Tom, and pretty much everyone else in the football-viewing world, is well aware of Ray’s “last ride” situation. The two have had classic games, and stared into each other’s eyes many times — just not that lovey-dovey kind of glare.

At least not on the field at least. But once they get to their respective locker rooms, the two know what one another means to the game of football.

“I said last week, it’s really a pleasure to play against him,” Brady said of Lewis leading up to their AFC Championship showdown. “He’s really been so consistent over the years, and durable and tough. He’s so instinctive. He doesn’t take off hardly any plays, makes a ton of tackles; he’s great in the pass game, he’s great in the run game. He blitzes, like he did a few years ago.”

Watch: The Legacy Of Tom Brady

Against a Ray Lewis-led defense, Brady has seven touchdowns, eight interceptions and he’s been sacked 16 times. Bit while he hasn’t enjoyed those games statistically, there is a twist in Brady’s favor; New England is 5-2 in Brady’s seven head-to-head meetings with Lewis.

But Brady knows that when Lewis makes plays, the Ravens respond.

“He’s really a play maker for them, so they give him an opportunity to make those plays,” Brady said. “You see when he makes a play, their whole sideline gets really amped up. You always have to know where 52 is at. He’s always right in the middle of the defense, but whether he’s blitzing or covering or he’s free in the middle of the field, you always have to take him into account.”

Read: AFC Championship Predictions

Lewis, as he has for most of his career, had nothing but good things to say about Brady this week. After dispatching Peyton Manning’s Broncos last weekend, he would like to do the same to Brady this week, but knows just how important the two quarterbacks are to the NFL.

“I mean legacy, like I said, there are certain eras that you always come around through, and Tom and Peyton will always be known for their offensive eras, and I’ll be known for the defensive era of my time,” said Lewis. “When me and my son sit back and talk about it, I’m in awe over the way these guys play the game, and how we challenge each other back and forth with a chess match.”

“I just think there is a certain level of respect that I will always have for these guys because of the way they play the game,” continued Lewis. “You have to respect them, because they’ve been up there with the highest of highs, and when their name goes down, the Hall of Fame will definitely be calling both of their names very quickly.”

One day, Brady and Lewis may cross paths in Canton, Ohio, and give each other a big hug. They’ll probably do the same after Sunday’s game, whatever the outcome.

But one thing is certain; these two will be competing against each other until the final whistle blows.

Tune in to the AFC Championship game at 6:30pm on Sunday on 98.5 The Sports Hub, WBZ-TV, or LISTEN LIVE on CBSBoston.com! Pregame coverage begins on WBZ with Patriots GameDay at 11:30am, and at 3pm on 98.5 with Patriots Preview. Following the game, tune in to three hours of coverage on the Sports Hub, and to Patriots 5th Quarter over on myTV38.

Well, the Patriots special teams unit did not fare very well in their divisional playoff game against the Houston Texans. Houston returner Danieal Manning took the opening kickoff 94 yards, with set the tone for the rest of the afternoon for New England’s special teams unit. The Texans found themselves in good field position a couple of times last week, and that’s something that cannot happen again against the Ravens on Sunday.

The Patriot defense was able to bail out special teams last weekend against the Texans, and it started right after that opening kick. With a great chance to put some pressure on the Pats, Houston could only manage a field goal after Manning’s return. But that may not be the case against Baltimore and their Pro Bowl returner Jacoby Jones — who returned two kickoffs and one punt for touchdowns this season.

Tale Of The Tape: Patriots vs. Ravens

“It’s very important,” special teams captain Matthew Slater said this week. “We need to perform better. We can’t put our defense in bad situations like that. Overall into the next game, we’ve got to prepare for Jacoby, and we know how good he is and what he is capable of. I’m confident we’ll have it fixed.”

“It’s a third of the game,” said head coach Bill Belichick, who always echoes the importance of “all three phases” of the game. “It’s important in field position. It’s important on the scoring opportunities as it relates to field goals and those scoring chances. Of course scores can come in other areas of special teams, but field position is key. I don’t know how much more we can stand up here and talk about it. We talk about it every week. It’s a huge part of the game.”

So how do the Patriots turn around their not-so-special teams?

“Just go back to the basics,” said Slater. “Go back to the fundamentals and the rules that we have as coverage players, and just doing our job better and doing our assignments better. It’s been a strength for us this season. Kickoff coverage has been a strength, and like I said, I’m confident that we’ll get it fixed.”

“We have to just be sound,” said safety Devin McCourty, who made a touchdown-saving tackle on the opening kick last weekend. “We can’t allow (Jones) to run around and make those big plays. He’s a very fast guy. If he breaks out I doubt we’ll be able to catch him, so it will be key to just try to contain him and keep him away from making those big plays on special teams because this time of year you really can’t afford to give up those huge plays.”

Vote: Patriots vs. Ravens Battleground Map

Tune in to the AFC Championship game at 6:30pm on Sunday on 98.5 The Sports Hub, WBZ-TV, or LISTEN LIVE on CBSBoston.com! Pregame coverage begins on WBZ with Patriots GameDay at 11:30am, and at 3pm on 98.5 with Patriots Preview. Following the game, tune in to three hours of coverage on the Sports Hub, and to Patriots 5th Quarter over on myTV38.

After the game the Pats had against Houston in December, many people think this game will be a cake walk for New England.  Some have gone so far to say that this will be another bye week for the Patriots.

The players in the locker room obviously don’t share the same feeling.

Throughout the week, the Patriots have said they expect Sunday’s tilt to be a tough affair. They got the best of Houston last time, but that has nothing to with how this upcoming game is going to go.  In fact, many of the players believe the Texans are coming to Foxboro with a chip on their shoulder and something to prove.

Read: What To Watch For In Pats-Texans Rematch

Vince Wilfork is one of those players.  He said offensively you cannot count the Texans out, and it starts with their all world running back Arian Foster.

“The things he can do with the ball in his hands in the passing game and running it,” Wilfork said. “He’s a great blocker when they ask him to block. He’s a special player, we understand that. We know it starts with their running game. You can’t x-out the receivers,Andre Johnson, you can’t x-out [tight end] Owen Daniels, can’t x-out the quarterback, can’t x-out their offensive line. They’re well put together. Last time they played us, they didn’t play us well, so I’m pretty sure they’re going to come out fired up and ready to play this week.”

Foster scored a touchdown five weeks ago in New England, but only mustered 46 yards on the ground and another 39 on four catches. He led the way for the Texans in last week’s Wild Card win over the Bengals with 140 rushing yards and a score, so we’ll see which Foster comes on Sunday — or which one the Patriots allow to show up.

Getting Spiked

The Patriots leader on defense is obviously Wilfork, but their emotional leader and energy supplier is Brandon Spikes.

The third-year linebacker is a gritty player and does all the dirty work for the Patriots.  A ferocious hitter, Brandon Spikes wants the other team to feel his presence when he’s in the field.

He categorizes the playoffs as “go hard or go home,” and he doesn’t want the alternative.

“In my opinion, I feel like every game is important,” says Brandon. “But I approach the postseason as ‘that’s it.’ If we don’t come out and play well, we’re going to be at home, plain and simple, watching the next game, and it’s an awful feeling.”

Read: As Always, Patriots Full Of Cliches Leading Up To Playoffs

The way last year ended was an awful feeling for Spikes.  None of the guys like to talk about what happened last February in Indianapolis, but they understand what it takes to get over the hump.

“Everybody just feels like we came up short, but that’s part of the game, that’s part of football. We’ve just got to do whatever we can to not let that happen again,” said Spikes. Like I said, we had a great day today and I’m looking forward to tomorrow and trying to get better every day. No matter what, we’re just going to come out and play hard for the whole four quarters.”

Slater Is Ready

Special teams captain Matthew Slater has become one of the mainstays with the Patriots.

It’s funny, because last preseason many thought if Slater didn’t prove himself he would have been cut.  Now fast forward to today, and Slater has been a pro bowler the last two seasons and a team captain. He takes pride in his job on special teams and whenever he can help out in the offense.

Read: All Systems Go? No Question Marks On Pats Injury Report

With the playoffs getting underway, Slater has been through this before and understands what it takes to play in the postseason.  He says that right now, he’s as hungry as he’s ever been to start the playoffs.

“I think the sole reason you play this game is to be the best,” he said this week. “You want to be the best team and this is the ultimate team sport. To be able to come as close as we did last year, and have past failures in my previous seasons here, it just drives you and motivates you more. We’re a team that’s very hungry. We don’t feel like we’ve accomplished anything. We don’t feel like we’ve arrived at all because it’s all for naught unless you do something in the postseason. We’re very driven, very motivated, very focused — myself personally and my teammates. We feel like we have a lot left to accomplish and hopefully we’re going to do that.”

Tune in to Sunday’s Patriots-Texans playoff game on 98.5 The Sports Hub and WBZ-TV. Kickoff is at 4:30pm, with pregame coverage beginning at 1pm on 98.5 with Patriots Preview, and 11:30am on WBZ-TV with a special hour-long edition of Patriots Gameday. Following the game, tune in to three hours of postgame coverage on the Hub, and Patriots 5th Quarter on myTV38!

Picking up the veteran corner allowed them to move Devin McCourty to safety and made them stronger as a whole in the secondary.  This was evident the last time the Patriots and Texans met up, with Talib covering All Pro receiver Andre Johnson and letting the rest of the secondary help in the run game. That went a long way to containing Foster, and with Talib doing his job the Pats have been a much better team defensively.

Read: What To Watch For In Pats-Texans Rematch

But now, the former Buccaneer is getting ready to play in his first playoff game. Of course he is excited to get a taste of the postseason, and this was one of the things he about when the Patriots traded for him at the deadline.

“One of the first things I thought about when I was traded here was that I was definitely going to have a chance to play in these playoffs,” Talib said. “I’m very excited. Very excited. I watched them every year, every game. It’s the best football you’re going to watch. It’s good to be a part of it.”

So now even though, you may consider Talib a veteran, he’s looking for advice for what this experience is going to be like.  The games are different ion the playoffs.  Luckily for him, many of his teammates have made a habit of playing in the postseason.

“I expect the intensity to turn up,” he said.  ”It’s definitely turned up in practice and in the meetings. If it’s turned up there, I definitely expect it to get turned up in the games. It’s still going to be football, but I expect the coaches to coach a little more aggressive and to play a little more aggressive.”

