Patriots find a pass rush, beat the hapless Bills

Once again, it wasn't pretty (at all) but the Patriots beat the Bills yesterday 17-10 at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

It was New England's (9-5) first true road win since their only other win away from Gillette was in London.

They also received two early Christmas presents as the Jets lost to the Falcons and the Dolphins lost in overtime to the Titans. The Patriots are two games up in the AFC East with two games to play.

The two things to take away from yesterday (besides how pathetic Buffalo is) were the reappearance of Randy Moss off milk cartons and post office walls. Plus, the Pats non-existent pass rush stopped by and sacked Ryan Fitzpatrick and Trent Edwards a combined six times.

Tully Banta-Cain led the Patriots' defense with three sacks, while Derrick Burgess, Gary Guyton and Mike Wright also recorded sacks. Finally, Jonathan Wilhite had an interception.

Buffalo (5-9) looked like world-beaters on their opening drive as they held the ball for 14 plays and 9:24 but they stalled in the red zone and were forced to settle for a 25-yard field goal by Rian Lindell.

Without Vince Wilfork (one of the NFL's best) and Ty Warren (a very solid defensive end), the Patriots defensive line was completely pushed around on that first drive.

Rookie Ron Brace (4 tackles) started in the middle for New England and Wright (6 tackles, sack, 2 tackles for loss) subbed for Warren. Brace proved why he's been inactive much of the season while Wright continued to get everything out of his limited ability.

Moss (5 catches, 70 yards) put the Pats up 7-3 in the second quarter on one of Tom Brady's (11 for 23, 115 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) only good throws: a perfect 13-yard strike to the back of the end zone that Moss controlled and tapped his feet down before going out of bounds.

Laurence Maroney (23 carries, 81 yards) gave New England a 14-3 lead with 24 seconds left in the first half. Nobody will ever credit him until he has an injury-free, solid season, but Maroney is slowly becoming the weapon he's shown glimpses of in the past.

Buffalo couldn't get out of its own way as they had 10 penalties in the first half-an NFL record this season-and finished with 11 overall for 124 yards.

Stephen Gostkowski's 30-yard kick put the Pats up 17-3 but the Bills made it close when Lee Evans caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from Fitzpatrick.

The Bills recovered the ensuing onside kick but rookie Aaron Maybin was offsides so they chose to kick it deep and they never saw it again.

Jacksonville comes to Gillette next Sunday and then the Patriots wrap up the regular season at Houston in two weeks. If New England wins on Sunday, they'll clinch the division and would have to think hard about resting Brady since he's clearly banged up and not himself. He has an interception in four straight games.

If the playoffs started today, the Broncos would be coming to Gillette in the Wild Card round. Not a bad matchup.

Wes Welker is no Randy Moss, which is a good thing

For the last month as the Patriots have been in their worst tailspin in years (losing three out of four), it's become clear that for whatever reason Randy Moss is bailing on this team.

Things reached a boiling point on Wednesday when he showed up late for a meeting, along with Derrick Burgess, Gary Guyton and Adalius Thomas. Bill Belichik sent all four home for the day and Thomas wasn't active yesterday.

Burgess (3 tackles, sack) and Guyton (1 tackle) actually played decent in yesterday's 20-10 win over the Panthers at Gillette Stadium but Moss (1 catch, 16 yards, fumble) had his worst game in a Patriots uniform.

It doesn't help Moss that Wes Welker is a teammate; Welker represents everything Moss is not known for: hard work, toughness, going over the middle, a good attitude. On a day when Tom Brady struggled again (19 for 32, 192 yards, TD, INT), Welker was the passing game. He finished with 10 catches for 105 yards.

New England (8-5) had to win this game and while they played rather poorly and were fortunate to be facing a team going nowhere (with a backup quarterback), it's still a win. The Jets and Dolphins both won to remain one game behind New England in the AFC East.

The Patriots survived two fumbles and the interception by Brady. The good news was the defense looked good (save for a few breakdowns) and the running game was very productive on a rainy, messy afternoon.

