The turf change wasn't the only major turnover at Gillette Stadium on Sunday. The New England Patriots and Chicago Bears combined for a total of nine turnovers Sunday afternoon, with the Patriots fighting their way through their mistakes to come away with a 17-13 win.
In the week leading up to the Week 11 showdown, both teams were prepared for a defensive struggle, and with good reason. The Patriots ranked second in the NFL with only 131 points allowed - behind only the Bears, who had yielded 120.
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady looked uncertain at first on the new artificial turf, but the new footing may have given him some added confidence when he ran the ball twice, once gaining a decisive first down and avoiding a pounding by Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher. Brady threw for one touchdown and two interceptions on 22-of-33 pass attempts for 269 yards. His one TD was a crucial one - he found Ben Watson for the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. Watson finished the day with 89 yards on six receptions.
Quarterback Rex Grossman continued to be inconsistent for the Bears, finding Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel as many times as his own star receiver, Muhsin Muhammad. Muhammad finished the day with only three receptions, while Samuel picked off Grossman three times, including a game-ending pick with 1:46 left. The final interception was immediately following a potentially devastating Corey Dillon fumble on the Patriots' previous drive.
Before the talk of a potential Patriots-Bears rematch in the Super Bowl, Grossman will have to show he can lead his team on the field. After a phenomenal start, with 10 touchdowns and three interceptions in his first five games, Grossman has stumbled, turning the ball over 11 times in the Bears' last six contests. With the sudden resurgence of the Dallas Cowboys under new quarterback Tony Romo, Grossman will have to get his act together if the Bears hope to reach Miami in February.
The Bears' loss on Sunday, along with the stumble of two other NFC contenders, is further proof of the relative weakness of the NFC compared to the AFC. The New York Giants imploded Sunday night against the Tennessee Titans, allowing 24 unanswered points in the game's final 10 minutes, giving the Titans a 24-21 comeback win and extending their own losing streak to three games.
The Giants dropped to second place in the NFC East, a half game behind the revived Cowboys. Dallas found something to be thankful for on Thanksgiving Day, with Romo leading his Cowboys over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38-10 with five passing touchdowns. Romo is now 4-1 since inheriting the starting job from Drew Bledsoe, and he has now won three straight games, including an impressive victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
The Carolina Panthers also seemed to be gaining momentum among the NFC ranks, but they somehow found a way to lose to the Washington Redskins on Sunday, 17-13. Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme threw for only 168 yards with two interceptions, including a last-minute pick in the end zone that quashed any chance of a Panthers' comeback.
In the final game of the NFL's new Thanksgiving tripleheader, the Kansas City Chiefs came away with a 19-10 victory over the Denver Broncos. Apart from a one-yard Larry Johnson touchdown run, the Chiefs relied on the foot of Lawrence Tynes and his four field goals to clinch the win.
Despite being 7-4 even with the loss, the Broncos have decided to take a page out of the Cowboys' playbook by benching quarterback Jake Plummer and handing the ball to rookie Jay Cutler. Plummer has struggled all season, and his 70.5 passer rating places him ahead of only six other quarterbacks, including Bledsoe, who was benched, and Bruce Gradkowski, Matt Leinart and Vince Young, all of whom are in their rookie years.
Cutler should take the field on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, a game that will also mark the return of Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.
