The Patriots gave up only their  second opening drive touchdown of the year when Matt Schaub hooked up with Joel Dreessen for a 25-yard strike on a blown coverage. It was the start of a trend that would continue all day.

On New England’s first drive, Wes Welker tore his MCL and ACL and is out the rest of the season and with the injury happening so late in the season, it could easily push his return back well into next years season.

The Texans came into this game with the mentality that this was the most important game in the franchise’s history, as it would give them a possible playoff birth and its first winning season. The Patriots wanted to win, well at least Tom Brady did, to try and match their 2008 season record and help decide the three-four spots in the playoffs. New England sat Vince Wilfork and Ty Warren as well as Laurence Maroney and Kevin Faulk.

Houston and New England traded possessions throughout the first half. On a huge fourth down stop with 4:50 remaining, Shawn Springs locked down Andre Johnson and seemed to create a huge momentum shift going into halftime. But it was instantly erased with a Fred Taylor fumble in the end zone, reminiscent of fellow running back Maroney, resulting in a Texans recovery for a touchdown.

He was hit as he received the hand off  because the Pat’s offensive line, again, cannot run block for the life of them. Kris Brown’s missed PAT left it at a three-point game.

One bright spot of the first half for New England was the play of back up quarterback Brian Hoyer, putting together a solid drive in the second quarter. He then came back in for the final drive of the game finishing, 8-for-12 with 71 passing yards and an 82.3 quarterback rating. He showed signs of greatness but could not find an open Julian Edelman to keep their hopeful last drive alive.

Matt Schaub and the Texans’ offense came out and put together a great drive to start their second half, driving 69 yards on nine plays. All was for none though, after the rookie out of UCONN, Darius Butler took advantage of his start for the injured Leigh Bodden and returned an interception 91 yards for a touchdown giving the Patriots a 20-13 lead.

The Texans drove down the field again with no avail, after Kris Brown missed another field goal try. In response, New England kept the chains moving and punched it in the end zone with a Fred Taylor run.

But Schaub, being the competitor he is, definitely showed why he is starting to be considered an elite quarterback in the NFL playing with a partially dislocated shoulder as he continued to get drilled to the ground all day. He connected with Jacoby Jones to bring Houston with in seven points with 9:41 to play. Schaub  finished the day 24-for-39 with 303 yards, 2 TDs and a 92.1 QB Rating.

After a three and out by the Texans defense and a 30-yard punt return by Jacoby Jones, Houston tied the game with a 1-yard run by Arian Foster with 4:43 to play.

In response, Tom Brady looked like he was going to make one of his story book ending drives, but instead he was intercepted due to pressure by the Texans line and gave Houston great field position. Four straight run plays later by the, second worst rushing attack in the NFL and the Texans had taken the lead with 1:54 left.

Hoyer came out for the final drive, as Belicheck wanted to get him some real pressure situation experience, and he converted one first down but missed an open Edelman twice on third and fourth to end the day.

The Patriots shouldn’t have played any of their important starters in my opinion; this game was meaningless for them. Schaub and the Texans really impressed me, they had playoff hopes on the line and came out and reeled off 21 unanswered points to beat the Patriots, but both the Jets and Ravens won their games so the Texans are on the outside of the playoff picture this year.

But the biggest thing to come out of this game was obviously Wes Welker’s injury. Julian Edelman stepped into Welker’s spot and came up with career highs with 10 receptions and 103 yards. New England has always been known to fill in key players pretty easily: Cassel for Brady, Wright for Seymour, and now hopefully it will be Edelman for Welker. Also, Isaiah Stanback’s role in the offense could increase dramatically depending on how fast he can learn the slot.

The biggest thing that will be missing of the field besides Welker’s production will be his leadership. “You’re heartbroken for Wes because he’s so important to our team, he’s probably the heart and soul of our team,” Shawn Springs said.

The Pats face-off against the Baltimore Ravens Sunday at 1 p.m. from Gillette Stadium, which I think this is a bad match up for New England. Though they beat them back on October 4th in a 27-21 game, a lot has changed for both of these teams in three months.