Laurence Maroney had one of the best games in his career with 94 yards on 22 carries. Kevin Faulk added 58 yards rushing and a touchdown while Sammy Morris had 35 yards rushing (although he was stuffed on a predictable fourth down call and also fumbled).

Steve Smith gave Carolina (5-8) a 7-0 lead in the first quarter with a 41-yard touchdown catch from Matt Moore. Shawn Springs was left alone in coverage after Brandon Meriweather went to cover another Panthers receiver and Springs will never stop Smith by himself.

Faulk tied it up in the second quarter with a 3-yard run 1:08 before halftime.

Ben Watson (3 catches, 37 yards) capped off New England's longest drive of the season (13 plays, 96 yards) with a 5-yard touchdown catch from Brady. Watson is known for his Braylon Edwards-esque stone hands but give him credit as he held on after being drilled by a Carolina defender.

John Kasay's 36-yard field goal in the fourth quarter made it 14-10 New England but Stephen Gostkowski sealed it with two long kicks of his own (48 yards and 47 yards).

For reasons unknown, DeAngelo Williams (13 carries, 82 yards) didn't get the ball much even though it was obvious that Moore (15 for 30, 197 yards, TD) couldn't make the easiest of throws.

Burgess and Jarvis Green both recorded sacks on the final Carolina drive as New England showed some semblance of a pass rush for once. Ty Warren and Vince Wilfork both left the game with injuries so hopefully they'll be back next weekend. The Pats can't afford to have their two outstanding defensive lineman out for any time.

There are three games left in the regular season and the Patriots look for their first true road win next Sunday in Buffalo. Odds are there will be three feet of snow on the ground.

Saints are for real, Patriots are not

With one game, the New Orleans Saints proved to the NFL that they are the best team (forget Indy) at this moment. Similarly, with one pathetic performance, the New England Patriots raised many questions about their abilities when they play good teams.

In the Bill Belichick era, it's hard to remember a more thorough beating than the one the Saints (11-0) threw the Patriots (7-4) last night at the Superdome, 38-17.

Drew Brees (18 of 23, 371 yards passing, 5 TDs, perfect QB rating) completely tore apart New England's secondary. Marques Colston led New Orleans with 121 yards receiving and a touchdown while Devery Henderson had 116 yards and a touchdown and Robert Meachem added 69 yards receiving and a touchdown.

Tom Brady (21 of 36, 237 yards, 0 touchdowns, 2 interceptions) never looked comfortable and his main weapons, Randy Moss (3 catches, 67 yards) and Wes Welker (6 catches, 32 yards) were neutralized. The offensive stars for the Patriots were Laurence Maroney (64 yards rushing, 2 TDs) and Sam Aiken (7 catches, 90 yards) which is never a good sign.

After Jon Carney's 30-yard field goal gave the Saints a 3-0 lead in the first quarter, New England took its only lead of the game on Maroney's 4-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-1.

New Orleans went up 10-7 after Pierre Thomas' 18-yard catch and run. At least four Patriot defenders whiffed at tackling him. Even more depressing than that was the blown coverage on the next Saints drive that allowed Henderson to be wide open for a 75-yard touchdown.

Stephen Gostkowski's 36-yard kick cut it to 17-10 but you can't settle for field goals against the Saints. Brees closed out the first half with a perfectly threaded 38-yard touchdown pass to Meachem.

Maroney gave New England some life with a 2-yard touchdown to start the second half but the Saints came right back with a touchdown 1:22 later. Brees hit third tight end Darnell Dinkins for a 2-yard score. All that was left was a 20-yard touchdown pass to Colston in the fourth quarter and the Saints' quest for a perfect season look very good.

More relevant to me is where do the Patriots go from here? They'll be favored in and should win their last five games (no guarantees) but where is their signature win? They'll win the AFC East and make the playoffs. But how can anyone take this team seriously when they completely crumble against the best teams?

They go to Miami on Sunday to try and sweep the Dolphins this season.

