Two-Minute Drill

Big Shows & No Shows

Big Shows

1. Wes Welker — How much abuse can the human body take? Just ask Welker, who's become the only sure thing on this team. Ten more catches for 167 yards. Three punt returns for 29 more yards. Kick return? Sure. But you just wonder how long the 180-pounder can hold it together despite being ridden hard early and often.

2. Vince Wilfork — Stunned to see the stat sheet, which credited him for only a pair of tackles. Seemed to me that he was penetrating and causing confusion at every turn. I know Ricky Williams will be glad to put this load in the rear-view mirror.

3. Gary Guyton — Speaking of Williams, with 18 carries for 75 yards and 2 catches for six more, he was rendered a nonfactor. Guyton, who had five solo tackles, was a big part of that. His speed gave Williams problems all game.

No Shows

1. Darius Butler — I'll give the kid credit for his fight. And then I'll fail him miserably for his ability to cover. Got picked on all day to the point where it became uncomfortable.

2. Jonathan Wilhite/Leigh Bodden — Butler may have been the defensive punching bag, but the other two corners took their lumps as well and none worse than Bodden getting toasted for the fourth-quarter touchdown.

3. Tom Brady/Randy Moss — Moss' largesse is becoming tiresome, especially with when this team's second-half offensive woes worsen as the receiver's pouting mounts. He whiffs on easy wedge blocks on those quick screens and New England fans wonder why this offense stagnates. Brady threw two picks, one ending the game when his team needed points in the final minute.

Grading the Groups

Offense

Line (C+) — Just too many missed blocks. Nick Kaczur got toasted on the final pick of the game. Matt Light looked determined but got beat some in the pass rush.

Receivers (C+) — Wes Welker and Sam Aiken, who stole his TD by clearly interfering and then pulling it in for 71 yards, get A-pluses. A second straight combined "F" by Ben Watson and Randy Moss skews this mark.

Running Backs (B) — Sammy Morris delivered his best game of the year with nine carries for 40 yards and a pair of catches for 25 yards. Laurence Maroney and his 3.2-yard a carry effort won't evoke memories of Corey Dillon. Is there anything weaker than the "Yeah, he's running hard now" argument? Kevin Faulk had a big drop but scored a TD.

Quarterback (C-) — Another three-digit rating for Tom Brady (101.5) but a Hall of Fame QB is supposed to overcome adversity and drive his team down the field for the winning field goal.

Defense

Line (B+) — Don't blame Vince Wilfork, Ty Warren, Jarvis Green, Mike Wright and Myron Pryor for their boss trading away Richard Seymour and Mike Vrabel, essentially the entire pass rush a year ago. These guys penetrate, disrupt and make plays.

Linebackers (B-) — Probably Jerod Mayo's best game with nine solo tackles. And a giant effort from Gary Guyton. Still, linebackers are supposed to make plays - sacks, fumbles, interceptions. The fact that Junior Seau was even on the field long enough to make two tackles tells you about the state of this group.

Defensive backs (F) — Chad Henne threw for 205 yards in the first half and 335 yards overall. Imagine if he didn't flat-out miss seven wide-open receivers. This group would have Pats' fans mistaking Ellis Hobbs III for Mike Haynes.

Coaching (C-) — Was it ignorance or arrogance that had Bill Belichick eschew the field goal late in the first half? Morris getting stonewalled was not exactly the shining moment of Belichick's Hall of Fame career.

Hot Reads

0 marks the spot

We're talking zero here, as in:

0 points by the Patriots in the final two minutes of the first or second half all season.

0 wins by the Pats in an opponents' stadium this year.

0 wins in two tries after Thanksgiving, a time when Belichick has dominated as a head coach here.

0 chance of a No. 1 or 2 seed, meaning no playoff bye and a road game a week before the AFC title game.

Mayo watch

New Englanders love to point to Mayo as a budding defensive superstar. Yesterday, Mayo delivered a solid nine solo tackles, his most productive effort this year.

Or was it?

On those plays, the Dolphins gained an average of 7.7 yards per try. Mayo's struggles, as well as those of the secondary, highlight the key stat of the day which Miami's 10-of-19 conversion rate on third down plays.

Do the tighten up

The good news is that the Patriots still control their own destiny as far as the AFC East goes. Win four straight and the division is theirs.

The bad news is that Miami has a history of perfection in December, including running the table to claim the division last year. One Pats' slipup and another run by the Dolphins could shut the Pats out of the playoffs.

Here's how the combatants stack up:

Patriots (7-5, 3-2 division, 5-4 AFC) - host Carolina and Jacksonville, at Buffalo and Houston.

Dolphins (6-6, 4-2 division, 4-4 AFC) - at Jacksonville and Tennesse, host Pittsburgh and Houston.

Jets (6-6, 2-4 division, 5-5 AFC) - at Tampa and Indy, host Atlanta and Cincinnati.

Can we try to stay positive?

Three positives to come out of yesterday's crushing defeat:

1. Fringe factor — The non-core weapons stepped up with Faulk and Aiken delivering when it mattered, at least early.

2. It starts with Tom — Brady might have had a hiccup or two the past two weeks. The guy's numbers, that is wins and losses, in December and January are rivaled only by Joe Montana.

3. The road grows easier - Home games with Carolina (5-7) and Jacksonville (7-5) plus road dates at Buffalo (4-8) and Houston (5-7) all appear pretty winnable.

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