2012 New England Patriots season

2012 New England Patriots season
Head coach	Bill Belichick
Owner	Robert Kraft
Home field	Gillette Stadium
Results
Record	12–4
Division place	1st AFC East
Playoff finish	Won Divisional Playoffs (Texans) 41–28 Lost AFC Championship (Ravens) 28–13
Pro Bowlers	Tom Brady, QB Wes Welker, WR Matthew Slater, WR Rob Gronkowski, TE Logan Mankins, G Vince Wilfork, DT Jerod Mayo, LB
Uniform

The 2012 New England Patriots season was the franchise's 43rd season in the National Football League and 53rd overall. The Patriots did not improve upon their 13–3 record, finishing at 12–4, but did win the AFC East for the fourth season in a row, and a first-round bye as one of the top two seeds in the AFC for the third consecutive year. This season marks head coach Bill Belichick's 13th season as Patriots head coach, and the 11th season in which the Patriots played all of their home games at Gillette Stadium.

The 2012 Patriots featured a prolific offense that broke the record for first downs in a season, with 444, and finished third all-time in scoring, with 557 points, finishing only behind the 2011 Green Bay Packers and their previous 2007 record setting season. Additionally, this was the third consecutive season that the Patriots exceeded 500 points scored, which tied the record set by the 1999– 2001 St. Louis Rams. The Patriots also ranked first in the league with a turnover margin of +25.^[1]

The Patriots' 12-win season marked their tenth consecutive 10-win season, a feat exceeded only by the San Francisco 49ers' streak of 16, from 1983 to 1998, and their twelfth consecutive winning season. However, on January 20, 2013, they were defeated by the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game, marking their first AFC title game loss at home.

Offseason

On May 15, Wes Welker signed his franchise tender of 1 year for $9.5 million. He was still permitted to negotiate a long term deal until July 15, which passed, and a new contract cannot be negotiated until the end of the season.^[2] Looking for a replacement of Chad Ochocinco who struggled, The Patriots signed Brandon Lloyd. Looking to replace BenJarvus Green-Ellis, the Patriots signed Joseph Addai. When Joseph Addai was released, Shane Vereen moved up to the 3 runningback split.

2012 NFL Draft

The Patriots traded their fifth-round selection and a 2013 sixth-round selection to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for wide receiver Chad Johnson.^[3] They also tried to improve their defense when they traded their fifth-round selection to the Washington Redskins for defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth and their sixth-round selection to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for linebacker Tracy White and the Eagles' seventh-round selection.^[4] The Patriots also traded two seventh-round selections—one to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for safety Jarrad Page,^[5] and another to the Minnesota Vikings along with Randy Moss in exchange for a 2011 third-round selection.^[6]

2012 New England Patriots Draft Selections

Round	Overall	Player	Position	College
1[7]	21[a]	Chandler Jones	Defensive End	Syracuse
	25[b]	Dont'a Hightower	Linebacker	Alabama
2	48[c]	Tavon Wilson	Safety	Illinois
3	90 [d]	Jake Bequette	Defensive End	Arkansas
6	197[d]	Nate Ebner	Defensive Back	Ohio State
7	224[e]	Alfonzo Dennard	Cornerback	Nebraska
	235[d]	Jeremy Ebert	Wide Receiver	Northwestern

NOTES:

^{^[a]} The Patriots traded up to acquire pick 21 from the Bengals

^{^[b]} The Patriots traded up to acquire pick 25 from the Broncos

^{^[c]} The Patriots acquired the Raiders' second-round selection and a 2011 seventh-round selection in a trade for the Patriots' 2011 third- and fourth-round selections. ProFootballWeekly.com summary

^{^[d]} Third, sixth and seventh round picks from the Packers.

^{^[e]} From Jets through Packers.

Staff

2012 New England Patriots staff
	Front office Chairman/CEO – Robert Kraft President – Jonathan Kraft Senior Football Advisor – Floyd Reese Director of Player Personnel – Nick Caserio Director of College Scouting – Jon Robinson Director of Pro Scouting – Bob Quinn Assistant Director of College Scouting – Monti Ossenfort Football Research Director – Ernie Adams Head coaches Head Coach – Bill Belichick Offensive coaches Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks – Josh McDaniels Running Backs – Ivan Fears Wide Receivers – Chad O'Shea Tight Ends – George Godsey Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line – Dante Scarnecchia Brian Daboll			Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator – Matt Patricia Defensive Line – Patrick Graham Linebackers – Pepper Johnson Cornerbacks – Josh Boyer Safeties – Brian Flores Special teams coaches Special Teams – Scott O'Brien Special Teams Assistant – Joe Judge Strength and conditioning Strength and Conditioning – Harold Nash Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Moses Cabrera