Thank God for the Jets

After a week of seemingly every person in the world weighing in on Bill Belichick's absurd fourth down call in the loss to the Colts, it was refreshing to see the Patriots stomp the Jets 31-14 at Gillette Stadium yesterday.

No team in the NFL has as much false confidence as New York (4-6) and their fat clown of a head coach, Rex Ryan. The fact that the Jets had beaten the Patriots (7-3) 16-9 back in Week 2 was more fuel to the proverbial fire.

This game was not nearly as close as the score would indicate since Jets rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez threw four interceptions and lost a fumble. It was 24-7 at halftime and New York cut it to 10 points (24-14) in the third quarter but the outcome wasn't in question after the first half.

Wes Welker, who didn't play in the Week 2 meeting, was his usual unstoppable self. He set a career-high with 15 catches for 192 yards and he added an 11-yard end around for 203 total yards. There is no discussion, he is the best slot receiver in the NFL.

Darrelle Revis is undoubtedly one of if not the best cornerback in the league and for the second time this season, he neutralized Randy Moss. Straight Cash Homie was limited to five catches for 34 yards. He did manage a 4-yard touchdown catch on a quick slant in the first quarter but his biggest contribution yesterday was as a decoy. For instance on one play, three Jets defenders went to Moss leaving Welker wide open for a 43-yard catch.

Tom Brady had his fifth straight 300-yard game, passing for 310 yards and a touchdown. Laurence Maroney continued his fraudulent streak of five straight games with a touchdown as he scored twice and ran for 77 yards. Just in case you were getting a little confidence in Maroney, he fumbled again to remind you of his goal-line fumble against Indianapolis.

The Patriots defense got consistent pressure on Sanchez and as a result, he threw three terrible picks. New England cornerback Leigh Bodden had three interceptions including one he took back 53 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. Tully Banta-Cain was the other standout defensively for the Pats as he had two sacks and forced a fumble.

The Jets caught a huge break late in the first half as they blocked a punt and returned it four yards for a touchdown. Sanchez and the offense finally moved in the ball on the first drive of the second half as he found Jerricho Cotchery with a 29-yard strike.

New England's offense scuffled in the second half and couldn't really move the ball (outside of Welker) but Maroney put it away with a 1-yard run with five minutes left in the game.

The Saints (10-0) blew out the Bucs yesterday which sets up a juicy Monday night game next week at the Superdome against the Patriots. It will be a good measuring stick for both teams and also an indicator if the NFC should be taken seriously or not.

With the Bengals and Steelers both losing yesterday and the Chargers winning, four teams in the AFC find themselves 7-3 as they try to get the No. 2 spot (and the all-important bye) in the playoffs.

The Patriots are the team to beat in the AFC East, FACT

Last year, the Miami Dolphins came into Gillette Stadium and shocked the Patriots and the NFL by unveiling their old-time offense, the wildcat. It spurred an AFC East title for Miami along with a nation-wide infatuation with this simple offensive system.

Yesterday back at Gillette and with a healthy Tom Brady, the Patriots held off the Dolphins 27-17 in an early season divisional showdown.

It was no surprise that Brady (332 yards passing, 1 touchdown, 1 interception) and Randy Moss (6 catches, 147 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 two-point conversion) were the best players on the field.

Miami (3-5) tried to control the clock with its powerful running game led by Ronnie Brown and a cleaned up Ricky Williams, as evidenced by their ten minute drive to start the second half.

The difference was that New England's (6-2) offense had the quick-strike ability while Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne is still trying to find his way as a starter.

After rookie cornerback Vonte Davis (remember that name) picked off Brady on the game's opening drive, Miami kicker Dan Carpenter hit a career-long 52-yard kick to give the Dolphins an early 3-0 lead.

The Patriots responded with a one-yard touchdown run by Laurence Maroney. Having to carry the load, Maroney did a decent job with 82 yards on 20 carries. Moss set up the easy six with a one-handed grab that was good for 36 yards. Davis couldn't do anything to stop that absurd catch.

