New England Patriots Season In Review

By: Hunter Kossodo

The New England Patriots entered training camp coming off of a Super Bowl appearance the following year and featuring one of the most explosive offenses in NFL history.

Led by future first-ballot Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady, this offense included two of the most dynamic tight ends in the game, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, as well as receivers Wes Welker and Brandon Lloyd. Even the offensive line was a group expected to be one of the strongest coming into the 2012 season. The defense, which was arguably the worst in the entire NFL the following season, was bolstered by six of their seven draft picks including two first-round picks, defensive end Chandler Jones and linebacker Dont’a Hightower.

New England’s status as a Super Bowl favorite was quickly affirmed in their 34-13 Week 1 victory over the Tennessee Titans, in which both their offense and defense shined. The offense produced 398 yards of total offense and 3 scores while the defense also pitched in a touchdown with Hightower’s 6 yard fumble return.

However, the rest of the season would not be smooth sailing for the Patriots. They would lose to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2 after a missed chip shot field goal by Stephen Gostkowski, their first loss in a home opener since Gillette Stadium opened in 2002.

New England would lose again the very next week to an emotionally charged Baltimore Ravens team following the death of WR Torrey Smith’s brother. At 1-2, this would be the first time the Patriots had been below .500 since starting the 2003 season 0-1.

All of a sudden, the Patriots went on a tear, winning nine of their next ten games, ending with a 42-14 win over the then 11-1 Houston Texans on Monday Night Football. During this stretch, the Patriots averaged 39 points per game, but the story of their midseason was a change made on the defensive side of the ball.

When the Patriots dealt their fourth-round pick to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for cornerback Aqib Talib, he was in the middle of a four-week suspension. After serving the last two weeks of his suspension, he made an immediate impact in the Patriots week 11 win over the Colts, where he had an interception return for a touchdown. Talib, thought to be a risky pickup for the Patriots, paid dividends for them in the end and brought much-needed stability in the secondary.

In their Week 15 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, the Patriots almost mounted a late game comeback after being down 31-10 by the start of the 4^th quarter. They would come up just short, eventually losing the game 41-34.

Despite the ugly loss, New England finished strong and won their next two games, ending the season with a 12-4 record and securing a bye week in the first round of the playoffs.

Entering the postseason with the No. 2 seed and a bye week, the Patriots were thought to be one of the favorites to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl along with Denver. With the dismantling of the Houston Texans in the divisional round, as well as Denver’s surprise loss to the Ravens, the Patriots were now the clear favorite to advance to the Super Bowl.

The Ravens were just as motivated as when they faced off in the AFC Championship Game. They were now playing for Ray Lewis, the face of that Baltimore franchise since 1996, who announced his retirement following the end of the regular season.

The Patriots figuratively ran into a brick wall, as they could never get into any rhythm on offense and the defense was torched by Ravens QB Joe Flacco, who threw for 240 yards and 3 touchdowns with no interceptions in the Ravens’ 28-13 win. Tom Brady threw two interceptions off of tipped passes and neither of the Patriots running backs could find any rushing room. Instead they found Bernard Pollard, who extended his “Patriots-killer” streak with a crushing hit on Stevan Ridley, which caused a fumble and caused Ridley to miss the rest of the game.

That play summed up the AFC Championship game.

Even though this season was not seen as a success by the Patriots players and the New England fanbase for failing to even reach the Super Bowl, there was a lot to be excited about. The 2012 season was a coming-out party for running back Stevan Ridley, who rushed for 1,263 yards and 12 touchdowns on the season. This was the first season since Corey Dillon in 2004 in which a Patriots running back had rushed for over 1,000 yards.

2012 was also a big year for Bill Belichick, whose 205 career wins ties him with Marty Schottenheimer for sixth all time. Belichick also notched his 18^th career postseason victory, which is good for third in the all time list, behind only Tom Landry and Don Shula.

Tom Brady also racked up the accolades, including moving past the legendary Joe Montana for most playoff wins by a quarterback.

The Patriots still boast a powerful and well-balanced offense, albeit aging, as well as a young defense that will only get better with experience so they figure to be one of the Super Bowl favorites come next season.

Yet, there is an increasing sense of urgency for the New England Patriots to keep making Super Bowl runs, as it seems that there will only be a handful of years left of 35-year-old Tom Brady and the 60-year-old Bill Belichick leading New England.

Super Bowl XLVII Picks

With Super Bowl XLVII kicking off in less than 24 hours, here are picks from four of the writers on Top Shelf:

Kevin Brozek: Ravens 24, 49ers 13 (MVP: Ray Lewis)

Personally, I see this one going to the Ravens, who are led by one of the hungriest players in the game in LB Ray Lewis. As a defensive unit, we have seen the Ravens consistently rally behind their retiring linebacker to the point where they seem unstoppable. The emotional level of the game will certainly affect who will walk away with the trophy. I also believe that offensively, 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick has not been effectively presented with the level of pressure the Super Bowl offers. Ravens QB Joe Flacco is more than ready to prove himself as an elite quarterback, and rise to lead his offense to a strong game. Overall, the Baltimore Ravens are an emotionally supercharged team, ready to rally behind their star linebacker and take it to the 49ers.

Clint Cavey: Ravens 24, 49ers 17 (MVP: Ray Lewis)

Super Bowl XLVII could go down as one of the more interesting Super Bowl to date, if it hasn’t already. For the Ravens to win this game, which I believe they will, it rests on the shoulders of QB Joe Flacco. RB Ray Rice will get around 75 yards on the ground against the brutal Niners defense; Flacco will need to pick apart the same defense over the air if the Ravens are to win. Flacco will outperform his QB counterpart, Colin Kaepernick, whom I predict will make multiple mistakes. With Kaepernick struggling, the 49ers will rely on Gore, who will get around 100 yards. This also relates to kicking field goals, which Akers will miss at least one. The MVP of this game will be Ray Lewis, who in all honestly needs the Ravens to win and only 5 tackles to win this award.

Hunter Kossodo: Ravens 24, 49ers 20 (MVP: Joe Flacco)

Joe Flacco has not thrown a single interception in the postseason. The Baltimore Ravens, known for their stout defense, allowed only 13 points from the New England Patriots and their league-best offense in the AFC Championship Game. On the other side of the ball, the Ravens’ offense has put up 90 points in their three postseason games combined. It seems the entire Ravens team has been playing at another level ever since LB Ray Lewis announced that this would be his final year. The last time the San Francisco 49ers faced a defense this strong, they were on the wrong end of a 42-13 beat down against Seattle. The 49ers are also a well-balanced team and great in all phases of the game like the Ravens, but dual-threat quarterback Colin Kaepernick will find little running room against Terrell Suggs, Lewis and the Ravens defense, forcing him to rely on his arm. Kaepernick is a solid passer, but he hasn’t even started 10 games in his career yet and the stage might be too big for him. Look for Joe Flacco to capture the MVP trophy simply because he has to have an MVP-type performance to beat this vaunted 49ers defense.

Chris Schubert: Ravens 27, 49ers 13 (MVP: Ray Rice)

In a battle of two great defenses, the offensives are going to be a key. Flacco vs. Kaepernick, Rice vs. Gore, and Moss vs. Boldin are the match ups people need to watch for. The big key: getting Ravens RB Ray Rice involved early. He's the key to the offense; his play will dictate the play of Flacco and the rest of the offense. His big day will lead the Ravens to holding up that Lombardi Trophy.