Final roster

2012 New England Patriots final roster
	Quarterbacks 12 Tom Brady 15 Ryan Mallett Running backs 38 Brandon Bolden 22 Stevan Ridley 34 Shane Vereen 39 Danny Woodhead Wide receivers 16 Kamar Aiken 84 Deion Branch 85 Brandon Lloyd 18 Matthew Slater KR 83 Wes Welker PR Tight ends 86 Daniel Fells 87 Rob Gronkowski 81 Aaron Hernandez 47 Michael Hoomanawanui FB		Offensive linemen 61 Marcus Cannon T/G 63 Dan Connolly G 70 Logan Mankins G 65 Nick McDonald C/G 77 Nate Solder T 64 Donald Thomas G 76 Sebastian Vollmer T 62 Ryan Wendell C 66 Markus Zusevics T/G Defensive linemen 92 Jake Bequette DE 96 Jermaine Cunningham DE/DT 71 Brandon Deaderick DT 94 Justin Francis DE/DT 98 Marcus Forston DT 95 Chandler Jones DE 74 Kyle Love DT 50 Rob Ninkovich DE/OLB 99 Trevor Scott DE 75 Vince Wilfork DT		Linebackers 54 Dont'a Hightower OLB 90 Niko Koutouvides MLB 51 Jerod Mayo OLB 59 Mike Rivera MLB 55 Brandon Spikes MLB 58 Tracy White OLB Defensive backs 24 Kyle Arrington CB 25 Patrick Chung SS 23 Marquice Cole CB 37 Alfonzo Dennard CB 43 Nate Ebner SS 28 Steve Gregory SS/FS 26 Derrick Martin CB 32 Devin McCourty FS/CB/KR 31 Aqib Talib CB 41 Malcolm Williams CB 27 Tavon Wilson FS Special teams 48 Danny Aiken LS  3 Stephen Gostkowski K 14 Zoltan Mesko P		Reserve lists -- Will Allen FS/CB (IR) 88 Jake Ballard TE (PUP) -- Josh Barrett SS (IR) 42 Jeff Demps RB (IR) 21 Ras-I Dowling CB (IR) 11 Julian Edelman WR (IR) -- Tony Fiammetta FB (Left Squad) 52 Dane Fletcher MLB (IR) 87 Rob Gronkowski TE (IR) 82 Brad Herman TE (IR) -- Kyle Hix OT (IR) -- Spencer Larsen FB (IR) 91 Myron Pryor DT (PUP) -- Jamey Richard C/G (IR) 19 Donté Stallworth WR (IR) -- Brian Waters G (Did Not Report) Practice squad 46 James Develin FB 17 Jeremy Ebert WR 13 Andre Holmes WR 69 Colin Miller C 30 Cyhl Quarles SS 93 Tracy Robertson DT 53 Jeff Tarpinian OLB Rookies in italics 53 Active, 16 Inactive, 7 Practice squad

Schedule

Preseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	NFL.com recap
1	August 9	New Orleans Saints	W 7–6	1–0	Gillette Stadium	Recap
2	August 20	Philadelphia Eagles	L 17–27	1–1	Gillette Stadium	Recap
3	August 24	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	L 28–30	1–2	Raymond James Stadium	Recap
4	August 29	at New York Giants	L 3–6	1–3	MetLife Stadium	Recap

Regular season

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	NFL.com recap
1	September 9	at Tennessee Titans	W 34–13	1–0	LP Field	Recap
2	September 16	Arizona Cardinals	L 18–20	1–1	Gillette Stadium	Recap
3	September 23	at Baltimore Ravens	L 30–31	1–2	M&T Bank Stadium	Recap
4	September 30	at Buffalo Bills	W 52–28	2–2	Ralph Wilson Stadium	Recap
5	October 7	Denver Broncos	W 31–21	3–2	Gillette Stadium	Recap
6	October 14	at Seattle Seahawks	L 23–24	3–3	CenturyLink Field	Recap
7	October 21	New York Jets	W 29–26 (OT)	4–3	Gillette Stadium	Recap
8	October 28	at St. Louis Rams	W 45–7	5–3	Wembley Stadium (London, England)	Recap
9	Bye
10	November 11	Buffalo Bills	W 37–31	6–3	Gillette Stadium	Recap
11	November 18	Indianapolis Colts	W 59–24	7–3	Gillette Stadium	Recap
12	November 22	at New York Jets	W 49–19	8–3	MetLife Stadium	Recap
13	December 2	at Miami Dolphins	W 23–16	9–3	Sun Life Stadium	Recap
14	December 10	Houston Texans	W 42–14	10–3	Gillette Stadium	Recap
15	December 16	San Francisco 49ers	L 34–41	10–4	Gillette Stadium	Recap
16	December 23	at Jacksonville Jaguars	W 23–16	11–4	EverBank Field	Recap
17	December 30	Miami Dolphins	W 28–0	12–4	Gillette Stadium	Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings

AFC East
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
(2) New England Patriots	12	4	0	.750	6–0	11–1	557	331	W2
Miami Dolphins	7	9	0	.438	2–4	5–7	288	317	L1
New York Jets	6	10	0	.375	2–4	4–8	281	375	L3
Buffalo Bills	6	10	0	.375	2–4	5–7	344	435	W1

Regular season results

Week 1: at Tennessee Titans

With the win, the Patriots not only started the season at 1–0 but they also won their ninth straight season opener. Tom Brady threw for 236 yards and two touchdowns, and the defending AFC champion Patriots routed the Tennessee Titans at LP Field by a score of 34–13.

