New England Patriots 2007 Season According to EA Sports' Madden07

Pats Picks According to Madden 07

by RyB

As a new feature for Thirsty13, I will be making my selections for the New England Patriots 2007 season through Madden 07 on Sony Playstation 2. There really isn't any need to do a review for Madden, since there are about a hundred of them out there on gaming related sites. The newest installment isn't even that much different from 06, other than the kicking game and updated rosters. I could get into the new features (very minor additions or changes), but I would rather focus on the point of this feature.

I figured this would be a fun and original way to make my picks each week. I don't think I have ever seen anyone do it like this. I play out the Pats season every year, anyhow. Let's face it, I waste lots of time playing Madden by myself in the basement, so this is a way to make me feel like I am actually getting something accomplished. I'll just call it "work". Ya, that's it! If I am every wrong, I can just blame it on the game. Anyway, let's move on to my pick for Week 1 for the 2007 New England Patriots.

Week 17

The final game of the season brings the Patriots to Tennessee to combat the Titans. This should be a game similar to last week in both style and score, in my opinion. The Titans have similar types of players and style of play when compared to the Jaguars running game and mobile quarterback. Vince Young is playing out of his mind and is starting to look like he will be as good as many had expected but at an accelerated rate. If he had been playing all season, the Titans might be one of the top teams in the AFC this season. Travis Henry has also been running the ball nicely in the past few weeks and he is always a threat for a long score. The Titans have gotten their act together after a tough start and are now standing at an 8-7 record. I expect this to be a battle but the Pats will once again pull it out in the end.

Week 17 - PS2

Pats – 31

Titans - 21

Brady – 15/37 passing; 239 yds. 2 TD; 1 INT

Dillon – 129 yds. Rushing; 30 yds Rec; 2 TD

Maroney - 20 yds. Rushing; 0 TD

T. Brown - 5 Rec; 46 yds. 1 TD

D. Graham – 3 Rec; 59 yds. 0 TD

C. Jackson – 1 Rec; 66 yds. 1 TD

Week 17 - Actual Results

Pats – 40

Titans - 23

Brady – 15/24 passing; 225 yds. 2 TD; 0 INT

Dillon – 67 yds. Rushing; 59 yds Rec; 2 TD

Maroney - 73 yds. Rushing; 1 TD

Caldwell - 4 Rec; 134 yds. 1 TD

T. Brown – 3 Rec; 13 yds. 1 TD

I'm going to keep this one short and simple. The Pats looked sharp on Sunday. Perfect timing as they roll into the playoffs to take on the NY Jets on Sunday in Foxboro. Although the Jets were able to pull off a win earlier this year, I think the Pats will be fired up to not let it happen again.

Week 16

As mentioned below, the Pats have a chance to clinch the AFC East this Sunday. It's not going to be an easy task however because they will be up against a tough Jacksonville Jaguars team at home in Florida. Rookie running back Maurice Jones-Drew has been on a tear of late and will probably be considered for Rookie of the Year. David Garrard, who has been filling in for the injured Byron Leftwich for most of the season, is also a solid threat on the ground. He can get out of the pocket but also makes some good decisions on went to pass or dump it off to Jones-Drew. I have a feeling this will be a tough game and potentially a high scoring one, if it plays out like it did on PS2.