Baltimore has a two-headed monster at running back with Willis McGahee and Ray Rice, and on the other side of the ball, the Ravens are one of the hottest defenses right now and have arguably the best linebacker in the NFL’s history in Ray Lewis.

We have watched this video before on 4SportBoston but we will share it again because Ray Lewis is scary good.

“Our goal for athletics is to achieve sustainable excellence in all areas,” said Athletic Director Peter Rob. Northeastern football hasn’t had recent success since their 2002 Conference Championship.

After Coach Don Brown left Northeastern in 2004, the school started scheduling Division I powerhouse opponents such as Virginia Tech, Northwestern University, Ball State, and Boston College. Each of these games ended in humiliating defeats and showed how weak the program might be.

Don’t get me wrong, the program certainly has some players such as John Griffin, a local product from Oakmont High School; he finished the year with 715 yards and four touchdowns on an offense that was one of the worst in Division I-AA.

The University said that they will honor all scholarships to current student athletes that stay at the University, and the NCAA has waived the transfer rule for the NU football players (Sitting out one season, after transferring).

This all makes me honestly wonder that if you combine the scheduling of unrealistic opponents and these well thought plans for the student athletes, how long has the university been planning this?

The Huskies played at Parsons Field, known for baseball not NU football. I remember seeing the field for the first time at Northeastern football camp and thinking, “This is it?”. Most Massachusetts high schools and lower division colleges have better facilities, raising the question where was all this money going to that was spent on the football program?

Northeastern spends four million dollars a year on the football program with little to show for it, but I don’t think it was all the players’ and coaches’ fault. Being set up for failure and combining this huge mystery budget, pushed the administration and others against the team.

Northeastern is known for basketball, baseball, and hockey. Along with some other programs that have had recent success, it really proved that the football program was one that could be easily dealt with.

Recently, Matthews Arena received a multi million-dollar renovation. A new roof, new locker rooms, new seats, new press box and a spectacular video scoreboard lead the list of improvements. I understand that Northeastern Hockey is huge and the basketball team in recent years has been very good, but maybe if some of these renovations were scaled down, the football program could have been saved.

Northeastern has had a hidden agenda against the program for the past couple of years and it is just apparent with the decision to drop the program that they truly do not care about this group of young student athletes.

Northeastern isn’t the only wealthy division I-AA University that dropped their football program recently either. Hofstra University, which used to be a powerhouse in the Atlantic 10 and has produced numerous NFL players for a 1-AA program, shut it down on Dec 3^rd.

Their reasoning was specifically to take those resources from the football program and reinvest them into academic needs and need-based scholarships. The same options like the players at Northeastern about scholarship fulfillment and transfer waivers are available for the players at Hofstra.

I just hope these players take advantage of the opportunities given to them in the future and don’t let this situation discourage them. Also, I hope it makes student athletes that are not the major recruits to the bigger schools think about how they choose their school. Lower division student athletes have to think about life after football, life after sports, and these programs coming to end really shows that it can happen at any University.

The NFC playoff picture was just as cluttered as the AFC until this past week. Now, it is a lot simpler than its AFC counterpart by a wide margin.

Four of the six playoff spots have been clinched and the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys control their own Wild Card destiny, with the New York Giants waiting for one of them to slip up. The only thing left up for grabs in the NFC is the Wild Card, the number one seed, home field advantage between the Vikings and Saints, and the first round bye between the Eagles and the Vikes.

The Saints can clinch the number one seed and home field with a win or a Minnesota loss, after last week’s loss to the Cowboys, a check back to reality might have been just what the Saints needed heading into the playoffs. Their last two opponents are a combined 8-20.

Tampa Bay this week, which has had few bright spots besides rookie QB Josh Freeman coming off a 95.8 QB rating against the Seahawks, will try to upset the Saints. Then the Saints face off against Carolina, which has had an injury laden and disappointment of a season.

But, the Panthers are coming off their biggest win of the season against Minnesota in which they physically whooped the Vikes (Julius Peppers had 1 sack, 5 QB hurries, and benched a Pro-Bowl left tackle). Carolina could prove to be a test for the Saints, whom fans will be watching intently to see if they can clinch home field throughout the playoffs and to see if they will indeed rest their starters.

