Whatever Happened to the Patriot Way - A Madden NFL 25 New England Patriots CFM

[patriotway]

New England Patriots Scouting Report

An often overlooked part of the game of football are the players on special teams. If scouts and player personnel overlook these positions, it could have a negative effect on the football team. This week, the scouts have focused on a group of pretty good punter and kicker prospects. The most notable among them is Boston College kicker V.J. Stumph. With Stephen Gostkowski in the final year of his deal, this may be a position that sees some change. In case that happens, the Patriots should be prepared to possibly have a rookie kicker playing for them in 2015.

Media Reaction
Todd McShay - @ToddMcShayEA: FS TJ Stroman's ankle injury isn't serious, but the team doctor told me it could linger all season long.

[patriotway]

Knowing that a player is returning from injury is always good news in the NFL. While Rob Gronkowski, Mario Williams, and Jamaal Charles will be returning to teams that are in contention for a playoff spot, Jay Cutler, Jake Long, and Julius Peppers won't be so lucky.

Media Reaction
Adam Schefter - @AdamSchefterEA: Jake Long has been at practice this week, and he's cleared to play in this week's game.
Skip Bayless - @SkipBaylessEA: Can't say enough how HUGE it is to get Rob Gronowski back on the field.
Adam Schefter - @AdamSchefterEA: Cowboys updated their injury report. Folks should expect to see J. Cutler this week.
Ross Tucker - @RossTuckerEA: The Chiefs know it will be a big lift getting Charles back this week.
Skip Bayless - @SkipBaylessEA: M. Williams has been practicing all week so no reason to believe he won;t plat this week.
Mark Schlereth - @MarkSchlerethEA: Bears will have one less active roster spot to fill with Julius Peppers returning this week.

[patriotway]

Week 8 Power Rankings
RK (LW)	Team	Record	Next Game
1 (1)	Green Bay Packers	6-0	vs. Kansas City Chiefs
2 (3)	Kansas City Chiefs	5-1	@ Green Bay Packers
3 (6)	Philadelphia Eagles	5-1	vs. Atlanta Falcons
4 (7)	New England Patriots	5-1	vs. Oakland Raiders
5 (8)	Seattle Seahawks	5-1	@ New Orleans Saints
6 (2)	Cleveland Browns	5-1	@ Pittsburgh Steelers
7 (4)	Detroit Lions	5-2	BYE
8 (5)	Atlanta Falcons	5-2	@ Philadelphia Eagles
9 (11)	Pittsburgh Steelers	5-2	vs. Cleveland Browns
10 (10)	Buffalo Bills	5-2	BYE
11 (12)	Houston Texans	4-2	@ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
12 (13)	Baltimore Ravens	4-3	vs. Arizona Cardinals
13 (14)	San Francisco 49ers	4-3	@ New York Giants
14 (9)	Cincinnati Bengals	4-3	BYE
15 (15)	Denver Broncos	4-3	BYE
16 (16)	New Orleans Saints	4-3	vs. Seattle Seahawks
17 (17)	San Diego Chargers	4-3	BYE
18 (19)	Indianapolis Colts	3-3	vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
19 (21)	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	3-4	vs. Houston Texans
20 (20)	Jacksonville Jaguars	2-4	@ Indianapolis Colts
21 (25)	Washington Redskins	2-4	@ Dallas Cowboys
22 (18)	New York Jets	2-4	@ Miami Dolphins
23 (30)	Minnesota Vikings	2-5	@ Carolina Panthers
24 (22)	Tennessee Titans	2-5	BYE
25 (23)	New York Giants	2-5	vs. San Francisco 49ers
26 (24)	St. Louis Rams	2-5	vs. Chicago Bears
27 (26)	Dallas Cowboys	1-5	vs. Washington Redskins
28 (27)	Miami Dolphins	1-5	vs. New York Jets
29 (28)	Arizona Cardinals	1-5	@ Baltimore Ravens
30 (29)	Oakland Raiders	1-5	@ New England Patriots
31 (31)	Carolina Panthers	0-6	vs. Minnesota Vikings
32 (32)	Chicago Bears	0-6	@ St. Louis Rams