Stephen Gostkowski continues to prove why he's one of the NFL's best as he had three field goals in the second quarter alone. In between, Williams ran for a 15-yard score out of the wildcat.

New England led 16-10 at the half as Gostkowski hit a 34-yarder as time ran out. Once again, the Patriots' struggles in the red zone continued against good teams.

Brown capped off Miami's long drive to start the second half as he threw a one-yard touchdown pass to tight end Joey Haynos. Using backup quarterback Pat White, the Dolphins started to find a rhythm against a confused Pats defense.

Three plays later, Moss and Brady connected for a play which you'll see for the rest of the season. On third and 1, Brady hit Moss on a crossing pattern. Moss juked Davis then stiff-armed him and outran him 71 yards for the touchdown. It was the 140th career touchdown catch for Moss, tying him second all-time with Terrell Owens and behind the incomparable Jerry Rice.

The Patriots defense didn't get any turnovers but Adalius Thomas returned from the dead with a key sack as New England held Miami scoreless the rest of the way.

Jerod Mayo led the Patriots with 12 tackles while Brandon McGowan (11 tackles), Tully Banta-Cain (9 tackles) and rookie Darius Butler added seven tackles.

Backup center Dan Connolly also did a nice job for New England after Dan Koppen went down with a knee injury.

The win sets up a huge matchup which I'm already peeing my pants (PG-rated version) over: Patriots at Colts (8-0) on Sunday night.

A circle jerk in Foxboro

One of the main reasons that ESPN and most mainstream sports media these days is a joke is that they make snap decisions after one game or a very small sample size.

No doubt, after yesterday's 59-0 win over the Titans at snowy Gillette Stadium, most Patriots fans as well as pundits will be quick to say Tom Brady and the Pats are back.

To quote the esteemed Lee Corso, head college football bozo on Gameday, "not so fast my friend." So while yes, the events of yesterday's contest were quite pleasing, let's keep in mind what a perfect storm of shit the Titans faced: coming in 0-5 (their season was already over), there was an unexpected snowstorm, on the road against an offense and team looking to breakout and playing without three of its top guys in the secondary.

Only later in the season will we be able to say if this game was a blip (like last season's thrashing of Arizona in somewhat similar circumstances) or a positive sign of things to come from Brady (380 yards, 6 TDs), Wes Welker (10 catches, 150 yards, 2 TDs) and Randy Moss (8 catches, 129 yards, 3 touchdowns).

Recapping the play by play of this one would be pointless. I'll just talk about the New England scores and some other random thoughts.

After Sammy Morris got hurt in the first quarter (with what looked like a knee injury), Laurence Maroney subbed in and had a big game with 16 carries for 123 yards and a touchdown. Second year back BenJarvus Green-Ellis had his first playing time of the year and he looked good, rushing for 67 yards and making two catches for 11 yards.

After Stephen Gostkowski missed a 39-yard kick, Maroney opened the scoring with a 45-yard run. Gostkowski hit a 33-yard kick as the Pats (4-2) led 10-0 after the first quarter.

The second quarter was something we'll never see again in our lifetimes. Brady set an NFL record with five touchdown passes in those 15 minutes.

He started it with his two best passes of the season: a 40-yard flea flicker to Moss then a 28-yard pass to Moss in the back of the end zone when Brady was about to be drilled.

Kevin Faulk turned a screen pass into a 38-yard touchdown then Wes Welker got his two touchdowns: from 30 and five yards.

The only real intrigue after the half (the biggest deficit in NFL history) was how much longer Brady would play (one series) and if the Pats would get the shutout (since I was facing them in fantasy football).

Brady's day was done after a 9-yard touchdown pass to Moss. Rookie backup quarterback Brian Hoyer got his first NFL action and made it memorable by scoring on a 1-yard QB sneak for the final mark.