The Titans received the opening kickoff and marched 70 yards to draw first blood. A key play came on 4th-and-1 at the Patriots 37. Jake Locker completed a 24-yard pass to Nate Washington advancing to the Patriots 13. However, the drive stalled and Rob Bironas kicked a 28-yard field goal for the 3-0 lead. After both teams punted, the Patriots stormed 67 yards to take the lead on a 23-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Hernandez. Rookie safety Tavon Wilson intercepted Locker at the Patriots 3-yard line. The Titans momentarily dodged a bullet by forcing the Patriots to punt, but on 3rd-and-13 at their own 7, Locker was strip-sacked by rookie Chandler Jones with fellow rookie Dont'a Hightower recovering for a touchdown, making the score 14-3. The Titans offense continued to sputter as they punted again. The Patriots took advantage marching 67 yards to score om a 2-yard touchdown pass from Brady to Rob Gronkowski, extending their lead to 21-3, at halftime, after the play was upheld by replay. After forcing the Patriots to punt, the Titans struck on a 29-yard touchdown reception by Nate Washington, trimming the deficit to 21-10. After both teams punted, Stevan Ridley ran in a 1-yard touchdown to end a 48-yard touchdown drive, extending the lead to 28-10. The Titans took their next drive 96 yards in just under seven minutes to trim the deficit back to two scores on a 24-yard field goal. The Patriots responded on their very next drive, extending the lead to 31-13. Following a Titans turnover on downs, Gostkowski scored the final points on a 31-yard field goal. Second year running back Ridley for 125 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries and the Patriots offense was nearly flawless.

Week 2: vs. Arizona Cardinals

With the loss the Patriots fell to 1–1, 10–1 in home openers at Gillette Stadium, and 18–3 against NFC opponents at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots offense was lethargic all day long against a dominant Arizona defense, until late in the 4th Quarter, as Tom Brady hit TE Rob Gronkowski for a chance to tie the game. However, the 2-point conversion attempt failed, and the scoreline retained a 2-point lead to the visitors, 20–18. On the ensuing drive, however, Cardinals RB Ryan Williams fumbled with 1:01 left, giving the Patriots the ball on the Cardinals 30-yard line. Danny Woodhead took a 30-yard rushing play into the endzone, but the score was nullified by a holding call on Gronkowski. The Patriots elected to attempt a seemingly routine 42-yard field goal to win the game, but Stephen Gostkowski's kick went wide left, sealing an upset win for Arizona, and a rare loss at home for Bill Belichick's side.

Week 3: at Baltimore Ravens

The Patriots were hoping to stave off a losing streak and rebound from their loss to the Cardinals in this rematch of the AFC Championship. After both teams initial possession ended in punts, the Patriots drove to the Ravens 19 before settling for a Gostkowski field goal. On the first play of the Ravens' next drive, Steve Gregory intercepted Joe Flacco at the 42 and returned it 36 yards to the Ravens 6-yard line. Three plays later Brandon Bolden ran in a 2-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 10-0. Following another Ravens punt, the Patriots may have missed a chance to put the game away. After driving to the Ravens 27, an offensive pass interference penalty on Rob Gronkowski moved the ball to the Ravens 30. Then, a 19-yard reception on 2-and-11 was nullified by an offensive pass interference penalty moved the ball back to the Ravens 40, eventually ending in a 49-yard Gostkowski field goal, keeping the Ravens in the game. This time the Ravens finally managed a response driving 80 yards to score to score on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Flacco to Torrey Smith, trimming the score to 13-7. On the drive, Jerod Mayo was called for pass interference on 3rd-and-6 and Flacco completed a 14-yard pass on 3rd-and-13. Following a Patriots punt, the Ravens marched 92 yards in over 6 minutes to take a 14-13 lead on a 20-yard touchdown reception by Dennis Pitta. However, the Patriots took the lead right back marching 81 yards and never faced a third-down, taking the lead on a 7-yard touchdown reception by Edelman for a 20-14 halftime lead. In the second half the Ravens took the opening drive 80 yards and scored on a 7-yard touchdown run by Ray Rice to allow Baltimore to retake a 21–20 lead. Again the Patriots took the lead right back on a 12 play, 78-yard march to take a 27–21 lead on a 3-yard touchdown run by Danny Woodhead. Following a Ravens punt the Patriots drove all the way to the Ravens 2-yard line, but had to settle for a 20-yard field goal, making the score 30-21 early in the fourth quarter. The Ravens proceeded to drive to the Patriots -33, but went for it on 4th-and-1 instead og kicking the field goal and Bernard Pierce was tackled for a loss. The Ravens forced a punt and Flacco engineered a 92-yard touchdown drive to trim the lead to 30–28 with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Smith. On the Patriots ensuing possession, Brady was intercepted by Ladarius Webb, but Webb was flagged for illegal contact and the Patriots retained possession. They reached the Ravens- 44, but on 2nd-and-9, Brady was sacked for a 7-yard loss moving the ball back to the Patriots- 49, and his 3rd-down pass was incomplete. Taking over at their own 21 with 1:55 to go, Flacco hit Jacoby Jones for a 24-yard Again. Baltimore was able to reach the Patriots- 34 where Flacco threw an incompletion on 3rd-and-9, but Devin McCourty was flagged for pass interference, moving the ball to the 7-yard line. Justin Tucker kicked a field goal that appeared to miss wide right, but was ruled good and the Ravens won 31–30.