[patriotway]

Matchup Preview *Week 8* October 26, 2014
	@
Oakland Raiders (1-5, 1-2 Away)		New England Patriots (5-1, 2-0 Home)
Offensive Stats Comparison 1614 (29th) Total Offensive Yards 2534 (4th) 1166 (23rd) Passing Yards 1680 (4th) 448 (30th) Rushing Yards 854 (11th) 11.7 (28th) Points Per Game 38.7 (1st) 4 (Tied - 22nd) Passing TD 16 (1st) 2 (Tied - 27th) Rushing TD 6 (Tied - 7th) 64 (31st) First Downs 114 (6th) 8 (31st) Red Zone Attempts 33 (1st) 4-2 Red Zone TD-FG 19-8 75% (Tied - 20th) Red Zone Percentage 81% (Tied - 12th) Defensive Stats Comparison 2116 (18th) Total Yards Allowed 1877 (6th) 1431 (22nd) Passing Yards Allowed 1283 (14th) 685 (11th) Rushing Yards Allowed 594 (8th) 19.8 (13th) Points Per Game 20.3 (15th) 12 (Tied - 24th) Sacks 28 (2nd) 6 (Tied - 2nd) Fumble Recoveries 3 (Tied - 12th) 2 (Tied - 27th) Interceptions 13 (1st) 23 (Tied - 28th) Red Zone Attempts 15 (Tied - 8th) 10-6 Red Zone TD-FG 7-6 69% (4th) Red Zone Percentage 86% (Tied - 25th) Injury Report S. Moore/Upper Arm Fracture (Out 4 Weeks) J. Mayo/Pectoral Tear (On IR) Game Notes In a game that heavily favors the New England Patriots, the Oakland Raiders will have to be creative if they hope to win the game. The only team the Patriots have faced that has held them to under 30 points was the Buffalo Bills, despite the Bills' 31st ranked defense. If the Raiders can take utilize their red zone defense, which is currently ranked 4th, that could increase their odds of winning the game.

[patriotway]

Oakland Raiders at New England Patriots
Oct 26, 2014	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Oakland Raiders (1-6)	6	0	8	7	21
New England Patriots (6-1)	0	14	7	14	35

Team Stats Comparison
	OAK	NWE
Total Offense	350	502
Rushing Yards	44	189
Passing Yards	306	313
First Downs	15	23
Punt Return Yards	49	64
Kick Return Yards	94	82
Total Yards	493	648
Turnovers	4(-2)	2(+2)
3rd Down Converstion	5-16(31%)	8-17(47%)
4th Down Conversion	0-2(0%)	0-1(0%)
2-Point Conversion	1-1(100%)	0-0(0%)
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	2/0	4/0
Penalties	4-30	4-34
Posession Time	25:32	34:28

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		OAK	NWE
10:50	(OAK) B. Cundiff, 49 d FG	3	0
1:44	(OAK) B. Cundiff, 50 Yd FG	6	0
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		OAK	NWE
6:14	(NWE) D. Dickerson 11 Yd pass from T. Brady (S. Gostkowski kick)	6	7
1:45	(NWE) S. Ridley, 2 Yd run (S. Gostkowski kick)	6	14
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		OAK	NWE
4:01	(OAK) K. Moreno, 1 Yd run (2pt)	14	14
0:48	(NWE) J. Boyce 62 Yd pass from T. Brady (S. Gostkowski kick)	14	21
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		OAK	NWE
13:35	(OAK) R. Streater 11 Yd pass from Z. DeKing (B. Cundiff kick)	21	21
8:37	(NWE) R. Gronkowski 2 Yd pass from T. Brady (S. Gostkowski kick)	21	28
4:18	(NWE) S. Ridley, 2 Yd run (S. Gostkowski kick)	21	35

