Today In Patriots History October 1, 2007: Pats bully Bengals; Sammy Morris runs for 117 yards

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
2007: Sammy Morris runs for 117 yards
Randy Moss has 9 receptions, 102 yards, two TDs
Pats roll once again, 34-13 on MNF​

Monday October 1, 2007 at 8:40
Week 4, Game 4 at Paul Brown Stadium
New England Patriots 34, Cincinnati Bengals 13
Head Coaches: Bill Belichick, Marvin Lewis
QBs: Tom Brady, Carson Palmer
Odds: New England favored by 7½
Patriots improve to 4-0, Bengals drop to 1-3


Filling in for an injured Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris rushed for what was then a career-high 117 yards as the Pats cruised to their fourth straight big win, 34-13 at Cincinnati. Mike Vrabel scored the tenth touchdown of his career on a one-yard touchdown pass and Randy Moss caught all nine passes thrown his way, good for 102 yards and two touchdowns. The Patriots scored on six of their eight possessions (including each of the final four), while Carson Palmer and Chad Johnson were caught on camera having a heated argument after an Asante Samuel interception.

Key Stats:
Third Downs: Pats 7-12, Bengals 0-7
Rushing Yards: Pats 173, Bengals 57
Total Yardage: Pats 404, Bengals 283
Penalties: Patriots 3-20, Bengals 8-65
Offensive Plays: Pats 66, Bengals 51
Time of Possession: Pats 37:24, Bengals 22:36

Patriots 34, Bengals 13: Still perfect

CINCINNATI - Tom Brady had three more touchdown passes. Sammy Morris had one of the best games of his career. The New England defense had its way. Expect anything less?

www.milforddailynews.com

Tom Brady had three more touchdown passes. Sammy Morris had one of the best games of his career. The New England defense had its way.​

Expect anything less?​

The Patriots remained one of the NFL's four unbeaten teams last night - and, so far, the best of the bunch - by beating the Cincinnati Bengals 34-13 with a performance that showed their versatility.​

And, they've only just begun.​

New England (4-0) is off to its best start since 2004, when it won the Super Bowl for the third time in four years. An offense energized by the addition of receivers Randy Moss, Donte' Stallworth and Wes Welker showed it can grind it out, too.​

Especially against a team like the Bengals (1-3), who had trouble just getting a defense on the field - and counting to 11 while they were at it.​

Moss caught a pair of touchdown passes, and Morris ran for 117 yards, giving the Patriots more than enough on a night when they didn't need a whole lot.​

Patriots stay unbeaten by dominating Bengals

Tom Brady had three touchdown passes and the New England defense had its way Monday night as the Patriots stayed undefeated with a 34-13 road victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. The Patriots remai…

www.chicagotribune.com

Cincinnati was missing middle linebackers Ahmad Brooks and Caleb Miller, leaving a big hole in one of the league's worst defenses. When Lemar Marshall hurt an Achilles' tendon in the first quarter, the Bengals moved rookie safety Chinedum Ndukwe into a linebacker's spot.​

The Patriots had more linebackers in their offenses on goal-line plays than the Bengals had in their defense on many plays. And one of them - Mike Vrabel - caught a 1-yard touchdown pass in a Super Bowl flashback.​

Missing their top runner didn't slow the Patriots.​

Morris, an eighth-year journeyman playing for his third team, got to take center stage because Laurence Maroney was out with a strained groin. He had the second 100-yard game of his career, including a 7-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-1 put the Patriots in control in the third quarter.​

Morris' 49-yard run - the second-longest of his career - set up Brady's 1-yard touchdown pass to Vrabel, who has nine career catches, all for touchdowns. Two of them have come in the Patriots' Super Bowl wins.​

Patriots cage Bengals

CINCINNATI — Tom Brady had three more touchdown passes. Sammy Morris had one of the best games of his career. The New England defense had its way.

www.southcoasttoday.com

Brady, the two-time Super Bowl MVP, didn't have to do anything sensational in an offense that could grind it out against a depleted defense. He was 25-of-32 for 231 yards with the touchdown pass to Vrabel and two to Moss.​

Brady has had many great moments for the Patriots, but has never been this good for this long. He leads the league with 13 touchdown passes, his best total in any four-game span of his career.​

The NFL's most efficient passer made an uncharacteristically sloppy mistake, forcing a third-down throw for only his second interception of the season. That set up Carson Palmer's 1-yard touchdown pass to T.J. Houshmandzadeh.​