Read: All Systems Go? No Question Marks On Pats Injury Report

Talib had three tackles and a pass deflection against the Texans in Week 14, and will be called upon again to stop Johnson — who put up big numbers with eight catches for 95 yards in the first meeting, but was kept out of the end zone and from making too many big plays.

It will be up to Talib, in his playoff debut, to do the same again come Sunday.

Tune in to Sunday’s Patriots-Texans playoff game on 98.5 The Sports Hub and WBZ-TV. Kickoff is at 4:30pm, with pregame coverage beginning at 1pm on 98.5 with Patriots Preview, and 11:30am on WBZ-TV with a special hour-long edition of Patriots Gameday. Following the game, tune in to three hours of postgame coverage on the Hub, and Patriots 5th Quarter on myTV38!

No. 52 will hang up his cleats and head right to Canton and become an NFL Hall of Famer.  He’s one of the game’s great competitors and one of its better leaders. He’s had more than one memorable matchup against Tom Brady and the Patriots, and Brady said Ray will be missed.

“He still is an incredible player and a competitor,” said Tom. “Like I said, I know so many people that have said so many things about him, in terms of guys that have played with him. They can probably speak to him the best. But it was a privilege to play against him.”

Preparing For All Possible Opponents

Saturday night will be the time that all in Patriots Nation stop rejoicing about the bye and start looking ahead to an opponent.

If the Houston Texans beat the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday, the Pats will play the Texans the following week.  If they lose, the Pats will play the winner of the Colts-Ravens game.  Whatever the case, in this week of preparation, Bill Belichick had the Patriots preparing for all three.

“We’ll work on everybody,” coach said. “After the Houston game, we’ll either be full speed ahead on Houston or we’ll put that in the drawer and wait and see what happens in the next game. We have to be prepared for all three of them, so that’s what we’ll do.”

The Pats are fully expected to be rested. Rob Ninkovich left the Miami game with a strained hip but was at practice by the end of this week. In fact, on Thursday the Patriots had full participation. The mood in the room is one of excitement and Bill Belichick likes it that way.

“Of course, it’s a playoff game,” he said. “That’s what we’re here for. You play all regular season to get into the playoffs. Yeah, I would hope we’re more excited and more amped up to play. It’s a higher level of competition. Not that the regular season isn’t, but the playoffs are higher, there’s no question about that.”

Follow Levan Reid on CBSBostonsports.com and on Twitter @LevanReid all Patriots season long!

Is he ready to play? When will he be ready to play? Will he play before the playoffs?

Gronkowski spoke to reporters this week — a sure sign that he is improving, otherwise the muzzle would have been on — and told us he is doing everything he can to get back to game action. He’s listening to the doctors and the trainers, and says he’s getting stronger each day on the field.

Read: Gronk, Talib Among 20 “Questionable”

But Bill Belichick has maintained all week that Gronkowski’s status is now a “medical decision,” and that likely won’t be made until Sunday afternoon.

“We’ll see how he is,” Belichick said earlier in the week. “He did more last week than the week before.. We’ll take it day-to-day, make decisions day-to-day based on where he’s at. He’s moving along, he’s not ready yet. We’ll take it day-to-day and see how it goes.”

So once the “is he ready” question gets answered, another will arise. Should he play in Sunday’s season finale even if he is healthy?

That’s a tough one for the Pats. Sunday would be the sixth straight game he would miss since breaking his forearm November 18 against the Colts, and even with Gronk you should expect a little bit of rust after that much non-game activity. It’d be better to knock that rust off against the Dolphins in the regular season than against whoever the Patriots face in the playoffs.

But at the same time, why run the risk of further — or another — injury? The Patriots learned their lesson earlier this year by bringing tight end Aaron Hernandez back too soon, and although Hernandez probably misses Gronkowski the most, he likely wouldn’t mind not having him out there on Sunday if it meant he’d be by his side come the playoffs.

Read: No Scoreboard Watching For Patriots This Weekend

The Patriots could be playing for home-field and a bye Sunday afternoon, depending on how the Texans-Colts game at 1pm plays out. Should they have a shot at that bye, it may be worth it to play Gronk, even for just a few snaps. If the bye is gone (because let’s face it, the Chiefs are not beating the Broncos while the Pats take on Miami), then keep Gronk grounded and save him for the following week’s matchup.

It’s a big decision for the Patriots, one we won’t know the answer to until Sunday afternoon.

Battleground Map: Best Team In AFC – Patriots or Broncos?

Tune in to Patriots-Dolphins Sunday afternoon at 4:25pm on 98.5 The Sports Hub and WBZ-TV.  Pregame coverage begins on the Hub at 1pm with Patriots Preview, with three hours of post game coverage following the game. WBZ-TV’s coverage kicks off at 11:30am with Patriots GameDay, with Patriots 5th Quarter after the game on myTV38.

- The Pats are the first Franchise in NFL history to score 500 or more points in four seasons; 589 in 2007, 518 in 2010, 513 in 2011, and 506 (so far) in 2012.

- Bill Belichick is the first head coach to lead a team to three-straight 500 points seasons.

Series History

- The Patriots and the Jaguars will meet for the 10th time overall on Sunday. The Pats are 8-1 overall against Jacksonville, and have won all five regular season meetings. The Patriots are 3-1 against Jacksonville in the postseason, with the lone playoff loss a 25-10 Jags victory in 1999.

- Bill Belichick is 5-2 overall against Jacksonville, and 5-0 as the coach of the Patriots.

Connections

- Jaguars CB Antwaun Molden appeared in all 16 regular season games and three postseason games with the Patriots in 2011. He made two starts for the team, and recorded 28 defensive tackles for the season.

- Patriots OL Dan Connolly was originally signed by the Jaguars as a rookie free agent in 2005. He appeared in four games with the Jags that season.

- Jaguars running back Jordan Todman was a standout at Dartmouth High School earning All-State honors twice and was named the Globe’s Player of the Year his senior season. Todman went on enjoy a very good career at UConn, and was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the sixth round in 2011. He was signed by the Jags off the Minnesota Vikings practice squad back in November, but was placed on the IR this week.

Milestones

- Tom Brady needs 358 passing yards to move past Drew Bledsoe and into eighth place on the all-time passing list.

- The Pats have scored 23 rushing touchdowns in 2012, and need seven more to match the franchise high of 30 set back in 1978.

Tune in to Sunday’s Patriots-Jaguars game at 1pm on WBZ-TV and 98.5 The Sports Hub. Pregame coverage begins on 98.5 with Patriots Preview at 10am, followed by three hours of postgame coverage after the game. WBZ-TV kicks off their coverage at 11:30am with Patriots GameDay, followed by Bill Belichick and Tom Brady’s postgame press conferences on Patriots 5th Quarter after the game.

The one thing the Pats loss to the 49ers did was put them in a tough playoff position. They now sit at the three-seed in the AFC, and have to depend on other teams to move up.

The 12-2 Texans and 11-3 Broncos sit above the Patriots, which right now means no bye, just one home game, and a potential trip to Denver in the second round.

Read: Brady Hungry Following Loss

But the Patriots don’t care about anything they can’t control, and right now all they can control is how they play against the Jaguars and Dolphins over the next two weeks.

“I don’t really care. There is nothing we can do about any of them,” Bill Belichick said of the Texans and Broncos. “I think what we need to worry about is the New England Patriots and you guys the media can take care of all that stuff. We have plenty of things we need to do besides worry about everybody else.”

If the Patriots win their next two games, which is no stretch, they need a Broncos loss or two Texans’ losses. The Broncos close with the 5-9 Browns and 2-12 Chiefs at home, so chances are they will win out. The Texans have a tough matchup this weekend, hosting the playoff-hopeful Minnesota Vikings, and close the season in Indianapolis, but it’s highly unlikely they will drop both of those games.

Battleground Maps: Will The Pats Win By 14 Or More?

The Patriots will focus on taking care of business on their end, and then sit back and see if they can get some help. But it’s more than likely we are looking at a Wild Card weekend matchup at Gillette. The game for Pats fans to keep an eye on this weekend is the Pittsburgh-Cincinnati matchup.  Pittsburgh is currently on the outside looking into, with Cincinnati holding the final wild card spot — and a ticket to New England (for now).

Tune in to Sunday’s Patriots-Jaguars game at 1pm on WBZ-TV and 98.5 The Sports Hub. Pregame coverage begins on 98.5 with Patriots Preview at 10am, followed by three hours of postgame coverage after the game. WBZ-TV kicks off their coverage at 11:30am with Patriots GameDay, followed by Bill Belichick and Tom Brady’s postgame press conferences on Patriots 5th Quarter after the game.

Last week the Patriots lost for the first time at home in December since 2002. The loss against the 49ers was a tough one to take because of how it happened; New England got dominated only to make a comeback bid, and then let it slip away.

Losses stick with the team, and Tom Brady hates each and every one of them.

“I don’t think you ever get over any loss you ever had,” Brady said earlier this week. “I probably remember every single one. When you lose, it sucks. There’s no question about it. It’s not fun for anybody. It makes for a long week, and it makes for long seasons when you lose.”

Read: Another Standout Season For Wilfork

So now the Patriots have spent the last week of practice focusing on getting back on a winning track. They’ve focused on correcting the mistakes from last Sunday — and there were plenty — while keeping their focus on Jacksonville.

“That’s what the last two days have been about, as well as getting ready for Jacksonville and the different things they do to try to screw up offenses,” Brady said. “They’ve been very competitive in a bunch of games this year. I know they haven’t won them all, but they went down to the wire against a great team like Houston, at Houston, so they’re as capable as anybody.”

Brady was just one of the many Patriots to sing the Jags’ praise this week. But the bottom line is they are 2-12, and haven’t done much well this season.

Battleground Maps: Will The Pats Win By 14 Or More?

It will be an angry bunch of Patriots heading down to Jacksonville this weekend, and that’s bad news for the Jaguars. If Brady torched the 49ers stellar secondary for 443 yards, imagine what he can/will do against the Jags — one of the worst pass defenses in the league.

One final note: Brady is 3-0 in his career against the Jaguars, throwing for 774 yards with seven touchdowns and no interceptions.

Tune in to Sunday’s Patriots-Jaguars game at 1pm on WBZ-TV and 98.5 The Sports Hub. Pregame coverage begins on 98.5 with Patriots Preview at 10am, followed by three hours of postgame coverage after the game. WBZ-TV kicks off their coverage at 11:30am with Patriots GameDay, followed by Bill Belichick and Tom Brady’s postgame press conferences on Patriots 5th Quarter after the game.