Oakland Raiders PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Z. Deking (Rat: 65.4) 22/38(57%) 258 1 2 J. Freeman (Rat: 37.2) 8/13 73 0 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD K. Moreno 14 30 2.1 1 J. Freeman 1 2 2.0 0 T. Fender 1 12 12.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD F. Davis 8 62 7.7 0 K. Moreno 5 22 4.4 0 R. Streater 4 52 13.0 1 D. Moore 4 59 14.7 0 T. Fender 3 14 4.6 0 L. Hawkins 2 20 10.0 0 A. Roberts 2 50 25.0 0 T. Ginn 2 52 26.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK C. Snee 2 0 M. Brisiel 0 1 T. Clabo 0 2 DEFENSE T-A SACK INT TD N. Carroll 8-0 0 0 0 T. Brown 7-0 0 0 0 K. Philips 5-0 0 1 0 W. Woodyard 5-0 0 0 0 D. Hayden 4-0 0 0 0 S. Martzoff 4-0 0 0 0 K. Burnett 4-0 0 0 0 C. Chekwa 4-0 0 0 0 T. Branch 4-0 0 0 0 K. Maiava 2-0 0 0 0 F. Kearse 2-0 1 0 0 B. Keisel 2-0 1 0 0 T. Andrews 2-0 0 0 0 D. Foreman 2-0 0 1 0 H. Melton 2-0 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG B. Cundiff 2/2 1/1 7 51 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 P. McAfee 6 281 46.8 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD T. Ginn 2 48 24.0 0 A. Roberts 2 46 23.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD T. Ginn 4 49 12.2 0

New England Patriots PASSING C/A YDS TD INT T. Brady (Rat: 86.2) 30/48(62%) 329 3 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD S. Ridley 25 172 6.8 2 J. Battle 4 14 3.5 0 T. Brady 2 -4 -2.0 0 S. Vereen 2 7 3.5 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD D. Amendola 8 98 12.2 0 S. Vereen 7 14 2.0 0 R. Gronkowski 7 70 10.0 1 D. Dickerson 3 23 7.6 1 K. Thompkins 2 34 17.0 0 J. Boyce 2 74 37.0 1 B. Bolden 1 16 16.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK S. Vollmer 3 0 D. Connolly 3 0 L. Mankins 2 1 DEFENSE T-A SACK INT TD S. Gregory 8-0 0 0 0 J. Collins 7-0 0 0 0 A. Moats 5-0 0 1 0 A. Dennard 5-0 0 0 0 A. Talib 4-0 0 2 0 D. Hightower 3-0 0 0 0 K. Arrington 3-1(FF) 0 0 0 L. Ryan 2-0 0 0 0 M. Slater 2-0 0 0 0 D. McCourty 2-0 0 0 0 D. Harmon 2-0 0 0 0 C. Jones 2-0 0 0 0 R. Ninkovich 2-1 2 0 0 V. Wilfork 1-0 1 0 0 T. Kelly 1-0 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG S. Gostkowski 0/1 5/5 5 0 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 R. Allen 5 229 45.8 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD M. Sherels 3 82 27.3 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD M. Sherels 5 64 12.8 0

The New England Patriots began a three game home stand by facing the Oakland Raiders Sunday afternoon. Just like the Miami Dolphins the week before, the Raiders are a team that didn't appear to pose a threat to the Patriots. No NFL team would willing concede defeat before even playing a game, so the game would go on as scheduled.

It turned out to be quite a game. The usually powerful Patriots offense looked weak for a good portion of the game. They weren't able to move the ball against a Raiders' defense that had was playing better than expected. That Raiders defense forced two turnovers in the game, both of them being interceptions by Tom Brady. One of those interceptions came on a drive where the Patriots were deep in Oakland territory. Oakland failed to take advantage of the turnovers. Despite that, they held a 6-0 lead until midway through the second quarter.

New England Patriots linebacker Arthur Moats intercepts a pass from Josh Freeman.

Like the Patriots' offense, Oakland wasn't able to get anything going with consistency. Their troubles on offense continued when Josh Freeman was injured after being sacked by Rob Ninkovich. With a 6-0 lead, rookie Zachery DeKing was now put in charge of Oakland's offense. While the rookie did have some good moments, he didn't fair much better than Freeman. Before Freeman had to leave the game, he had thrown two interceptions. Deking showed he was a rookie early by making the same mistakes. Those mistakes gave the Patriots the chance to take the lead after Brady threw a touchdown pass to Dorin Dickerson and Stevan Ridley ran one in.

