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New England Patriots Statistics from NFL.com
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NFL AFC East 2005 New England Patriots
Published: 2005-09-03
2004 record: 14-2 (won AFC East)
Playoffs:
Won AFC Divisional vs. Indianapolis Colts, 20-3
Won AFC Conference at Pittsburgh Steelers, 41-27
Won Super Bowl vs. Philadelphia Eagles, 24-21
Offense:
The Patriots offense ranked 4th in the NFL in points/game (27.3), 7th in rush yards, and 11th in pass yards. The biggest change for the offense was the loss of offensive coordinator Charlie Weiss (Notre Dame), and the position responsibilities will now be on head coach Bill Belichick. The offensive line starters return, except for the loss of guard Joe Andruzzi (Cleveland Browns). However, this hole seems to have been nicely plugged with the addition of 1st round pick guard Logan Mankins (Fresno State). The wide receivers behind starters Deion Branch and David Givens have changed up. The receiver unit lost David Patten (Washington Redskins) but picked up Tim Dwight (San Diego Chargers), David Terrell (Chicago Bears), and Andre Davis (Cleveland Browns). The end result? The same as last season as the receivers are still deep with veterans. The tight ends are also deep, especially with the return of Ben Watson who missed last season to injury (knee) and should see lots of time along with Daniel Graham and Christian Fauria in ace schemes. All-pro quarterback and team leader Tom Brady (9-0 career in the post-season, NFL record for consecutive post-season wins) again has a lot of targets to hit and he will use them all. Brady should add to his post-season record but where it ends is reaching a ridiculous point. Veteran quarterback Doug Flutie (San Diego Chargers) is Brady’s new backup as Rohan Davey was released. In his first season as a Patriot, Corey Dillon broke a franchise record with 1,635 rush yards (3rd in the NFL) and also scored 13 total touchdowns. Dillon added the final piece to the offense and should provide a similar impact again this season. The Patriots had already won 2 titles before Dillon showed up. The offense, despite the changes, haven’t changed much and remains a very well-rounded team. If Belichick thinks he’s the best man for the coordinator spot, then he’s probably right. Who wouldn’t want to be the OC of this offense?
Defense:
The Patriots defense tied 2nd in the NFL in points/game (16.3), tied 3rd in sacks, ranked 6th against the run, and 17th against the pass. Eric Mangini gets promoted to defensive coordinator for the departed Romeo Crennel (Head Coach Cleveland Browns). The front 3 are one of the league’s best trios. All-pro Richard Seymour, Ty Warren, and Vince Wilfork are solid against the run and pass. The linebacker unit took a big blow by losing both inside starters, defensive leader Tedy Bruschi (stroke) and Ted Johnson (retired). To counter, the Patriots added talented but injury prone Chad Brown (Seattle Seahawks) and Monty Beisel (Kansas City Chiefs). Strong safety Rodney Harrison may now have assumed Bruschi’s leadership role but it does not seem likely that Bruschi’s playmaking and Johnson’s run stuffing will be replaced by Brown and Beisel. The outside linebackers are deep and remain unchanged from last year. The starting secondary returns in check and has more depth with the return of cornerback Tyrone Poole (missed 11 games, knee) and the addition of Chad Scott (Pittsburgh Steelers). Wide receiver Troy Brown should no longer be needed to fill in. Cornerback Ty Law (New York Jets) was lost in free agency but did not play for most of last season due to a broken foot. The Patriots apparently didn’t miss him, however, they’ll get to see Law twice a year, with the team they didn’t want to see him go to.
Overall:
Belichick’s Patriots set an NFL record with 21 consecutive wins over 2 seasons and have now entered the elite “dynasty” zip code, something that wasn’t supposed to happen in the modern era. The Patriots just know how to win (on the road, post-season, etc.) and it seems unlikely that a field of grass vs. turf scenario is going to change anything. The Pats are still the team to beat in the NFL. Prediction: 1st in AFC East.
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Betting Odds
| Odds to Win: | |
Open | |
Line | |
Bet365 | |
VipSports | |
BetCris | |
Sportsbook911 | |
| Super Bowl XL | |
4/1 | |
3.5/1 | |
7/1 | |
5.5/1 | |
n/a | |
6.25/1 | |
| AFC Conference | |
2/1 | |
2/1 | |
4.33/1 | |
3.5/1 | |
n/a | |
3.5/1 | |
| AFC East | |
2/5 | |
2/5 | |
1.44/1 | |
1/2 | |
n/a | |
-235 | |
(as of 9/03/05)
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2005 New England Patriots Schedule
Preseason
Fri, Aug 12 at Cincinnati W 23-13
Thu, Aug 18 New Orleans L 27-37
Fri, Aug 26 at Green Bay W 27-3
Thu, Sep 1 NY Giants L 3-27
Regular Season Schedule
WK DATE OPPONENT TV TIME (ET)
1 Thu, Sep 8 Oakland 9:00 PM
2 Sun, Sep 18 at Carolina 1:00 PM
3 Sun, Sep 25 at Pittsburgh 4:15 PM
4 Sun, Oct 2 San Diego 1:00 PM
5 Sun, Oct 9 at Atlanta 1:00 PM
6 Sun, Oct 16 at Denver 4:15 PM
7 BYE WEEK
8 Sun, Oct 30 Buffalo 8:30 PM
9 Mon, Nov 7 Indianapolis 9:00 PM
10 Sun, Nov 13 at Miami 1:00 PM
11 Sun, Nov 20 New Orleans 1:00 PM
12 Sun, Nov 27 at Kansas City 1:00 PM
13 Sun, Dec 4 NY Jets 4:15 PM
14 Sun, Dec 11 at Buffalo 1:00 PM
15 Sat, Dec 17 Tampa Bay 1:30 PM
16 Mon, Dec 26 at NY Jets 9:00 PM
17 Sun, Jan 1 Miami 1:00 PM
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