The upstart QB has stepped into the 49ers offense and brings a totally different style to the field. His athleticism is rare and the way he moves his feet is something the Pats have not seen since they lost to the Seattle Seahawks and Russell Wilson.

The team is taking notice.

“He’s a guy that can do a lot,” safety Devin McCourty said. “Just that last run against Miami he had last week, where he’s able to hit the sideline and pull away from everybody, and he has a very strong arm.”

“It’s another young quarterback that we’re playing that we’re just going to have to make things tough on him, do different things,” added McCourty, who picked off Matt Schaub in the end zone on Monday for his fourth interception of the season. “But he’s really grasped on to the offense fast. He hasn’t played in many games, but he’s been very productive.”

Kaepernick took over the starting quarterback job four weeks ago, and has over 1,000 yards through the air and another 350 on the ground. He’s only thrown three touchdowns on the season, all coming in the last four weeks and none in the last two contests, but he’s also found the end zone on the ground twice since being named the starter.

He’s also broken 50-yard runs in each of the last two games, so the Pats will be on their heels Sunday night.

“It’s basic defense. You have to make sure you do your assignment and don’t let the quarterback outside,” said linebacker Rob Ninkovich, who has gotten to opposing quarterbacks seven times this season. “We’ve gone against guys who can run in the past, so it’s just everyone doing their job and working together.”

The Patriots handled a running quarterback in Tim Tebow twice last season, but Ninkovich warns that Kaepernick is very different from the Tebow.

“I think they’re different. When you have an athletic quarterback, no matter who it is, they can beat you with their legs and extend plays,” said Ninkovich. “You just have to be sound in the pass-rush lanes and everyone has to make sure they’re not running past the quarterback.”

Tune in to Patriots-49ers Sunday night on 98.5 The Sports Hub! Pregame coverage begins at 5pm with Patriots Preview, with three hours of coverage following the game. WBZ-TV’s coverage kicks off with Patriots GameDay at 11:30am, with Patriots 5th Quarter after the game.

- The Pats enter this game averaging a league-high 36.3 points per game while the San Francisco defense is first in the NFL, allowing just 14.2 points per game.

- New England has reached at least 10 regular season wins for the 10th consecutive season. Only San Francisco has accomplished that feat more with 16.

- The Patriots have sold out 201 consecutive home games, including preseason and playoff games.

Battleground Map: Who Will Win On Sunday Night?

Series History

- This will be the 12th meeting of the Pats and 49ers. San Francisco leads the series 7-4, but the Pats have won the last three matchups. Prior to that, the 49ers beat the Patriots six straight times.

- This is a battle of the franchises for certain decades. In the 90′s, the Niners had 122 wins. In the 2000′s, the Pats had 126 wins; the most by any team in a decade.

Connections

- A young Tom Brady was there at Candlestick Park for “The Catch.” It was the 1981 NFC Championship game between the Niners and the Dallas Cowboys. Brady. a native of the Bay Area, was a four-year-old fan when he witnessed history, and he wept after the play.

” Not because I was happy or excited, but because everybody stood up and I couldn’t see,” Brady joked.

- Brady realizes that he has stellar credentials, but says “(Joe) Montana was and will always be the greatest quarterback to ever play.”

- 49ers wide receiver Randy Moss played for the Patriots from 2007-2010. In his first year with the Pats he caught an NFL record 23 touchdown passes, surpassing Jerry Rice’s record.

- Patriots wide receiver Brandon Lloyd was originally drafted by the 49ers in the fourth round in the 2003 NFL draft.

Read: Mike Hurley’s Week 15 Picks

Milestones

- Tom Brady needs 167 yards passing to reach 4,000 yards for the fifth time in his career.

- Tom Brady has 29 touchdown passes this season and needs one more for his third straight 30 touchdown season.

- Wes Welker need five receptions to become the first players in NFL history with five 100-catch seasons.

- The Patriots defense has forced a turnover in 24 straight games, dating back to the 2011 season and first 13 games of 2012.  The last NFL team with at least one takeaway in all 16 games of a season was the Atlanta Falcons in 2010.

- Stevan Ridley has had a rushing touchdown in six straight games. He has 10 rushing touchdowns on the season.

- The Pats have won 20 straight games at home in December.

- The Pats have scored 20 touchdowns on the ground this season.

Tune in to Patriots-49ers Sunday night on 98.5 The Sports Hub! Pregame coverage begins at 5pm with Patriots Preview, with three hours of coverage following the game. WBZ-TV’s coverage kicks off with Patriots GameDay at 11:30am, with Patriots 5th Quarter after the game.

After a year off, many people thought he would just come back to the Bill Belichick fold. Instead, he’s in San Francisco and helping the 49ers to another great season.

Moss will always be a central figure no matter what team he is on. He loved his time here in New England though and appreciated everything that went on during those three-plus seasons.

“I’ve learned a lot from Bill Belichick,” Moss said earlier this week. “I’ve said time and time again, before I got to New England, I thought I knew a lot about football. But I think he taught me a lot, from A to Z, and I still carry it to this day.

“The compliments are good, and I respect Coach Belichick and that organization still to this day,” continued Moss. “Hopefully we have a good game coming out Sunday night. I look forward to the game, and I hope the fans do too.”

Now that’s he’s on the other sidelines, Moss’ goal will be to help the 49ers. Some feel he could have the inside track to solving the New England offense, but Randy says that is not at all the case.

“I think New England, switching offensive coordinators to Josh McDaniels, I don’t really know,” say Randy. “Everybody knows that Bill Belichick is a so-called ‘genius.’ He changes it up every week, so there’s not really much input I can give for the week.”

“I’d just say ‘have your head on a swivel and be ready for anything,’” said Moss. “The way they’re playing, coming off a Monday night game against the so-called best team in the league in the Houston Texans — they put 40-something points up and really embarrassed them. I don’t think we want to be that team that gets embarrassed on national television. Like I said, hopefully we come prepared and ready to play a good game.”

It’s going to be good to see Randy back in New England.

Tune in to Patriots-49ers Sunday night on 98.5 The Sports Hub! Pregame coverage begins at 5pm with Patriots Preview, with three hours of coverage following the game. WBZ-TV’s coverage kicks off with Patriots GameDay at 11:30am, with Patriots 5th Quarter after the game.

The second-year player has 16.5 sacks on the season. He’s batted down 15 passes — more than most safeties and corners get in a season.  To state the obvious, he’s a disruptive force.

Bill Belichick admits the young man has all the tools on the football field.

“He does everything well,” coach Belichick said of Watt. “He’s long, he’s quick, he’s instinctive, he has a high motor, plays hard, good balance, hard to knock off his feet. He does it all. He makes plays from behind, makes plays at the point of attack. He’s a good pass rusher; he has a variety of moves. They use him on different stunts and games. He’s quick and fast enough to rush out of his lane and still get to the quarterback. He’s got good instincts to tip balls, get his hands up in the throwing lane, that type of thing. He’s long. He’s a hard guy to get a solid hit on because of his length and his quickness. He’s a good player.”

Read: Patriots-Texans Preview

Even quarterback Tom Brady realizes what the Patriots are going up against.  The Texans defense gets after the quarterback, and Brady says it all starts with number-99.

“Yeah, he’s an incredible player,” Brady said of Watt. “The way that he gets after the quarterback, stops the run. I think he does both of those things well, as well as defending in the pass game with those balls batted down. He’s impressive as a player, as you can see on film with his agility, his quickness, his length, his instinctiveness in getting his hands up in the air and getting ready to jump and bat balls down. He’s a great player for that defense; they really rely on him.”

As for Watt, he says he’s ready for his Tom Brady experience.

“Tom Brady is one of the best in the game. He’s a great player, we’ve seen a lot of great players,” Watt said on ESPN Radio earlier this week. “I’m excited about the opportunity… Anytime you get a chance to go against one of the greatest you have to love and cherish it. Monday night, for everybody to see our team and see what we’re all about, I’m really excited about that.”

Read: Belichick, Patriots Take Swat At Preparing For Watt

The Patriots offensive line, which has been solid this season despite giving up four sacks to the Dolphins last week, will certainly have their hands full on Monday night. But they could be getting a boost, with guard Logan Mankins expected to return to action after missing the last three games with calf and ankle injuries.

Getting Mankins back would be huge, as the Patriots will need all hands on deck to contain Watt.

Tune in to Patriots-Texans Monday night on 98.5 The Sports Hub! Pregame coverage begins at 5pm with Patriots Preview, and tune in to three hours of post game coverage following the game. WBZ-TV will have Tom Brady and Bill Belichick’s post-game press conferences live on Patriots 5th Quarter on myTV38 following the game.

- New England has now qualified for the playoffs 20 times in their 53-year history.

- The Pats have won 12 AFC East titles under Robert Kraft, and 15 division crowns overall.

- The Patriots own winning records against every team in the AFC South.

December Greatness

- The Patriots have won 12 straight regular season games in December. The streak started in 2009 against the Carolina Panthers.

- The Pats have a 20-1 home record in the month of December dating back to 2002 — the best in the NFL. They have won 19 straight at home in December.

-  The Pats are also an NFL best 42-5 in the month of December since 2001.

- Bill Belichick is 44-7 with New England in the month of December.

Monday Night Football

- New England is 21-22 all-time on Monday Night Football, including 14-5 under coach Belichick and 6-1 at home.

- Tom Brady is 12-4 on Monday Night Football, and he has thrown four touchdowns in two of his last three Monday Night games.

- Bill Belichick is 15-8 all-time on Monday Night Football.

Series History

- The Patriots and the Texans will meet for the fourth time since Houston entered the NFL in 2002. New England is 2-1 against them.

- The Texans lost 47-7 in their first and only visit to Gillette Stadium on December 16th, 2006.

Connections

- Patriots tackle Sebastian Vollmer played his college ball at the University of Houston.

- Texans kicker Shayne Grasham played eight games for the Patriots in 2010 and was a perfect 12-for-12 on field goals.

Milestones

- Bill Belichick needs one more win to break a tie with Dan Reeves and move into sole possession of seventh place all-time.

- With one touchdown pass, Tom Brady will extend his streak to 45 straight games with at least one touchdown pass. It’s the third longest streak of all-time.