Second year receiver Josh Boyce outruns the Oakland Raiders defense for a 62 yard score.

Oakland refused to give up and coming out of halftime, the Raiders found the endzone for the first time in the game. After that, the game became a seesaw battle. The Patriots scored again late in the third to take a 21-14 lead, but Oakland responded quickly. Early in the fourth, Oakland tied the game again as DeKing threw his first NFL touchdown to Rod Streater. However, that was the closest the Raiders would get.

Rod Streater is on the receiving end of rookie quarterback Zachery DeKing's first touchdown pass in the NFL.

The Patriots finally combined their defensive strength with their offensive muscle, finding the endzone twice more. The combination of Stevan Ridley on the ground and Danny Amendola in the air kept the Patriots' offense on the field and Oakland's offense on the sidelines. While Ridley had been effective for the entire game, he was still finding running lanes late in the fourth quarter. On top of losing Freeman earlier in the game, runningback Knowshon Moreno also had an injury that forced him out. Moreno's injury wasn't a major factor as the Patriots had played a great against Oakland's rushing offense. When all was said and done, the Patriots walked away with a 35-21 victory against the Raiders.

While this game was a little closer than the final score would indicate, the Patriots will be glad to get the win. If the Patriots can put together a complete game like they did in the fourth quarter, they'll be tough to beat. It would be wise for them to bottle that up and save it for their next game against the Miami Dolphins.

Media Reaction
Robert Flores - @RoFloEA: Stevan Ridley dared the D to keep him out of the endzone. They couldn't. #Patriots
Skip Bayless - @SkipBaylessEA: Home field advantage trumps sleeping in a strange bed. Patriots get the win.

[patriotway]

Week 8 Scoreboard
Thursday's Games	Hi Passing	Hi Rushing	Hi Receiving
Atlanta 37, Philadelphia 34	(ATL) M. Ryan 321	(PHI) L. McCoy 141	(PHI) D. Hester 141
Sunday's Games	Hi Passing	Hi Rushing	Hi Receiving
Seattle 27, New Orleans 20	(NO) D. Brees 249	(SEA) M. Lynch 105	(NO) L. Moore 65
Houston 13, Tampa Bay 10	(TB) M. Glennon 142	(HOU) A. Foster 111	(TB) L. Stocker 35
Kansas City 27, Green Bay 10	(KC) C. Merchant 140	(KC) J. Charles 109	(KC) D. Avery 61
New England 35, Oakland 21	(NE) T. Brady 329	(NE) S. Ridley 172	(NE) D. Amendola 98
Miami 24, NY Jets 14	(NYJ) G. Smith 228	(MIA) D. Thomas 88	(MIA) M. Wallace 77
Jacksonville 23, Indianapolis 13	(JAX) D. Bohannon 256	(IND) T. Richardson 128	(JAX) C. Shorts 122
San Francisco 17, NY Giants 11	(NYG) E. Manning 214	(SF) P. Hillis 100	(NYG) V. Cruz 82
Pittsburgh 26, Cleveland 20	(PIT) B. Roethlisberger 514	(PIT) L. Bell 71	(PIT) E. Sanders 171
St. Louis 25, Chicago 13	(CHI) J. Johnson 199	(STL) D. Richardson 134	(CHI) M. Forte 77
Carolina 24, Minnesota 18	(MIN) C. Ponder 258	(MIN) R. Mendenhall 73	(MIN) G. Jennings 75
Washington 20, Dallas 16	(WAS) K. Cousins 155	(WAS) A. Morris 101	(WAS) L. Hankerson 71
Monday's Games	Hi Passing	Hi Rushing	Hi Receiving
Arizona 20, Baltimore 13	(ARI) R. Lindley 247	(BAL) R. Rice 88	(ARI) L. Fitzgerald 79
BYE WEEKS: Bengals, Bills, Broncos, Chargers, Lions, Titans

