New England Patriots vs. Seattle Seahawks: 2008 Week 14 Recap

Game story

In Week 14 of the 2008 NFL season on 2008-12-07, the New England Patriots took care of business against the Seattle Seahawks, pulling away with a 24–21 final that came down to the wire.

The highest-scoring period was Q2 with 14 combined points — the stretch that most shaped the final margin.

M. Cassel (New England Patriots) paced the passing game, with +9.73 total EPA, and +0.7% completion percentage over expected.

On the individual side, W. Welker (New England Patriots) delivered the top overall EPA impact at +14.14 — the clearest player-of-the-game signal on the analytics sheet.

The momentum swing (-31.4% win probability) landed in the fourth quarter when Seattle Seahawks changed the game: (1:59) 15-S.Wallace sacked at NE 49 for -5 yards (31-B.Meriweather). FUMBLES (31-B.Meriweather) [31-B.Meriweather], RECOVERED by NE-93-R.Seymour at SEA 49. 93-R.Seymour to SEA 49 for no gain (77-F.Wom

Line score

Final score and points by quarter.

Stars of the game

Top performers by total expected points added (EPA) across passing, rushing, and receiving.

1. 1 W. Welker · New England Patriots · Receiving · +14.14 total EPA · 13 snaps · +1.09 EPA/play
2. 2 S. Wallace · Seattle Seahawks · Passing · +11.10 total EPA · 32 snaps · +0.35 EPA/play
3. 3 M. Cassel · New England Patriots · Passing · +9.73 total EPA · 52 snaps · +0.19 EPA/play
4. 4 D. Branch · Seattle Seahawks · Receiving · +9.43 total EPA · 4 snaps · +2.36 EPA/play
5. 5 J. Carlson · Seattle Seahawks · Receiving · +7.18 total EPA · 8 snaps · +0.90 EPA/play
6. 6 R. Moss · New England Patriots · Receiving · +5.05 total EPA · 3 snaps · +1.68 EPA/play
7. 7 J. Gaffney · New England Patriots · Receiving · +4.94 total EPA · 4 snaps · +1.23 EPA/play
8. 8 B. Engram · Seattle Seahawks · Receiving · +3.09 total EPA · 4 snaps · +0.77 EPA/play

Player of the game

FantasyHQ analytics player-of-the-game pick based on total EPA and signature plays.

Who scored touchdowns and field goals

Every touchdown and field goal with the player named in official play-by-play.

Touchdowns

• Seattle Seahawks — D. Branch (S. Wallace pass) (Q1 50:32)
• Seattle Seahawks — J. Carlson (S. Wallace pass) (Q2 42:36)
• New England Patriots — B. Watson (M. Cassel pass) (Q2 39:14)
• Seattle Seahawks — D. Branch (S. Wallace pass) (Q3 15:49)
• New England Patriots — S. Morris (Q4 2:50)

Field goals

• New England Patriots — S. Gostkowski (Q1 45:53)
• New England Patriots — S. Gostkowski (Q3 17:45)
• New England Patriots — S. Gostkowski (Q4 12:22)

How it unfolded, quarter by quarter

A quarter-by-quarter recap built from live scoring plays and play descriptions.

The opening quarter: Seattle Seahawks won the period 7–3. Seattle Seahawks found the end zone from the NE 14 (Q1 50:32) — (5:32) 15-S.Wallace pass short left to 83-D.Branch for 14 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Seattle Seahawks added 1 points from the NE 2 (Q1 50:25) — 10-O.Mare extra point is GOOD, Center-49-J.Robinson, Holder-9-J.Ryan.; New England Patriots connected on a field goal from the SEA 32 (Q1 45:53) — (:53) 3-S.Gostkowski 50 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-66-L.Paxton, Holder-6-C.Hanson..