With this loss New England fell to 1–2. The Ravens not only avenged the AFC Championship defeat by winning their first-ever regular season meeting against their opponent, but the Patriots faced their first sub-.500 record in 145 games since starting the 2003 season 0–1 against the Buffalo Bills, and also stumbled to their first 1–2 start since 2001. This was the fourth time in the previous ten seasons the Pats had lost consecutive games. Also, in what turned out to be the replacement officials' next-to-last game officiating, the game was marred by a series of questionable calls that eventually provoked the Ravens fans to start chanting derogatory words towards the referees; Patriots coach Bill Belichick was seen to try to grab one of the officials as they were scurrying from the field.

The Patriots were one of six 2011 season playoff teams to be under .500 after their first three games; the others were the Steelers, Broncos, Lions, Packers, and Saints (who were sitting at 0–3 by this time).

Week 4: at Buffalo Bills

In the Patriots' 52–28 win over the Buffalo Bills, they became only the second team in NFL history—after the 2008 Green Bay Packers—to have two players with 100 yards receiving (Welker and Gronkowski) and two players with 100 yards rushing (Bolden and Ridley) in the same game.^[8]

The Patriots trailed 21-7 nearly four minutes into the 2nd half after a Donald Jones 68-yard touchdown for the Bills. From there Patriots erupted to 35 unanswered points, and 45 points in the second half in total to crush the Bills. Brady threw for 340 yards and 3 touchdowns while Bolden (137 yards, 1 touchdown) and Ridley (106 yards, 2 touchdowns) chimed in to make it the most points the Patriots had scored since 2009 as the team improved to 2–2.

Week 5: vs. Denver Broncos

Coming off their win in Buffalo against the Bills, the Patriots returned to Foxborough to host the Denver Broncos, and Peyton Manning. This was the 13th meeting between quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tom Brady since 2001, and the 17th overall meeting between Manning and the Patriots. The Broncos started off strong, driving from their own 16 to their own 47 and were on the verge of taking the early lead when Manning connected with Demaryius Thomas for 43 yards, but Sterling Moore (the AFC Championship Game hero from the year before) punched the ball loose, recovered, and returned 14 yards to the Patriots 17. After both teams exchanged punts, The Patriots struck first blood, with Brady connecting on an 8-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Wes Welker to cap off an 84-yard drive. The Broncos responded on the very next drive as they drove 80 yards in 10 plays. On 3rd-and-6, Manning threw an incomplete pass intended for Eric Decker, but Devin McCourty was called for pass interference, moving the ball to the 1-yard line. On the very next play, Manning hit Joel Dreessen for a 1-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter. However, the Patriots reeled off 24 unanswered points. The ambush began on the Patriots ensuing possession, with the Patriots driving a lengthy 80 yards in 14 plays scoring on running back Shane Vereen's 1-yard rushing touchdown. Following a Broncos punt, the Patriots marched on a drawn-out 16 play, 93 yard drive to the Broncos 1-yard line, but on 3rd-and-goal Brandon Bolden was tackled for a 4-yard loss by Von Miller. They settled for a 23-yard field goal by placekicker Stephen Gostkowski just before halftime. After swapping punts on their first possession of the 2nd half, the Patriots drained the Broncos already tired defense for a 16 play 95 yard drive with Brady scoring a 1-yard touchdown on a quarterback sneak. Peyton Manning lost a fumble on the next drive and after a pass interference penalty on the Broncos and a holding on the Patriots, Stevan Ridley rushed for an 8-yard touchdown making the score a 31-7 romp. The Broncos responded by immediately storming 90 yards in 10 plays with Manning throwing a 2-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Eric Decker. Early in the 4th quarter, both teams turned the ball over on downs. Peyton throwing an incomplete pass on 4th-and-1 at the Patriots 47 and Tom Brady sacked for 11 yards on 4th-and-5. Following that, the Broncos took over at the Patriots 43 and Peyton drove them 43 yards, throwing on every play, connecting with wide receiver Brandon Stokley to close the gap to 31–21 with 6:43 remaining. The Patriots next drive lasted only three plays. Ridley's first rush for 4 yards set a new career high of 129 yards. A 20-yard run on the next play moved the ball to the Broncos 37, but on the next play Ridley was stripped by Von Miller with Mike Adams recovering. The Broncos stormed to the Patriots 14-yard line in just 5 plays. However, running back Willis McGahee was stripped by Rob Ninkovich with 3:48 remaining, halting the Broncos' rally attempt. The Patriots subsequently ran out the clock.