- Wes Welker needs eight more receptions to become the first player in NFL history with five 100- catch seasons.

- With one win, the Pats will secure their 10th straight season with at least 10 wins.

- Tom Brady is the first starting back in NFL history with 10 division titles . Joe Montana had 9.

But that doesn’t mean the Patriots’ decision to cut ties with him didn’t hurt.

“I was disappointed but I’ve been in this league long enough to understand how it works,” Stallworth said earlier this week. “It’s like after a game when you lose a game; you’re upset about it that night but you come in the next night and prepare. That’s what I did, although it took more than a night. It took a few days.”

So Stallworth continued to work out, trying to stay in the best football shape possible, just in case the Patriots or any other NFL team came calling.

Other teams had Stallworth in for workouts, but nothing ever materialized. That is until last week.

With Julian Edelman on injured reserve, the Patriots had to fill two spots:  a punt returner and a wide receiver. That’s where Stallworth comes in.

Hurley: Week 14 NFL Picks

New England brought the 32 year old back this week, and he’s ready to contribute.  Stallworth says he knows the playbook thanks to his time with New England this summer, but he still has a ways to go.

“It made it a lot easier, but being out as long as I have, it’s not like a video game where you can throw someone in and they automatically know what’s going on,” Stallworth said. “It’s like I’m back in school studying. I’ll be studying hard every day.”

But he kept this week simple, and knows what he has to do in order to make an impact this time around.

“Just do what’s expected of me. Come in, take care of my business, make sure I get reacquainted with the playbook and know it as well as I can. Take it each day at a time,” he said.

It’s been almost a year since Stallworth caught his last touchdown pass as a member of the Washington Redskins last season. He caught 22 passes for 309 yards and two touchdowns in Washington last season, and likely won’t have too much thrown on his plate Monday night against the Texans.

Read: Patriots-Texans Preview

But thanks to his familiarity with the New England offense, Stallworth is once again employed in the NFL. And if he gets his chance Monday night, expect him to make the most of it.

Tune in to Patriots-Texans Monday night on 98.5 The Sports Hub! Pregame coverage begins at 5pm with Patriots Preview, and tune in to three hours of post game coverage following the game. WBZ-TV will have Tom Brady and Bill Belichick’s post-game press conferences live on Patriots 5th Quarter on myTV38 following the game.

- If the Patriots win on Sunday they will earn their 12th straight winning season. Only San Francisco (1983-98) and Dallas (1970-85) have more with 16.

- Since 2001, the Pats are 57-15 against the AFC East,  but seven of those losses have come against the Dolphins.

- Bill Belichick is 43-7 in December with the Patriots. It’s the best record among head coaches with one team in NFL history.

Series History

- The Pats have won eight of the last 10 games against Miami, including a sweep the last two seasons.

- The Pats are 28-17 against the Dolphins in New England, including 8-2 at Gillette. They are just 14-33 all-time against the Dolphins in Miami.

Quick Hits

- In nine career games against his former team, Wes Welker has caught 75 passes for 981 yards and four touchdowns. He’s averaging 109 receiving yards per game against the Dolphins.

- Tom Brady is 53-12 in the regular season against AFC East opponents with six of those 12 losses coming against the Dolphins. He is 14-6 against them overall.

Connections

- Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin was born in Springfield, MA and kicked off his coaching career at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1986.

- Dolphins Offensive Coordinator Mike Sherman is a native of Norwood, MA. He coached the offensive line at Holy Cross from 1985-87.

- Miami Tight End Will Yeatman was originally signed by the Patriots as a rookie free agent in 2011.

- Wes Welker played for Miami from 2005-06 and totaled 1, 121 yards on 96 catches during his two seasons with the team.

- Rob Ninkovich was a Dolphin in 2007 and 2008, playing in 5 games for Miami.

Milestones

- Bill Belichick (200) needs one more win to tie Dan Reeves for seventh place on the all-time coaching win list.

- Tom Brady has 52 career 300-yard games in the regular season. He needs one more to break a fifth place tie with Kurt Warner on that list.

- Brady has 35 games with three touchdowns and no interceptions in his career. He needs one more of those games to tie Brett Farve for second place on that list. Peyton Manning is number one with 37.

- With 10 tackles on Sunday, Jerod Mayo will have notch his sixth straight game with 10-plus tackle. He had ten of those games in 2010.

- Rob Ninkovich has six sacks this season and needs one more to set a career best. He had 6.5 in 2011 for the Pats.

- Stevan Ridley needs 61 yards and he’ll reach the 1,000-yard plateau, becoming the 12th Patriots player to reach 1,000 yards.

- Wes Welker needs 39 receiving yards to have his fifth career 1,000 yard season.

Tune in to Sunday’s Patriots-Dolphins game on WBZ-TV and 98.5 The Sports Hub! Pregame coverage begins on 98.5 with Patriots Preview at 10 am, with Patriots GameDay on WBZ-TV at 11:30 am. Kickoff is at 1 pm, and after the game tun in to 98.5 for three full hours of post game coverage, and Patriots 5th Quarter on myTV38!

He said the media scrums here in Foxboro are bigger than they were in Tampa. As for the short turnaround and getting ready for the Jets, Talib says he’s ready.

“Getting on that tape, getting a good feel for your opponent. We’re about three or four days short of a regular week or whatever, so that’s the biggest challenge right there,” Talib said.

The short turnaround could pay dividends to a player like Aqib. He’s been away from the game, so the more he plays, the faster he’ll round into shape. Also, he’ll get a crash course of spending time with his teammates.

“The more you play, the more you mesh as a secondary,” Talib continued. “The more time you get together, the more it helps.”

Rex Avoids Trash-Talking Pats

Among other things, Pats-Jets week is a chance to hear from Rex Ryan.  The Jets head coach always seems to ruffle feathers in this rivalry but for some reason — maybe the holiday — Rex seemed to be in a thankful mood this week.  He gave praise to Tom Brady, and by praise I mean he was almost gushing over QB12.

“You can almost say he’s a machine back there,” said Ryan. “The thing about him, he’s a machine, yet he’s a passionate and fiery leader. You wish he was just a machine. His competitive side elevates his team. That’s what you get with those once-in-a-generation type quarterbacks.”

He said all of that and at times it looked as if he was going to break down. Rex got back to his normal self when the subject of Rob Gronkowski was talked about. Rex reminded everybody that his team is without wide receiver Santonio Holmes and all-pro corner Darrelle Revis. Then, he threw in the usual Rex Ryan jab.

“Clearly, Gronkowski is one of the premier players in this league, so I hate the fact that he’s hurt,” Ryan said. “But if he’s going to miss a game, I’m not upset that he’s missing our game.”

The Jets coach even had something to say about Aqib Talib.  He would have liked it if the Pats would have waited until after Thursday to insert him into the lineup. Rex said Aqib is talented and his team will have to adjust.

“As if they needed another great player,” Ryan said. “Obviously, Belichick does a lot of things on defense to take advantage of players’ talent, so it will be very interesting to see what he does with Talib.”

Follow Levan Reid on CBSBostonsports.com and on Twitter @LevanReid all Patriots’ season long!

Before the Patriots announced their inactives for Sunday’s game against the Colts, Chung Tweeted ”gotta love business.”  The Tweet was immediately erased from his account, but those three words have a lot of people thinking this could be the last we see of Patrick Chung in a Patriots uniform.

Follow: Patriots-Colts LIVE Game Blog

The 25-year-old is in a contract year, and likely unhappy he’s sitting once again this Sunday. But New England likes Devin McCourty at that safety spot and the addition of Aqib Talib gives them another veteran at corner.

Aside from his rookie year, Chung has yet to show he can stay healthy for a full NFL season. In the last two seasons, he’s missed 14 games to various injuries.

Veteran corner Leigh Bodden showed his displeasure with being inactive when he felt he was healthy enough to play a couple of years ago, and found himself out of a job shortly after. Could we see the same with Chung?

This is something to pay attention to.

Follow Levan Reid on CBSBostonsports.com and on Twitter @LevanReid all Patriots’ season long!

Here are some fun facts from the Patriots-Colts rivalry:

- This will be the 200th consecutive sellout, including playoff and preseason games, for the Patriots. That dates back to the 1994 season opener.

- Since 2010, the Patriots are 17-0 in the second half of the regular season.

- The Pats have a record of 36-8 at home after Halloween dating back to 2002.

- The last time the Patriots lost in the second half of the regular season was a 34-27 loss to the Houston Texans in the 2009 regular season finale.

What To What For: Talib, Ridley and a Brady-Luck Showdown

Series History

- On Sunday, the Pats and the Colts will play each other for the 76th time in the history of the franchises, and for the 10th straight time in the regular season.

- New England is 20-10 against Indy since 1993 and have won 17 of the last 24 games in this series.

- The Pats have scored 20 or more points against the Colts in 22 of their last 24 meetings.

- Including the postseason, the Patriots are 46-29 against the Colts. They are 26-12 against Indy at home.

- As the Patriots head coach, Bill Belichick is 10-6 against the Colts.

Connections

- Former Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri, safety Sergio Brown, and corner Darius Butler are all present members of the Indianapolis Colts.

- Patriots Head coach Bill Belichick earned his first coaching job in the NFL in 1975 as a special assistant for the Baltimore Colts.

Battleground Maps: Better Sunday – Brady Or Luck?

Milestones

- Tom Brady has two rushing touchdowns this season. He needs one more to tie his single season-career high of 3 set in 2011.

- Tom Brady needs 417 passing yards to move past Dan Fouts into 10th place on the career passing yards list.

- Wes Welker has 16 10-plus catch games for his career, tied with Marvin Harrison. He needs one more to tie Jerry Rice for most 10-plus catch games in NFL history.

- Bill Belichick has 198 career victories and needs just two more to become the eighth NFL coach with 200 victories.

Follow Levan Reid on CBSBostonsports.com and on Twitter @LevanReid all Patriots’ season long!

After serving his four-game suspension, Aqib Talib spent the early part of this week getting accustomed to the Pats defense. Talib is keeping his feet on the ground.

“I’m just coming in, and doing what is asked to be done,” said Aqib. “If that’s help right away, it’s help right away. If it’s help down the road, it’s help down the road.”

He understands that people are going to be looking at him to solidify the Pats’ secondary but at the same time, he seems very confident in his ability.

