New England Patriots 2011 regular season Review: The search for the fourth ring continues – NFL Special Part I
This was supposed to be the season that head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady got their hands on that elusive fourth Super Bowl ring.
The Patriots had not reached the Super Bowl since the 2007-08 season when they entered the NFL title game unbeaten with a record 18 wins and no losses.
However, that season ended in the ultimate disappointment as New York Giants and Eli Manning frustrated the Patriots and then defeated them at the biggest stage of them all to claim the Lombardi trophy and end New England’s bid to go the entirety of the
season undefeated.
Since that year New England had failed to progress beyond the division rounds of the playoffs and Brady’s hunt for a fourth Super Bowl ring remained unfulfilled.
This season though it all seemed different as the Patriots destroyed every opponent that came into their path in the regular season as they went 13-3.
In the playoffs they beat off competition from the Denver Broncos and won a close encounter with the Baltimore Ravens to claim the American Football Conference (AFC) Championship and once again secure a spot in the Super Bowl.
Their opponents in a huge twist were none other than the New York Giants.
The Patriots gave it their all and fought all the way but individual mistakes most crucially wide receiver Wes Welker’s dropped catch in the final quarter turned the momentum against New England and Eli Manning once again led the Giants to a Super Bowl win
over the Patriots.
Brady was devastated and once again his hunt for the holy grail of four Super Bowl Championship rings still continues.
Let’s take a look at how exactly New England’s entire season turned out.
At Miami
New England Patriots started off the 2011-12 season in style defeating the Miami Dolphins 38-24 to start an eighth straight season with a victory.
Brady was the hero of the occasion and made a new National Football League (NFL) record in just his first game as he passed for a record 517-yards.
He also sent four touchdown passes including a mammoth 99-yarder to Wes Welker to help the Patriots start of the season and send a message to the rest of the NFL that the Patriots meant business.
Miami could not keep pace with Brady as New England’s brilliant offensive plays completely destroyed their defence.
Leaving Miami coach Tony Sparano to say.
"Some of their scores ended up looking like it was kind of easy,"
Against San Diego
In their first game at home in the Gillette Stadium, the Patriots faced San Diego Chargers and quarterback Philip Rivers.
It turned into a big contest as two of the best quarterbacks in the AFC faced off and Rivers just about led San Diego to a comeback in the final quarter.
Rivers made it 28-21 in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter with a big 26-yard pass to Vincent Jackson to peg back the Patriots lead.
However, the Patriots responded and Brady led his team on a big drive once again.
That drive setup running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis’ 16-yard rush to the end-zone to score the winning points with the Patriots winning by 35-21.
Green-Ellis may have scored the winning points but Brady took the plaudits with another wonderful performance as he passed for 423-yards and three touchdowns.
Linebacker Rob Ninkovich said about Brady after the game.
"It seems like he's always great. He's the best quarterback in the league."
To be continued
(The views expressed in this article do not reflect the editorial policy of bettor.com)
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