Tom Brady improved his head-to-head record against Peyton Manning to 9–4.

With the legendary QB battle between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning renewed, the Patriots would take the first game as the team improved to 3–2.

Week 6: at Seattle Seahawks

Coming off their win against Denver, the Patriots flew to Seattle to play their only game on the west coast of the season. After starting the first half with a 17–10 lead, the Patriots would only score two field goals in the second half. With 7:21 remaining in the fourth quarter, Russell Wilson connected with Braylon Edwards for a 10-yard TD pass to get the Seahawks to 23–17. After forcing the Patriots to go three and out twice, the Seahawks got the ball back and Wilson connected with Sidney Rice for a 46-Yard TD, taking the lead 24–23 with 1:18 remaining. With the surprising loss, the Patriots fell to 3–3. The loss also leaves them 0–2 against the NFC West.

Week 7: vs. New York Jets

The Patriots played a wild back-and-forth game against the rival Jets in what would be their only overtime contest of the season. The Jets came back from 10 points down to take a 26–23 lead late in the fourth quarter, the last 3 points following a fumble by kickoff returner Devin McCourty deep in Patriots territory. Brady responded by driving the Patriots down the field to set up Gostkowski's tying field goal on the final play of regulation. In overtime, Gostkowski put the Patriots ahead with a 48-yard field goal on the opening possession, and defensive end Rob Ninkovich sealed the victory by strip-sacking Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez and recovering the fumble. With the win, the Patriots improved to 4–3.

Week 8: at St. Louis Rams

The Patriots faced the St. Louis Rams in London in a rematch of Super Bowl XXXVI. This time, the matchup proved lopsided. After receiving the opening kickoff, short passes to Steven Jackson and Austin Pettis moved the ball to the Rams-44. Next, back-to-back Jackson rushes moved the ball to midfield. On the next play Sam Bradford thew a 50-yard touchdown strike to Chris Givens for a 7-0 lead. The Rams wouldn't score again. On the Patriots opening drive, facing a 3rd-and-2, Brady threw a screen pass to Danny Woodhead for a 24-yard gain to the Rams 28. Three plays later he hit Brandon Lloyd for a 19-yard touchdown, extending his streak to 40 consecutive games with a touchdown pass. After a Rams punt the Patriots drove the 1-yard line. However, the Rams forced a 4th-and-goal at the 1 before finally breaking with Shane Vereen scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to take the lead early in the 2nd quarter. After another punt the Patriots began to put the game away with Brady throwing a 7-yard touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski to finish a 78-yard drive, increasing the lead to 21-7. Gronkowski celebrated the touchdown by acting like a castle guard before spiking the ball. The Rams reached the Patriots 35-yard line, but turned the ball over on downs after a fake field goal attempt went awry. Taking over at their own 44, the Patriots drove 56 yards to score on a Stevan Ridley 1-yard touchdown run with just :10 seconds left in the half. The Patriots took the opening kick-off off the second half and drove 80 yards with Brady throwing a 9-yard touchdown pass to Lloyd, increasing their lead to 35-7. After a Rams' three-and-out, Gostkowski increased the lead to 38-7. The Rams last three drives ended with: a turnover on downs and two Bradford interceptions. A Brady touchdown pass to Gronkowski closed the scoring for a 45-7 final. Brady threw for 304 yards and 4 touchdowns, 2 each to Lloyd and Gronkowski. The Patriots improved to 2–0 in games played in London, having defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers there in 2009.

With the huge win, the Patriots went into their bye week at 5–3, but only 1–2 against the NFC West.

Week 9 Bye Week

On November 1 in a deadline deal, New England shipped a 2013 4th round pick to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for cornerback Aqib Talib and a 2013 7th round pick.

Week 10: vs. Buffalo Bills

The Patriots built leads of 10–0, 24–10, and 31–17, but were unable to put the underdog Bills away until the final seconds of the game. After Buffalo's defense made a late red zone stand to hold New England to a field goal and preserve their one-score deficit, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick drove the Bills to the Patriots' 15-yard line with 23 seconds to play. However, McCourty intercepted Fitzpatrick's next pass in the end zone, and the Patriots were able to run out the clock.