Media Reaction
Matt Miller - @MattMillerEA: Long flight home feels way shorter sfter a win. Well played by the Chiefs.
Trey Wingo - @WingozEA: Ben Roethlisberger keeps this up, fans are going to start plotting ticker tape parades. #Steelers
Ross Tucker - @RossTuckerEA: Nothing better than a win at home. Rams will rest easy tonight.
Matt Miller - @MattMillerEA: Cowboys will be dissatisfied to say the least after coming up short at home.
Chris Mortensen - @mortreportEA: #Cardinals came into Baltimore and pulled it out against the #Ravens.
Matt Miller - @MattMillerEA: Every team has lost a game this season. What are we going to talk about for the rest of the season?
Chris Mortensen - @mortreportEA: After catching 2 TD passes, L. Fitzgerald is going to need to get ready for plenty of interviews.
Matt Miller - @MattMillerEA: Strong showing by Daryl Richardson who butchered the Bears defense this week.
Robert Flores - @RoFloEA: Days like these, you erase from your memory and your mother's TV. #Saints
Robert Flores - @RoFloEA: Math class: Swiss cheese O-line + angry d-line = sackfest. #Jets
Adam Schefter - @ AdamSchefterEA: 514 passing yards for B. Roethlisberger this week, 8th most passing yards in a single game.
Mark Schlereth - @MarkSchlerethEA: Home crowd got some free football and a win in Pittsburgh.
Mark Schlereth - @MarkSchlerethEA: You earn road wins, but you have to just go out and take home wins. #Panthers win.
Skip Bayless - @SkipBAylessEA: Dolphns just seem to look better at home.

[patriotway]

Clevelnd Browns
J. Bell (HB) - Hip Fracture - 12 Weeks
T. Benjamin (WR) - Broken Thumb - 3 Weeks


Tampa Bay Buccaneers
D. Jaskot (DE) - Foot Stress Fracture - Placed On Injured Reserve


Arizona Cardinals
J. Asamoah (G) - Broken Thumb - 3 Weeks


Kansas City Chiefs
A. Smith (QB) - Broken Jaw - 4 Weeks


Indianapolis Colts
P. Riley (LB) - Upper Arm Fracture - 4 Weeks


Dallas Cowboys
S. Peterman (G) - Pulled Groin - 4 Weeks


Philadelphia Eagles
E. Mathis (G) - Quad Tear - 6 Weeks


Atlanta Falcons
A. Girley (TE) - Foot Fracture - 5 Weeks
S. Baker (T) - Pulled Groin - 5 Weeks
S. Jackson (HB) - Broken Ribs - 3 Weeks


Jacksonville Jaguars
D. Bohannon (QB) - Broken Thumb - 2 Weeks


Green Bay Packers
G. Van Roten (C) - Broken Thumb - 5 Weeks


Carolina Panthers
J. Meredith (G) - Broken Thumb - 2 Weeks


Oakland Raiders
C. Snee (G) - Broken Collarbone - 7 Weeks
J. Freeman (QB) - Broken Collarbone - 7 Weeks
K. Moreno (HB) - Abdominal Tear - 5 Weeks


St. Louis Rams
K. Mauro (G) - Shoulder Tear - 4 Weeks


Washington Redskins
R. Griffin lll (QB) - Broken Ankle - Placed On Injured Reserve
L. Hankerson (WR) - Dislocated Ankle - 4 Weeks


Houston Texans
B. McCain (CB) - Broken Hand - 8 Weeks

Media Reaction
Chris Mortensen - @mortreportEA: From bad to worse: LE Duskin Jaskot been placed on IR by the #Buccaneers.
Chris Mortensen - @mortreportEA: Not a lot of enthusiasm around the #Redskins locker room after QB Robert Griffin lll was put on IR.

[patriotway]

Media Reaction
Trey Wingo - @WingozEA: If Philip Wheeler becomes a fixture on defense, what does it mean for the Dolphins? #AFCPoW
Trey Wingo - @WingozEA: I'd say Lavonte David is one of the main reasons I'm happy to be in the studio and not on the field in pads. #NFCPoW
Mark Schlereth - @MarkSchlerethEA: Ben Roethlisberger was unstoppable this week. #AFCPoW
Trey Wingo - Of course Daryl Richardson was given NFC offensive player of the week, you see his numbers?