That's the only one they would get.​

Bengals latest victim as Patriots score another easy victory

Late in the third quarter, the crowd of 66,113 - the largest ever to seen a Bengals game in Cincinnati - started filing out, sensing the futility. The Bengals fell into last place in the AFC North heading into their bye week.​

And, they didn't go there gracefully.​

Palmer had words with Chad Johnson when the Pro Bowl receiver ran the wrong route, resulting in Asante Samuel's interception near the goal line late in the first half. They had more words on the sideline, and Johnson was still jawing at the Pro Bowl MVP quarterback as they left the field at halftime.​

It got worse.​

The Bengals stopped a third-down run, but were penalized for having 12 men on the field. The penalty set up a fourth-quarter field goal that extended an amazing streak of consistency: New England has scored in every quarter this season and its last 36 overall.​

Pats don't flinch, 34-13

The Bengals ended the first half and what turned out to be their chance at an upset Monday night with a mistake the bullet-proof Patriots never seem to make when Chad Johnson went one way and Carson Palmer threw the other way.​

The result was New England cornerback Asante Samuel's interception at the goal line with 1:14 left. And as Palmer and Johnson left the field at the half exchanging words, the Patriots were on their way to a commanding 34-13 victory before the biggest Bengals crowd in history of 66,113 at Paul Brown Stadium and the Bengals' season was teetering on implosion.​

Mike Vrabel's touchdown put the Patriots up 10-0 in the first quarter.


5:06 Highlight Video
2007 Patriots at Bengals MNF Week 4



34:32 Extended Highlights
2007 Patriots Offense @ Bengals - Week 4



1:54:01 Full Game
2007 Week 4: Patriots @ Bengals
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Pre-Game Press Release

NFL Media Game Summary

Box Score, Team & Individual Stats, Drive Chart and Full Play-by-Play:

New England Patriots at Cincinnati Bengals - October 1st, 2007 | Pro-Football-Reference.com

New England Patriots 34 at Cincinnati Bengals 13 on October 1st, 2007 - Full team and player stats and box score

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[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
2006: Corey Dillon returns to Cincinnati
Defense shuts down Bengals
Pats thrash undefeated Cincy, 38-13​

Sunday October 1, 2006 at 4:15
Week 4, Game 4 at Paul Brown Stadium
New England Patriots 38, Cincinnati Bengals 13
Head Coaches: Bill Belichick, Marvin Lewis
QBs: Tom Brady, Carson Palmer
Odds: Cincinnati favored by 6
Patriots improve to 3-1, Bengals drop to 3-1


365 days before the Pats 34-13 victory in the original post, the Patriots had already played at Cincinnati - with a nearly identical result. The major difference was that the 2006 Patriots had Chad Jackson, Doug Gabriel and Reche Caldwell at wide receiver, rather than 2007's Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Donte' Stallworth. At that point it was the Bengals that had the high powered offense, with TJ Houshmandzadeh and Chad Johnson at receiver, Rudi Johnson at running back and Carson Palmer at quarterback. As a result the undefeated Bengals entered this game as a clear favorite.

What the Patriots did have was a strong running game, with rookie Laurence Maroney and a motivated former Bengal, Corey Dillon. The Pats also had a strong defense with no weak spots. The Patriots rushed for 236 yards and three touchdowns, while the defense came up with four sacks and two turnovers, limiting the Bengals to just two third down conversions.


Explosive Patriots blow up Bengals, 38-13 - Patriots.com

New England traveled to Cincinnati to take on the unbeaten Bengals and left with a message to anyone interested: Never, ever, count us out.​

With defensive secondary starters Eugene Wilson and Ellis Hobbs both inactive against one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL, this game looked decidedly in favor of the home team Bengals on paper.​

Patriots fans, however, should never forget the ability of its team to overcome injuries and make the experts eat their words.​

In one of the most impressive wins of the Belichick era, the Patriots neutered the Bengals high-flying offense and went on a scoring rampage of its own to the tune of a 38-13 win over the unbeaten Bengals.​

Laurence Maroney had his first 100-yard game, rushing for 125 yards on 15 carries, finding the end zone twice. Corey Dillon chipped in another 67 yards and in all, the Patriots ground game accounted for 236 yards, the most since 1993 when New England tallied 250 yards in a game against the Colts in Foxboro Stadium, a 38-0 win.​

The Patriots defense was immense, holding Carson Palmer to 245 yards passing and no touchdowns. The Bengals found nothing on the ground either with only 71 yards rushing.​