“Whatever’s asked, man,” said Talib. “I’ve played man before, I’ve played zone before. It’s my fifth year in the league. I’ve played almost every coverage there is to play. Whatever they ask me to play, that’s what I’m going to play.”

Already though, he feels this team is the right fit for him.

“The guys have been great, man,” said Talib. “They’ve embraced me and I love the team already.”

Brady’s ‘Hello’ To Luck Might Have To Wait

Sunday’s game is being billed as the old guard versus the new guard.  Tom Brady has become a staple in this league. He’s seen many young quarterbacks come and go. He feels, though, that Andrew Luck has some staying power.

Luck is a rookie but already he’s shown the league and Brady that he has leadership skills.

Tom recalled how that had to happen for him.

“That’s part of the position,” he said. “That happened and I had 18 months to develop camaraderie with the guys that I played with and it was a lot of time and practice spent with extra coaching sessions and so forth.”

Tom remembers being out there for the first time getting ready as a starter and seeing Peyton Manning, when Manning said hello. As for Sunday, Brady doesn’t know if he’ll introduce himself to Andrew Luck. When asked, he said he tends to keep to himself in the pregame.

Follow Levan Reid on CBSBostonsports.com and on Twitter @LevanReid all Patriots’ season long!

In two straight games now, Devin has made plays in the defensive backfield. Against the Buffalo Bills, he really didn’t have to do much. The game came to him.

“That was one of those ‘right place, right time’ moments right there,” said McCourty, who intercepted Ryan Fitzpatrick’s pass in the end zone to seal the Patriots win. “The ball was thrown right to me, so just making the catch and ending it was my focus at that time.”

I am guilty like everyone else and I look at the yards. The Bills had 481 total yards against the Patriots. Usually, if a team has that much production, it wins the game. However, Devin talked about the turnover battle. He mentioned after the game, being on the right side of turnovers and the opportunities that come from it are the keys.

“We know no matter what happens in the game, there’s nothing bigger than turnovers,” Devin said. “I think throughout any level of football, turnovers are always a big part. A lot of times if you can just win that turnover ratio, you end up winning the game. We know each game we have to go out and win the turnover ratio. No matter what happens in the game, we have to come out on top with the turnover ratio.”

Follow Levan Reid on CBSBostonsports.com and on Twitter @LevanReid all Patriots’ season long!

It’s not all that hard to disperse the blame in this one. The defense let up 481 yards, but made the save in the end. The offense put up 37 points, but when they a chance to put the game away, they didn’t.

All the big money players are on the New England offense. They needed to handle their business and send the Bills walking, and didn’t find the end zone when they could have done that in the fourth quarter.

And they know it.

“The defense really saved the day,” quarterback Tom Brady said following the game. “We certainly had more opportunities out there to score more points and we didn’t. The defense made a couple great plays there at the end.”

Felger & Mazz: Did The Pats Take A Step Back vs. Buffalo?

The defense made THE great play at the end, and trust me, there was not a lot of faith in the stadium either. The defense is what it is; they are going to give up a lot of yards. Their big thing is stopping the run and coming up with the big play.

But it doesn’t help a struggling defense when the offense takes their foot off the gas.

“We put a lot of pressure on our defense by not going out and finishing the game,” said receiver Deion Branch, who other than a key drop in the first quarter had a solid afternoon. “There were a couple of times that we could have put them away and we didn’t.”

Hurley: Leftover Thought From Pats-Bills

One thing is certain. While the Bills may not be a great team, they are giving the Patriots fits lately. It’s now four straight games the Bills have fought hard, and one of those games, they actually pulled out the victory.

Follow Levan Reid on CBSBostonsports.com and on Twitter @LevanReid all Patriots’ season long!

Turning The Calendar Page

The Pats finished this October with a 3-1 record.  They are now an NFL best 35-7 in the month of October since 2003, including 20-1 at home.

The Pats have sold out 198 consecutive home games, that includes preseason and playoff games.  That dates back to the season opener in 2004.

Series History

The Pats and the Bills will meet for the 106th time on Sunday. The Patriots hold a 63-41-1 advantage.

The 63 wins over the Bills are the most victories the Patriots have over any opponent.

The Pats beat the Bills 52-28 when they met in September. If they win on Sunday, the Patriots will have swept the season series between the Bills for the 22nd time.

The Pats have won 11 straight games against the Buffalo Bills at home and that includes a 10-0 record at Gillette.

The last time they played, the Pats had 580 yards of total offense.  That’s the fourth-most in team history.

Milestones

The Pats offense has at least 350 total yards in 17 straight consecutive games.  That is already an NFL record.  They will be looking to improve on that.

Tom Brady has 50 career 300-yard games in the regular season. He needs one more to tie Hall of Famer Dan Fouts for sixth on the all-time list.

Wes Welker needs one more 10-plus catch game to tie Jerry Rice for the most 10-catch games in NFL history.

Rob Ninkovich has four forced fumbles this year. If gets one more, he will tie Mike Vrabel for the most forced fumbles by a Patriots player in the last 20 years.

Chandler Jones has six sacks. The Pats rookie record for sacks in a season is 10.5 by Garin Veris in 1985.

Follow Levan Reid on CBSBostonsports.com and on Twitter @LevanReid all Patriots’ season long!

Well, eight regular season games in it is still a work in progress, but it’s better than many people thought.

Brady sees the relationship as day-to-day.

“I hope it keeps getting better,” Brady said this week. “We just keep working at it, so we go out there in practice and we work on things and Coach tells us things that we need to do better. We’re always trying to make those improvements. I don’t think you can ever stop improving. I just think you just have to keep going out there to work at it and see if it can be better each day.”

Battleground Map: Who Will Win On Sunday?

To his credit, Lloyd has done the work.  Throughout training camp he stayed after practice with Brady for one-on-one drills, and often finds himself in the film room with #12 for some QB-Receiver video breakdown.

To this point in the season, Lloyd has caught 37 passes for 435 yards and three touchdowns.  One of those touchdowns came in the Patriots Week 4 win over the Bills.

Read: More From Levan Reid

But even Lloyd feels, there’s still work to be done.

“It’s an ongoing process,” said Lloyd . “I think I said earlier in the springtime that I don’t think this year we’re going to be at a point where we’re like, all right, we’ve got it made, because we still have so much work to do. And we’re working hard to improve on that week-by-week and day-by-day. It’s a group effort, and that’s what we’re moving forward with.”

Read: Life Couldn’t Be Better For Aaron Hernandez

Whatever the case, this 85 is much better than the last 85 that tried to catch passes from Brady.

Tune in to the Patriots-Bills game Sunday afternoon at 1pm on WBZ-TV and 98.5 The Sports Hub. Pre-game coverage begins at 10am on 98.5 with Patriots Preview, and 11:30am on WBZ-TV with Patriots GameDay. Following the game, stay tuned for three hours of postgame coverage on the Hub, and to Patriots 5th Quarter on WBZ-TV.

He’s constantly yapping to his teammates  in the locker room and on opponents on the field.

This season, he’s making a lot noise on the field.

Spikes has been getting the job done and playing at a Pro Bowl level through the Patriots first eight games. But given his love for hitting and tackling opponents, he’s still looking to do more.

“There’s no greater feeling than when you can impose your will on another man and absolutely just stop what he trying to get done,” Spikes said during the Patriots bye week. “It’s kind of fun. I get a kick out of it.”

The third-year linebacker is on a roll and maybe that’s the key reason he’s not really looking for a break.  While a lot of the players are treating the bye week like a vacation, Spikes will continue to press.

“Me personally, I’m still gonna be working,” Spikes said. “I’m not just saying that. I wan to just be a professional. I want to  be the best at my position. I can’t let a day get by. I’m definitely going to enjoy my family (during the bye), but at the same time I’m still trying to get the edge.”

That so-called edge is a work is progress, but that progress has shown in the stat sheet so far. He is second on the team in tackles with 50 (behind only Jerod Mayo’s team-leading 79), and had a monster week against the Jets in Week 7, when he recorded 11 tackles and his first career sack.

So it should come as no surprise Spikes feels he’s playing his at a top level.

“Honestly, this the best I ever felt in my life,” he said. “I feel like I’m 18. I feel great, man.”

That’s great new for the Patriots, and bad news for the seven teams remaining on their schedule.

Follow Levan Reid on CBSBostonsports.com and on Twitter @LevanReid all Patriots’ season long!

Here are some of the good surprises the Pats have had in the first half of the season:

Rob Ninkovich

Many people thought that after the Pats drafted Dont’a Hightower, Ninkovich would play a smaller role.  That assessment could not have been further off.  The Pats linebacker has four sacks, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in just eight games so far. When the Pats need a big play on defense, it always seems like Ninkovich is the on making it.

Now the task is to keep it going, because the Patriots are going to need more of that down the stretch.

Brandon Bolden

No one knew what the Pats were going to get from the undrafted rookie running back.  He looked good in training camp, but no one was sure how would that translate come game time.  He’s missed time with an injury, but when Bolden was out there on the field he was a force.  He averaged 5.4 per carry and was a great compliment to Stevan Ridley.

I’m not the only one saying this, but Bolden may be a huge piece to this Pats offense when he gets back.

Midseason Grades: ‘A’ For Offense?

Chandler Jones

Sure, everybody thought he would be good. But to get out there and get the job done immediately is another story.  In eight games this season, Jones leads the Pats with six sacks.  I can’t count how many pressures he’s had and he’s caused numerous holding penalties as well.  His game will grow, but already in his first half of a season, Chandler Jones has become a force.

With the good comes the bad. Here are the surprises the Patriots would like us not to talk about so far this season:

Patrick Chung

The third-year safety has been a huge let-down for the first half of this year.  Chung is once again hurt, and when he’s on the field he’s getting beat.  The Pats use their safeties to cover tight ends, and Chung has not been able to do that.  Against the Buffalo Bills, Scott Chandler toasted him for two scores.

I’m not sure when Chung will get better, or return to the lineup, but his spot may be up in the air now that the Pats have moved Devin McCourty to safety.

Patriots Blog: Gregory Eyes Return

Aaron Hernandez

Hard to believe the tight end would show up here, but hear me out on this.  Hernandez is great but every year, the injury bug has consistently snuck up on him and he is once again missing games.  For the Patriots offense to run, all the major parts have to be in there.

With Hernandez, you have to make contingency plans. Hernandez at the midpoint of the season has 17 catches for only 143 yards.  That’s a Wes Welker afternoon.

