Your Favorite and Least Favorite Patriots Monday Night Football game

[jah]

Favorite: Season-finale, 1986 in Miami.

Pats needed to win to make the playoffs at 11-5. A loss at 10-6 gave the division to the Jets and Pats miss the wildcard on a tiebreaker to Cincy. During the entire broadcast, the production would cut to a Bengals TV-watching party, with Boomer Esiason front-and-center.

The game was close, but the Dolphins were leading late; The Bengals players were full of smiles watching the 2nd half. Pats got the ball one last time. In the first year post-Hannah, the Pats running game struggled horribly all season. Somehow, on this final drive the running game finally decided to show up with authority. The Pats ran off run after run after run, something they hadn't done all year. Even the announcers were making note of it. Then with the Pats down around the Miami 30yd line, Grogan switches things up and throws deep down the right sideline to Stanley Morgan, who catches it in the endzone for the winning TD. The Pats were ecstatic. The production cuts back to Boomer and his teammates watching in stunned silence. Great game and great television. Such an awesome way to end the season and enter the playoffs.

Least Favorite: Pats @ Saints 2009

If you look at the Pats over the last few years, one of the indicators that they are a good team is that even when they don't win, they put up a fight and keep it close. Of their last 7 losses going back to the start of 2011, the only one they looked outclassed from start to finish was the Steelers game and even then they only lost by one score. These Pats just don't get rolled; They are too good for that.

When the Pats went into New Orleans a few years back and got the doors blown off, that was outright disorienting. Pats were outplayed on both sides of the ball, outcoached badly and the scoreboard reflected the evening quite accurately. That was such an abberation, to not even show up, to not put up a fight. The "A Football Life: BB" show with the soundbite of Belichick telling Brady "This team has no mental toughness," during that game was so appropriate.

Regards,
Chris

What about all 3 losses in 2010? That team didn't lose often, but when they did, it was ugly.

 

[Pats Fanatic]

My favorite is from 1976 against the Jets and they destroyed them 41–7. I think that it was there first MNF win. Before 2001 this was my favorite team and they were incredible.
Least favorite is from 1978 against the Colts. Joe Washington went wild on them losing 34 to 27 after Steve Grogan threw an late interception.

 

[chris_in_sunnyvale]

What about all 3 losses in 2010? That team didn't lose often, but when they did, it was ugly.

The Browns game was ugly, for sure, but it looked like one of those "looking past them to Pittsburgh" type games. Too many times Peyton Hillis steamrolled the D. Gronk fumbling at the 1yd line right before halftime was symbolic of the way that day went as well.

The two Jets games were head-scratchers from a coaching standpoint more than anything.

Regards,
Chris

 

[SacPete1]

Favorite: Season-finale, 1986 in Miami.

Pats needed to win to make the playoffs at 11-5. A loss at 10-6 gave the division to the Jets and Pats miss the wildcard on a tiebreaker to Cincy. During the entire broadcast, the production would cut to a Bengals TV-watching party, with Boomer Esiason front-and-center.

The game was close, but the Dolphins were leading late; The Bengals players were full of smiles watching the 2nd half. Pats got the ball one last time. In the first year post-Hannah, the Pats running game struggled horribly all season. Somehow, on this final drive the running game finally decided to show up with authority. The Pats ran off run after run after run, something they hadn't done all year. Even the announcers were making note of it. Then with the Pats down around the Miami 30yd line, Grogan switches things up and throws deep down the right sideline to Stanley Morgan, who catches it in the endzone for the winning TD. The Pats were ecstatic. The production cuts back to Boomer and his teammates watching in stunned silence. Great game and great television. Such an awesome way to end the season and enter the playoffs.



Wow, great call!! I was living in Ottawa and getting hammered watching this game at a university pub with Fin fans around me and when my all-time favorite Grogan pulled it off at the end, I was ecstatic.


Worst one: It was around '79 or '80 and the Pats were playing the Oilers in Houston and Stabler was the qb and they got out to a big lead but the Pats running game just went to town in the 2nd half with Calhoun and Ferguson but Grogan throws a pick late and the comeback falls short. Sorry if my timeline is off on the year.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

Favorite: Season-finale, 1986 in Miami.

Then with the Pats down around the Miami 30yd line, Grogan switches things up and throws deep down the right sideline to Stanley Morgan, who catches it in the endzone for the winning TD. The Pats were ecstatic. The production cuts back to Boomer and his teammates watching in stunned silence. Great game and great television. Such an awesome way to end the season and enter the playoffs.

Better yet, that was the final Dolphins game in the Orange Bowl. So after 18 straight regular season losses there (NE broke the overall jinx in the "Squish the Fish" game, but the regular season jinx remained), NE broke the jinx and deliciously closed out the Orange Bowl with a Miami loss.

 

[PlainOldEd]

Not sure if I'd rank it my favorite, but last week was pretty friggin awesome (because I was there). Remember, leading up to the game the weather was supposed to be miserable and Houston was supposed to give the Pats a run for their money. As it turned out the weather was prefect and the game couldn't have gone much better! :singing:

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

03 denver :rocker:

 

[Haterproof]

Not sure if I'd rank it my favorite, but last week was pretty friggin awesome (because I was there). Remember, leading up to the game the weather was supposed to be miserable and Houston was supposed to give the Pats a run for their money. As it turned out the weather was prefect and the game couldn't have gone much better! :singing:

I'm with you. The Monday night game against the Texans reminds me of our 2009 game @ N.O. in so many ways. The only difference is the Pats did the Texans what the Saints did to them on that night. Brees & company defended their turf from start to finish. The Pats did same thing this past game. I hope our fate is the same the Saints were that year.