With the win, the Patriots improved to 6–3 on the season and 11–0 against the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium.

Week 11: vs. Indianapolis Colts

The 6–3 Patriots played the 6–3 Indianapolis Colts and their rookie quarterback Andrew Luck. Though both offenses were potent, the Patriots ran roughshod over the Colts.

The Colts took the opening drive 80 yards to score on a 1-yard touchdown run by Delone Carter. The Patriots, however, answered right back marching 81 yards to score on Brady's 4-yard touchdown pass(his 42nd consecutive game with a touchdown pass). The Colts stormed right back 84 yards to score on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Luck to T.Y. Hilton. The Patriots reached the Colts 18 early in the second quarter, but Gostkowski shanked a 36-yard field goal. After forcing a Colts three-and-out, Julian Edelman ran back the punt for a 68-yard touchdown, tying the game at 14. On the Colts responding drive, Aqib Talib in his first game with New England following a trade from Tampa Bay intercepted Luck and ran it back for a 59-yard touchdown, giving the Patriots a 21-14 lead. The Colts reached the Patriots -29 on their next possession and Adam Vinatieri was good from 47 yards. The Patriots drove all the way to the Colts- 13, but could only add a 31-yard field goal for a 24-17 lead. The Colts attempted a 58-yard field goal right before halftime, but Vinatieri was no good and the score remained 24-17. The Patriots received the opening kick-off of the second half and stormed 76 yards to score on a 2-yard touchdown connection of Brady-to-Edelman, increasing the lead to 31-17. The Colts almost caught a break when Darius Bulter forced Wes Welker to fumble, but the ball rolled out og bounds, and the Patriots retained possession. After both teams swapped punts, Luck was stripped-sacked by Rob Ninkovich at the Colts 24-yard line. On the very first play Brady connected with Gronkowski for a touchdown, increasing the lead to 38-17. The Colts just couldn't catch a break though. The Colts reached the Patriots 23-yard line on their next drive, but Luck was intercepted by Kyle Arrington at the 13, and he returned it 87 yards for a touchdown om the first play of the fourth quarter, increasing the lead to 45-17. The Colts finally responded with Luck throwing a 43-yard touchdown to T.Y. Hilton to cut the score to 45–24. However, the Patriots couldn't be stopped. The Patriots raced 80 more yards against an overwhelmed Colts defensive, scoring on Ridley's 1-yard touchdown run. After a Colts punt the Patriots tallied the final points with a Vereen 4-yard touchdown run. Rob Gronkowski suffered a freak arm injury on kick-protection on a late PAT in the 59–24 Patriots win.

Luck completed only 27/50 for 334 yards and 2 touchdowns but 4 interceptions. Hilton was his leading receiver with 6 catches for 100 yards. Vic Ballard rushed 16 times for 72 yards. Tom Brady was excellent going 24/35 for 331 yards 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. Gronkowski was his leading receiver with 7 catches for 137 yards and 2 touchdowns. Edelman, Vereen, and Ridley combined for 115 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns.

The win put the Patriots at 7–3 and dropped the Colts to 6–4.

Week 12: at New York Jets

The Patriots scored three touchdowns in a span of 52 seconds, becoming the third team since the AFL-NFL merger to do so.^[10] (The 2002 Seahawks did it in 52 seconds while the 1998 Falcons in 49 seconds.) For the second week in a row, the Patriots tied a franchise record set in their 2009 Week 6 game against the Tennessee Titans—in this case, 35 second-quarter points, including the infamous butt fumble returned for a touchdown. Unlike the Titans game, though, where the Patriots held the ball for 9 minutes and 22 seconds, in this quarter the Patriots held the ball for just 2 minutes and 14 seconds, with the offense running just six plays in the entire quarter.

Also, the Patriots scored the most points in consecutive weeks (108) and in a four-week period (190) since the 1950 Los Angeles Rams.^[11]

Week 13: at Miami Dolphins

The Patriots completed a road sweep of their AFC East rivals and ran their winning streak to 6 games by winning a lower-scoring affair in Miami. The Patriots' offense failed to score 29 points or more for the first time since their Week 2 loss to the Cardinals, but Miami was only able to find the end zone once and lost a key fumble deep in its own territory.

With the win, the Patriots improved to 9–3, and clinched their 15th AFC East title.