Pats Secondary

As a whole, the New England secondary has got to do better.  They have let up 40 passing plays of 20 or more yards so far this season, a stat that is flat-out crazy.  Getting beat by the big play is how the Patriots lost to Seattle and Baltimore, and one of the main reasons they are 5-3 and instead of 6-2 or 7-1.

The back-end has got to be tighter, and it’s infuriating to watch so many guys having trouble turning around and looking for the ball.  The insertion of Alfonso Dennard and Tavon Wilson has helped, but right now,  the secondary is the Pats glaring weakness at the midpoint of the season.

Patriots Blog: Talib Comes With Baggage

Follow Levan Reid on CBSBostonsports.com and on Twitter @LevanReid all Patriots’ season long!

The Pats are lucky to have their bye in the middle of the season, following a hard-fought first eight games of the regular season.

The Patriots practiced on Thursday, but will get the weekend off to enjoy some time away from the game. Some players use their bye week to spend time with family, while others will be hard at work at Gillette. Some of them will be doing both.

Or, take Stevan Ridley, who will be on hand Saturday night for one of college football’s biggest clashes of the season.

“I’ll be down in Baton Rouge, watching the LSU-’Bama game, of course,” Ridley, an LSU alum, said on Thursday. “I gotta get back and see my boys play and try to get this upset so I can come back and talk a little trash to [Dont'a] Hightower and [Brandon] Deaderick.”

Midseason Grades: ‘A’ For Offense?

Other guys are staying put. Linebacker Brandon Spikes will be hanging out with some family, but also getting in his work at the stadium.

His fellow defender Rob Ninkovich plans to do the same, just with a little more sleep in the morning.

“I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to stay here, lay around, just kind of relax,” Ninkovich said, before adding he’d also be hitting the weight room. “You come in, get your lifts in; do the same things that you would do every other week. You just have a little bit more time to sleep in the morning so that you don’t have to get up so early and so you don’t have those long, 12-hour days.”

And then there is Tom Brady. He doesn’t have plans yet, because he isn’t the one that makes them (that is up to his wife, of course). But while Brady will get his rest, both mentally and physically, don’t think that means he won’t be ready to go when the Patriots return to practice next week.

“I haven’t quite made any plans,” the Pats QB said. “Get a little rest, stay focused on what we have to do here and try to gear up for a really important next eight games of the year.”

Good to see Brady is focused, and letting someone else do his planning.

Follow Levan Reid on CBSBostonsports.com and on Twitter @LevanReid all Patriots’ season long!

But here’s the problem.

Talib is currently serving a four-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. Talib stated that around training camp, he took an Adderall pill without a prescription. This is also his second suspension.

The fifth-year pro was disciplined for an altercation he had with a St. Petersburg cab driver back in 2010, and he was also arrested in an alleged dispute with his sister’s boyfriend.

The Pats making this move tells everybody that they know they need to get better in the defensive backfield. This is a wild card though. Talib has baggage.

Follow Levan Reid on CBSBostonsports.com and on Twitter @LevanReid all Patriots’ season long!

Safety Steve Gregory has been missing from the Patriots secondary since the fourth quarter of Week 4′s win over the Buffalo Bills when he suffered a hip injury. He’s been making strides the last few weeks, inching closer to a return.

On Thursday, he said he is very close. There is a chance he could return in Week 9 when the Patriots host the Bills.

Read: Patriots acquire CB Aqib Talib From Tampa Bay

“Yeah feeling good, getting better everyday,” Gregory said. “Putting in work and, you know, just getting better.”

Gregory said he’s be spending the bye week working out at Gillette Stadium. He can’t wait to get back out there, because it’s getting kind of hard to be a spectator.

“It’s really hard, as a competitor, as a guy that wants to contribute and help your team, to sit on the couch and watch your guys play,” he said. “But guys are doing a good job. We put ourselves in a pretty good position right now so I’ll be excited to get back out there and start playing.”

Read: Brady on Bye: ‘A Lot (Patriots) Can Do Better’

The Patriots have had to play a couple of games without both of their starting safeties with Patrick Chung battling a shoulder injury, but could have both back soon.

Gregory was a solid veteran addition to the Patriots young secondary. He recorded 14 tackles in his four games to go with a 36-yard interception against the Ravens in Week 3.

Follow Levan Reid on CBSBostonsports.com and on Twitter @LevanReid all Patriots’ season long!

After last weeks game against the Seahawks, something may have to be done sooner than later.

Right now, the Patriots are playing without safety Steve Gregory and they are missing his veteran mind in the secondary. Gregory has been ruled out for the third straight week with a hip injury, which may pave the way for Devin McCourty to move from corner to safety.

Read: Patriots-Jets Preview

The third year player said he’s ready to do whatever his team asks.

“That’s not my call. I’ll do whatever coach decides,” said McCourty, who spent time at safety last season. “On this team, you’ve got to be ready to go anywhere.

McCourty admitted the secondary needs to do a better job making plays, but spoke highly of the young players he has alongside him on the field.

Pats-Jets: Tale of the Tape

“We’ve got some young guys that I think are doing a great job of picking up the defense since they’ve been here,” he said. “I think they’ve done a great job just responding and give them opportunities to show what they know and how they can play.”

McCourty’s move to safety could also mean more playing time for rookie corner Alfonzo Dennard, who saw extended time on the field in Seattle.

Tune in to Patriots-Jets on Sunday at 4:25pm on WBZ-TV and 98.5 The Sports Hub. Coverage begins at 11:30am with Patriots GameDay on WBZ-TV, with Patriots Preview beginning at 1pm on 98.5. Following the game, stayed tuned for three hours of post game coverage on The Sports Hub, and Patriots 5th Quarter over on MyTV38!

Stevan Ridley has made his point in the Patriots backfield and undrafted rookie Brandon Bolden has done the same. But not much has been said about the work that Danny Woodhead has done.

That is until now.

Woodhead may soon be the Patriots go-to guy in key situations, taking over the role that was left when Kevin Faulk retired.

“Danny is obviously a very important player for us,” Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said this week. “He’s made a lot of critical plays, whether it’s catches or runs, third-down protections or blocking blitzers. Danny has filled that role and done a really nice job with it.”

What To Watch For: An Angry Brady vs. Jets

Look no further than New England’s win over the Broncos two weeks ago, when Woodhead picked up two long third-down conversions. He picked up three first downs on third down in that game, and should see plenty of time against hist former team, the New York Jets, this weekend.

With the departures of BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Faulk, Woodhead is now the veteran in the Patriots running back room. He’s only 27, but he says being viewed as the veteran of the group doesn’t bother him.

Practice Report: Bolden Out; Hernandez, 10 Others Questionable

“It’s not something that I think about too much,” said Woodhead. “I like to think of myself as a young guy still.”

Not even questions about getting old can bother Danny Woodhead.

“You guys are starting to make me feel old,” he laughed. “But, whatever it may be . . . if I am older, I guess I’m older.”

Read: Ridley Gets Running Backs “Adult Onsies”

Tune in to Patriots-Jets on Sunday at 4:25pm on WBZ-TV and 98.5 The Sports Hub. Coverage begins at 11:30am with Patriots GameDay on WBZ-TV, with Patriots Preview beginning at 1pm on 98.5. Following the game, stayed tuned for three hours of post game coverage on The Sports Hub, and Patriots 5th Quarter over on MyTV38!

New York’s all-pro corner back Darrelle Revis is sidelined for the season with a knee injury, so no Patriot will find themselves stranded on “Revis Island” come Sunday.

Wes Welker knows how tough it is to play against Revis, and he’s relieved that the all-pro corner will not be out there on the field.

Welker spoke to the media on Friday and he also said that he doesn’t expect to see the Jets number-two corner Antonio Cromartie either.  He described Cromartie as a “different player” and said they really haven’t played against each other too much.

“Very rarely have we matched up in the past,” said Welker. “Maybe a few plays here and there. But, for the most part, I think we’re different type of players. He’s a bigger guy, a longer guy, a faster guy. But he does a good job, good ball skills and all those different things. You’ve got to just run good routes, get open, and try to make plays.”

Read: Patriots-Jets Preview

While Welker said you never want to see anyone get hurt, he certainly isn’t going to miss Revis.

“Of course,” he said. “I mean, he’s a great player. But they’ve got guys that are stepping up and doing a great job for them. And you’ve got to make sure you’re on top of everything and running good routes, and doing what you need to do to get open.”

Read: Bolden Out, 11 Questionable For Pats

Getting open has not been an issue for Welker so far this season. He’s shooting for his fifth-straight 100-yard game on Sunday.

Tune in to Patriots-Jets on Sunday at 4:25pm on WBZ-TV and 98.5 The Sports Hub. Coverage begins at 11:30am with Patriots GameDay on WBZ-TV, with Patriots Preview beginning at 1pm on 98.5. Following the game, stayed tuned for three hours of post game coverage on The Sports Hub, and Patriots 5th Quarter over on MyTV38!

Scott Zolak, 98.5 The Sports Hub

I don’t think this one is close. The Patriots are a hardened veteran team run by a 13-year quarterback, that can go on the road and is used to noise. The no-huddle will run at an effective rate, and they’ll be good again on first down.

I think Seattle will get after them a bit, but for a full 60 minutes there is no way Russell Wilson will be able to compete with that offense and score points. I look for the D to hold them under 20 points, and there is no reason New England shouldn’t score more than 30.

It should seem like a tough game through a quarter, but from the second quarter on the Patriots will pull away and this will be an easy one.

Patriots 38, Seahawks 16

Andy Gresh, 98.5 The Sports Hub

The famous Seattle crowd noise will be negated by Brady and crew; they know what they’re doing on the road.

I don’t think this will be a tough game at all for New England.

Patriots 35, Seahawks 13

Gresh & Zo: Should Hernandez Play On Sunday?

Walt Perkins, WBZ NewsRadio 1030

Expect another balanced attack by the Patriots, and off course that hurry up offense. They will want to take the Seattle crowd out of the game quickly, and what better way than to leave them slack-jawed and stunned at what they are seeing from New England.

Patriots 37,  Seahawks 20

Steve Burton, WBZ-TV

The Patriots may have their hands full this weekend.

Forget the fact that Seattle can’t score. The problem is they keep the other team from scoring. Pete Carroll’s team leads the league in fewest yards allowed (258.6 yards per game), and are second in fewest points per game (14 per game).