Week 16 - PS2

Pats – 44

Jaguars - 31

Brady – 14/29 passing; 275 yds. 3 TD; 3 INT

Dillon – 25 yds. Rushing; 30 yds Rec; 0 TD

Maroney - 5 yds. Rushing; 0 TD

Caldwell – 3 Rec; 90 yds. 0 TD

Jackson – 3 Rec; 94 yds. 1 TD

Week 16 - Actual Results

Pats – 24

Jaguars - 21

Brady – 28/39 passing; 249 yds. 1 TD; 0 INT

Dillon – 30 yds. Rushing; 30 yds Rec; 1 TD

Maroney - 48 yds. Rushing; 1 TD

D. Thomas – 5 Rec; 83 yds. 1 TD

T. Brown – 4 Rec; 44 yds. 0 TD

After a hard fought battle, the Pats were finally able to put this game away at the end of the fourth quarter and clinch their fourth consecutive AFC East title. This was a well played game by both teams but the fantastic play of Brady is what ultimately helped the Pats get the win. Rookie Tight End David Thomas came out of nowhere with a fantastic game and ended up being Brady's favorite target. Maurice Jones-Drew was able to rush for 131 yards, although one was a 74 yard run that should have never happened. He fell to the ground after tripping over his own player. No one on the Patriots D made contact with him to stop the play and he got right up and ran untouched to the end zone. This was one of the only mistakes that the New England D made all game. Next week sends the Pats to Tennessee to play a tough Titans team that has been soaring on the back of Vince Young for the second half of the season. Let's hope the Pats stay sharp as they get closer to the first round of the playoffs.

Week 15

After an absolutely brutal game and one of the worst performances in recent memory, the Pats look to redeem themselves back home against the Houston Texans. This should be an easy win, considering the Texans are 4-9 and are in last place in the AFC South. Don't be fooled by the record. As we all know, any team in this league can win on any given Sunday. Houston beat Miami earlier in the season and they also beat Jacksonville twice. That's why the Pats need to stay focused and play their game. This is in no way a guaranteed win. I am looking for a solid running game to start and get us an early score, mixed in with a simple passing game. I think Brady will need to focus on more of the short routes this week to get himself and his receivers moving in the right direction this time around. Here is the breakdown for Week 15 according to PS2:

Week 15 - PS2

Pats – 33

Texans - 10

Brady – 11/20 passing; 202 yds. 2 TD

Dillon – 83 yds. Rushing; 0 TD

Maroney - 31 yds. Rushing; 0 TD

Caldwell – 3 Rec; 87 yds. 1 TD

Jackson – 2 Rec; 65 yds. 0 TD

Week 15 - Actual Results

Pats – 40

Texans - 7

Brady – 11/20 passing; 202 yds. 2 TD

Dillon – 61 yds. Rushing; 0 TD

Faulk – 2 Rec; 46 yds. 1 TD

Caldwell– 6 Rec; 25 yds. 0 TD

I don't have much to say about this game. They did what they were supposed to do, which was beat an inferior team by a large margin. Next weeks game could allow the Pats to clinch the AFC East title, but it will take a lot of work against the Jacksonville Jaguars. They have been up and down all season but have beaten some good teams. Look for this one to be tough down in Jacksonville.

Week 14

The end of the season seems like it is just around the corner. The Pats haven't been playing their best ball over the past few weeks but they have been winning and that is all that really matters. They really need to step it up over these past few weeks so that they are rolling on a high note into the playoffs. They could just mail it in for the rest of the season and still probably be fine but it would not be ideal. As I mentioned before this could be a tough game in Miami. The Dolphins have some talent and always seem to play the Pats tough, no matter how good or bad they are in a particular season. I say this is another unnecessary nail biter that the Pats pull off in the 4th quarter.

Week 14 - PS2

Pats – 34

Dolphins - 28

Brady – 18/34 passing; 246 yds. 4 TD

Dillon – 41 yds. Rushing; 0 TD

Brown – 5 Rec; 50 yds. 0 TD

Graham – 2 Rec; 117 yds. 2 TD

Week 14 - Actual Results

Pats – 0

Dolphins - 21

Brady – 12/25 passing; 78 yds. 0 TD

Dillon – 79 yds. Rushing; 0 TD

Brown – 3 Rec; 25 yds. 0 TD

Graham – 4 Rec; 23 yds. 0 TD

What the hell just happened? I knew the pats would have a tough time in Miami as they always do but I definitely did not think they would get shut out. That was by far one of the most disgusting and depressing games the Pats have played in a long time. This is not the point in the season where we want them to start playing like garbage. Brady looked frustrated and pissed off out there. He only threw for 78 yards! The receivers were not helping his cause with drops and just not getting open. There isn't much left to say other than UGH!!! The Pats come back home against the crappy Texans, so let's hope they can get their act together. I will actually be at the game live, so I might have another article to go along with a win (I hope!).

