New England Patriots

By Howard Ulman, AP Sports Writer
FOXBORO (AP) ― Jay Cutler clutched his hand after smacking it on a helmet on his first play of the game. That was just the start of a painful night for the Denver Broncos.
 
The New England Patriots, struggling with Tom Brady sidelined for the season, looked like the team that blew out opponents when they went 18-0 last season before losing the Super Bowl.
 
"I haven't enjoyed a game like that in a long time," cornerback Ellis Hobbs said after the Patriots' 41-7 rout Monday night.

Matt Cassel threw for three touchdowns, two to Randy Moss, against the NFL's worst pass defense. Sammy Morris's career-high 138 yards led a 257-yard rushing attack against the seventh worst run defense. And Cutler, sacked just twice in the first six games, was sacked twice more by the Patriots (4-2). He also threw two interceptions.
 
The Broncos (4-3) also coughed up three fumbles and lost for the third time in four games after winning their first three. They have a bye week to straighten themselves out.

"We have to decide what kind of team we want to be," Cutler said. "If we want to be the team we were the first three or four or if we want to be the team we've seen the last three."

Cutler left the game on the final series of the second quarter but returned on Denver's first possession of the third after X-rays taken at halftime showed no broken bones.

"He should be OK," Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said.

Denver also lost linebacker Boss Bailey to a groin injury and cornerback Champ Bailey to a hamstring injury, both in the first half. The Broncos gave no update on the condition of the brothers.

New England also sustained two injuries. Morris, who scored on a 4-yard run, missed the second half after hurting his knee, and safety Rodney Harrison was driven off the field on a cart after suffering a knee injury on the final play of the third quarter.

"It doesn't look too good," coach Bill Belichick said of Harrison.

That was one of the few disappointments on a night when the Patriots came back from a 30-10 loss at San Diego last week, when they allowed three completions of at least 48 yards. Denver's longest gained 20.

"As a secondary, we took last week personally," safety James Sanders said. "Tonight we came out and executed. You saw the outcome."

New England led 20-0 at halftime and 34-0 before Cutler connected with former Patriots tight end Daniel Graham for a 10-yard touchdown pass with 13:21 left. That extended Denver's streak to 252 games without being shut out, the fourth longest in team history.

Small consolation.

"In front of the nation, we didn't show up tonight," cornerback Dre Bly said. "It's embarrassing."

"It's not time to panic," said wide receiver Brandon Marshall, "but it's definitely time to worry."

The 34-point winning margin was the fifth largest in Belichick's nine years as coach of the Patriots. Brady was the quarterback in the other four, two of them last year.

Cassel had the best game of his four-year career in his fifth start, all this season, finishing 18-of-24 for 185 yards. The three touchdowns matched his total for the first five games. They covered 13 and 27 yards to Moss and a 6 yards to Wes Welker, a pass that made it 34-0 late in the third quarter.

"I have always felt like Bill has backed me and that's one of the reasons that I'm here right now," Cassel said.

Cutler, third in the NFL in yards passing entering the game, was 17-of-26 for 168 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He didn't blame that poor showing on his finger that hit the helmet of tackle Vince Wilfork on a pass that sailed wide.

"It wasn't broken so I could throw," he said. "It was fine."

Stephen Gostkowski kicked first-half field goals of 31 and 40 yards after backup running back Andre Hall fumbled on his only two carries of the game. LeKevin Smith recovered the first fumble after Denver went from its 27-yard line to New England's 32 on the first series of the game. Rookie linebacker Jerod Mayo recovered the second.

The Broncos also committed two costly 15-yard penalties on an 84-yard drive capped by the first of Cassel's two TD passes to Moss, the 13-yarder that put the Patriots ahead 20-0 with 44 seconds left in the half.
Cassel's six sacks brought the Patriots total to 26 for the season. They were sacked 21 times all last season.

"We did so much to try to get them off the field," Champ Bailey said. "It just stinks how we played."

Notes: With Laurence Maroney sidelined for the season and LaMont Jordan out with a calf injury, rookie BenJarvus Green-Ellis rushed for 65 yards and his first touchdown. ... Denver linebacker D.J. Williams led both teams with 16 tackles. ... Moss's 129 total touchdowns are eighth in NFL history. His 128 touchdowns receiving are fourth, two behind Cris Carter.

(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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