2007 New England Patriots: Almost Perfect

2007 New England Patriots: Almost Perfect

2007 New England Patriots: Almost Perfect

Not since the 1972 Miami Dolphins had a team in the NFL went through the entire regular season undefeated, and since the Dolphins accomplished their feat, many teams had tried to go undefeated, but only to fall short of the lofty goal. In 2007 the New England Patriots positioned themselves to chase history, and they almost succeeded.

The Patriots went 16-0 in 2007, easily winning the AFC East. Before the start of the season the Patriots traded 2nd and 7th Round picks in the 2007 NFL Draft to the Miami Dolphins for wide receiver Wes Welker, and then they traded a 4th Round pick to the Oakland Raiders for star wide receiver Randy Moss. Welker would have 112 receptions for 1,175 yards and 8 touchdowns while Moss had arguably the best season of his career, 98 receptions for 1,493 yards and 23 touchdowns.

Moss and Welker weren’t the only ones obtaining big numbers on offense. Wide receiver Donte’ Stallworth had 46 receptions for 697 yards and 3 touchdowns. Wide receiver Jabar Gaffney had 36 receptions for 449 yards and 5 touchdowns. Tight end Benjamin Watson had 36 receptions for 389 yards and 6 touchdowns. Running back Laurence Maroney had 835 yards off 185 rushing attempts and scored 6 touchdowns. Running back Kevin Faulk had 47 receptions for 383 yards and 1 touchdown.

Orchestrating the near flawless offense was quarterback Tom Brady, who had set career bests. Brady completed 398 of 578 pass attempts for 4,806 yards and threw a whopping 50 touchdown passes.

The Patriots also had production from its special teams units as cornerback Ellis Hobbs had 911 yards off 35 kick returns and scored 1 touchdown. Wes Welker had 25 punt returns 249 yards.

New England’s defense played just as important a role as they stopped opposing offenses from generating any momentum. Inside linebacker Tedy Bruschi led the defense with 64 tackles to go along with 2 sacks. Outside linebacker Mike Vrabel had 55 tackles, 12.5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles. Inside linebacker Adalius Thomas had 57 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 1 interception for 65 yards and 1 touchdown, and 2 forced fumbles. Inside linebacker Junior Seau had 58 tackles, 3.5 sacks and 3 interceptions. Safety James Sanders had 52 tackles, 2 interceptions, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery.

Strong safety Rodney Harrison had 54 tackles, 2 sacks and 1 interception. Defensive end Ty Warren had 4 sacks and 3 fumble recoveries. Defensive end Jarvis Green had 6.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 1 fumble recovery. Free safety Eugene Wilson had 1 interception return for 1 touchdown and 1 fumble recovery. Outside linebacker Rosevelt Colvin had 4 sacks, 1 interception, 3 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries for 1 touchdown.

Completing the regular season undefeated, the Patriots faced the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Division Round on January 12, 2008, and they would beat the Jaguars 21-10. Brady completed 26 of 28 pass attempts for 262 yards and 3 touchdowns. Maroney ran the ball well, having 122 yards off 22 rushing attempts and scored 1 touchdown.

The Jaguars would score first in the 1st quarter when quarterback David Garrard threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Matt Jones. The Patriots aggressively responded with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Benjamin Watson, and then in the 2nd quarter with 1-yard touchdown run by Laurence Maroney. Jacksonville wide receiver Ernest Wilford then caught a 6-yard touchdown pass before halftime. In the 3rd quarter Wes Welker caught a 6-yard touchdown pass. Jaguars kicker Josh Scobee kicked a 39-yard field goal, and then Watson would catch a 9-yard touchdown pass. After Scobee kicked a 25-yard field goal in the 4th quarter, Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski kicked a 35-yard field goal to keep the game out of Jacksonville’s reach.

Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts would be treated to another successful performance by the Patriots as they would defeat the San Diego Chargers 21-12 in the AFC Championship Game on January 20. Chargers kicker Nate Kaeding started the scoring with a 26-yard field goal in the 1st quarter, but then New England kicked things into high gear in the 2nd quarter. Maroney had a 1-yard touchdown run, and after Kaeding kicked another 23-yard field goal to cut the lead to 7-6, Jabar Gaffney caught a 12-yard touchdown pass to make the score 14-6. Kaeding would then kick a third field goal from 40 yards out, and then in the 3rd quarter kicked a fourth field goal from 24 yards out. The Patriots would put away the Chargers with a 6-yard touchdown pass from Brady to Welker in the 4th quarter.

The Patriots appeared to be primed to complete a historic and unprecedented season as they would play the NFC Champion New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII on February 3, 2008 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The Patriots were favored to win the Super Bowl by 12 points by the Las Vegas odds makers, and when the two teams played each other in Week 17 of the regular season on December 29 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the Patriots beat the Giants 38-35 to complete their undefeated regular season.

However, the Giants defense kept Brady in check for most of Super Bowl XLII as he would be harassed by various defensive formations, especially the “NASCAR Package” which involved defensive ends Justin Tuck, Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora. The Giants would win the Super Bowl in dramatic fashion 17-14.

Brady would complete 29 of 48 pass attempts for 266 yards and 1 touchdown while also having 1 fumble. Welker had 11 receptions for 103 yards. Randy Moss had 5 receptions for 62 yards and 1 touchdown.

While they had a bittersweet ending to their season, the New England Patriots nevertheless left a lasting mark in the NFL record books, winning 18 games in a row in convincing fashion.