Week 13

The Detroit Lions come to Foxboro this week, hopefully to get their asses handed to them. They are one of the crappier teams in the NFL this year, although they can be explosive at times because of their young offensive weapons. Kevin Jones turned out to be a monster when playing against the video Lions. He was running over and through my defense and broke an 80 yard run to start the game off. This game started off much different than I had hoped as I couldn't even score until end of the second quarter. The video Lions were also able to take advantage of their receivers and hit Roy Williams for a 75 yard bomb to score again. After getting myself under control, I decided to give Maroney a majority of the carries and he came through. Once we took the lead the video Pats never looked back. It actually got real ugly and turned into B.O.C. (Blow Out City). I am hoping we see some B.O.C. in the actual game as well. Here is the predicted score and stats:

Week 13 - PS2

Pats – 45

Lions– 17

Brady – 16/27 passing; 244 yds. 3 TD; 2 INT

Maroney – 110 yds. Rushing; 2 Rec. 13 yds. 2 TD

Dillon – 23 yds. Rushing; 0 TD

Brown – 3 Rec; 79 yds. 1 TD

Caldwell – 5 Rec; 105 yds. 1 TD

Week 13 -Actual Results

Pats – 28

Lions– 21

Brady – 16/27 passing; 305 yds. 0 TD; 1 INT

Maroney – 14 yds. Rushing; 0 TD

Dillon – 25 yds. Rushing; 3 TD

Brown – 8 Rec; 112 yds. 0 TD

Faulk – 8 Rec; 59 yds. 0 TD

Once again, we had another ugly game. What is going on with this team? Constant turnovers and inconsistent play is absolutely killing them. There is no way this game should have been this close. Hopefully the Pats don't start playing to the level of their opponents for the rest of the season. This is when they should be turning it on. If I wasn't so irritated I would write some more but honestly, how mad can you get as long as they win the game? I have a bad feeling about next week's game. It's against a sneaky Dolphins team that has quietly beaten a few good teams such as the Bears and Chiefs. Having the game in Miami could also be an advantage but I think the Pats will pull it out in the end as they love to do.

Week 12

New England has a serous challenge this week when they take on the Chicago Bears at Foxboro Stadium. The Bears are 9-1 and can look unstoppable at times. This is due to their tough defense and monsters like Brian Urlacher. Their offense has been shaky at times but it has been enough to get them through the season and tied for best record in the league. I'm not sure how accurate this weeks PS2 prediction will be because I expect a much closer and lower scoring game. If it ends up this way I will be more than happy. I still think the Pats can win but I feel like it will come down to a field goal and possibly the last drive of the game. The PS2 game was more of a defensive battle than the score shows. There were probably 3 scores in the final 3:30 minutes of the game due to turnovers and one long bomb. Here are the stats:

Week 12 - PS2

Pats – 34

Bears – 10

Brady – 11/23 passing; 189 yds. 3 TD; 1 INT

Maroney – 21 yds. Rushing; 0 TD

Dillon – 65 yds. Rushing; 0 TD

Caldwell – 4 Rec; 139 yds. 3 TD

Week 12 - Actual Results

Pats – 17

Bears – 13

Brady – 22/33 passing; 267 yds. 3 TD; 1 INT

Maroney – 33 yds. Rushing; 1 TD

Dillon – 40 yds. Rushing; 0 TD

Watson – 6 Rec; 87 yds. 1 TD

Caldwell – 3 Rec; 57 yds. 0 TD

If you caught this game live, you know it was one of the ugliest games of the season. There were 3 turnovers by the Patriots in the red zone and another 2 for the rest of the game. Luckily, the Bears were doing the same thing and Grossman showed why many in Chicago are calling for his head. a. Samuel had his number picking of THREE balls with one very important one at the end of the game after Dillon had fumbled close to filed goal range. They pulled it off and that's all that matters but I think we would like to forget how this one was played. The Lions at Foxboro are up for next week.

