ESPN

A look at the snaps played by offensive skill position players in the Patriots’ 20-10 win over the Panthers (as charted in press box, small margin for error):

WR Randy Moss – 71 of 75
WR Wes Welker – 60 of 75
TE Chris Baker – 50 of 75
TE Benjamin Watson – 48 of 75
RB Kevin Faulk – 32 of 75
RB Laurence Maroney – 32 of 75
RB/FB Sammy Morris – 29 of 75
WR Julian Edelman – 21 of 75
WR Isiah Stanback – 18 of 75
TE Mark LeVoir – 9 of 75
WR Matthew Slater – 3 of 75
FB BenJarvus Green-Ellis – 2 of 75

(Snaps don’t include final two kneel-downs. Facemask, defensive pass interference, illegal formation and false start penalties included.)

ANALYSIS: Moss, whose effort was called into question, was on the field for almost every play. He came off in power run packages, when Slater or Stanback served as the lone receiver. … Morris snaps were split evenly between lead-blocking fullback and running back. … Stanback and Edelman split duties as the third receiver.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- A look at who's up and who's down from the Patriots' 20-10 victory over the Panthers:

Up
1. Wes Welker -- Receiver finishes with 10 receptions for 105 yards, and the way he bounces up after taking a big third-quarter hit energizes the crowd and sparks the Patriots on a 96-yard scoring drive.

2. Laurence Maroney -- Running back continues to impress, totaling 94 yards on 22 carries (4.3-yard average), adding two catches for 17 yards, while also stepping up as the primary kickoff returner.

3. Ty Warren -- Defensive end battles through an ankle injury and finishes with six solo tackles before leaving the game in the fourth quarter.

4. Stephen Gostkowski -- Kicker delivers with field goals of 48 and 47 yards in the fourth quarter.

Down
1. Randy Moss -- Receiver finishes with one catch for 16 yards, loses a fumble, has one drop, commits a false start penalty and appears to run a poor route on Tom Brady's first-quarter interception.

2. Brandon Meriweather/Shawn Springs -- A breakdown leads to Steve Smith's 41-yard touchdown reception, as Springs was the closest player in coverage but it appeared he should have had help from Meriweather.

3. Nick Kaczur -- Right tackle seems to have a rough day, as on one play Julius Peppers races right past him as a runaway rusher.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Here's how much winning matters to Patriots quarterback Tom Brady: On a week in which he and his wife welcomed their first child together, Brady hinted that a loss Sunday against the Panthers might have tarnished an otherwise joyous time.

Five days removed from the delivery room, Brady was still laboring Sunday at Gillette Stadium. In terms of passing yards, he had his worst outing of the season in completing 19 of 32 passes for 192 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

But that was enough to help the Patriots emerge with a win, and that means cutting out the headlines for Baby Brady's scrapbook Monday got a little easier to stomach.

"It was a great week for me, obviously, but to really top it off with a win -- it seems like everything else is good, but when you lose games at work, it makes for a hard week," said Brady. "We've had two straight losses and I was really excited to come out and play this week and get a win, so it turned out to be a pretty great week."

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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The secret to the Patriots' success on defense Sunday? It was simple.

In the aftermath of a 20-10 triumph over the Carolina Panthers, New England's defensive players suggested that the coaching staff essentially dumbed down the game plan this week, hoping to eliminate the communication problems that have plagued the unit in recent losses.

Sprinkle in the return of veterans Shawn Springs and James Sanders to the starting lineup, and add a healthy dose of Junior Seau at middle linebacker, and the result was one of the defense's finest all-around outings of the season.

While no one will compare Carolina's offense to that of the Colts or Saints, the Patriots were pleased to limit their opponent to 10 points, easing things for an offense that looked mightily out of sync in the first half.

"To play well as a secondary, we know we didn't play too good in the last two games that we've played," said cornerback Leigh Bodden. "We wanted to come out and play well and communicate. It's good to move forward. It's good to get those games behind us and just move forward in a positive direction."

In an effort to let the Patriots' natural talents take over, players said the coaches simplified the game plan, eliminating some of the confusion that cropped up, particularly in coverage.

"The coaches did an excellent job coming in with an easier game plan than usual," said Patriots defensive captain Jerod Mayo, who joined Sanders with a team-high seven tackles.

"[The game plan was] trying to make sure everyone was on the same page. The previous two games, we had a couple of communication problems. We didn't want that to happen today and it didn't, so job well done for the coaches."

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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- One of the hallmarks of the Patriots' success in December has been the ability to run the ball when conditions deteriorate.