Poor Chris Johnson had 128 yards rushing for the Titans (0-6) but Kerry Collins (2 for 12, -7 yards, fumble, interception) and Vince Young (0 for 2, interception) looked like they'd never played football before or seen snow. Collins must have fallen off the wagon yesterday because no sober NFL quarterback could play that bad. As for VY, he continues to rapidly regress as he only worries about partying shirtless in clubs.

Patriots rookie cornerback Darius Bulter had his first NFL interception and so did rookie safety Patrick Chung. In addition, New England's defense recovered three fumbles.

I thought Arizona's turd salad was the worst performance I'd ever see in the NFL but in less than a year, that was topped. It's hard to imagine any loss being worse than yesterday.

Next on the schedule, New England and Tampa Bay (0-6) meet in London on Sunday for another stupid NFL in the UK matchup. Earth to Roger Goddell: nobody in the UK gives a shit about American football. Never have, never will. Time to move on from this stupid experiment.

The Pats shouldn't have any trouble with the hapless Bucs and they'll cruise into their bye week at 5-2. Some other good news coming from yesterday was that the Jets continue to fall apart as they lost to Buffalo in overtime. It was a pathetic loss that dropped the Jets to 3-3, losers of three straight. Your New England Patriots now rest atop the AFC East.

It Never Gets Old

For as long as you live, when your favorite team in any sport wins a big game, it gives you an incredible rush that simply cannot be duplicated (sex, drugs and rock and roll not withstanding). When said team advances to the Super Bowl for the fourth time in the last seven years and is now just win away from an unprecedented 19-0 campaign, what can you say? You've been there every step of the way but now that it's so close, you almost can't believe it. Such is the situation facing my New England Patriots, 21-12 winners over the spirited but ultimately undermanned San Diego Chargers yesterday in the AFC Championship game at Gillette Stadium. A week from Sunday, the Patriots face the New York Giants in Arizona for Super Bowl 42.

The story of the game was the Patriots red zone defense and the clutch play of the running back duo of Laurence Maroney (25 carries, 122 yards, 1 TD; 1 catch, 9 yards) and Kevin Faulk (8 catches, 82 yards; 1 carry, 8 yards).

Without LaDainian Tomlinson (2 carries, 5 yards; 1 catch, 1 yard) for most of the game and with Antonio Gates (2 catches, 17 yards) and Philip Rivers (19 of 37, 211 yards, 2 INT's) hobbled, nobody in the world was picking the Chargers to knock off the Patriots. Then again, nobody expected San Diego to go into Indy last weekend and knock off the Colts.

Nate Kaeding (4 field goals) was San Diego's best offensive player and when that's the case, odds are you're not going to beat the Patriots. You have to match them touchdown for touchdown, something that nobody has done so far this season.

Tom Brady (22 of 33, 209 yards, 2 TD's, 3 INT's) had his worst game of the season, Randy Moss (1 catch, 18 yards; 1 carry, 14 yards) was a complete non-factor for the second straight playoff contest and yet the Pats still found a way to win.

San Diego corner Quentin Jammer made a leaping interception of Brady in the first quarter, leading to the first Kaeding kick, putting San Diego up 3-0.

New England finally started to move the ball at the end of the first quarter and into the second as Maroney dove in from a yard out, giving New England a 7-3 lead.

Vincent Jackson (6 catches, 93 yards) killed the Pats on the next drive with three catches but once again, the Chargers offense was stuffed inside the red zone. Ellis Hobbs made a big tackle on third down as he tackled Chris Chambers (7 catches, 90 yards) on an underneath route. Kaeding's kick cut it to 7-6.

After a punt, the Pats capitalized on a Rivers mistake as Asante Samuel stepped in front of a pass intended for Chambers and returned it 10 yards to the San Diego 24-yard line. Two plays later, Brady found Jabar Gaffney over the middle with a 12-yard catch and run for a score.

Ellis Hobbs (8 tackles) picked off Rivers on the next San Diego possession but the Pats couldn't do anything and were forced to punt it back to the Chargers.