Week 11

This might sound like a broken record but this is the week the Pats need to step it up. The Packers are on deck and although they are not the same team as in years past, they still can surprise some people. Favre has been playing well and seems rejuvenated. By no means can the Pats lay down and expect to win this game without some serious effort and some consistent play. Turnovers need to be minimized and Brady needs to be effective. I think we should seriously focus on the run as Dillon and Maroney have been performing great all season. I think that ignoring the running game late was one of the reasons they lost to the Colts two weeks ago. I might be shooting myself in the foot again but I think the Pats will prevail and put a beat down on the Packers. Let’s hope…

Week 11 - PS2

Pats – 34

Packers – 28

Brady – 14/27 passing; 256 yds. 3 TD; 1 INT

Maroney – 108 yds. Rushing; 2 TD

Dillon – 58 yds. Rushing; 1 TD

Caldwell – 5 Rec; 145 yds. 2 TD

C. Jackson – 3 Rec; 66 yds. 1 TD

Week 11 - Actual

Pats – 35

Packers – 0

Brady – 20/31 passing; 244 yds. 4 TD; 0 INT

Maroney – 82 yds. Rushing; 0 TD

Dillon – 31 yds. Rushing; 1 TD

Caldwell – 3 Rec; 70 yds. 1 TD

Watson – 5 Rec; 74 yds. 1 TD

There's not much to say here accept..it's about freakin time! I was off by one point on the Pats total and not even close on the Packers score. It doesn't matter though because they won. Actually, they crushed Green Bay which is what I was waiting to happen for the past 3 weeks. Hopefully they continue this week against the Chicago Bears. They are going to need to be at the top of their game to stay with the ridiculous defense of Chicago.

Week 10

After a sorry performance last week against the Colts, I think the Pats are ready to bounce back and smash the Jets. I think even the video Pats were fired up for this game. Maroney was running at will all over the Jets defense. Brady was throwing bombs and getting a score within three plays on a bunch of possessions. Let's just say this one could get ugly for NY fans. I don't promote gambling but this might be the game to but some down on New England. I can guarantee the real Pats will be pissed and ready to tear it up! Let's move on to the Week 10 prediction:

Week 10 - PS2

Pats – 34

Jets – 10

Brady – 12/26 passes; 256 yds. 3 TD; 1 INT

Maroney – 82 yds. Rushing; 1 TD

Dillon – 24 yds. Rushing; 0 TD

Caldwell – 5 Rec; 145 yds. 2 TD

C. Jackson – 3 Rec; 66 yds. 1 TD

Week 10 - Actual

Jets - 17

Pats - 14

Brady – 25/37 passing; 255 yds. 1 TD; 1 INT

Maroney – 37 yds. Rushing; 0 TD

Dillon – 98 yds. Rushing; 0 TD

Caldwell – 9 Rec; 90 yds. 1 TD

Gaffney – 3 Rec; 65 yds. 0 TD

Week 9

This should be one of the best games of the season if it plays out like it did for me on PS2. The Pats took control for a good majority of the first three quarters. They were up by 17 points in the 3rd quarter, but Indy kept chipping away with field goals. They were with in 6 points with about 3:30 points remaining in the 4th quarter. Brady made a bad pass which was intercepted. The Colts then went down and scored a touchdown with :52 remaining to go up 28-27. Brady still had enough time to get the Pats up the field to about the 20 yard line which allowed to Gotkowski to kick the game winning field goal. Let's take a look at the stats from PS2:

Week 9 - PS2

Pats – 30

Colts– 28

Brady – 16/28 passes; 265 yds. 2 TD; 1 INT

Maroney – 40 yds. Rushing; 0 yds. Receiving; 0 TD

Dillon – 20 yds. Rushing; 27 yds. Receiving; 1 TD Rushing; 1 TD Receiving

Caldwell – 4 Rec; 49 yds. 0 TD

C. Jackson – 1 Rec; 48 yds. 0 TD

Graham – 5 Rec; 111 yds. 1 TD

Week 9 - Actual Results

Colts - 27

Pats - 20

Brady – 20/35 passes; 265 yds. 0 TD; 4 INT

Maroney – 63 yds. Rushing; 0 yds. Receiving; 0 TD

Dillon – 48 yds. Rushing; 5 yds. Receiving; 2 TD

Watson – 4 Rec; 54 yds. 0 TD

Gabriel – 2 Rec; 45 yds. 0 TD

Brown – 5 Rec; 37 yds. 0 TD

I don't really have much to say about this game. It wasn't very pretty. I thought the Pats still had a chance to win this game in the end, even though they had played poorly for a majority of the game. Brady was looking rough, throwing 4 Interceptions. A lot of these were tipped passes, so they weren'tnecessarily bad throws, just bad luck and good defense. I thought they abandoned the running game too early, considering Maroney was getting what seemed to be about 6 yards every time he rushed. I am definitely disgusted because we can easily beat this Colts team. Next weeksmatch up: New York Jets in Foxboro. Look for a massacre on this one to make up for last week's poor showing.

Week 8

The Patriots take on the Minnesota Vikings this week on Monday Night Football. It will be nice to see the Pats get some national exposure this season because I have a feeling many people around the nation are forgetting about New England. They have flown under the radar, even with a record of 5-1. A lot of this probably has to do with the fact that they have not been winning in a very flashy or exciting way. They just get it done. That's exactly what they will do this Monday night as well. Minnesota is at 4-2 but I'm not totally convinced that they are as good as their record lets on. Thery have beaten some solid teams in Washington, Carolina and Seattle, so they should still put up a fight. It appears that Brady is going to have a field day with the passing game if things turn out at Madden 07 says:

Week 8 - PS2

Pats – 28

Vikings – 6

Brady – 16/27 passes; 364 yds. 4 TD; 0 INT

Maroney – 59 yds. Rushing; 0 yds. Receiving; 0 TD

Dillon – 77 yds. Rushing; 0 yds. Receiving; 1 TD

Caldwell – 6 Rec; 95 yds. 1 TD

C. Jackson – 3 Rec; 80 yds. 0 TD

Graham – 2 Rec; 82 yds. 2 TD

Watson– 1 Rec; 47 yds. 0 TD

Week 8 - Actual Results

Pats – 31

Vikings – 7

Brady – 29/43 passes; 372 yds. 4 TD; 1 INT

Maroney – 34 yds. Rushing; 33 yds. Receiving; 0 TD

Dillon – 5 yds. Rushing; 27 yds. Receiving; 0 TD

Caldwell – 7 Rec; 84 yds. 1 TD

Gabriel – 5 Rec; 83 yds. 0 TD

Watson– 7 Rec; 95 yds. 1 TD

It's really scary how close my prediction turned out! Off by 3 points for the Pats and off by 1 for the Vikings. Brady's stats were almost identical as well. Crazy! Anyhow, the Pats came out in the first drive and just completely ran over the Vikings. I actually thought this might have been a close game, but I should have known better. The Patriots scored on their first drive and never looked back. New England's defense had four sacks and four interceptions and made Brad Johnson look awful. He is usually fairly poised and gets the ball to the right places but he looked like he got hit by a truck. He couldn't get out of his own way and often just tossed the ball up in the air in hopes of not getting crushed by the D. All in all, this was a very enjoyable game because it showed the rest of the country that the Patriots are for real. Look out for one of the best games of the year as the Colts come to New England for Sunday Night Football!

We’re already moving into Week 7 of the 2007 NFL season. Each conference is starting to take shape with the consistent winners and losers but we are always in for at least a few upsets each week. There is still quite a bit of parity and literally, any team can win on Sunday. This would be proven by my sad performance in my Winner’s League the past few weeks. Some dude has racked up 13 wins in 3 separate weeks! How is that even possible?

