Patriots Irate at Raiola Cut Block

The Lions center was upset because, in his mind, the Patriots ran up the score.

The Patriots had little trouble with the Lions on Sunday, cruising to a 34-9 victory in a game that was never really close. The win moves New England to 9-2 and one week closer to that first-round playoff bye. Detroit, meanwhile, falls out of first place in the NFC North, and if recent history is any guide (see last season), it's the beginning of the end of their previously successful season.

Perhaps Detroit's most memorable play was also the most notorious. It came on the final snap. As Matthew Stafford took a knee, center Dominic Raiola attempt to cut block Patriots defensive lineman Zach Moore as payback for running up the score (even though, you know, Moore had nothing to do with how many points New England scored). We know this because he admitted as much afterwards.

(You can watch the play here.)

"I cut him," Raiola said, via the Detroit Free Press. "We took a knee, so I cut the nose (tackle). "They went for six (a touchdown). They went for a touchdown at 2 minutes. They could have took three knees and the game could have been over. It's football. He wants to keep playing football, let's play football. Not a big deal. It's football."

Not surprisingly, Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork was unimpressed.

"I just heard what happened, but that was stupid," he said. "I didn't see it, but from what I heard … You're taking a knee. They'd get mad if we were just to blow up one of their players, so I mean, it's just uncalled for. But at the same time, you always have to protect yourself, so you always have to play with your neck on a swivel and being alert for 60 minutes, and it came down to it today on a bonehead play like that. But luckily no one got hurt and we can move on."

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