The second quarter: The quarter finished even at 7–7. Seattle Seahawks found the end zone from the NE 10 (Q2 42:36) — (12:36) 15-S.Wallace pass short right to 89-J.Carlson for 10 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Seattle Seahawks added 1 points from the NE 2 (Q2 42:30) — 10-O.Mare extra point is GOOD, Center-49-J.Robinson, Holder-9-J.Ryan.; New England Patriots found the end zone from the SEA 2 (Q2 39:14); New England Patriots added 1 points from the SEA 2 (Q2 39:09) — 3-S.Gostkowski extra point is GOOD, Center-66-L.Paxton, Holder-6-C.Hanson..

The third quarter: Seattle Seahawks won the period 7–3. New England Patriots connected on a field goal from the SEA 25 (Q3 17:45) — (2:45) 3-S.Gostkowski 42 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-66-L.Paxton, Holder-6-C.Hanson.; Seattle Seahawks found the end zone from the NE 4 (Q3 15:49) — (:49) 15-S.Wallace pass short left to 83-D.Branch for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Seattle Seahawks added 1 points from the NE 2 (Q3 15:41) — 10-O.Mare extra point is GOOD, Center-49-J.Robinson, Holder-9-J.Ryan..

The fourth quarter: New England Patriots won the period 11–0. New England Patriots connected on a field goal from the SEA 9 (Q4 12:22) — (12:22) 3-S.Gostkowski 27 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-66-L.Paxton, Holder-6-C.Hanson.; New England Patriots found the end zone from the SEA 1 (Q4 2:50) — (2:50) 34-S.Morris up the middle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.; New England Patriots registered a safety from the SEA 2 (Q4 2:44) — TWO-POINT CONVERSION ATTEMPT. 16-M.Cassel pass to 83-W.Welker is complete. ATTEMPT SUCCEEDS..

Turning points

Plays that moved win probability the most — the swings that decided the game.

• Seattle Seahawks (Q4 1:59) — (1:59) 15-S.Wallace sacked at NE 49 for -5 yards (31-B.Meriweather). FUMBLES (31-B.Meriweather) [31-B.Meriweather], RECOVERED by NE-93-R.Seymour at SEA 49. 93-R.Seymour to SEA 49 for no gain (77-F.Wom [WPA -31.4% · EPA -2.83]
• New England Patriots (Q4 2:50) — (2:50) 34-S.Morris up the middle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA +21.3% · EPA +3.59]
• New England Patriots (Q4 5:09) — (5:09) (Shotgun) 16-M.Cassel pass short left to 83-W.Welker pushed ob at SEA 6 for 25 yards (24-D.Grant). [WPA +16.9% · EPA +2.17]
• Seattle Seahawks (Q3 17:06) — (2:06) 15-S.Wallace pass short right to 83-D.Branch pushed ob at NE 9 for 63 yards (29-L.Sanders). New England challenged the pass completion ruling, and the play was Upheld. (Timeout #1.) [WPA +13.7% · EPA +4.11]
• Seattle Seahawks (Q4 2:40) — (2:40) (Shotgun) 15-S.Wallace scrambles right end to NE 43 for 23 yards (21-D.O'Neal). [WPA +13.4% · EPA +0.86]

Impact plays

Highest expected-points added snaps that flipped field position and scoring chances.

• Seattle Seahawks (Q3 17:06) — (2:06) 15-S.Wallace pass short right to 83-D.Branch pushed ob at NE 9 for 63 yards (29-L.Sanders). New England challenged the pass completion ruling, and the play was Upheld. (Timeout #1.) [WPA +13.7% · EPA +4.11]
• New England Patriots (Q4 2:50) — (2:50) 34-S.Morris up the middle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA +21.3% · EPA +3.59]
• New England Patriots (Q4 14:18) — (14:18) (Shotgun) 16-M.Cassel pass deep right to 81-R.Moss pushed ob at SEA 13 for 33 yards (26-J.Wilson). [WPA +9.0% · EPA +3.37]
• New England Patriots (Q3 15:25) — (:25) (Shotgun) 16-M.Cassel pass deep middle to 10-J.Gaffney to SEA 49 for 28 yards (21-K.Jennings). [WPA +5.3% · EPA +3.15]

Quarterback report card

M.Cassel led all passers in efficiency for New England Patriots, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

• M.Cassel (New England Patriots) · 52 dropbacks · 50.0% completion · +0.7% CPOE · +0.19 EPA/play · +9.73 total EPA
• S.Wallace (Seattle Seahawks) · 32 dropbacks · 62.5% completion · +9.4% CPOE · +0.35 EPA/play · +11.10 total EPA

Team stats comparison

Side-by-side offensive and defensive efficiency from FantasyHQ analytics.