Anyway, let’s move on to the Pats vs. Bills this Sunday in Buffalo. New England had a bye week last Sunday, so they should be rested and ready to whoop some ass this week. Here is how the game will play out according to Madden 07:

Week 7 - PS2

Pats – 38

Bills – 31

Brady – 27/43 passes; 332 yds. 3 TD; 2 INT

Maroney – 62 yds. Rushing; 15 yds. Receiving; 1 TD

Dillon – 52 yds. Rushing; 9 yds. Receiving; 1 TD

Gabriel – 6 Rec; 100 yds. 1 TD

Caldwell – 7 Rec; 65 yds. 1 TD

Week 7 - Actual Results

Pats – 28

Bills – 6

Brady – 18/27 passes; 195 yds. 2 TD; 0 INT

Maroney – 29 yds. Rushing; 1 yds. Receiving; 0 TD

Dillon – 47 yds. Rushing; 0 yds. Receiving; 2 TD

Gabriel – 3 Rec; 45 yds. 1 TD

Watson – 5 Rec; 60 yds. 1 TD

The Pats got it done in Week 7 against the Bills. Madden 07 predicted a much closer game than it actually turned out to be, as New England was in command for the majority of the game. Defense was the major key in this game as Buffalo just couldn't get any momentum whatsoever. McGahee was kept to just 59 yards rushing and was not allowed to break any large runs. Losman looked OK at times, but for the most part still looked the young inexperienced quarterback that he is.

Dillon made two nice touchdown runs and is looking as good as ever. It appears that Maroney's nice play has rejuvenated Dillon and his aggressive running. Brady was solid as usual and was able to get the ball to 7 different receivers. The Pats command from the first quarter showed they were not going to even give the Bills a chance to stay in this game. All in all, this was a nice solid win. Next week has New England playing in Minnesota on Monday Night Football.

After last weeks performance, I have a new respect for the power of the Madden prediction. I was only off by one point for the Pats final score. The Madden game played out a lot closer than the actual result. That's not the point of the prediction anyhow. I'm just picking winners here! With a 3-1 record, we are back in the zone.

Week 5 is back at home against the Miami Dolphins. Every analyst completely overrated this team in the pre-season and were way off. Miami is uch worse than many expected, including horrendous play by Culpepper and a weak offensive line. Let's take a look at the stats according to Madden for Week 5:

Week 5 - PS2

Pats – 26

Miami – 14

Pats:

Brady – 13/27; 144 yds; 0 TD; 3 Int.

Maroney – 61 rush yds. Rushing; 18 yds. Receiving 1 TD

Dillon 10 rush yds.; 1 TD

D. Graham – 3 rec.; 32 yds. 0 TD

R. Caldwell – 4 rec. 32 yds. 0 TD

Gotkowski – 4/4 FG’s

Week 5 - Actual Results

Pats - 20

Miami - 10

Brady - 16/29; 140 yds. 2 TD; 0 INT

Maroney - 38 yds; 0 TD

Dillon - 45 yds; 0 TD

T. Brown - 5 Rec. 58 yds. 1 TD

H. Evans - 2 rec. 11 yds. 1 TD

Another Pats win on both ends. This is getting scary how close it seems to be predicting the final score. Now I know that this isn't perfect but in all honestly it's actually working out better than I ever expected. The final point differential was 10 points and I had it as 12 points on PS2. Both scores were very similar being in the twenties and teens.

Anyway, the Pats did not play a terrific game in all reality. They pulled off a win against a very disappointing Miami team that they probably should have crushed by at least 17 points. The running game was at one of it's weaker points of the season, while Brady was a little inconsistent and not at his sharpest. I remember at least 4 separate times when his pass was knocked down by the defensive line.

The defense made up for it slightly as Samuel ended up with 2 interceptions. Joey Harrington, who had not played all season, came in and threw for 232 yds. If it wasn't for the picks, this game could have been very different. But it wasn't and the Pats are now 4-1. Next week is a bye for New England.