The Vikings can clinch their first round bye with a win or a Philadelphia loss, and keep a shot at the number one seed and home field as long as they win out and the Saints lose their last two games.

This should be an interesting game for the Vikes this weekend, with all the Favre vs. Childress media. Favre has always performed after being called out by the media so I expect him to continue his dominance of NFL defenses (27 TDS 7 INT 3,565 YDS and a 104.1 QB Rating, best of his career).

Minnesota plays Chicago this week and the NY Giants in Week 17. They should run over the Bears, but I’m iffy about Week 17. Carolina really exposed some weaknesses on the Offensive line, and the Giants front four is a lot better than the Panthers front four.

The Eagles have the toughest remaining schedule of any of the remaining NFC playoff teams, with games against Denver (8-6) and division rival Dallas (9-5). Philadelphia can simply clinch with a win combined with a Dallas loss. The Broncos are inconsistent but a good team and the Cowboys seem to be clicking on all cylinders. Romo is averaging 350 passing yards per game in December. Eagles and Cowboys in Week 17 is going to be the battle for the NFC EAST in my opinion.

The playoff sleeper for the second year in a row could be the Arizona Cardinals. The Cards have shown signs of greatness with their 30-17 win over the Vikings in Week 13 and then showed signs of inconsistency and lack of focus with their 24-9 loss in Week 14 against the 49ers. If any team in the NFL proves that you only play as well as your QB plays, it is the Cardinals.  When Warner throws one or less interceptions, the Cardinals are 9-0…

Arizona has an interesting remaining schedule. The Rams are 1-13 and seem like a no brainer win for the Cards, but then they have a potential wild card preview as they play the 9-5 Packers.

Green Bay is in the best shape out of the three potential wild card teams. With a win and a Cowboys or Giants loss, the Cheese Heads are back in the playoffs. Aaron Rodgers’ MVP-like play (28 TDS 7 INT 3,962 YDS 102,4 QB Rating) has led the Packers throughout the year and you have to remember up until a couple of weeks ago the Packers offensive line was playing like a JV high school team. Rodgers has carried this team on his back and I think he can do it to the Conference Championship.

The Dallas Cowboys are coming off of a huge win at New Orleans. They can clinch a playoff spot with a win and a Giants loss. Tony Romo is playing out of his mind right now threading defenses with no legitimate number one receiver so the ‘Boys control their own destiny in their decisive two remaining division games. The first being Washington, which can’t be taken lightly, and the final game of the regular season against the division leading Eagles. If the Cowboys win out, they can win the division and the number three seed in the playoffs.

The long shot for the wild card is the New York Giants. They need to have the Cowboys to either lose one game or lose both of their remaining games and the G-Men to win out to make the playoffs.

With a schedule featuring the Vikings and Panthers, they face a tough test. The Giants have a plethora of talented wide-outs and Eli Manning’s play has been very good, posting QB ratings of 130.5 and 144.4 the last two weeks. If they can get into the playoffs they can be a problem for any defense.

Week 16 Picks

Green Bay over Seattle -14. The Seahawks secondary is a joke, Rodgers is going to have a fun day.

Cleveland over Oakland -3. Oakland can’t stop the run, Harrison should have another big day.

Cincinnati over Kansas City -13.5. Jamaal Charles will be a challenge for this new-identity Bengals defense.

Atlanta over Buffalo -9. Another week of rest for Michael Turner and Matt Ryan should help the Falcons.

Miami over Houston -2. The Wildcat will dominate this young Texans defense.

Giants over Carolina -8. The Giants aerial assault will dominate a weak and injured Panthers secondary.

New Orleans over Tampa Bay -14. The Saints will dominate every aspect of this game. Josh Freeman will be running away from Vilma and company all day.

New England over Jacksonville -9. Pats will win but MJD is going to have a huge day against this Patriots defense.

Pittsburgh over Baltimore -3. Big Ben still has some more magic in there, and going up against the second best defense in points per game should bring out some fireworks.

Philadelphia over Denver -7. The Eagles offense is high flying and full of weapons. Brian Dawkins returns to Philly, so watch out for some BIG HITS.

Arizona over St. Louis -15. The Cardinals will wake up this week and continue from their big win in Detroit. St. Louis just needs to keep losing and get that first pick in the draft.