By the numbers

Despite the final score, New England Patriots generated the better offensive EPA per play (+0.20 vs +0.15), suggesting they moved the ball more efficiently.

• New England Patriots: 10 drives, +17.89 total EPA, 5 scoring drives
• Seattle Seahawks: 9 drives, +10.94 total EPA, 3 scoring drives

Key takeaways

What to remember for fantasy research, film review, and follow-up box score digging.

• New England Patriots leaves with the win and the better postgame narrative for Week-to-week momentum.
• One-score margin — fantasy managers should double-check garbage-time stats before drawing conclusions.
• W. Welker (New England Patriots) is the first name to pull up for highlight reels and prop-retrospective research.
• S. Wallace (SEA) beat expectation through the air — positive CPOE game for stack builds.

Every scoring play

Chronological scoring with field position and full play-by-play context.

1. Seattle Seahawks TD (+6) — Q1 50:32 · NE 14 · Score 0-6
   (5:32) 15-S.Wallace pass short left to 83-D.Branch for 14 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
2. Seattle Seahawks XP (+1) — Q1 50:25 · NE 2 · Score 0-7
   10-O.Mare extra point is GOOD, Center-49-J.Robinson, Holder-9-J.Ryan.
3. New England Patriots FG (+3) — Q1 45:53 · SEA 32 · Score 3-7
   (:53) 3-S.Gostkowski 50 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-66-L.Paxton, Holder-6-C.Hanson.
4. Seattle Seahawks TD (+6) — Q2 42:36 · NE 10 · Score 3-13
   (12:36) 15-S.Wallace pass short right to 89-J.Carlson for 10 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
5. Seattle Seahawks XP (+1) — Q2 42:30 · NE 2 · Score 3-14
   10-O.Mare extra point is GOOD, Center-49-J.Robinson, Holder-9-J.Ryan.
6. New England Patriots TD (+6) — Q2 39:14 · SEA 2 · Score 9-14
   (9:14) 16-M.Cassel pass short middle to 84-B.Watson for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN. PENALTY on NE, Unsportsmanlike Conduct, 15 yards, enforced between downs. Using ball
7. New England Patriots XP (+1) — Q2 39:09 · SEA 2 · Score 10-14
   3-S.Gostkowski extra point is GOOD, Center-66-L.Paxton, Holder-6-C.Hanson.
8. New England Patriots FG (+3) — Q3 17:45 · SEA 25 · Score 13-14
   (2:45) 3-S.Gostkowski 42 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-66-L.Paxton, Holder-6-C.Hanson.
9. Seattle Seahawks TD (+6) — Q3 15:49 · NE 4 · Score 13-20
   (:49) 15-S.Wallace pass short left to 83-D.Branch for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
10. Seattle Seahawks XP (+1) — Q3 15:41 · NE 2 · Score 13-21
    10-O.Mare extra point is GOOD, Center-49-J.Robinson, Holder-9-J.Ryan.
11. New England Patriots FG (+3) — Q4 12:22 · SEA 9 · Score 16-21
    (12:22) 3-S.Gostkowski 27 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-66-L.Paxton, Holder-6-C.Hanson.
12. New England Patriots TD (+6) — Q4 2:50 · SEA 1 · Score 22-21
    (2:50) 34-S.Morris up the middle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.
13. New England Patriots Safety (+2) — Q4 2:44 · SEA 2 · Score 24-21
    TWO-POINT CONVERSION ATTEMPT. 16-M.Cassel pass to 83-W.Welker is complete. ATTEMPT SUCCEEDS.