New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady takes off his helmet following an ... more >“Coming in day one of training camp we had no idea what this team was going to be and you kind of feel your way through throughout the games.”
The Patriots started slowly with a 3-3 record. Then they won seven straight before losing to the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers, 41-34 after rallying from a 31-3 deficit. They ended the regular season with two wins.
There were plenty of positives — an offense that led the NFL with 34.8 points and 427.9 yards per game and a defense that was second in the league with 41 takeaways.
Brady had his usual outstanding season, finishing fourth in the NFL with 4,827 yards passing and throwing for 34 touchdowns and eight interceptions. But against the Ravens on Sunday he produced just one touchdown as the Patriots were held scoreless in the second half.
The 13 points were their fewest since a 16-9 loss to the New York Jets on Sept. 20, 2009.
“It’s hard to win these games,” Brady said Monday during his weekly appearance on WEEI radio. “Unfortunately for us, because we’ve had a lot of success, nothing means anything unless you win the last game of the year.”
Belichick won’t wait long to work toward that goal again.
He must decide whether to keep Welker, the NFL’s leader with 672 receptions over the past six seasons, and Talib, who solidified the secondary when he was traded by Tampa Bay after the eighth game.
The Patriots placed the franchise tag on Welker this season and could do so again. They also could sign him to a multiyear contract, or let him go.
Will he be back?
“I’m not sure,” he said in the losing locker room Sunday night. “I’m not worried about that right now.”
Talib’s return also is uncertain.
“We’ll see what happens in the future,” he said, “but I definitely had the most fun I had playing football in a long time here.”
Not on Sunday.
Talib left with a thigh injury in the first quarter. Other defensive starters played sparingly with tackle Kyle Love leaving in the opening quarter with a knee injury and Jones limited by an ankle injury to two snaps.
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By John Solomon
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