It was a pure stat-padding game for the entire NE team. When the high passer for the other team has zero yards and his only completion was to the wrong team, ONE TD is enough to win the game. They were up 45-0 at the half and felt the need to keep piling it on.Quote from macal425:
I disagree with this AAA (but as a Pats fan I may be biased). If the Pats were truly running up the score, they would have kept Brady in for the whole game and went for 100pts (yes it was that onesided). Getting 14pts in the 2nd half, when they probably could have got a lot more, is not running up the score. This was a great opportunity to bring in a rookie, backup QB and give him some valuable experience 'throwing' the ball. What would you have had them do in the 2nd half? Should they have taken a knee on every play? Should they have run the ball but stopped a yard short of getting a first down? Should they have just given up trying and insulted the Titans instead of embarrassing them?
The Patriots offense has been somewhat out of sync all season and this gave them an opportunity to get back in sync and build some more confidence for next week and the rest of the season. Should they refrain from running their offense the way they want to, just to spare the Titans feelings?
They're staying true to form, though. In a similar game against the Redskins in '07, they padded their stats again in an attempt to break records, and they broke plenty, but they proceeded to lose the SB and then Brady in the first game of '08.
I'm not a Titans or Redskins fan, but when I see games like that, I have to wonder about the thought process behind embarrassing an opposing coach and team. I mean, it's a physical game with potential for career ending injuries on every play as it is, but when players quit caring about 15 yard penalties and $20K fines, you start seeing more plays with guys getting "blocked" into knees or guys driven into the ground shoulder first.
