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Cassel leads Patriots over Favre, Jets

Sep 15, 2008 - 1:37 AM By Joe Rizzo PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) -- Don't bury the New England Patriots just yet.

Matt Cassel made his first start since high school in place of the injured Tom Brady, but it was the defense and kicker Stephen Gostkowski's four field goals that keyed the New England Patriots' 19-10 win over the New York Jets on Sunday.

"It was my first start since what, the seventh grade?" Cassel quipped. "It was exciting. I went out there and it felt good. I didn't have too many butterflies."

Sammy Morris scored on a 1-yard dive after Brandon Meriweather's interception in the third quarter to increase the lead to 13-3 and help the Patriots increase their NFL record with a 21st-straight regular-season win.

"That's a real good win for our football team," New England coach Bill Belichick said. "A lot of people didn't expect us to do much today. (Cassel) took care of the ball (and) made good decisions. This team was going to come down here and do what they did today no matter what anyone else thinks."

Cassel completed 16-of-23 passes for 165 yards without a touchdown or interception in his first starting assignment since the final game of his senior year of high school in 1999. Before backing up Brady, who tore two knee ligaments last week, Cassel caddied for Heisman Trophy winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at Southern California.

"It's never about the doubters," Cassel said. "It's about having belief in yourself, and I've always had the belief in myself that I can go out there and do it. I talked to Tom a lot. His big advice was to go out there, manage the game, be smart with the football, and that we have good enough players on this team to win if I do that."

Jets quarterback Brett Favre was 18-of-26 for 181 yards with one touchdown and the one interception by Meriweather, who returned it 11 yards to the Jets 31.

Cassel was sacked for a five-yard loss on first down, but Kevin Faulk ran for six yards on the next play and turned a screen pass into a 22-yard gain on 3rd-and-9 to bring the ball to the 8, setting up Morris' TD with 6:20 left in the third quarter.

"I'm a one-play-at-a-time guy, that's why I play defensive back," said Meriweather, who gave the ball - his first career interception - to Belichick. "Brett's one of those QBs that can make plays. (You have to) be disciplined."

"Young fella - he finally held on to one," joked veteran safety Rodney Harrison about Meriweather, a second-year player.

Favre took blame for the turnover.

"I just underthrew him," Favre said. "I saw the guy. Maybe I got a little greedy, I could have dumped it in the flat. I just made a bad throw. I would like to tell you something different, but it was a bad throw."

Morris saw extensive time following a second-quarter shoulder injury to Laurence Maroney, who missed half of the game but returned very late. Morris was limited to no yards on eight carries and Maroney had 16 on eight.

Former Jet Lamont Jordan added 62 yards on 11 carries while Faulk added three for 16 and caught four passes for 50 yards out of the backfield.

"It was good to come back here and hear the love I received from the fans," said Jordan, who saw some lean years with the Jets and then Oakland Raiders. "I was walking off the field with a smile on my face. For two weeks, in a row, I experienced a win - not waiting for Week Nine or 10."

Faulk starred on special teams after the Jets went three-and-out on the next possession, returning a punt 24 yards to the Jets 39. Nine plays later, Gostkowski converted from 28 yards to make it 16-3 with 17 seconds left in the third.

The Jets fought back, driving 80 yards in 10 plays on the next drive as Favre hit Chansi Stuckey for a 2-yard score to cut it to 16:10 with 10:18 remaining. Favre completed 6-for-6 passes for 51 yards on the drive.

Cassel led an 11-play drive on the ensuing possession, with Gostkowski converting from 27 yards to increase the lead to 19-10.

Cassel's last start might have been in the last millennium, but he did not appear to be fazed in front of the packed stadium of fans enduring unseasonable 90-degree heat. He marched New England 76 yards in 12 plays, completing 4-of-5 passes for 61 yards, to set up Gostkowski's 21-yard field goal that opened the scoring.

"When you get out there and start playing, it just comes down to playing football," Cassel said. "It will be a memorable first step for me. If it wasn't a win, I definitely would be saying something different."

The Jets marched to the New England 13 in the first 6:03 of the game, but Jay Feely, in for injured kicker Mike Nugent, was wide right on a 31-yard field goal attempt. New York is scoreless in its last 11 opening drives, including playoffs, against the Patriots.

Cassel took advantage of good field position after a short punt and led New England to a 37-yard field goal by Gostkowski to make it 6-0 early in the second quarter. Field position went New England's way the entire game, as it commenced five drives inside New York territory.

Gostkowski landed all six kickoffs into the end zone, and the single runback also resulted in the Jets starting at their own 20.

"It's important. It made it hard for us on defense," said Jets running back Leon Washington, who also is a standout return man. "Gostkowski came out and did a good job."

New York answered with a drive to the Patriots 1-yard line, but Thomas Jones was driven for a three-yard loss on third down and Feely halved the deficit with a 21-yard field goal midway through the second quarter to get New York on the board.

Jones had 70 yards on 17 carries.