The New England Patriots will be in unfamiliar territory next weekend: Playing in a Wild-Card playoff game for the first time since 2009. What was going on 10 seasons ago when Bill Belichick, Tom Brady & Co. last didn’t earn a bye?
Ravens ravage Patriots
The Patriots’ stay in the playoffs was short and sour. The Baltimore Ravens surged to a 24-0 lead in the first quarter behind Ray Rice TD runs of 83 and 1 yard. They went on to a 33-14 victory that saw Tom Brady go an ugly 23-of-42 for 154 yards and three picks.
New Orleans Saints win Super Bowl
The 2009 season concluded with Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints defeating the Indianapolis Colts in a thrilling Super Bowl. A couple of the memorable plays were Sean Payton’s decision to go for an onside kick to start the second half, which was successful, and Tracy Porter’s Pick-Six that sealed the victory.
Tik Tok by Kesha was the No. 1 song
Kesha co-wrote the song with its producers Dr. Luke and Benny Blanco. It was released on August 7, 2009, as the lead single from Kesha’s debut studio album, Animal. The song is an electropop/dance-pop song incorporating a minimalist bitpop beat interspersed with handclaps and synths. The song’s verses use a rap/sing vocal style while the chorus is sung.
Obama was President of the United States
President Barack Obama was in his second term as President of the United States.
The Yankees were World Series champions
The 2009 MLB season saw the Yankees win the World Series in six games over the Philadelphia Phillies. It is the last time the Bronx Bombers won the WS, as they conclude this decade without a championship. The Yankees’ Hideki Matsui was the MVP.
Alabama won the BCS Championship
The game was played early in 2010, as will be New England’s Wild-Card game. It saw Nick Saban and Alabama score 24 points in the second quarter and go on to a 37-21 victory over Texas, which was coached by Mack Brown. Both teams came into the game at 13-0.
John Daly announced his retirement
Later in January, John Daly failed to make the cut at the Farmers Championship and announced his retirement. Like Brett Favre, it was a decision he did not stick to for long.
Rodgers and Roethlisberger were sacked
Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger suffered a lot of sacks each in the 2009 season. The Packers’ and Steelers’ greats were each dropped a total of 50 times to share the NFL lead. Roethlisberger earns the tiebreaker, losing 348 yards to Rodgers; 306.
Chris Johnson led the NFL in rushing
Chris Johnson had a career year for the Tennessee Titans, rushing for 2,006 yards in 2009. He went over the 2K plateau by rushing for 134 yards on 36 carries in the season finale, a victory over the Seattle Seahawks.
Peterson led the league with 18 rushing TDs
Some things don’t change. The great Adrian Peterson was running to paydirt in 2009 and he continues to do so. In that season, Peterson rushed for 18 TDs and 1,383 yards. He’s gone from Minnesota to Arizona to New Orleans to Washington and keeps on going.
Amendola led in kickoff returns
Danny Amendola threw a TD pass for the Lions on the day the Patriots were sent back to the wild-card round in 2019. In 2009, Amendola was returning kicks for the St. Louis Rams and had 66 of those, more than anyone in the NFL. He also led in kickoff return yards at 1,618.
Andy Lee led in punts
The 49ers’ Andy Lee was called on to boot the ball 99 times. In a bizarre coincidence, Lee averaged 47.6 yards per kick. That is the same average he had coming into Week 17 for the Arizona Cardinals in 2019.
Matt Schaub led in passing yards
The leader in passing yardage was not one of the names usually associated with the top of the category. It was the Texans’ Matt Schaub, who threw for 4,770 yards. Schaub had 396 completions on 583 attempts.
The Rams had first pick in draft
The St. Louis Rams wound up with the first pick in the 2010 NFL Draft by virtue of an 1-15 season. They chose Sam Bradford out of Oklahoma. It was the first time the Rams selected a quarterback in the first round since 1964. And, Oklahoma QBs have gone first in the last two drafts, Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray, respectively.
Patriots tabbed Devin McCourty, Gronk
New England wound up with the 27th overall pick in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft. It selected Devin McCourty out of Rutgers, who remains a leader in the Patriots’ secondary. In the second round, with the 42nd overall pick, New England chose a TE out of Arizona … Rob Gronkowski.