Indianapolis over NY Jets -5.5. The Colts will most likely play all healthy starters like last week. The Jets and Rex Ryan will make this out be their Superbowl (just like every other week).

Washington -7 over Dallas. The ‘Boys are back and I feel bad for the Redskins, they are flying high after their New Orleans win.

Chicago -7 over Minnesota. Favre will respond as always and dominate.

El Mustachio’s Week 16 Picks

By now, everyone has heard that the Mike Lowell to the Texas Rangers for Max Ramirez trade has been rejected due to the discovery of how severe Lowell’s thumb injury really is. But what does this mean for the Sox?

Lowell is a fan favorite, and most Sox fans are happy he is still in Boston (We’ll see how happy fans are if he is batting .200 in October again next year). Lowell has also been a clubhouse favorite and leader since arriving in Boston in 2006. However, with the tendering contract offer to Casey Kotchman, Jason Varitek coming back, and Kevin Youkilis’ move to full time third baseman, the Red Sox look to have a crowded infield and line up with Lowell still here.

No one is saying he wouldn’t continue to be a great clubhouse presence or a decent bat off the bench. However, even with a class act player such as Lowell, who has started the majority of his career, he could become a problem as he will be spending the majority of his time sitting on the bench. One possibility for Lowell would be to spell Big Papi and Kotchman at DH and first base; the Rangers had planned on using Lowell primarily at those two positions for the 2010 season.

Tito Francona is going to have to do a full year of figuring out and cycling his line ups, much like what he did after the V-Mart trade was completed. Tito spent the majority of the second half of the season trying to find the correct combination of players in the batting order to be most productive, while still trying to keep everyone on the team complacent.

News is that ‘Tek is fine with taking a lesser role, we can only hope that Lowell will do the same thing. Every good team needs role players and the Sox are no stranger to that concept as it has contributed to great success in the past. Players such as Kevin Millar, Gabe Kapler, or Dave Roberts have all filled that role well over the past five seasons. Even in the case for Roberts, everyone in Boston remembers him and he only played a quarter of a season with the Sox.

This team isn’t against having Lowell on the roster, they just are against his salary. Ben Cherrington, the Sox assistant GM, has been quoted as saying,

“He’s a good player, has been a good player and certainly a quality person. He’s been a big part of our team for the last several years. And the trade, as we talked to Texas, it wasn’t about not wanting Mike Lowell. It was about possibly making a move to get a player we liked back and give us a little bit of financial flexibility to do some other things.”

Mikey is in the last year of his contract with Boston and is looking to make a whopping $12 million, which is equal to what he has made the previous two seasons.

Despite popular belief, this contract year combined with the rejected trade could turn out promising for the Sox and Lowell. Number 25 has said that he should be ready for spring training and with a healthy Mike Lowell feeling the pressure of free agency after this season on him, performing to show he can still play isn’t a bad situation for the Sox. Lowell is a resilient guy. Fighting through his hip surgery, he still posted a .290 batting average, 17 homers, and 75 RBI. If any veteran player can come back from another surgery, its this guy.

This could end up turning into one of those “everything happens for a reason” stories or it could just end up another Sox front office horror story reminiscent of the Duquette days. If Lowell can go out there play some spot third base and DH and bring back that stroke he had ’07 and ’08, he wins and the Sox win.

The Sox front office is rallying around Lowell since the trade was rejected, and rightly so. He has been a key part to the team’s success since his arrival. Ben Charrington said about Lowell,

“Let him go out there and play, and he’s either an important part of our team moving forward, a guy who obviously provides a good bat at third base so we have flexibility with Youk, who can move between third and first. Mike’s an excellent hitter, an excellent hitter at Fenway Park, and so he’ll be an important part of our team. And certainly if there’s interest down the road, we can consider that.”

If not, I say the Sox will release him or trade him at the break. One thing is for sure: Theo is a good guy but a smart business man. And as we all know, in the business of professional sports, it’s always a “what have you done for me lately” mentality.

(Editor’s note: This is Bojo’s first post for 4SB! Vote below to let us know if you like what you see and want to see more from Bojo on 4SB going forward! YOU decide!)

(polls)