I’m not feeling too confident with my prediction for Week 4. The Pats take on the Bengals in Cincinnatti on Sunday. Not only are the Bengals playing out of their minds right now, but the Pats are going the opposite direction. That is not a good combination. I think New England is due for a solid game since they HAVE to step it up to keep this game from getting very ugly. The predicted score is Pats 39 – Bengals 34. I don’t think there will be this much scoring, but I feel that the point differential will be accurate. If Palmer and his receivers perform anything close to this, NE is in big trouble. Let’s take a look at the stats according to Madden:

Week 4 - PS2

Pats – 39

Cin – 34

Pats:

Brady – 13/23; 190 yds. 1TD; 0 Int.

Maroney – 20 rush yds. Rushing 1 TD

Dillon 17 rush yds.

D. Graham – 3 rec. 60 yds.

T. Brown – 3 rec. 41 yds.

R. Caldwell – 3 rec. 31 yds. 1 TD

Gotkowski – 4/4 FG’s

Cin:

C. Palmer – 21/35; 482 yds; 4 TD; 5 INT!!!!

T. Houshmandz – 8 rec. 218 yds.

C. Johnson – 4 rec. 60 yds. 3 TD

A. Chatman – 3 rec. 126 yds. 1 TD

Week 4 - Actual Results

Pats - 38

Cin - 13

Brady - 15 for 26; 188 yds. 2 TD; 1 INT

Maroney - 125 yds; 2 TD

Dillon - 67 yds; 1 TD

D. Gabriel - 4 Rec. 57 yds. 1 TD

D. Graham - 4 rec. 34 yds. 1 TD

Well, I guess I should have had a little more confidence with the Week 4 pick. It turns out I was only one point off for the final New England score, which to me, is unbelievable. I was almost certain the Benglas were going to give the Pats some serious trouble, but it ended up being the complete opposite. Maroney continues to prove he was the steal of the draft. At this point, I would say he is the front runner for Rookie of the Year. Dillon also had a nice performance in the return to his former home stadium in Cincinnatti. It also appears that Brady is becoming more familiar with his new receivers. Gabriel continues to impress me more each week. Let's hope this powerful performance continues on into Week 5 against Miami.

Week 3 for the New England Patriots brings the Denver Broncos to Foxboro this Sunday. This could be their first true challenge this season, as the Broncos always prove to be a tough opponent for the Pats. Denver has had a tougher start to the season than many expected, currently with a 1-1 record. Much of their fluctuating play could be due to Jake Plummer's weak play so far. There are already rumors that rookie Jay Cutler will replace Plummer as the starting QB within the next few weeks. That seems a little far fetched, but if Plummer plays this Sunday anything like he did in Madden for Week 3, then those rumors may not be that far off. Let's take a look at the prediction:

Week 3 – PS2

Pats – 30

Broncos – 14

Pats -

Brady – 17 for 30; 217 yds. Passing 3 TD 1 Int.

Dillon – 32 yds. Rushing 0 TD

Maroney – 30 yds. Rushing 0 TD

Caldwell – 6 Receptions 67 yds. Receiving 1 TD

Graham – 3 Receptions 50 yds. Receiving 1 TD

Watson – 2 Receptions 40 yds. Receiving 0 TD

Broncos -

Plummer - 11 for 35; 134 yds. 1 TD 1 Rush TD 3 Int.

Week 3 - Actual Results

Broncos - 17

Pats - 7

Brady - 31 for 55; 320 yds. 1 TD

Dillon - 16 yds; 0 TD

Maroney - 18 yds; 64 rec. yds. 0 TD

D. Gabriel - 6 Rec. 65 yds. 1 TD

B. Watson - 5 rec. 51 yds. 0 TD

It looks like Madden finally failed for the first time this season. We weren't even close on this prediction. Basically, the Pats played like complete garbage and lost to a Broncos team that they should have been able to beat. Jake Plummer was hooked up to the rejuvenation machine and actually looked like a respectable NFL Quarterback. Brady on the other hand was struggling, at times looking either disinterested or just plain frustrated. This matched up with an almost invisible running game gave the Pats their first loss of the season in ugly fashion.

The Pats take on the New York Jets this Sunday at Giants Stadium. In my opinion, the Jets being at home will have no effect on this game whatsoever. These guys will eventually fall apart this year, but that is based on nothing more than my hatred for New York based sports teams. Right now, both teams are 1-0. Anyhow, let’s move on to my picks for Week 2 according to Madden 07.