Facing a Carolina team already suspect against the run and with rain invading the region, the Patriots leaned heavily on their three-headed rushing attack of Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris and Kevin Faulk, who combined to rush 38 times for 187 yards (4.92 yards per carry) in Sunday's 20-10 triumph at Gillette Stadium.

The Patriots finished with 185 yards on the ground (Tom Brady's kneel downs pulled the final tally down ever-so slightly), compared to 192 yards through the air. Given Brady's propensity for putting up 300-yard games, this is about as balanced as you'll ever see the Patriots.

In fact, the Patriots haven't rushed for more yards than they've passed since last year's season finale in Buffalo, where high winds contributed to the team gaining 168 yards rushing to only 73 passing yards in a 13-0 triumph.

"Run, pass, it doesn’t really matter to us," said center Dan Koppen. "We’re going to go out there and do our job and do it the best we can. It felt good to get the win.”

Maroney quietly piled up 94 yards on 22 carries, while Faulk added 58 yards on 10 trots with a touchdown. Morris finished with 35 yards on six carries, but had a frustrating day that included a costly fumble and being stopped for the second consecutive week on fourth-and-1.

Unlike last week, that fourth-down play is unlikely to end up under the microscope given the end result.

"I take full responsibility for [the fumble]," said Morris. "Coach Ivan Fears always talks about, ‘When you’ve got the ball, you’re carrying the whole team in your hands.’ Again, I feel like I let the team down in that aspect.

"I think [the running game] was something that we did relatively well, but obviously there are still a lot of things that we can do a better. I can look at that as a positive."

Coach Bill Belichick said there was no secret to New England's success running the ball Sunday.

"Good blocking and good running," said Belichick. "There’s no real magic formula to it. We’ve got to block them and they’ve got a lot of guys to block. They’ve got seven or eight guys on the front that you’ve got to get blocked and the backs have got to read it, but I thought our backs ran hard. We got a little bit of yards after contact, we got the ball outside, we also ran plays inside, so we had some balance in the running game [and] that helped us on some play-action passes. We got some guys open."

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Just finished working up a piece on Randy Moss and his performance in the Patriots' 20-10 win over the Panthers.

Panthers cornerback Chris Gamble said after the game that he felt Moss wasn't giving full effort on every play.

He didn't go as far as to say that Moss quit on the field, but he felt like he could learn something effortwise from one of his teammates.

“Some of his body language let me know it was a run, and that’s how I got a feel on when to help out on the run,” Gamble said. “I think if he came off the ball and had a little Wes Welker in him, you wouldn’t know what was coming. That’s what I think Moss needs to do -- be like Wes and go hard every play. I’m going to respect him, and every other [defensive back] is going to respect him if he comes off the ball hard.”

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Typically when a defensive back delivers a jarring hit on a wide receiver, the defensive team can be the beneficiary of the resulting momentum.

On Sunday, Charles Godfrey's hit on Wes Welker might have been the worst thing that could have happened to the Panthers.

Welker got lit up by Godfrey as he caught his 100th pass of the season on a 6-yard reception at the New England 12 midway through the third quarter. But Welker didn't just pull himself up from the turf, he hopped back up and implored the fans to get loud.

They did and, on the ensuing third-and-2, Welker hauled in a pivotal 13-yard pass, highlighting what became a 13-play, 96-yard scoring trek capped by a 5-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tom Brady to Benjamin Watson.

Maybe Godfrey should have been a bit gentler. Forget Welker's stature, he woke a sleeping giant.

"It just kind of happened," said Welker. "It wasn't anything planned or anything like that. I kind of took a hit and decided to kind of get the crowd into it and try to get us going a little bit. We had been flat pretty much the whole game and we needed a big drive right there. That's when you've got to step up and make some plays and get the crowd into it. I think it energized some of the guys and led us down to the touchdown."

And there was no doubt it lit a spark with the Patriots.

“When you watch [Welker] play, you're going to get a spark a lot," said center Dan Koppen. "He just goes out there and gives you everything he's got on every play. You want a definition of a football player, you look at No. 83. He’s a tough guy and he’s one of the keys to our offense. When he does that, you better get a spark.”

Welker caught five passes for 64 yards on the third-quarter scoring drive that gave the Patriots a 14-7 lead. He finished with 10 catches for 105 yards (more than half of the team's total receptions and total passing yards).

"For his stature, he’s got the biggest heart on the team," said Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. "More so than anything, that’s what you need. He’s just been such a big player for this offense since he’s been here. He’s consistent, reliable, durable. He’s an explosive player, catches the ball every time you throw it to him, so he’s pretty awesome."

