 3 . Week 10 : vs . Buffalo Bills . In the first of three straight games against divisional opponents , the Patriots stayed at home to face the Bills , who were looking to avoid ending their own three - game divisional swing without a win . The Bills ' opening drive went three - and - out , with a Seymour sack of Bills quarterback Trent Edwards setting up the punt . After a 21 - yard Cassel pass put the Patriots in the Bills ' red zone , a 13 - yard Cassel touchdown scramble gave the Patriots a 7 – 0 lead . Following an exchange of punts , an errant Edwards throw was intercepted by Hobbs to begin the Patriots ' next drive from the Bills ' 34 - yard line . Seven plays later , a 32 - yard Gostkowski field goal extended the Patriots ' lead to 10 – 0 early in the second quarter . Gostkowski ' s ensuing kickoff went out of bounds ; the resulting illegal procedure penalty meant the Bills got the ball at their own 40 - yard line . The Bills ' drive reached as far as the Patriots ' 4 - yard line on 2nd - and - goal , but the Patriots ' defense did not allow Bills running back Marshawn Lynch any positive yardage on two straight runs . A 25 - yard Rian Lindell field goal then cut the Patriots ' lead to 10 – 3 . The Patriots ' ensuing drive began with a 27 - yard Welker reception but could not advance pass the Bills ' 31 - yard line ; a 49 - yard Gostkowski field goal attempt was no good . A Bills punt on their next drive gave the Patriots the ball at their own 3 - yard line , where the Patriots ran out the clock to end the first half . On the third play of the second half , Welker ' s six catch of the game made him the first player in NFL history to record six catches in the first nine games of a season . The ensuing 13 - play drive culminated with a 37 - yard Gostkowski field goal that gave the Patriots a 13 – 3 lead . An exchange of punts gave the Bills the ball at their own 19 - yard line to begin their next drive , which advanced to the Bills ' 45 - yard line before Edwards ' second interception of the day , this one to O ' Neal , gave the Patriots the ball back at their own 41 - yard line for the final play of the fourth quarter . Five plays later , Cassel was sacked for the only time in the game at the Bills ' 44 - yard line by defensive lineman Marcus Stroud and safety George Wilson ; Stroud forced a fumble in the process and Wilson recovered it at the spot of the sack . The Bills ' next drive ended in a Brian Moorman punt that the Patriots the ball at their own 8 - yard line with just over 11 minutes remaining in the game . The Patriots then embarked on a 19 - play , 92 - yard drive that tied a franchise record set in 2002 for number of plays in a single drive ; it was also the Patriots ' NFL - leading 22nd drive of ten or more plays . It ended with a 1 - yard Green - Ellis touchdown run that extended the Patriots ' lead to 20 – 3 with 1 : 57 remaining in the game . The Bills responded on the ensuing kickoff with an 85 - yard return by Leodis McKelvin , setting up a 14 - yard touchdown catch by fellow rookie James Hardy on the next play to cut the Patriots ' lead to 20 – 10 . The Bills then attempted an onside kick , which appeared to be recovered by the Bills but was then ruled to be dead at the spot as it had been touched by a Bills player before traveling the necessary 10 yards . Three kneeldowns by the Patriots gave them a 20 – 10 win to better their record to 6 – 3 . Week 11 : vs . New York Jets . Looking for a split in their season series with the Patriots and a lead in the AFC East , the Jets traveled to Foxboro to face the Patriots on a Thursday night . The Jets ' Leon Washington returned the opening kickoff 30 yards to start the Jets ' first drive from their own 38 - yard line . Four plays in , an incompletion from Jets quarterback Brett Favre to Coles appeared to set up a fourth down , but the Jets challenged the play and won ; the catch gave the Jets a first down from the Patriots ' 37 - yard line . Shortly after a 20 - yard Dustin Keller catch extended the Jets ' drive on third down again , a 7 - yard Washington touchdown run gave the Jets a 7 – 0 lead . The Patriots responded by moving into Jets ' territory on their first drive , but were later forced to settle for a 42 - yard Gostkowski field goal that cut the Jets ' lead to 7 – 3 . Washington returned the ensuing kickoff 37 yards to give the Jets the ball at their own 36 - yard line for the beginning of their next possession . Another Keller catch on third down put the Jets into Patriots territory ; a Pierre Woods unnecessary roughness penalty moved the Patriots defense back further , eventually to their own 5 - yard line on a Jets first down . However , the Jets managed to move the ball only one more yard , leading to a 22 - yard Feely field goal that extended the Jets ' lead to 10 – 3 at the end of the first quarter . The Patriots ' second drive of the game went for 59 yards on 12 plays , but a Morris run for no gain and two incompletions from the Jets ' 13 - yard line set up a 31 - yard Gostkowski field to trim the Jets ' lead to 10 – 6 . Taking the ensuing kickoff from the Jets ' 8 - yard line , Washington went 92 yards for the touchdown , opening the Jets ' lead to 17 – 6 . The Patriots punted on their next possession , giving the Jets the ball at their own 13 - yard line . Favre began the drive with an 18 - yard pass to wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery , and then two plays later , a 46 - yard Cotchery catch put the Jets on the Patriots ' 16 - yard line ; Favre hit Cotchery yet again two plays later , this time for a 15 - yard touchdown reception that gave the Jets a 24 – 6 lead . On the Patriots ' next possession , a 43 - yard Sam Aiken catch on a screen pass put the Patriots in Jets territory ; a 9 - yard Cassel scramble set up 3rd - and - 1 . A Heath Evans run was stopped