Patriots 38, Bengals 13

CINCINNATI (AP) — Rookie running back Laurence Maroney wanted to help Corey Dillon have a satisfying homecoming in the city where he experienced so much misery for the first seven years of his career…

www.fosters.com

Rookie running back Laurence Maroney wanted to help Corey Dillon have a satisfying homecoming in the city where he experienced so much misery for the first seven years of his career.​

Maroney wound up having an even better time.​

With their rookie leading the way, the New England Patriots got back to playing like contenders on Sunday. A 38-13 victory over the previously unbeaten Bengals suggested that the three-time Super Bowl champs are starting to get their act together.​

New England (3-1) dominated a team coming off its biggest win in years. The Patriots ran for 236 yards, forced Carson Palmer to fumble twice and sent the stunned crowd of 66,035 heading for the exits early in the fourth quarter.​

Fans left behind a large banner in the upper deck that proclaimed: "Pats are thing of the past, Bengals are the future."​

Not on this day.​

Rookie RB helps Patriots get 38-13 win over the Bengals

Laurence Maroney ran for 125 yards and a pair of touchdowns that helped the Patriots take a 21-13 lead late in the third quarter. His 25-yard scoring run featured three missed tackles and one emphatic stiff-arm.​

The Bengals (3-1) played like a team still savoring a victory in Pittsburgh a week earlier. One of the main figures from their past provided the signature moment.​

Corey Dillon spent seven torturous seasons in Cincinnati, where he broke the NFL's single-game rushing mark in 2000 but never had a winning season. After his final game in 2003, he tossed his cleats, helmet and jersey into the crowd behind the south end zone.​

He was booed every time he ran the ball on Sunday — 17 times for 67 yards. His 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter put the Patriots up 31-13 and provided a chance to celebrate.​

Dillon reared back and threw the ball high into the same end zone stands where he had tossed his belongings on his way out of town. Then, he hopped in celebration.​

Rookie Helps Patriots Score Their Most Points in 2 Seasons (Published 2006)

Laurence Maroney ran for 125 yards and 2 touchdowns Sunday, restoring balance to the Patriots’ offense and setting up a win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

www.nytimes.com

Getting the running game on track was at the top of the Patriots' list of things to do. Once Maroney got rolling, Brady was able to do what he does best: Efficiently take a defense apart.​

During a 17-7 loss to Denver a week earlier, Brady uncharacteristically raised his arms in frustration. The only time he raised them on Sunday was to celebrate the touchdowns.​

The Bengals aren't used to seeing themselves get shoved around that way.​

Notes: The Patriots haven't lost consecutive games since December 2002. The 53-game streak matches Denver (1976-79) for second-longest since the NFL and AFL merged in 1970. San Francisco has the longest streak, 60 games from 1995-99. ... Maroney is the first Patriots rookie running back to score more than one touchdown in a season since Robert Edwards had nine in 1998. ... Bengals WR Chris Henry was inactive, punishment for his latest off-field incident. Henry, one of six Bengals arrested in the last nine months, was a passenger in a vehicle stopped early Monday morning. Linebacker Odell Thurman, who was behind the wheel, was charged with drunken driving.​

2:18 Highlight Video
Patriots vs Bengals 2006 Week 4



15:06 Highlight Video
Patriots @Bengals Week 4 2006 Highlights
​

Pre-Game Press Release

NFL Media Game Summary

Box Score, Team & Individual Stats, Drive Chart and Full Play-by-Play:

New England Patriots at Cincinnati Bengals - October 1st, 2006 | Pro-Football-Reference.com

New England Patriots 38 at Cincinnati Bengals 13 on October 1st, 2006 - Full team and player stats and box score

www.pro-football-reference.com

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
2000: Bill Belichick gets first win as Pats head coach
McGinest, Slade lead strong defensive effort
New England gets rare win in Denver​

Sunday October 1, 2000 at 4:00
Week 5, Game 5 at Mile High Stadium
New England Patriots 28, Denver Broncos 19
Head Coaches: Bill Belichick, Mike Shanahan
QBs: Drew Bledsoe, Brian Griese
Odds: Denver favored by 8½
Patriots improve to 1-4, Broncos drop to 2-3


Trips to Denver had not traditionally gone well for a long time, so the expectations were very low. Here were the 0-4 Patriots, visiting the thin air at Mile High; the Broncos were heavy 8½-point favorites.