Echoed Patriots coach Bill Belichick: "Wes, he’s got a lot of heart. He’s a heck of a football player. He shows up every day to work. I know he’s been banged up, but he fights through it, returns punts, catches the ball, blocks. He goes into the corner after the puck, too. He’s not just scoring goals; he’s going in there and digging it out in the corner. He’s a tough football player. He reminds me a lot of another slot receiver that we had here for a long time [Troy Brown], kind of the same way."

In his recap of Sunday's Patriots victory over the Panthers, ESPN analyst and former Randy Moss teammate Cris Carter discussed Moss' struggles Sunday (1 catch, 16 yards and a fumble). Carter thinks Bill Belichick disciplining Moss for being late to a meeting earlier this week had an effect of his performance.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Sound bites from both teams' locker rooms and press conferences:

1. Bill Belichick gave Wes Welker one of the highest compliments possible, comparing him to franchise icon Troy Brown. "Wes has a lot of heart. He is a heck of a football player. He shows up every day to work. I know he's been banged up but he fights through it. He goes into the corner after the puck -- he's not just scoring goals, he's going in there and digging it out in the corner."

2. Tom Brady on Welker compared to Brown: "Wes doesn't have the strength that Troy did. He's a little bit smaller, but his quickness is second to none."

3. Panthers safety Chris Harris on if he sensed Randy Moss was frustrated: "He did seem a little frustrated. If you can get to him early, it shows. He gets frustrated and might not complete 'go' routes sometimes and things of that nature if you get a good jam on him at the line. I felt our corners did extremely well against him."

4. Running back Sammy Morris on the win: "I think Tom [Brady] said it best. He said, 'We've played better and lost.'"

5. Safety James Sanders started for the first time since Week 1 –- replacing Brandon McGowan –- and finished tied for the team high with seven tackles. He had a particularly big hit on Steve Smith. "It felt great to be able to go back out there and do what I love to do -- just play ball," he said. "It's a step in the right direction."

6. Linebacker Rob Ninkovich commented on his contract extension through 2011. "It's a good feeling for someone to give me a chance. I'm happy to be here for a little bit longer and have a little more security rather than living out of a Rubbermaid bin."

7. Panthers offensive lineman Mackenzy Bernadeau, a native of Waltham, Mass., and graduate of Bentley University, on his homecoming: “It's always exciting coming back home, playing in your home state, but it would be more exciting coming out with a win.”

8. Belichick on rotating Sebastian Vollmer into the game at both tackles spots: "We planned to play all three tackles, and I think it was probably good for them to get a little break. It's not often those guys do, and be able to come back in and be fresh and go on those long drives."

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Inactive for the past four weeks, Patriots defensive back Shawn Springs said he didn't watch the Jetsons during his downtime.

Springs comments were made in jest as reporters quizzed him on how he remained professional even as the coaching staff kept him off the gridiron in recent weeks. The Jetsons' reference came from the fallout of Adalius Thomas' comments earlier this week on why he was late for practice.

Thomas, who was sent home from meetings Wednesday for being late that morning, was inactive Sunday after speaking out. Those that did not speak out -- Randy Moss, Gary Guyton, and Derrick Burgess -- were active.

"I did like the Jetsons; Elroy was my favorite character, by the way," Springs joked following Sunday's 20-10 triumph over the Panthers in which he started at left cornerback and made a pair of tackles.

"No, I just worked each week. Worked hard in some capacity to help the team. That's all I did."

Springs suggested that he still doesn't fully understand why he had been benched. But he said he showed up each week ready to help the team however they saw fit.

The 13-year veteran appeared in the first five games of the season -- starting at both cornerback and safety -- before disappearing for all but a Week 9 meeting with Miami. He said he practiced with the first team this week and expected to rejoin the starting lineup.

"We all understand that, each week, [coach] Bill [Belichick] does what he thinks is best for the team," said Springs. "It's been working for him, so you just have to go with it."

Joking he "barely" remembered how to put on his shoulder pads, he took the blame for a 41-yard touchdown reception by Steve Smith, passing on the opportunity to throw safety Brandon Meriweather (whose locker was nearby) under the bus.

"I"ll take the blame on that one," said Springs. "You know, Steve's a good player. He ran the deep post and made a play. No, I won't throw [Meriweather] under the bus. That's not going to happen."

Asked if he ever considered speaking out -- like Thomas -- during his inactive period, Springs made it clear he would have never reached that point.