for a loss of two yards , and Cassel was sacked by C . J . Mosley on fourth down to turn the ball over on downs for the Patriots at the Jets ' 30 - yard line . The Jets then went three - and - out for the first time in the game , giving the Patriots , with one timeout remaining , the ball at their own 32 - yard line with 1 : 44 remaining in the first half . The Patriots did not call their final timeout until multiple completed Cassel passes , a 19 - yard scramble , and a successful quarterback sneak to convert on fourth down gave the Patriots the ball at the Jets ' 19 - yard line with 31 seconds left in the first half . After two incomplete passes , Cassel threw a 19 - yard touchdown pass to Gaffney to cut the Jets ' lead to 24 – 13 heading into halftime . Having the ball to start the second half , the Patriots moved to the Jets ' 34 - yard line on four plays , but on a subsequent 12 - yard Watson reception , the tight end fumbled as he was being tackled by linebacker Eric Barton ; the loose ball was recovered by safety Kerry Rhodes and returned 11 yards to the Jets ' 33 - yard line . However , two sacks of Favre by Wilfork and Seymour , both for losses of nine yards , forced the Jets into their second three - and - out series of the night . Cassel was sacked on the next play , but four plays later , the Patriots had a first down from the Jets ' 38 - yard line . Patriots center Dan Koppen , who had left the game with an injury in the second quarter but later returned , snapped the ball while Cassel was making adjustments at the line and was not ready to receive the snap . Cassel chased the Koppen fumble and recovered it at the Patriots ' 38 - yard line for a loss of 24 yards . The Patriots , later facing 4th - and - 21 , punted to give the Jets the ball at their own 16 - yard line . A Jets punt was followed by an exchange of three - and - outs , eventually setting up a Patriots drive to begin from their own 22 - yard line . A 29 - yard Welker reception put the Patriots in Jets territory ; five plays later , Watson caught a 10 - yard touchdown pass , his first of the year , cutting the Jets ' lead to 24 – 19 . On the final snap of the third quarter , the Patriots attempted a two point conversion and succeeded ; the Gaffney catch put the Patriots to within a field goal , trailing 24 – 21 . Five plays into the Jets ' next drive , Patriots cornerback Jason Webster forced Cotchery to fumble a 9 - yard reception ; Guyton recovered the fumble at the Patriots ' 40 - yard line . The Patriots next possession featured an entirely shotgun , no - huddle offense , with a 17 - yard Cassel scramble moving the Patriots back into Jets territory . Four plays later , a 47 - yard Gostkowski field goal tied the game . Starting from their own 33 - yard line after the Patriots directed the kickoff to linebacker David Bowens instead of to Washington , the Jets began what would be a 14 - play drive with just over 10 minutes left in the game . The Jets then moved the ball to the Patriots ' 7 - yard line to set up a 3rd - and - 7 with 3 : 38 left in the game . Favre ' s pass intended to Cotchery fell incomplete , but Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel was called for a defensive holding penalty , giving the Jets an automatic first down from the Patriots ' 3 - yard line . The Jets failed to score on two straight runs , while the Patriots used two timeouts to stop the clock after each play . On the third rushing attempt , Thomas Jones scored from a yard out to give the Jets a 31 – 24 lead with 3 : 10 left in the game . Cassel was sacked on second down of the Patriots ' next drive , forcing them to punt on three - and - out but not having to use their timeout until the Jets ' next possession , when they used it in conjunction with the two - minute warning to get the ball back with 1 : 04 left in the game after a Jets punt . Starting from their own 38 - yard line , the Patriots moved to the Jets ' 42 - yard line on two Cassel completions ; a spike stopped the clock at : 36 . A 17 - yard Welker catch and another spike then put the Patriots at the Jets ' 25 - yard line with : 23 left . A Koppen false start moved the Patriots back 5 yards , but a 14 - yard Welker catch and another spike put the Patriots on the Jets ' 16 - yard line with 8 seconds to go . On the ensuing play , Moss was covered by former Patriots cornerback Ty Law , who returned to the Jets for a second stint with the team just days earlier after sitting out the first 10 weeks of the season . As Cassel eluded a pass rusher and moved into the flat , Moss looked for the pass from the near corner of the end zone . Cassel threw to Moss , who caught the pass just beyond the near pylon and fell out of bounds , giving the Patriots a 16 - yard touchdown with 1 second remaining in the game . A booth review was called but determined Moss did indeed have possession and the necessary footing before he fell out of bounds , upholding the touchdown call and sending the game into overtime after the extra point . Even though the Patriots had won their last eight overtime games , they began the sudden death period on defense as the Jets won the overtime coin toss . On the first play of the Jets ' possession , Favre was sacked for a loss of five yards ; an incomplete pass set up a 3rd - and - 15 from the Jets ' 15 - yard line . However , Favre found Keller for a 16 - yard catch and the first down ; and then did so again two plays later , this one for 12 yards to move the Jets to their own 47 - yard line . Three plays later , on a 3rd - and - 1 from the Patriots ' 44 - yard line , Keller caught his third first down catch of the drive . This was followed by a 16 - yard Coles catch two plays later , giving the Jets a first down from the Patriots ' 24 - yard line . On 4th - and - 2 from the Patriots ' 16 - yard line , Feely hit a 34 - yard field goal to give the Jets a 34 – 31 overtime win , dropping the Patriots to second in the division with a 6 – 4 record . The Patriots ' total of 511 net yards in the game was the fourth - best in franchise history , and the highest since 1979 . Cassel ' s 62 rushing yards were the most by a Patriots quarterback since Steve Grogan had 68 yards in 1978 . Moreover , Cassel ' s 400 passing yards and 62 rushing yards made him the first player since the AFL - NFL merger in 1970 to have at least 400 passing and 60 rushing yards in a single game , and the first Patriots quarterback to throw for 300 yards and rush for 50 in the same game . Week 12 : at Miami Dolphins . Looking to avoid back - to - back divisional losses , the Patriots traveled to Miami to face the 6 – 4 Dolphins at Dolphin Stadium . After Carpenter ' s kickoff was returned from the 29 - yard line by Matthew Slater , the Patriots began their first possession at their own 40 - yard line . Cassel ' s first two passes were both completed for first downs , putting the Patriots in Dolphins territory and eventually their red zone . However , a holding penalty on Neal pushed the Patriots back 10 yards , forcing a 30 - yard Gostkowski field goal four plays later that gave the Patriots a 3 – 0 lead . Following a Dolphins three - and - out , the Patriots ' second drive ended when a Cassel pass to Moss was bobbled by both Moss and cornerback Jason Allen to keep the ball in the air until Renaldo Hill intercepted it ; a 17 - yard return gave the Dolphins the ball at the Patriots ' 42 - yard line . On the next play , a 29 - yard David Martin reception moved the Dolphins into the Patriots ' red zone , where the Dolphins used their " Wildcat " formation on the next two plays . A Tedy Bruschi unnecessary roughness penalty on the second Ronnie Brown run set up a first - and - goal , where Camarillo caught a 3 - yard pass from Pennington for a touchdown , giving the Dolphins a 7 – 3 lead . The Patriots responded with a 12 - play , 74 - yard drive that ended on the first play of the second quarter , an 8 - yard touchdown scramble by Cassel to give the Patriots the lead again , 10 – 7 . The Dolphins ' next drive went three - and - out despite two more plays using the " Wildcat " formation , giving the Patriots the ball at their own 41 - yard line . On a 1 - yard Morris run from the Dolphins ' 28 - yard line , linebacker Matt Roth forced a fumble during the tackle ; the ball was recovered by Dolphins cornerback André Goodman at the Dolphins ' 28 - yard line . The Dolphins took advantage of the turnover , going 72 yards on 12 plays and re - taking the lead at 14 – 10 on a 7 - yard Pennington touchdown scramble . Carpenter ' s ensuing kickoff was returned by Slater from the Patriots ' 24 - yard line , setting up the Patriots ' next drive to begin from their own 37 - yard line . Six plays later , Cassel completed a 25 - yard touchdown pass to Moss that gave the Patriots the lead again , 17 – 14 . After an exchange of three - and - outs , the Dolphins began their final drive of the half with 39 seconds remaining and moved into Patriots territory . However , a false start on wide receiver Ted Ginn , Jr . followed by a Vrabel sack of Pennington ended the first half . Due to their deferral of the opening kickoff , the Dolphins elected to receive the opening kickoff of the second half . A 46 - yard Pennington pass to Ginn on the first play moved the Dolphins to the Patriots ' 36 - yard line ; six plays later , Pennington hit fullback Casey Cramer on a 2 - yard touchdown catch that gave the Dolphins the lead again at 21 – 17 . The Patriots responded by going 78 yards on 11 plays , re - taking the lead yet again on the second Moss touchdown catch of the day ; the 8 - yard grab put the Patriots ahead 24 – 21 . The Dolphins ' next drive got as far as the Patriots ' 27 - yard line , but an offensive holding penalty , incomplete pass , and sack forced the Dolphins to punt from the Patriots ' 42 - yard line . Two plays later , Cassel completed a pass to Welker across the middle ; the wide receiver ran along the sideline after the catch to pick up 64 yards on the play . After an incomplete pass to Moss , a 21 - yard Faulk touchdown run extended the Patriots ' lead to 31 – 21 on the final play of the third quarter . Four plays into the Dolphins ' ensuing drive , on 3rd - and - 3 , Pennington hit wide receiver Davone Bess for a 36 - yard gain to put the Dolphins in the Patriots ' red zone . On the next play , a diving Ricky Williams 13 - yard touchdown catch cut the Patriots ' lead to 31 – 28 . Facing a 3rd - and - 10 from their own 42 - yard line during their next drive , the Patriots moved into Dolphins territory on a 23 - yard Gaffney catch . Two plays later , Cassel and Moss connected for their third touchdown pass of the day , this one from 29 yards out , to give the Patriots a 38 – 28 lead . On the next play , Meriweather intercepted a Pennington pass and returned it 19 yards to the Dolphins ' 18 - yard line . However , safety Yeremiah Bell sacked Cassel on 3rd - and - 2 to set up a 30 - yard Gostkowski field goal that extended the Patriots lead to 41 – 28 with just over seven minutes remaining in the game . Starting from their own 1 - yard after a Ginn kick return for a loss and a holding penalty , the Dolphins moved the ball as far as their 44 - yard line on 10 plays , but could not successfully convert on fourth down to turn the ball back over to the Patriots . The Patriots , with just four minutes remaining in the game , exclusively ran Green - Ellis running plays on their ensuing possession , moving into the Dolphins ' red zone on back - to - back unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties by Porter . On the six play of the drive , a fourth down , Green - Ellis ran for a 1 - yard touchdown to give the Patriots a 