Pats Lose 20-18

My first trip to see a Patriots game at Gillette was a memorable one, just not a good one from the game outcome, as the Pats lost their home opener to the Arizona Cardinals 20-18. It was a beautiful day. Fans were grilling up treats in every parking lot. I thought $30 to park a mile plus away was a rip-off, but I'm told it happens on gameday. The stadium buzzed after the national anthem with the flyover of F-18's. The stadium cameras found Dan Ackroyd in a suite & he started dancing to a Blue Brothers tune when he saw himself on the jumbo-tron. And yes, even a few boo birds came out as the offense kept sputtering all day long. I'm no football expert, but my play of the day that lost the game for the Pats happened before the final Gostkowski kick. It was the blocked punt by Arizona in the Pats end zone which resulted in 7 points. Whoever #43 is on the Patriots - he missed his block assignment that led to the blocked punt. To me that was the play that changed the game. Traffic going home was worse than coming in & Route 1 is just not equipped to handle 60,000 fans leaving all at once. Regardless, it was a great day & an experience to check off of your bucket list.