Week 14: vs. Houston Texans

At home against the top team in the AFC, the Patriots dismantled the 11-1 Houston Texans on Monday Night Football. Tom Brady threw four touchdowns in New England's first home game against the Houston Texans since 2006. After punting on their opening drive, Wes Welker returned the punt 31 yards to the Patriots 44-yard line. The Patriots proceeded to advance 56 yards for a touchdown. On 1st-and-goal, running back Stevan Ridley fumbled, but tight end Aaron Hernandez recovered at the 7. Hernandez would reap the reward on the next play, catching Brady's 7-yard touchdown pass for the early lead. The Texans responded by driving deep into Patriots territory, but on 2nd-and-8 from the Patriots 21, Matt Schaub was intercepted by Devin McCourty who returned it to the Patriots 19. The Patriots proceeded to storm 81 yards in a ridiculous 6 plays to take a 14-0 lead on a 37-yard touchdown reception by Brandon Lloyd. After another Texans punt, the Patriots drove 70 yards where Brady again found Hernandez, uncovered, for a 4-yard touchdown with 11:04 remaining in the 2nd quarter. After both teams traded punts the Texans began a 10 play, 56 yard journey to the Patriots 33, but on 4th-and-5, Schaub's pass, intended for Kevin Walter, fell incomplete for a turnover on downs. The Texans held the Patriots to a three-and-out on their ensuing drive and the Texans moved to the Patriots 38-yard line, but once again on 4th-and-5 Schaub threw an incomplete pass, once again intended for Walter for another turnover on downs. Neither team scored for the remainder of the half. After both teams punted to start the second half the Patriots stormed 74 yards in only 5 plays to increase their lead to 28-0 on a 63-yard Donte Stallworth touchdown catch-and-run. Stallworth played his first game with the Patriots since August training camp (and first official game since 2007). Following the game, Stallworth was diagnosed with an ankle injury and placed on IR. The Texans finally managed to answer on their next drive by storming 88 yards in just 7 plays aided by three Patriots penalties with Arian Foster scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run. The Texans just couldn't stop the Patriots, though. Early in the 4th quarter, Tom Brady threw a screen pass to Danny Woodhead, but J.J. Watt punched the ball out, forcing a fumble, but Brandon Lloyd jumped on it for a Patriots touchdown, increasing the lead to 35-7. After the Texans punted, the Patriots marched 68 yards in a drive that spanned 4:24 with Ridley rushing for a 14-yard touchdown. Later Brady was pulled up 42-7 for Ryan Mallet who promptly threw an interception at his own 25. T.J. Yates, replacing Schaub, engineered a 25-yard drive ending with his 1 yard touchdown run for a 42-14 final. The win pushed the Patriots to 10–3 while the Texans fell to 11–2.

Week 15: vs. San Francisco 49ers

In a bitterly fought affair in cold rain, the Patriots fell to 10–4 and snapped their 21-game winning streak at home in December, the longest such winning streak in the NFL at the time. The Patriots fell to 18–4 at Gillette Stadium against NFC teams and have lost three straight home contests in interconference games. The 49ers raced to a 31–3 lead in the third quarter off four Patriots turnovers (two of them Brady interceptions), but the Patriots rallied to score four touchdowns. A 63-yard kick return set up Colin Kaepernick's fourth touchdown pass of the game and a failed fourth-down conversion attempt led to a Niners field goal.

Week 16: at Jacksonville Jaguars

The Patriots ground out a 23–16 win sealed on two late interceptions by Patrick Chung. The Jaguars surprised the Patriots by storming 78 yards in 9 plays to take an early 7-0 lead on a Chad Henne 3-yard touchdown pass to Justin Blackmon. The Patriots struggled early. On the third play of their first drive Brady was intercepted by Chris Prosinski. The Jaguars reached the Patriots- 23, but were uheld to a 41-yard field goal by Josh Scobee, increasing the lead to 10-0. The drive was so efficient that they only faced one third-down. The Patriots got going on their next drive marching all the way to the Jags -7, but were forced to settle for a 25-yard field goal. Henne continued to carve update the Patriots secondary, reaching Patriots territory in just two plays, but the Patriots defense held and Scobee missed a 43-yard field goal, keeping the score 10-3. However, once again on the third play of the drive, Brady was intercepted by Derek Cox. The Jaguars took advantage and Scobee kicked his second field goal to make the score 13-3. After both teams punted the Patriots trimmed the deficit to 7 in a 49-yard Gostkowski field goal. After the Jags punted again, the Patriots stormed 66 yards to tie the game on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Brady to Woodhead with :18 seconds remaining in the first half. The Jaguars tried to take the lead before half, but time ran out. After receiving the opening kick-off, the Patriots took the lead 16-13 on another Gostkowski field goal. After both teams punted Chad Henne was intercepted at the Patriots- 40 by Marquice Cole. Once again both teams swapped punts before Brady threw a two-yard touchdown pass to Welker on the second play of the fourth quarter to increase the lead to 23-13. The Jaguars responded on their very next drive reaching the Patriots- 24 and trimming the deficit to 23-16 on a 42-yard field goal by Scobee, his third. After a Patriots punt the Jags stormed to Pats the 1-yard line. On 1st down, Greg Jones was tackled for no gain. On 2nd down, Zach Potter was flagged for a false start moving the ball to the Patriots- 5. An incompletion and 5-yard sack followed and Henne was intercepted by Patrick Chung in the endzone and he returned it 27 yards to the Patriots 28. The Jaguars forced the Patriots to punt and got the ball back at their own- 38 with :54 seconds left. An unneccessary roughness penalty on Chung coupled with completions of 17 and 18 yards to Toney Clemons and Jordan Shipley, respectively moved the ball to the Patriots- 12 yard line. However, Henne was intercepted by Chung who kneeled for a touchback and the Patriots escaped with the win. The win, however, left the Patriots angry; Tom Brady criticized his teammates following the game, saying "We didn't compete," and his postgame press conference was unusually short.