48 – 28 lead . Down by 20 points , the Dolphins ran one play in the remaining 37 seconds to end the game and improve the Patriots ' record to 7 – 4 . The Patriots ' 530 net yards of offense were the second highest output in team history , behind the Patriots ' 597 yards in 1979 . Cassel ' s 415 passing yards made him the second quarterback in Patriots history to throw for at least 400 yards in two or more games ; Drew Bledsoe had four 400 + yard passing games in his Patriots career . Week 13 : vs . Pittsburgh Steelers . After their road win in Miami , the Patriots returned home to face the Steelers , who the Patriots had not lost to since 2004 . On the opening kickoff , Patriots linebacker Vince Redd forced a fumble of Carey Davis at the Steelers ' 20 - yard line that Davis eventually recovered ; an unnecessary roughness penalty by the Steelers ' Keyaron Fox meant the Steelers would begin their first drive from their own 10 - yard line . Four plays in , Vrabel intercepted Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and returned it 5 yards to give the Patriots the ball at the Steelers ' 14 - yard line . After a Welker reception moved the ball to the Steelers ' 2 - yard line , Morris ran in for a 2 - yard touchdown to give the Patriots a 7 – 0 lead . The Steelers ' ensuing possession went three - and - out , but a holding penalty by Aiken on the punt moved the Patriots back to the Steelers ' 20 - yard line . A 27 - yard Moss catch on the next play would help the Patriots reach midfield , but a third - down sack of Cassel set up a Patriots punt , which was returned by the Steelers ' Santonio Holmes for 29 yards . Following a 21 - yard reception by tight end Heath Miller to begin the drive , the Steelers moved further into Patriots territory on two Nate Washington catches of 15 and 16 yards , both on third down . The Steelers then failed to score from the Patriots ' 2 - yard line on third down , setting up a 20 - yard Jeff Reed field goal to cut the Patriots ' lead to 7 – 3 . Three plays into the Patriots ' next drive , Moss dropped a pass after he beat his defender inside the Steelers ' 35 - yard line , eventually setting up another Patriots punt on the final play of the quarter . An exchange of three three - and - outs began the second quarter , leading to Patriots drive that began from their own 40 - yard line . A fourth down conversion put the Patriots in the Steelers ' red zone , but the Patriots were unable to reach the end zone and settled for a 29 - yard Gostkowski field goal that extended their lead to 10 – 3 . Following a 31 - yard Gary Russell kick return that gave the Steelers the ball at their own 37 - yard line , the Steelers moved 63 yards on 9 plays , capping their drive with a 19 - yard Holmes touchdown catch to tie the game at 10 with just under two minutes left in the half . Two plays later , the Patriots found themselves in Steelers ' territory again following a 41 - yard Faulk run ; 35 seconds remained in the first half by the time the Patriots reached the Steelers ' 9 - yard line on a first down . The Patriots ' next three plays would be Cassel pass attempts to Moss ; the second of which was dropped by a leaping Moss in the back of the end zone . On fourth down , Gostkowski ' s 27 - yard field goal attempt was no good to keep the game tied at 10 going into halftime . Following a 23 - yard defensive pass interference penalty on Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor to begin the second half , the Patriots moved into Steelers ' territory , but another sack of Cassel forced a Patriots punt . Starting from their own 14 - yard line , the Steelers responded by embarking on a 14 - play , 79 - drive that reached the Patriots ' 7 - yard line on a second down but no further ; a 25 - yard Reed field goal gave the Steelers their first lead of the game , 13 – 10 . With Hobbs , the usual kick returner , on the sidelines vomiting and suffering from cramps , Slater took the ensuing kickoff ; the rookie muffed the catch and the fumble was recovered by Fox at the Patriots ' 8 - yard line . Two plays later , Roethlisberger hit wide receiver Hines Ward for an 11 - yard touchdown reception to extend the Steelers ' lead to 20 – 10 . Faulk stepped in as kick returner for the next kickoff , which he returned to the Patriots ' 29 - yard line . However , on the next play , Cassel was strip - sacked by Steelers linebacker James Harrison ; the fumble was recovered by linebacker LaMarr Woodley at the Patriots ' 26 - yard line . Despite a 19 - yard Miller catch to begin the Steelers ' possession , the Patriots forced the Steelers to kick a field goal ; Reed ' s 20 - yard kick gave the Steelers a 23 – 10 lead . Hobbs came back to return the next kickoff , which began the Patriots ' drive from their own 35 - yard line . Three plays in , Welker was hit from behind by Steelers safety Ryan Clark after a Cassel pass attempt was tipped ; Clark was called for a 15 - yard unnecessary roughness penalty to move the Patriots in Steelers ' territory . On 3rd - and - 11 from the Steelers ' 48 - yard line , Cassel was again strip - sacked by Harrison ; this time linebacker James Farrior recovered the fumble at the Patriots ' 47 - yard line . The Steelers next drive began on the final play of the third quarter and reached as far as the Patriots ' 22 - yard line , where Reed missed a 40 - yard field goal to give the Patriots the ball back at their own 30 - yard line . The Patriots proceeded to move into Steelers ' territory , but on 3rd - and - 13 from the Steelers ' 43 - yard line , a Cassel pass intended for Watson was intercepted by safety Troy Polamalu at the Steelers ' 11 - yard line and returned for 23 yards in the Patriots ' fourth turnover of the second half . Three plays later , a 31 - yard Willie Parker moved the Steelers to the Patriots ' 28 - yard line ; they