But the Patriots have the hottest offense in the league. They racked up 35 first downs against Denver last week — a franchise record. 20 of those came in the first half alone.

The run game has been outstanding for the Patriots. Between Stevan Ridley, Brandon Bolden, Danny Woodhead and even Shane Vereen, they are a young and scary backfield.

But this week look for the Pats to spread the ball around through the air; Seattle is big and strong up front, so Tom Brady might just air it out.

It’s a chess match, and lately Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has been winning big. The Pats have been averaging 33 points per game, and that’s without Aaron Hernandez. The hurry-up offense has been fun to watch, and it wears down the opposing defense. But let’s just hope it doesn’t tire the Patriots out in the process.

I don’t expect a blowout, but I do expect the Patriots to win.

Read: Patriots-Seahawks Preview

Patriots 27, Seahawks 17

Dan Roche, WBZ-TV

The Patriots face a tough task in Seattle Sunday afternoon. The Seahawks defense has been tough all season long led by sackmasters Bruce Irvine and Chris Clemons, who have 10 sacks combined. Seattle has 16 overall in that category, tied for 5th in the NFL.

The problem for Seattle is scoring points. Rookie quarterback Russell Wilson has thrown just five touchdowns while tossing six interceptions, and that’s with the Monday Night “touchdown” against the Packers. The Seahawks do run the ball well with Marshawn Lynch and company, but we know how well the Patriots defend the run.

Look for the Seahawks to try to keep this as low scoring as possible, much like they did against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers.

I still think the improving Pats will find a way to win because they have Brady leading the way.

Patriots 24, Seahawks 14

Levan Reid, WBZ-TV

I feel like I spent all week trying to convince myself this was going to be a tough game for the Patriots.  First, I thought  they have to travel out West, but then I realized it’s easier going West than coming east to play a game.

Then I said the Pats will play in a hostile environment. I travel with the team and nobody likes them; everywhere the Pats go on the road is a hostile environment.  That’s just what they face every weekend on the road, and in fact, they relish the chance at quieting an opponent’s crowd.

Read: Levan Reid’s Patriots Blog

So here’s the deal.  I know Seattle has the game’s best defense, and I can respect that.  I believe this game will start out as a defensive battle, but then the Pats will get on the board and force the Seahawks to try to open up their offensive game.  That’s when the Patriots should take over and close the game out, and we could see a blow out. Seattle has a great defense, but there are too many offensive weapons on the Pats and the young Seahawks can’t match it.

Pats 35, Seahawks 20 

Tune in to the Sunday’s Patriots-Seahawks game at 4pm on 98.5 The Sports Hub and WBZ-TV. Patriots GameDay kicks of WBZ’s coverage at 11:30am, with 98.5′s Patriots Preview beginning at 1pm. Following the game, tune in to 3-hours of post game coverage on The Sports Hub, and Patriots 5th Quarter over on MyTV38!

– If you have been keeping track at home, the Pats have played four of their first six games this season on the road.  They will have a slew of home games after their bye in Week 9.

– Tom Brady will play a game in Seattle for the first time in his career.  He has not played a game in the regular season in Seattle, San Francisco and Tampa Bay.  His only road game against Tampa was played in London, though he’s played in Tampa in the preseason.

– The Pats and the Seahawks have played 12 times in a 14-year span from 1980-93 but have only played twice since then, once in 2004 and again 2008. The Pats lead the all-time series 8-7.

– New England won the last meeting in 2008, 24-21. Wes Welker accounted for 134 of the Patriots’ 344 total yards (39 percent), while Deion Branch had four catches for 88 yards and two touchdowns for the Seahawks.

– This will also be the second time the Pats will play at Qwest/Century Link field.  It’s is considered the loudest stadium in the NFL.

– Tom Brady has played one game against Seattle. It happened in 2004, in New England, and the Pats won 30-20. Brady’s top receivers in that game were David Patten, Bethel Johnson and Daniel Graham.

Franchise Connections

– Pete Carroll was the Pats’ head coach from 1997-99. He led the Pats to the divisional round in his first year and helped the team to the playoffs the following season.

– Deion Branch was traded from the Pats to Seattle following the first game of the 2006 regular season. Branch stayed with the Seahawks until 2010 and then he was traded back to the Pats.

– Pats linebacker Tracy White played 20 games in Seattle from 2003-04

Milestones

– Wes Welker has three straight 100-yard games. He can tie a team mark if he gets 100 yards against Seattle. Randy Moss has the Pats record with four straight 100-yard games. He did that in 2007. In the game that preceded Welker’s streak, he had 95 receiving yards.

– Stevan Ridley has rushed for 100 yards in two consecutive games. He can become the first Patriots player to rush for 100 yards in three straight games since Curtis Martin did it in 1995. Curtis ran for five straight 100-yard games.

– The Pats have had two straight games with 200 yards or more rushing. If they reach that total again in Seattle, it will be the first time they have done that in three straight games since having a four-game stretch in 1978.

Follow Levan Reid on CBSBostonsports.com and on Twitter @LevanReid all Patriots’ season long!

The Seahawks cornerbacks and safeties are mostly over 6-feet tall and mostly over 200 pounds. They can hit,  play well in space and cover their man.

Take second-year corner Richard Sherman, who stands at 6-3 and 195-pounds. He only has about four tackles per game on the season, but has a forced fumble, two interceptions and seven passes defended. Then there is the 6-4, 221-point Brandon Bower, who has a pick and two forced fumbles — on of which came against Carolina last week.

Coach Bill Belichick the big Seahawks defenders as a huge problem.

“These guys are long, they’re extremely big, they’re 6-4, 6-3 corners,”  Belichick said earlier this week. “You just don’t see them very often, and to see them on one team, they’re hard to get away from. They’re big and they’re physical and they take up a lot of space. A lot of guys aren’t used to going up against that size a player; 220-pound corners.”

Read: Patriots-Seahawks Preview

“For the quarterback, it’s hard because it’s no different from playing against a taller middle linebacker; a guy like (Chicago’s Brain) Urlacher or somebody like that who’s 6-4, 6-5 in the middle of the field. Their range and their height just make those throws in the middle a little tougher.”

It’s going to be up to the receivers to free themselves and find the holes in that defense.  Wes Welker admits this will be a tough task.

“It’s always a challenge in the NFL, so especially with these guys it’s going to be really tough,” said Welker. “You gotta make sure you’re not sloppy. (You have to be) physical and quick and fast, and all those different things, in order to get open.”

Read: Levan Reid’s Patriots Blog

For comparisons sake, New England’s biggest receiving threat is Brandon Lloyd at 6-0,  200-points. Welker stands at 5-9, 185-pounds, with Deion Branch 5-9, 200-pounds.

It’s a good thing Tom Brady has all 6-6 and 265-points of Rob Gronkowski to throw to.

Read: Mike Hurley’s Week 6 NFL Picks

Follow Levan Reid on CBSBostonsports.com and on Twitter @LevanReid all Patriots’ season long!

Tune in to the Sunday’s Patriots-Seahawks game at 4pm on 98.5 The Sports Hub and WBZ-TV. Patriots GameDay kicks of WBZ’s coverage at 11:30am, with 98.5′s Patriots Preview beginning at 1pm. Following the game, tune in to 3-hours of post game coverage on The Sports Hub, and Patriots 5th Quarter over on MyTV38!

Eagles quarterback Michael Vick is once again a dog owner. Vick served 18 months in prison on dogfighting charges and now he says his family has a dog.

This topic came up after a picture surfaced of the inside of Vick’s house with a Milk Bones dog treat box in the background. Vick understands that many people will be alarmed but he promises that everything is OK.

“I understand the strong emotions by some people about our family’s decision to care for a pet,” Vick said in a statement. “As a father, it is important to make sure my children develop a healthy relationship with animals. I want to ensure that my children establish a loving bond and treat all of God’s creatures with kindness and respect. Our pet is well cared for and loved as a member of our family.”

Detroit Lions defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh is in the news again. The defensive tackle was involved in another car accident, though this time it was a small fender bender. There were no injuries and no drugs or alcohol involved. A man nameed Stephen Vines said Suh side-swiped his car and then left the scene.

“What it comes down to is it was an arrogance thing in my eyes,” Vines told the Detroit Free Press. “It was just pure arrogance. ‘Get out of my way or I’m going to make you move,’ and then, ‘I’m too good to sit here and wait.’”

Finally, what is going on in Pittsburgh Steeler Nation? The team just lost another tough game, this time to the Titans, and now the word is that the players are questioning themselves.

“We’re not strong mentally,” veteran linebacker Larry Foote told a Pittsburgh radio station. “We don’t look like a championship team right now. Everybody’s been knocked down, everybody’s had doors shut in their face, everybody’s gotten beat.”

The Steelers are just facing those middle-of-the-season woes.

Soccer 6 checks in and 6 opens up the column with some fine reporting. Apparently the people who put on the Chicago Marathon ran out of medals. This is hilarious. Imagine training for a marathon and all you want is that medal to show people that you have accomplished that feat and they tell you, “We have no more but here’s a handshake.”

I would seriously hurt somebody or take a medal off someone else and run some more. You have to give me something. Maybe the pace car. 6 is right. All that work and no medals equals riot.

6 goes on to tell us that there will be a new show on the TV scene. This will be a celebrity diving show. Now already I can see the problems with this. 6 says the show will be based on the Dutch show “Celebrity Splash.”  Here’s the deal: Celebrities in this country just want to be seen in public, not splashing in the water or failing on a dive that could have them end up on a spoof television show. This show will only be good if the contestants are stars above 250 pounds and they called it “Celebrity Belly Flop.”  That show, I would watch, DVR and when the season was over, I would buy the season DVD to watch again.

Finally, 6 has some good news. For those of you who have been following the president races at Nationals Park, well, Teddy Roosevelt has finally won. These are the mascot races and Teddy was like the Washington Generals against the Harlem Globetrotters. Teddy lost 526 races before getting his first win. Here’s the link to the victory. Enjoy.

Thanks for reading, everybody, and thank you, Soccer 6.

Follow Levan Reid on CBSBostonsports.com and on Twitter @LevanReid all Patriots’ season long!

The second-year back is currently fifth in the NFL in rushing yards with 490, and tied with a handful of players for fifth on the touchdown list with four scores. His feet, along with Brandon Bolden’s, have the Patriots rush offense ranked third overall in the NFL, averaging 165.4 yards per game.