Willie McGinest provided an early spark on the game’s first possession when he strip-sacked Bronco QB Brian Griese, setting up an 11-yard Drew Bledsoe to Troy Brown touchdown for a 7-0 lead. After a Denver punt, the Pats quickly found the end zone on a three-play, 75-yard drive, with Bledsoe connecting with Terry Glenn on a 44-yard TD.

The crowd was stunned, but the Patriots were not done yet. With 25 seconds left in the half Bledsoe hit RB J.R. Redmond on a wheel route for a 12-yard TD, and a 21-3 halftime lead.

Bledsoe threw an interception to open the second half, but the Pats defense made a goal line stand, stopping Denver on fourth down from the one-yard line to preserve the 18-point lead. However, the Patriots were pinned down at their own one yard line, and could not move forward. Punter Lee Johnson stepped out of bounds for a safety, making the score 21-5. Deltha O'Neal returned the ensuing free kick 87 yards for a touchdown, and Pats fans were thinking 'oh no, here we go again'. On the point after the Pats were called for 12 men on the field, but Denver was unable to run it in from one yard out, keeping it a two-score lead.


It absolutely looked as though the momentum had completely swung to Denver, but the Patriots persevered. The Pats marched down the field on a demoralizing seven-play, 77-yard yard scoring drive for a 28-11 lead. Tebucky Jones intercepted a Griese pass at the goal line to deny a would-be Broncos touchdown, and the next Denver drive was thwarted when Kato Serwanga sacked Griese on third down, and the Pats took over when the field goal attempt was no good.

By the time Denver got the ball back they were down by 17 with 3:47 to go. The Broncos did score a meaningless touchdown, but by that point there were less than two minutes left. The Patriots recovered the onside kick, and went into victory formation with three kneel downs.

With that the Patriots had pulled off a rare upset victory in Denver, and Bill Belichick had his first win as the head coach of the New England Patriots.

1:12 Highlight Video
Throwback: Bill Belichick's 1st Win as Patriots Head Coach | October 1, 2000
​

NFL Media Game Summary

Box Score, Team & Individual Stats, Drive Chart and Full Play-by-Play:

New England Patriots at Denver Broncos - October 1st, 2000 | Pro-Football-Reference.com

New England Patriots 28 at Denver Broncos 19 on October 1st, 2000 - Full team and player stats and box score

www.pro-football-reference.com

 

[oldrover]

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
1978: Pats come back to win nail biter
Grogan drives team 73 yards in 1:24 to beat Chargers
Runs it in for winning TD with 43 seconds to play​

Sunday October 1, 1978 at 1:00
Week 5, Game 5 at Schaefer Stadium
New England Patriots 28, San Diego Chargers 23
Head Coaches: Chuck Fairbanks, Don Coryell
QBs: Steve Grogan, Dan Fouts
Odds: New England favored by 7½
Patriots improve to 3-2, Chargers drop to 1-4


This game may be forgotten due to age, but it was one of the most exciting games of the 20th century by the Patriots.

At the end of the first quarter the Patriots were up 7-0 on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Steve Grogan to Harold Jackson. The Air Coryell Chargers of this era were an offensive juggernaut though. Dan Fouts threw three touchdown passes, two to John Jefferson, and San Diego was up 20-7 early in the second half. Grogan connected with Jackson again, this time for a 14-yard TD, and after three quarters the Patriots trailed 20-14.

With 4:29 left to play Grogan hit Russ Francis crossing from left to right at the goal line, and the Patriots had finally reclaimed the lead. However, Fouts brought San Diego right back, going ahead on a 41-yard Rolf Benirschke field goal with only 1:55 left on the clock.

That was too much time for these 1978 Patriots.

The Patriots drove 73 yards on seven plays, culminating with Grogan running up the middle for a touchdown with 31 seconds left to play to take a 28-23 lead. The quarterback celebrated by spiking the ball not once, but twice.

Fouts attempted to one-up Grogan, but Steve Nelson saved the day with a goal line interception to preserve the victory.


Grogan finished the game with 231 yards passing, three touchdowns through the air and the one TD on the ground. Harold Jackson had four receptions for 106 yards and two touchdowns, and Russ Francis had five catches for 64 yards and a TD. Other than the two touchdown passes to Jefferson, the defense held Fouts in check, limiting him to 173 yards passing.

