In somewhat cruel and highly ironic fashion, the New England Patriots fell to the Seattle Seahawks 31-24 on a failed goal line conversion Sunday night.

Of course, everybody knows that the last time these two teams met, it was the Seahawks who failed to convert on a goal line pass play late in the fourth. This time it was New England who fell short in the final seconds.

While the failed scoring opportunity will be remembered, when looking back on this game, there are plenty of things to talk about.

Bad Defensive Football- The Patriots defense has been playing well below average this season, but this game might have been the worst played one by the unit. Not only did they give up 31 points to a team that had average just over 20 points per game so far this season, but they also gave up 420 yards of total offense. They, once again, got little in terms of a pass rush and when they actually did create some pressure, the secondary was unable to make plays against Seattle's wide outs and backs. All in all it was a flat out bad effort by New England's defense and quite possibly their worst performance this season.

Healthy In The Backfield- One thing was evident, when Seattle's offense was on the field tonight; Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, who has been dealing with knee and ankle injuries all season, is getting close to being back to 100 percent. Wilson was dynamic tonight, like he has been in seasons past, making something out of nothing multiple times and keeping himself alive on broken plays. He also did a nice job passing the football, as he completed 25 of his 37 attempts for 348 yards and three scores. While the Pats defense laid an egg most of the night, Wilson's play is also a huge factor as to why Seattle is leaving Gillette with a victory.

Out Of Nowhere- Much like Chris Matthews, who came out of nowhere to star in the Super Bowl battle between these two teams two years ago, Rookie running back C.J. Prosise had a coming out party against New England. The shifty back ran the ball 17 times for 66 yards and led the team in receptions with seven for another 87 yards. That's a total of 153 yards from scrimmage. It was a huge night in a big opportunity for the youngster.

Losing The Battle- The Patriots lost the game, in large part, because they lost the turnover battle. New England turned the ball over twice on the night, including Brady and the team's first interception of the season. While that turnover didn't end up costing them, a fumble by Julian Edelman in the fourth quarter did, as Seattle, who was already up by one at that point, scored on the ensuing drive to make it a seven point lead. It is just another example of how teams struggle to win games when they lose the turnover battle.

NO Call- Not only did the game come down to a final incomplete pass on the goal line, it also came down to a play with a lot of grabbing and pulling, as Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor battled in the end zone with Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski. With both players colliding and arms flailing, many were expecting a flag to be thrown. To the chagrin of Patriots Nation, Gronkowksi and the Pats did not get the call. The play was very close and there could have been a case made either way, but it also seemed like another example of Gronkowski not getting a close call against a handsy defender.

All in all, the Pats defense MUST get better, especially for postseason play. There was really no moment that they were on the field where it felt as though they could make a play or at least stop the Seahawks from doing so. When they get down to winner take all, postseason games, they're gonna have to be much, much better than that. Offensively, things weren't perfect, but they were good enough to win. The final play was a tough one, but they tried to get the ball to their best player so it is tough to completely fault them. At least that wasn't for the Lombardi Trophy.

 

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