“Hard work,” Ridley summed it up to.

And the Pats’ backs won’t let all that work go to waste. Don’t expect them to rest on the fact they’ve had two solid weeks on the ground this Sunday in Seattle.

“For us, we can’t take two steps forward and a step backwards every week,” Ridley said. “We have to keep building on what we improved on the previous week. For us, it’s about moving forward and doing what we’re doing. The last two weeks have been in the direction we want to move in, so for us, we’re just trying to go the right way.”

Patriots Blog: Branch Ready To Return To Seattle

While the numbers look great for Ridley, the only question was — and still is — can he hold on to the rock?  The last two games he’s had fumbles (only one of which the Patriots lost) and last week’s hiccup could have cost the Patriots the game.

Thankfully it didn’t, but Ridley felt bad after the game. He made no excuses and knows he needs to hold on to the rock.

And we all know head coach Bill Belichick feels the same way.

“We work on ball security with every player that handles the ball. Every week. Every day,” said Belichick. “That includes everybody that touches the ball. Center. Quarterback. Running backs, receivers, punters, kickers, snappers, returners, defenders when they get it if they happen to get it on a turnover. We talk and work on ball security every day with everybody. Everybody who handles it, it’s important. It’s the highest priority with everybody.”

Read: Pats-Seahawks Tale of the Tape

Things won’t get any easier this Sunday in Seattle. The Seahawks defense is atop the NFL — tied with the Patriots — with nine forced fumbles. While Seattle has only recovered four of them, Ridley knows he’s going up against a hard-hitting D that will be aiming to pry the ball out of his hands.

“They’re very athletic,” Ridley said of Seattle’s defense, who have given up just 66 rush yards per game so far this season. “They have guys that come downhill fast, they’re moving up front, they’re secondary are good tacklers –they’re a great defense against; both run and pass.”

Read: Mike Hurley’s Week 6 NFL Picks

Follow Levan Reid on CBSBostonsports.com and on Twitter @LevanReid all Patriots’ season long!

Tune in to the Sunday’s Patriots-Seahawks game at 4pm on 98.5 The Sports Hub and WBZ-TV. Patriots GameDay kicks of WBZ’s coverage at 11:30am, with 98.5′s Patriots Preview beginning at 1pm. Following the game, tune in to 3-hours of post game coverage on The Sports Hub, and Patriots 5th Quarter over on MyTV38!

Following his 2005 season — a 78 catch, 998-yard campaign — Deion Branch wanted a raise from the Patriots. They made an offer he didn’t like, and opted to hold out in hopes of getting a better deal. Branch sat out the Patriots’ mini camp, training camp and preseason, and made little progress with the team.

Instead, they told him he can go find a trade partner, and when the Jets and Seahawks came knocking, New England eventually sent him to Seattle for a 2007 first-round pick in early September (that pick turned into safety Brandon Meriweather).

Read: Belichick Breaks Down Seattle

Branch played four-plus seasons for the Seahawks until his return to New England in 2010, racking up 2,347 yards and 15 touchdowns on 190 receptions.

He played one game against New England in  2008, a 24-21 loss for the Seahawks in Seattle — one of 12 games they would lose that season. Deion remembers that game well, but not from his perspective.

“The loss,” Deion recalled. “Not the game that I had, I think just overall the loss.”

The game he had was one of his best of  the year — one in which he missed eight of the first nine games with an injury. Branch had four receptions for 88 yards against his former club, and two of the four touchdowns he scored that season. He scored one to start the game, and another in the third quarter to put Seattle up 21-13.

Read: Pats-Seahawks Tale of the Tape

But the Matt Cassel-led Patriots went on to win thanks to a big day by Wes Welker — 12 receptions for 134 yards and a key two-point conversion — and a touchdown run by Sammy Morris in the final three minutes.

With potential returns this week from tight end Aaron Hernandez, who was limited at practice on both Wednesday and Thursday, and receiver Julien Edelman, who was limited on Thursday, Branch might not see the field all that much come Sunday.

He still has fond memories of his time in Seattle, but admits once the game starts it will all be business, and he’ll be focused on the Patriots getting their fourth win of the season.

“Hopefully we go out there and get a victory. That’s the most important feeling that I need to have, and that’s what I have,” he said.

Read: Mike Hurley’s Week 6 NFL Picks

Follow Levan Reid on CBSBostonsports.com and on Twitter @LevanReid all Patriots’ season long!

Tune in to the Sunday’s Patriots-Seahawks game at 4pm on 98.5 The Sports Hub and WBZ-TV. Patriots GameDay kicks of WBZ’s coverage at 11:30am, with 98.5′s Patriots Preview beginning at 1pm. Following the game, tune in to 3-hours of post game coverage on The Sports Hub, and Patriots 5th Quarter over on MyTV38!

Series Stuff

- The history between these two teams dates back to the first days of the American Football League in 1960. The Pats played the Broncos in the inaugural game of each franchise.

- This will be the 46th meeting between the Pats and the Broncos. with Denver leading the regular season series 25-17 and the Pats holding a 2-1 advantage in the playoffs.

Read: Hernandez, Hightower Questionable

- The Pats have played more games against Denver than any other team that has never been in New England’s division.

- The last two times the Patriots have played the Broncos have been victories, and both times they have scored over 40 points. In Denver last year on Dec. 18th, New England beat the Broncos 41-23, and followed that up with a 45-10 victory in the AFC Divisional round on January 14 at Gillette.

Tom Brady versus Peyton Manning

- This game will be the 13th time Tom Brady and Peyton Manning will face one another. The Pats have won six of the nine regular season games against Manning, and are 2-1 against in the post season.

Read: Brady, Manning Members Of Mutual Admiration Society

- Tom Brady is 2-5 against the Broncos in the regular season and 1-1 against them in the postseason. Denver is the only team that Tom Brady has a losing record against.

Connections

- This will be the third game this year that the Pats will be involved in a brother vs. brother match up. First it was the McCourty’s when the Pats took on Tennessee. Then it was the Jones’ when the Pats took on the Baltimore Ravens. Now it’s the Gronkowski’s. Rob Gronkowski is the Pats all world tight end and his brother Chris Gronkowski is the Broncos fullback.

- Dan Koppen was the Patriots center from 2003-11, starting 120 games for New England. He won two Super Bowl titles during his time here, but is now the center for Denver.

- Bill Belichick was the assistant special teams coach/assistant to the defensive coordinator for the Broncos during the 1978 season.

- Brandon Lloyd played for the Broncos from 2009-11. In 2010, he posted a career year with 77 receptions for 1, 448 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Milestones

- Tom Brady has 48 career 300-yard games in the regular season, and needs one more to tie Warren Moon for 7th place all-time on that list.

- If Brady reaches 300-yards against Denver, it will be the third time in his career he’s had at least a four-game stretch of 300-yard per game.

- Wes Welker needs one more touchdown reception to break out of a tie for 7th place with Troy Brown on the Pats all-time touchdown receptions list.

Felger & Mazz: Ted Johnson Previews Patriots-Broncos

- The Pats have had two straight games with a pair of 100-yard receivers. It’s the fourth time in team history that’s happened, and if they can pull it off on Sunday, it will mark the first time they’ve pulled off the feat in three straight games.

- The Pats are looking for their first back-to-back games with a 100- yard rusher since Laurence Maroney did it in 2007.

Tune in to Patriots-Broncos this Sunday at 4:25pm on 98.5 The Sports Hub and WBZ-TV. Pregame coverage begins with Patriots Gameday at 11:30am on WBZ-TV, and with Patriots Preview at 1pm on 98.5. Following the game, tune in to 3-hours of post game coverage on the Hub, and Patriots 5th Quarter on MyTV38.

This week, it will be former New England center Dan Koppen, who snapped the ball to Tom Brady for eight seasons before being cut during training camp.

Brady is certainly one of the Patriots that misses having the redhead in the huddle on a daily basis, but is glad he found employment quickly.

“He’s one of my best pals, so I’m happy he’s got the opportunity. He’s a great friend of mine, so we’ve had a lot of battles together and I miss having him around here, but that’s part of this business,” said Brady. “He moved on and he’s got an opportunity and hopefully we play well against him.”

Read: Hernandez Practices Again, Hightower ‘Game-Time Decision’

It didn’t take long for Koppen to catch on with Denver, and now with an injury to their starting center J.D. Walton, Koppen will be lining up against a defense he battled every day in practice. Nose tackle Vince Wilfork and Koppen had many of those practice battles in the past, but now it’s going to be a little different with the game on the line.

“Being with him for nine years I know Koppen, he knows me also a little bit,” said Wilfork. “It is what it is, when it comes down to that. It’s no different for either one us. It’s going in, trying to win a ballgame. It’s Denver versus the Patriots, not the Patriots versus Koppen or Koppen versus the Patriots. It is what it is, the nature of the business, and you have to deal with it.”

He’s says that Koppen’s intelligence is something that makes him a lot different from most players, but Vince warns the focus though has to be on the Denver Broncos as a whole.

“We’ve seen guys come and go and played against guys that have been here, been teammates before. It’s never been a problem, and we don’t want it to be a problem this week,” added Wilfork. “Our job is to go out and play well, perform very well.”

There’s no doubt that his new teammates love having Koppen around.

“It’s been great. We haven’t been together too long yet, but I’m sure glad we brought him in because we lost J.D. Walton last week to an ankle fracture, so he’s a guy that had gotten healthy and we looked at him, brought him in to work him out,” said Broncos head coach John Fox. “At no point were we thinking he’d be lining up as the starting center as we head into Foxborough this weekend.”

“When you lose a starting center who has started every game for the past three years, it’s very rare that you can replace him with a veteran like Dan who has played in many huge games and is experienced,” said Broncos QB Peyton Manning. “So we feel fortunate to have him and it’s always nice having a veteran player who’s been around winning for his entire career on your team. “

Gresh & Zo Whiteboard:Manning On The Run?

Tune in to Patriots-Broncos this Sunday at 4:25pm on 98.5 The Sports Hub and WBZ-TV. Pregame coverage begins with Patriots Gameday at 11:30am on WBZ-TV, and with Patriots Preview at 1pm on 98.5. Following the game, tune in to 3-hours of post game coverage on the Hub, and Patriots 5th Quarter on MyTV38.