would get as far as the Patriots ' 22 - yard line before Reed kicked a 45 - yard field goal to extend the Steelers ' lead to 26 – 10 . With less than six minutes remaining in the game , the Patriots began their next series from their own 44 - yard line after Reed ' s kick was returned from the Patriots ' 30 - yard line . On the first play of the drive , Cassel found Gaffney open inside the Steelers ' 25 - yard line , but the wide receiver dropped the pass ; Taylor threw the ball back toward Gaffney after the play , drawing a 15 - yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that moved the Patriots into Steelers ' territory . Seven plays later , on a first down from the Steelers ' 14 - yard line , Cassel was intercepted by linebacker Lawrence Timmons , who returned it 89 yards before being tackled at the Patriots ' 1 - yard line by Watson . Two plays later , Russell ran in for a 1 - yard touchdown that gave the Steelers a 33 – 10 lead with less than three minutes to go in the game . The Patriots could not score on their next possession , ending the game and dropping the Patriots ' record to 7 – 5 . Week 14 : at Seattle Seahawks . Beginning a two - game West Coast swing , the Patriots faced the Seahawks in Seattle for the first time since 1993 . The Patriots received the opening kickoff but were later forced to punt . Starting from their own 13 - yard line , the Seahawks went 87 yards on 13 plays and took the lead on a 14 - yard touchdown catch by former Patriots wide receiver Deion Branch from quarterback Seneca Wallace , starting in place of Matt Hasselbeck . A 20 - yard third down catch by Welker put the Patriots into Seahawks territory on their next drive , which eventually ended in a 50 - yard Gostkowski field goal that cut the Seahawks ' lead to 7 – 3 . Early in the second quarter , the Seahawks moved to the Patriots ' 21 - yard line on a 25 - yard catch by tight end John Carlson ; two plays later , Carlson caught a 10 - yard touchdown pass from Wallace to extend the Seahaks ' lead to 14 – 3 . Hobbs returned the ensuing kickoff 55 yards to set the Patriots ' next drive up to begin from the Seahawks ' 43 - yard line . Running back LaMont Jordan , playing in his first game for the Patriots since Week 5 due to an injury , fumbled a second down run but recovered his own fumble ; a Cassel ran for a first down on the next play to extend the drive . Two plays later , a defensive pass interference penalty on Seahawks cornerback Marcus Trufant on a pass intended for Moss gave the Patriots a first down from the Seahawks ' 2 - yard line . Watson then caught a 2 - yard touchdown pass from Cassel to cut the Seahawks ' lead to 14 – 10 , but his post - touchdown celebration involved using the ball as a prop , prompting a 15 - yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty . The Seahawks began their next drive from their own 40 - yard line but were forced to punt , giving the Patriots the ball at their own 10 - yard line . The Patriots managed to reach midfield , but a third down sack of Cassel by defensive end Baraka Atkins led to a Patriots punt . The Seahawks then went three - and - out , giving the Patriots the ball to end the first half . After deferring the opening coin toss , the Seahawks chose to receive the ball to begin the second half . Their resulting drive reached the Patriots 44 - yard line but no further , giving the Patriots the ball at their own 18 - yard line following the punt . After an exchange of three - and - outs , the Patriots began their next drive a yard better , from their own 19 - yard line . A 17 - yard Welker reception on third down brought the Patriots to midfield , and a 12 - yard Welker catch three plays later again extended the Patriots drive . However , the Patriots could not move past the Seahawks ' 25 - yard line ; a 42 - yard Gostkowski field goal cut the Seahawks ' lead down to 14 – 13 . The ensuing kickoff was fumbled by Josh Wilson after a 26 - yard return , but it was recovered by Seahawks linebacker Will Herring at the Seahawks ' 38 - yard line for no gain . After an offensive holding penalty , Wallace connected with Branch on a sideline pass ; Branch proceeded to go 63 yards before being pushed out of bounds at the Patriots ' 9 - yard line . The catch was challenged by Belichick , who argued Branch ' s foot was out of bounds as he made the catch , but the ruling was upheld . Two plays later , Branch caught his second touchdown of the day , this one a 4 - yard one - handed grab , to give increase the Seahawks ' lead to 21 – 13 . The Patriots next drive faced a 3rd and 10 after two plays , but on the final play of the third quarter , a 28 - yard Gaffney catch put the Patriots in Seahawks territory . After another two plays , the Patriots again found themselves in a third down situation ; this time Moss caught a 33 - yard pass from Cassel to put the Patriots on the Seahawks ' 13 - yard line . However , the Patriots could not convert another third down , and Gostkowski was called on to kick a 27 - yard field goal that cut the Seahawks ' lead to 21 – 16 . The Patriots defense , playing without Warren , who was inactive for the game , as well as starters Bruschi , James Sanders , and Wilfork , who were all injured in the first half , forced the Seahawks to punt on their next drive , giving the Patriots the ball at their own 29 - yard line with less than nine minutes remaining in the game . Three consecutive third down conversions – an 11 - yard Faulk catch , a 5 - yard Gaffney catch , and a 13 - yard Welker catch – extended the Patriots drive and moved them to the Seahawks ' 31 - yard line . On first down , a 25 - yard Welker screen pass put the Patriots in the Seahawks ' red zone , but on third down , Morris was unable to score on a run for the 1 - yard line , setting up fourth down . This time , Morris ' dive was