Tom Brady picked apart the best defense in the NFL, except when it mattered most.
Too many squandered chances and missed scoring opportunities left the Patriots blaming themselves after watching the Seahawks pull off a stunning rally.
“This was a tough one, As ugly as the game was, as ugly as we played, we still had plenty of opportunities to win this game,” New England receiver Deion Branch said.
Russell Wilson found Sidney Rice behind the secondary for a 46-yard touchdown with 1:18 remaining, and the Seahawks rallied for 14 points in the final 7:31 to stun the Patriots 24-23 yesterday in Seattle.
New England lamented rolling up 475 yards of offense against the Seahawks, yet scoring just one touchdown on six trips inside the Seattle 20 in their second loss to an NFC West opponent this season.
“We had quite a few yards, you know, moved the ball up and down the field at times,” Brady said. “We really squandered some scoring opportunities and that was what the game came down to.
“You come down to a one-point game and opportunity in the red area for a touchdown, we had a few other opportunities to put points on the board and we just didn’t do it.”
Falcons 23, Raiders 20
In Atlanta, Matt Bryant kicked his second game-winning field goal in three weeks, a 55-yarder with 1 second remaining, and the Falcons became the NFL’s only unbeaten team with a sloppy victory over the Raiders.
Overcoming Matt Ryan’s three interceptions, Atlanta (6-0) extended the best start in franchise history. But it wasn’t easy against the pesky Raiders (1-4).
After Oakland went ahead on a Darren McFadden score with 40 seconds left, Ryan completed four passes to set up the winning kick.
Buccaneers 38, Chiefs 10
In Tampa, Fla., Josh Freeman threw for 328 yards and three touchdowns and Ronde Barber scored on a 78-yard interception return to help the Buccaneers beat the struggling Chiefs.
Freeman teamed with Mike Williams on a 62-yard scoring play in the first quarter and threw touchdown passes of 19 and 17 yards to Vincent Jackson in the second half as the Bucs (2-3) stopped a three-game losing streak.