Week 2 – PS2

Pats – 31

Jets – 17

Brady – 194 yds. Passing 3 TD 1 Int.

Dillon – 70 yds. Rushing 28 yds. Receiving 2 TD

Maroney – 43 yds. Rushing 20 yds. Receiving 1TD

T. Brown – 4 Receptions 75 yds. Receiving 1 TD

WEEK 2 - Actual Results

Pats - 24

Bills - 17

Brady - 15 for 29; 220 yds. 1 TD; 1 INT

Dillon - 80 yds; 1 TD

Maroney - 65 yds; 1 TD

T. Brown - 4 Rec. 51 yds. 0 TD

C. Jackson - 2 rec. 42 yds. 1 TD

It turns out that Madden 07 has been fairly accurate for the first two games of the season.

The Pats were in complete control for the entire first half and the beginning of the third quarter with a 24-0 lead. Dillon, Maroney and Chad Jackson all scored TD's along with a FG by Gostkowski. Maroney once again looked impressive with numerous long runs, using both the power and finesse game. The Jets stormed back to score 17 unanswered points, but didn't quite have enough to make the Pats nervous. New England probably should have scored another touchdown at the end of the 4th quarter after making it to the Jets 7 yard line. I would have preferred this so I would have an EXACT Madden prediction, but I will be happy with the Pats win either way. Denver visits New England at home next week with an 8:15 kickoff.

WEEK 1 - PS2

Pats - 17

Bills - 14

Key Players:

Brady - 13 for 26; 142 yds. 1 TD; 2 INT

DIllon - 55 yds. 1 TD

Watson - 5 Receptions 59 yds. 1 TD

WEEK 1 - Actual Results

Pats - 19

Bills - 17

Brady - 11 for 23; 163 yds. 2 TD; 1 INT

Dillon - 73 yds; 0 TD

Maroney - 86 yds; 0 TD

Watson - 3 Receptions 50 yds. 0 TD

T. Brown - 2 Rec. 18 yds. 1 TD

K. Faulk - 1 rec. 17 yds. 1 TD

All in all, the parallels between Madden and actual results were pretty much on point. Playing the game predicted a 3-point difference. We ended up with a 2-point game and the Pats still got the win. The actual score was also very similar in both instances. Player statistics were fairly consistent, but I wasn't able to predict the great play of Pats' rookie, Laurence Maroney. He ended up rushing for 86 yards and had two great runs early in the first quarter. It looks like I will have to account for Dillon and Maroney splitting time at Running Back more than I had originally envisioned. Maroney was mentioned as the potential steal of the draft and he may have proved that today with his performance. This will be a great addition to the Pats offense, especially if Dillon gets hurt or has a slow start as he did last year. Dillon did play well today, so this is shaping up to be a great internal competition for touches at Running Back.

Not having Deion Branch on the team could hurt in the long run, but it didn't seem to affect Brady too much in Week 1. Ben Watson will most likely become a big focus of the passing game (as he did today), especially on short routes and dumps over the middle. I think fans and analysts alike are looking for him to step it up even more this year and further establish himself as one of the elite Tight Ends in the NFL. I don't see any reason why this won't happen, as seen by his play Sunday.

Troy Brown is getting it done once again, even at his increased age. Not only has he played Cornerback in past seasons, but Belichick had him taking snaps as Quarterback in training camp. Who knows what else he is capable of doing, but he will be needed most at Wide Receiver this season. David Givens is gone and Branch probably won't be returning due to a contract dispute. Brady needs a receiver who he can trust and Brown is one of the few remaining. New receiver Caldwell played decent today, but only had 2 receptions for 33 yards. He will also need to play a big role in the receiving core for the Pats passing game to succeed this season.

The New England Patriots got a win in both settings today and I am now 1 for 1 on picks. Check back each week (most likely Thursdays) to catch my selection. Next week's game is the Patriots @ New York Jets.