successful , giving the Patriots a 22 – 21 lead . The Patriots converted their two point conversion try with a Welker catch , increasing their lead to 24 – 21 . However , a 26 - yard Wilson kickoff return followed by a 23 - yard Wallace scramble put the Seahawks on the Patriots ' 43 - yard line just before the two - minute warning . After a Maurice Morris run for a loss of a yard , Wallace was strip - sacked by a blitzing Meriweather on 2nd and 11 ; Seymour recovered the fumble at the Seahawks ' 49 - yard line to seal the Patriots win . Their 8 – 5 record brought them into a three - way tie with the Dolphins and Jets for first place in the division . Week 15 : at Oakland Raiders . In the second game of a West Coast series , the Patriots again practiced at San José State University in preparation for their game against the Raiders . On the Raiders ' first drive , a 43 - yard three - and - out punt was returned 14 yards by Faulk to the Raiders ' 40 - yard line . The Patriots then moved into the Raiders ' red zone with two third - down conversions , both Welker receptions , but the ensuing second down , the Patriots were docked a timeout after losing a challenge that the Raiders had too many players on the field . On the next play , Faulk caught a 7 - yard touchdown pass from Cassel to give the Patriots a 7 – 0 lead . Starting from within their 20 - yard line for the second straight possession , the Raiders faced another three - and - out after a third down Vrabel strip - sack of quarterback JaMarcus Russell that was recovered by Raiders tight end Zach Miller . Punter Shane Lechler ' s next punt traveled 18 yards , giving the Patriots the ball at the Raiders ' 35 - yard line . Three plays later , Cassel connected with Moss on a 20 - yard touchdown pass to extend the Patriots ' lead to 14 – 0 . After yet another Raiders three - and - out , Lechler punted 62 yards to the Patriots ' 5 - yard line , marking the first time in the game the Patriots would run a play from scrimmage in their own territory . This play would be a 14 - yard Cassel run ; a third - down Faulk catch then extended the drive , and the Patriots moved into Raiders territory on another Cassel scramble coupled with a Raiders holding penalty . Four plays later , a 29 - yard Morris touchdown run gave the Patriots a 21 – 0 lead . However , one play after converting their initial first down of the game , the Raiders cut the Patriots ' lead to 21 – 7 on a 56 - yard touchdown catch by Johnnie Lee Higgins from Russell . The Patriots next drive spanned into the second quarter . A 30 - yard Welker reception put the Patriots in the Raiders ' red zone ; two plays later , Cassel hit Welker on a 13 - yard touchdown catch to bring the Patriots ' lead to 28 – 7 . The catch was Welker ' s 100th of the season , making him the eighth player in NFL history to record back - to - back 100 - catch seasons . However , Justin Miller returned the ensuing kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown , cutting the Patriots lead to 28 – 14 . Hobbs responded by returning the very next kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown of his own , increasing the Patriots ' advantage to 21 points , 35 – 14 . The Raiders could not advance past their own 38 - yard line on their next drive and Lechler punted to the Patriots ' 20 - yard line . The Patriots eventually reached the Raiders ' 43 - yard line on 3rd - and - 2 , but Cassel was intercepted by safety Gibril Wilson at the Raiders ' 21 - yard line ; Wilson returned the interception 5 yards . Four plays into their ensuing possession the Raiders reached Patriots territory for the first time in the game on a 23 - yard catch by Miller . However , two plays later , Russell was intercepted by Patriots cornerback Jonathan Wilhite at the Patriots ' 1 - yard line ; a 16 - yard return brought the Patriots to their 17 - yard line . With just under three minutes left in the half , the Patriots moved into Raiders territory with help from a 23 - yard Faulk run and a 19 - yard Faulk catch . However , Cassel was sacked on a 1st - and - 10 from the Raiders ' 13 - yard line , and without any timeouts , Cassel was forced to spike the ball with 29 seconds left . On the spike , the Patriots were called for an illegal shift after Gaffney was not set at the snap ; a 10 - second clock run - off ensued , and the Patriots were unable to get a field goal snap off in time before the end of the half . Receiving the kickoff to begin the second half , the Patriots moved into the Raiders ' red zone on a 35 - yard Morris run . Three plays later , Moss caught a 9 - yard touchdown pass from Cassel to increase the Patriots ' lead to 42 – 14 . Raiders running back Darren McFadden responded with a 29 - yard rush on the next play , bringing the Raiders to midfield . After two plays for no gain , Russell was strip - sacked on third down by Wright for a loss of 15 yards ; Russell recovered his own fumble at the Raiders ' 34 - yard line to set up a 66 - yard Lechler punt . Despite gaining a first down , the Patriots were forced to punt for the first time in the game following a sack of Cassel on third down . A 43 - yard punt and a penalty on Mayo meant the Raiders began their next drive from their own 46 - yard line . The Raiders next three plays all went for first downs , including a 24 - yard McFadden run to begin the drive . On the fifth play of the drive , Russell connected with wide receiver Ronald Curry on a 10 - yard touchdown pass that cut the Patriots ' lead to 42 – 20 after Wilfork blocked Sebastian Janikowski ' s extra point . The Patriots ' next drive ended in a three - and - out punt that put the Raiders on their own 12 - yard line . A 17 - yard McFadden run began the drive , but the Raiders were unable to reach Patriots territory and punted from their own 48 - yard line . Early in the fourth