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Cassel leads Patriots back into playoff contention

Dec 8, 2008 - 2:54 AM SEATTLE (Ticker) -- The injuries keep mounting, but the New England Patriots still found a way to get to the top of the division.

Matt Cassel passed for 268 yards and Sammy Morris scored the go-ahead touchdown to lead the Patriots to a 24-21 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

Cassel finished 26-of-44 with a touchdown and Wes Welker caught 12 passes for 134 yards for New England, which moved into a three-way tie for first place in the AFC East with the Miami Dolphins (8-5) and the New York Jets (8-5).

"We have a chance," Patriots cornerback Ellis Hobbs said. "All you can ask for. It's really coming down to the last three games. Everybody needs to play as if these are the last downs, because for this season, it is."

Cassel completed five passes on the winning drive, which spanned 14 plays and 71 yards.

"It was a huge win, a huge drive," Cassel said. "We knew that the season was on the line and we had to come up here and take care of business in order to put us in position to still be that playoff hunt."

The Seahawks were driving for the win, but Seneca Wallace was sacked at the New England 44 by safety Brandon Meriweather, who forced a fumble. Richard Seymour recovered the loose ball, allowing the Patriots (8-5) to run out the clock.

"It was a bigger play for the team than it was for me," Meriweather said. "The team winning and continuing to run for the playoffs means everything to me."

The downside for New England was another wave of injuries in the contest. Eight different starters left the game at different points due to injury, with nose guard Vince Wilfork and linebacker Teddy Bruschi exiting early in the first half and not returning.

With starters Rodney Harrison and Adalius Thomas already out and Rosevelt Colvin and Junior Seau suiting up for the first time this season against Seattle, the New England defense showed its holes in the first half.

"We had to cut it back a little bit," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "We had a little trouble, obviously, the first couple of drives. Combined with some of the people who weren't able to finish the game, just all kind of added up to getting back to the basics. In the end it served us well."

The Seahawks scored on their first two possessions, driving 87 yards for a touchdown on the opening drive and following with a nine-play, 74-yard TD drive.

"We didn't get off to a real good start, but they hung in there, they kept fighting," Belichick said. "Now it's like a three-game season. We've got to pick up the pieces here today and have a good week and get ready for Oakland."

Stephen Gostkowski kicked a 50-yard field goal between Seattle's scores to get New England on the board and Cassel found Ben Watson for a 2-yard score on in the second quarter to make it 14-10 at the half.

Gostkowski kicked another field goal in the third to pull the Patriots within 14-13, but Wallace led a 62-yard drive culminating in Deion Branch's second TD catch of the day to extend the lead.

"He played within himself, he made special plays, I think," Seattle coach Mike Holmgren said of Wallace. "He threw three touchdown passes, no interceptions. It is the type of game you would like to have a quarterback play."

Gostkowski struck again before Cassel completed five passes and rushed for nine yards to set up Morris' game-winning score.

"Right down at the goal line it is really just all about guts," Morris said. "It sounds easy to get one yard. We were able to get enough surge and get it into the end zone."

Branch, who won a Super Bowl MVP award with the Patriots, finished with four catches for 88 yards for the Seahawks (2-11), who were again without starting quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and left tackle Walter Jones.

"I would (rather) take one catch and win the game than have all the other stuff that went on in the game and lose," Branch said. "For us to out and pretty much win the game for three quarters, and then lose in the end. You would almost rather lose by three touchdowns than to lose that way."