Cassel, who walked off the field with the game ball, acknowledged the victory had larger significance than keeping the Patriots in the playoff race. "It was a big win. It was a big win for the team. It was a big win for me, personally," he said.
There is no question Cassel will be playing Sunday against the Cardinals in another virtual must-win game for the Patriots, but the tone of this season has changed for him. He'll be playing with a heavy heart from here on out. A celebratory season, the most rewarding and successful of his career, is now a solemn one.
Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner said Cassel has done an "amazing" job of dealing with everything that has been thrown his way this season.
"Obviously, just another example last week, understanding that he lost his father and coming back and playing the way that he did and being the leader that he has become on that team," said Warner. "[There are] so many things to commend him on [with] what he's accomplished this year. I think it's pretty incredible, and he deserves a tremendous amount of credit. I know there are a lot of great people in that organization that have helped him along the way, but I believe he deserves a lot of credit in the way that he's played this year and the way that he stepped in and has become a leader for that team."
It almost seems unfair that Cassel, who has gone from backup to season-saving starter, throwing for 3,270 yards and 18 touchdowns (against 11 interceptions), finds himself at the intersection of professional advancement and personal loss.
"Yeah, it was a tough year in the early going. No one believed in him. There were a lot of naysayers, and he proved everyone wrong," said left guard Logan Mankins. "Then to have this happen to him when everything was going so right for him. He's going to get through it. He has a good family. I'd like to think he has good teammates that are here for him."