quarter , the Patriots again punted , ending a drive that began on the final play of the third quarter . The Raiders ' ensuing possession went 10 plays and spanned as far as the Patriots ' 43 - yard line , but a Russell incomplete pass on a fourth down conversion attempt turned the ball over on downs . Three plays later , Jordan , a former Raider , ran 49 yards for his first touchdown of the season , increasing the Patriots lead to 49 – 20 . Continuing to kick away from Miller , Gostkowski landed his next kickoff at the Raiders ' 29 - yard line ; a 14 - yard Michael Bush return gave the Raiders the ball at their own 43 - yard line . The Raiders then proceeded to move 57 yards on 11 plays , ending the drive with an 11 - yard McFadden touchdown run . Russell could not complete a pass to wide receiver Chaz Schilens on the two - point conversion attempt , keeping the score at 49 – 26 with just under two minutes remaining . The Patriots then ran out the clock to end the game and maintain a three - way tie for first place on the AFC East . The win was Belichick ' s 100th as head coach of the Patriots , a week after recording his 150th win as a head coach overall . Week 16 : vs . Arizona Cardinals . In their final home game of the regular season , the Patriots faced the Cardinals , who had already clinched the NFC West division title , in snowy and eventually rainy weather . The Patriots deferred the opening coin toss , giving the Cardinals the ball to start the game . Without starting wide receiver Anquan Boldin , who was not active for the game with an injury , the Cardinals went three - and - out ; Welker returned the punt 28 yards to the Cardinals ' 33 - yard line . Passing once on a 7 - play drive and using backup offensive lineman Russ Hochstein as a fullback , the Patriots took a 7 – 0 lead on a 1 - yard Jordan touchdown run . The Cardinals ' ensuing possession was again a three - and - out , and a 36 - yard punt by Ben Graham , released by the Jets earlier in the season , helped the Patriots start their next drive from their own 45 - yard line . Two plays in , a Cassel pass to Morris went for 42 yards , putting the Patriots in the Cardinals ' red zone . Jordan would soon score his second touchdown of the game on a 3 - yard run that gave the Patriots a 14 – 0 lead . For their third straight possession , the Cardinals would be again forced to punt , facing a 4th - and - 16 after a third down sack of quarterback Kurt Warner split by Seymour and Wright . However , the Patriots , despite starting from their own 44 - yard line , were then forced to punt on a three - and - out drive . On the next play , which ended the first quarter , Mayo forced a fumble of Cardinals running back Tim Hightower on the Cardinals ' 12 - yard line that was recovered by former Patriots tight end Stephen Spach at the Cardinals ' 4 - yard line . Three plays later , the Cardinals punted to the Patriots , who began their next series from midfield . Two plays in , Cassel connected with Gaffney on a 37 - yard completion , and then again to Faulk two plays later for a 15 - yard touchdown reception , putting the Patriots ahead 21 – 0 . Beginning from their own 19 - yard line the Cardinals moved to the Patriots ' 31 - yard line on nine plays , but could not convert a 4th - and - 1 pass on the tenth play , turning the ball over on downs . The Patriots responded with a 12 - play , 69 - play drive culminating in an 11 - yard Welker touchdown catch that gave the Patriots a 28 – 0 lead ; Welker celebrated by making a snow angel in the end zone , costing the Patriots 15 yards on an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty . As a result , the Cardinals began their next drive from their own 39 - yard line , but punted again after three plays . With 1 : 24 remaining in the first half , the Patriots then moved from their own 29 - yard line to the Cardinals ' 20 - yard line , but could get no further and on the final play of the half , Gostkowski kicked a 38 - yard field goal to give the Patriots a 31 – 0 lead . With the ball to begin the second half as the result of their opening coin toss deferral , the Patriots extended their lead to 38 – 0 on the first play , a screen pass to Moss that went for a 76 - yard touchdown . The Cardinals again went three - and - out , and a 28 - yard reception by Evans put the Patriots in Cardinals territory on one play . Nine plays later , on a 3rd - and - 5 from the Cardinals ' 5 - yard line , Cassel was sacked by linebacker Karlos Dansby , setting up a 35 - yard Gostkowski field goal that increased the Patriots ' lead to 41 – 0 . Yet another Cardinals three - and - out meant the Patriots began their next drive from the Cardinals ' 49 - yard line . An 11 - play , 44 - yard drive followed , and ended in a 24 - yard Gostkowski field goal that put the Patriots ' lead at 44 – 0 . The field goal was Gostkowski ' s 33rd of the season , breaking Tony Franklin ' s record of 32 field goals in 1986 . On their ensuing possession , the Cardinals converted a first down , but quarterback Matt Leinart , playing in place of Warner , was sacked for a loss of four yards , fumbling ; the Cardinals recovered at their own 27 - yard line . Two plays later , Leinart was strip - sacked by a blitzing Meriweather for a loss of 12 yards , but this time defensive lineman Jarvis Green recovered the ball for the Patriots at the Cardinals ' 15 - yard line . The Patriots would be unable to score , forcing Gostkowski to kick a 30 - yard field goal on the second play of the fourth quarter , giving the Patriots a 47 – 0 lead . Leinart completed a 28 - yard pass to wide receiver Jerheme Urban on the Cardinals ' next drive , but Leinart ' s next pass attempt to Urban , two plays later , was tipped and intercepted by Hobbs at the Patriots ' 37 - yard line and returned for a loss of seven yards . With a 