Here's the thing with Grogan: his leadership skills cannot be overstated. Grogan was the toughest quarterback in the game and played through a ridiculous list of injuries throughout his career. Grogan endured five knee surgeries, a cracked fibula, two ruptured disks in his neck, a broken left hand, two separated shoulders, three concussions, and who knows how much more. None of that mattered, nothing could keep Grogan from returning to the field. His blind fearlessness made him a fan favorite throughout New England, and a player that his teammates would run through walls for.

1:23 Highlight Video
10/1/1978 San Diego Chargers at New England Patriots highlights, National Football League Week 5
​

NFL Media Game Summary

Box Score, Team & Individual Stats:

San Diego Chargers at New England Patriots - October 1st, 1978 | Pro-Football-Reference.com

San Diego Chargers 23 at New England Patriots 28 on October 1st, 1978 - Full team and player stats and box score

www.pro-football-reference.com

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
1972: Controversial call go Pats way
Patriots upset NFC champs Washington, 24-23
John Mazur gets his final win as NFL head coach​

Sunday October 1, 1972 at 1:00
Week 3, Game 3 at Schaefer Stadium
New England Patriots 24, Washington Redskins 23
Head Coaches: John Mazur, George Allen
QBs: Jim Plunkett, Billy Kilmer
Odds: Washington favored by 10
Patriots improve to 2-1, Redskins drop to 2-1

Falcons Beat Rams First Time, 31?3 (Published 1972)

www.nytimes.com

The Patriots, winning for the second time in three games, moved into a second?place tie with the Jets in the American Conference Eastern Division. New England's Jim Plunkett hit John Ashton with a 24?yard touchdown pass with 4:12 remaining and Washington's Curt Knight missed two field goal attempts in the final 77 sec onds. Ashton, a rookie, gained 108 yards on 23 carries and also scored the Patriots' first touchdown on a 2?yard run.​

Washington took an early lead on two touchdown passes from Billy Kilmer to Hall of Famer Charley Taylor. But the underdog Patriots came back on a two-yard Josh Ashton run, an 11-yard pass from Jim Plunkett to Reggie Rucker to tie it up. A 42-yard field goal by Charlie Gogolak with 24 seconds to go in the third quarter gave the Patriots their first lead of the game.

The Skins regained the lead with 9:18 to go on Kilmer's third touchdown pass of the game. The Patriots responded by putting together an eight-play, 80-yard drive. Plunkett completed all four of his passes, including a 24-yard toss while scrambling away from a heavy pass rush to Ashton at the goal line for a TD. Gogolak’s extra point put New England up by three with 4:12 to play.

Josh Ashton had 132 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns​

On the ensuing drive Washington went backwards due to penalties. On a 2nd-and-32 from their own 13 the game shifted dramatically. Kilmer connected with Taylor for a 62-yard gain that not only got them out of an impossible hole, it also put them at the New England 25 at the two-minute warning.

Charley Taylor had 7 receptions for 134 yards and 2 TD​

Two passes were incomplete and then a throw into the end zone was caught - but was incorrectly ruled out of bounds. Washington's Curt Knight kicked a 33-yard field goal to tie the game at 24 with about two minutes to play - but then Ron Bolton was called for roughing the kicker. Washington head coach George Allen opted to take the points off the scoreboard and accept the penalty that gave his team a first down on the 21. After the Redskins went one yard in three plays, Knight trotted back on the field - and missed a 27-yard field goal wide right with 1:22 left.

With the clock ticking down to the final minute, the Patriots kept the ball on the ground. Ashton ran the ball three times and New England lined up to punt. However, Pat Studstill’s kick was blocked by WR Bill Malinchak and, with the Washington special team player unable to corral the ball, rolled out of the end zone for a safety. If slow motion replay and challenges had been available then, the call on the field would have been overturned. But that was not the case then, so no touchdown for Washington.

After a free kick, the Redskins took the ball on the Patriots' 48 and positioned Knight for a 50-yard field goal try. It was once again wide right, the Patriots came away with a 24-23 upset victory – and for the second week in a row, it came down to a missed try for a field goal by their opponent.

22:02 Highlight Video
1972 Redskins at Patriots GOTW week 3
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Flashback: An Agonizing Loss to Patriots - Commanders.com

Today in Pro Football History - 1972: Patriots Upset Redskins as Allen Gamble Goes Awry | FS64 Sports

NFL Media Game Summary

Box Score, Team & Individual Stats:

Washington Redskins at New England Patriots - October 1st, 1972 | Pro-Football-Reference.com

Washington Redskins 23 at New England Patriots 24 on October 1st, 1972 - Full team and player stats and box score

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[oldrover]