"It's all in how you look at things," said Springs. "For example, if all of you reporters got paid to do a job that encouraged you to relax and watch it on TV, some of you might be excited about it."

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Ten fast facts from the Patriots' 20-10 win over the Panthers on Sunday:

1. Wes Welker topped the 100-catch mark for the third straight season. He joins Marvin Harrison (4), Jerry Rice (3) and Herman Moore (3) as the only NFL players to catch 100 or more passes in three consecutive seasons.

2. Welker tied the NFL record by reaching 100 receptions in a season in the fewest number of games (11).

3. Kevin Faulk gained 75 yards from scrimmage and now has 7,059 yards from scrimmage in his career, moving past Tony Collins (7,003) into third place on the Patriots' all-time scrimmage yards list.

4. The Patriots put together their 31st drive of the season that was 10 or more plays. They entered the day as the NFL leader in that category.

5. Kicker Stephen Gostkowski went over 100 points on the season, with two field goals and two extra points. He has scored more than 100 points in each of his four NFL seasons.

6. Gostkowski's 47-yard field goal in the fourth quarter was the 100th of his career.

7. The Patriots are 15-1 in December games at Gillette Stadium (opened in 2002).

8. Quarterback Tom Brady won his 22nd consecutive home game (including postseason).

9. Welker has 11 straight games with six or more receptions. The record for most games with six or more receptions is 16, set by Marvin Harrison from 2002-2003.

10. Welker has caught at least six passes in 25 of his last 27 regular-season games.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Kicker Stephen Gostkowski connected on a pair of long field goals in the fourth quarter to help the Patriots emerge with a 20-10 triumph over the Panthers Sunday at Gillette Stadium.

Gostkowski had missed a field goal in each of the previous two weeks and hadn't made a field goal of longer than 40 yards since Week 5. On Sunday, he hit field goals of 48 and 47 yards less than three minutes apart.

But Sunday's effort is nothing compared to what awaits Monday, when his wife, Hallie, is scheduled to be induced into labor with the couple's first child.

For now, Gostkowski was savoring the first big day and didn't care how ugly the win might have looked from the outside.

"You can't characterize a win," said Gostkowski. "A win's a win. They all count for one, whether you beat them by 100 or beat them by two. It all counts the same."

Gostkowski also downplayed the conditions.

"It wasn't the easiest day, but it was no Buffalo from last year," he said, recalling the windy conditions a year ago against the Bills. "It was just good to make a couple of kicks, get a win. I don't really think about conditions. We practiced in a lot worse during the week and it seemed a lot easier today than if we had been in the bubble all week."

With the two field goals, Gostkowski eclipsed 100 points for the season; he has reached that mark in each of his four seasons. Through 13 games, he's connected on 24 of 28 attempts.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Recapping the Patriots’ 20-10 victory over the Panthers Sunday at Gillette Stadium:

How the game was won: After a lackluster first half, the Patriots' offense found its groove in the second half. A 13-play, 96-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter culminated in a Benjamin Watson 5-yard catch to give the Patriots a 14-7 lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

Turning point: Wes Welker's 13-yard catch on third-and-2 from the Patriots' 12-yard line on that scoring drive. Welker had taken a big hit on the previous play and as he sprung to his feet he urged the crowd to get into the game, single-handedly bringing energy into the lifeless stadium.

Stat of the game: The Patriots' 96-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter was their longest of the season.

Unsung hero: Welker, who finished with 10 catches for 105 yards.

Important storyline not to be overlooked: Receiver Randy Moss, who had one catch for 16 yards. He was the intended receiver on a first-quarter Tom Brady interception in which it appeared he didn't finish his route. He also had one drop, a lost fumble, and a false start penalty in an overall effort that showed little life.

What it means: The Patriots, who don't look like a team building momentum, live to fight for another day as they improve to 8-5. This was not a convincing effort, but it gives them another week to try to find some kind of spark.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Patriots right tackle Nick Kaczur suffered a shoulder injury. His return is questionable.

Kaczur was injured on a 3-yard run by Laurence Maroney. Trainers were examining his shoulder and neck area on the sideline.

The Patriots had been rotating tackles with rookie Sebastian Vollmer filling in for both Matt Light and Kaczur. Vollmer took Kaczur's spot after the injury.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Patriots defensive end Ty Warren injured his right ankle while tackling Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams early in the fourth quarter. His return is questionable.

Warren stayed on the ground after making the tackle and was attended to by trainers before walking off under his own power. Trainers taped his ankle and he was walking around trying to test out the injury on the sideline.

Warren missed time earlier this season because of an ankle injury.