47 - point lead , O ' Connell replaced Cassel for the Patriots ' next possession , which went three - and - out . An exchange of punts followed , giving the Cardinals the ball again at their own 29 - yard line . Two plays in , Leinart threw a 78 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald , putting the Cardinals on the board at 47 – 7 . With six minutes left in the game , Jordan and Morris each ran three times for a first down each to bring the game to the two - minute warning ; O ' Connell then kneeled three times to end the game . The 47 points scored brought the Patriots to four 40 - point games on the season , tying the team record set in 2007 , and gave the Patriots the only back - to - back 40 - point games of any NFL team in 2008 . Week 17 : at Buffalo Bills . The Patriots traveled to Buffalo for their regular season finale , needing a win and help from either the Dolphins or Ravens to make the postseason . With winds gusting over 50 mph , the Patriots elected to defend a goal after winning the opening coin toss . After receiving the opening kickoff , the Bills , who were without injured starting running back Marshawn Lynch ran six times with Fred Jackson and Xavier Omon before punting ; Moorman ' s punt traveled 13 yards . Starting from their own 49 - yard line , the Patriots ran with Morris and Jordan before also punting . McKelvin muffed the punt , which was touched by Slater , who could not secure the ball , just before rolling into the end zone for a touchback . The Bills ' next possession was a three - and - out , and this time Moorman ' s punt went 35 yards to the Patriots ' 37 - yard line . The game ' s first pass came two plays later , when Evans caught a pass in the flat and gained 19 yards . Cassel ' s second pass a few plays later was good again to Evans for 12 yards , but his third , on 3rd - and - 4 from the Bills ' 15 - yard line was incomplete to Welker . Gostkowski then kicked a 33 - yard field goal to give the Patriots a 3 – 0 lead . The first play of the second quarter saw the first Bills pass attempt of the game , which was complete to wide receiver Lee Evans for 13 yards . The Bills reached the Patriots ' 28 - yard line before attempting a 47 - yard field goal ; Lindell ' s kick started off by moving left before being caught by the wind and falling wide right . The Patriots ' ensuing drive went 55 yards on 13 plays , all hand - offs or scrambles , but stalled at the Bills ' 8 - yard line . Before Gostkowski attempted the 26 - yard field goal , officials allowed for the straightening of the goalposts which had been shifted by the winds . However , Gostkowski ' s kick went wide right , leaving the score at Patriots 3 , Bills 0 . Beginning from their own 20 - yard line with 4 : 16 remaining in the half , the Bills moved to the Patriots ' 12 - yard line , where they faced a 3rd - and - 5 with 22 seconds to play . After a 3 - yard Jackson run , Bills center Duke Preston became involved in a scuffle with Patriots defenders , and the clock ran out before the Bills could clear the field to attempt a field goal . On the opening drive of the second half , Cassel was sacked on third down by Kyle Williams to force a Patriots punt . Five plays later , Edwards was strip - sacked by Green at the Bills ' 43 - yard line , where Vrabel recovered the fumble . The Patriots proceeded to run nine straight times , including a 6 - yard Cassel scramble on 4th - and - 6 from the Bills ' 25 - yard line , to reach the Bills ' 14 - yard line on 4th - and - 5 . The Patriots opted not to attempt a field goal and instead Cassel completed a 12 - yard pass to Welker to extend the drive . On the next play , Jordan ran in for a 2 - yard touchdown that gave the Patriots a 10 – 0 lead . The Bills ' next possession went three - and - out , setting the Patriots up to begin from their own 15 - yard line . On a 15 - play drive that spanned into the fourth quarter , the Patriots moved 80 yards , with help on Moss ' first catch of the day , good for 13 yards , and bettered their lead to 13 – 0 on a 23 - yard Gostkowski field goal . With the wind beginning to subside , Edwards completed passes of 14 , 18 , and 16 yards on the Bills ' next series , but he could not complete a 4th - and - 1 pass from the Patriots ' 39 - yard line to turn the ball over on downs . Three plays later , on a 3rd - and - 8 , Cassel pooch - punted into Bills ' territory , but without a punt returner , the ball was allowed to roll to the Bills ' 2 - yard line , where the 57 - yard punt was downed by a group of Patriots . Despite this field position , the Bills were able to move to the Patriots ' 34 - yard line on 14 plays , but turned the ball over on downs on a failed 4th - and - 10 conversion . The Patriots punted on third down again on their last drive , giving the Bills the ball for the game ' s final series , which ended on a Jackson run to the Patriots ' 41 - yard line . The shutout win was the Patriots ' first since 2006 , while the Patriots ' eight passing attempts were the second fewest in franchise history , behind only the three attempts in the Snowplow Game of 1982 . This game also cemented an NFL record for the Patriots for the fewest penalties in a 16 - game season , with 57 , breaking the 2007 Seattle Seahawks ' former record of 59 in a season . Awards and honors . Pro Bowl and All - Pro selections . Two Patriots were elected to the 2009 Pro Bowl . Kicker Stephen Gostkowski was named as a starter , while wide receiver Wes Welker was named as a reserve . Gostkowski and Welker were also voted to the 2008 All - Pro First Team and Second Team , respectively . Gostkowski received 28 of 50 votes at kicker , while Welker received 6 votes at wide receiver ; three other Patriots — guard Logan Mankins , wide receiver Randy Moss , and rookie inside linebacker Jerod Mayo — also received votes .