Week 17: vs. Miami Dolphins

Tom Brady threw for two touchdowns, Stevan Ridley ran for two more, and the defense shut down Miami in a blowout victory.

With the shutout win, the Patriots ended their regular season at 12–4, and they swept their AFC East rivals for the first time since 2007. The win also clinched the AFC's No. 2 seed, following the Texans' loss to the Colts earlier that day.

The game was the final regular-season radiocast for longtime Patriots play-by-play announcer Gil Santos; CBS Sports made note of this by simulcasting part of his game call on their telecast. His longtime color analyst Gino Cappelletti rejoined Santos in the radio booth during the first quarter.

Postseason schedule

Week	Kickoff	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game Site	TV	NFL.com Recap
Wild Card	First-round bye
Divisional	4:30 PM EST	January 13, 2013	Houston Texans	W 41–28	1–0	Gillette Stadium	CBS	Recap
AFC Championship	6:30 PM EST	January 20, 2013	Baltimore Ravens	L 13–28	1–1	Gillette Stadium	CBS	Recap

Postseason results

Divisional Round vs. Houston Texans

Tom Brady became the winningest quarterback in NFL playoff history with his 17th postseason win, breaking a tie with Joe Montana; it was also the 450th victory (regular season and playoffs) in franchise history. The win put the Patriots into the AFL-AFC Title Game for the tenth time in franchise history (ninth under the AFC banner) and a rematch of the 2011 title game (as well as a rematch of Week 3) with the Baltimore Ravens.

AFC Championship vs. Baltimore Ravens

Just as they had the previous season, the Patriots faced the Ravens at home for the right to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. The Patriots lead 13–7 in the first half, but were shut out for the entire second half by the Ravens. With the loss, the Patriots concluded their season with a record of 13–5, and dropped to 1–2 against the Ravens during the postseason (all 3 playoff meetings have occurred at Gillette Stadium). This would also be the first time Tom Brady would lose a home game after leading at halftime.

Awards and honors

Recipient	Weekly Award(s)	Yearly Award(s)
Brandon Bolden	Week 4: FedEx Ground Player of the Week[12]
Tom Brady	Week 4: AFC Offensive Player of the Week,[13] FedEx Air Player of the Week[12] Week 8: AFC Offensive Player of the Week,[14] FedEx Air Player of the Week[15] Week 12: Thanksgiving Madden Players of the Game Week 14: AFC Offensive Player of the Week,[16] FedEx Air Player of the Week[17]
Steve Gregory	Week 12: Thanksgiving Madden Players of the Game
Rob Gronkowski		PFWA/Pro Football Weekly All-NFL Team [18]
Chandler Jones	September: NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month[19]	PFWA/Pro Football Weekly All-NFL Team [18]
Logan Mankins		Associated Press All-Pro Team (Second Team)[20]
Devin McCourty	Week 7: NFL Special Teams Player of the Week[21]
New England Offensive Line	Week 12: Madden Most Valuable Protectors Award[22]
Matthew Slater		PFWA/Pro Football Weekly All-NFL Team [18]
Vince Wilfork	Week 12: Thanksgiving Madden Players of the Game	PFWA/Pro Football Weekly All-NFL Team [18] Associated Press All-Pro Team (First Team) [20]

Statistics

Updated through Week 17

Regular season statistical leaders

	Player(s)	Value
Passing yards	Tom Brady	4,827
Passing touchdowns	Tom Brady	34
Rushing yards	Stevan Ridley	1,263
Rushing touchdowns	Stevan Ridley	12
Receiving yards	Wes Welker	1,354
Receiving touchdowns	Rob Gronkowski	11
Points	Stephen Gostkowski	153
Kickoff return yards	Devin McCourty	654
Punt return yards	Julian Edelman	263
Tackles	Jerod Mayo	147
Sacks	Rob Ninkovich	8.0
Forced fumbles	Rob Ninkovich, Brandon Spikes	5
Interceptions	Devin McCourty	5

Statistical league rankings

• Total Offense (YPG): 426.9 (1st)
• Passing (YPG): 292.4 (4th)
• Rushing (YPG): 134.5 (8th)
• Total Defense (YPG): 381.1 (27th)
• Passing (YPG): 275.5 (29th)
• Rushing (YPG): 105.5 (12th)

Notes and references

External links

Official website