Going into yesterday, Kaeding had been 2 for 6 in his postseason career so it was surprising when he nailed his third field goal of the day (from 40 yards) just before halftime. The Pats held a 14-9 lead.

The third quarter was a nightmare for Brady as he was intercepted twice. The first one was on New England's opening drive of the second half. Brady's pass for Donte' Stallworth went off the receiver's hands and into Chargers cornerback Drayton Florence's waiting arms. Taking over at the New England 49-yard line, the Chargers settled for another red zone field goal (24 yards). Junior Seau (6 tackles, 1 sack) made the defensive play of the game for the Pats on third-and-1 from the Pats 4. He shot through the line and tackled Michael Turner (17 carries, 65 yards) for a two-yard loss.

The game was effectively sealed early in the fourth as Brady found Wes Welker (7 catches, 56 yards, 1 TD) with a six-yard touchdown strike. The o-line gave Brady plenty of time and he looked at Moss, Ben Watson and finally Welker before throwing the ball.

Not to state the obvious but there are many reasons why Norv Turner is the coach he is and Bill Belichick is a three-time Super Bowl winner (currently 14-2 in the playoffs with New England). Exhibit A: San Diego choose to punt the ball away facing a fourth-and-10 at the Pats 36 with 9:21 left in the fourth quarter and down two scores (21-12). The Chargers never got the ball back as New England grinded the clock away. Faulk made three catches for 32 yards and two first downs on the drive, proving once again that he is the most underrated Patriot. Maroney was a bull, rushing eight times for 37 yards and three first downs. It was his fourth 100-yard performance in the last five games as he matched his impressive rushing total from last week. The guy is a stud, plain and simple. Any questions about his ability have been put to rest weeks ago.

Now the Pats face the Giants, a team that they barely beat 38-35 in the last week of the regular season. The G-Men have certainly peaked in the playoffs, winning all three of their games on the road against favored opponents. New York is for real, no question about it. Eli Manning is playing the best ball of his career, they have a solid running game and outstanding defense. If the Patriots win the Super Bowl, they will have earned 19-0 and the label of greatest team of all-time. Let the two weeks of relentless hype commence.

They Don't Call Him MVP for Nothing

In the week leading up to the Jacksonville Jaguars-New England Patriots AFC Divisional Round playoff game, I was reminded how much hype accompanies this time of year. Therefore, I didn't preview the game like I had originally planned. Everywhere you turned/tuned in, you heard a breakdown of the game. There's more than enough pseudo-experts out there, so I'm content just to recap the action.

I can say that this game pretty much played out as any devoted but rational Patriots fan would have expected. New England won 31-20 last night at Gillette but not before the Jaguars gave them their best shot.

By taking what the Jaguars gave him (mostly short stuff, to the backs and underneath to the receivers), Tom Brady completed 26 of his 28 passes (an NFL playoff record) for 262 yards three touchdowns and no interceptions.

The Jaguars gameplan was clearly to limit the deep ball and Randy Moss. In both cases, they were pretty successful as they only gave up two long passes (53 yards to Donte' Stallworth and 33 yards to Laurence Maroney) which were catch and runs and Moss was limited to one catch for 14 yards.

The main problems for the Jags were that the Patriots have many more weapons outside of Moss and also Jacksonville's offense while good, simply couldn't match the points that New England can put up in a hurry.

Jacksonville had the best possible start as they took the opening kick and drove 80 yards in nine plays for a touchdown. The Jaguars were playing to win as they converted a fourth-and-one when David Garrard (22 of 33, 278 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception) completed a 34-yard pass to tight end Marcedes Lewis (4 catches, 74 yards). Even crazier than that was the scoring play where Garrard was being pulled down by Mike Vrabel but was still able to find Matt Jones in the end zone for a 8-yard score.

New England answered with a 10 play, 74 yard scoring drive, capped off by a 3-yard fastball from Brady to Ben Watson.

Garrard made two costly mistakes in the game. The first was late in the opening quarter when he fumbled after Ty Warren hit him. Vrabel fell on it and the Pats had a short field. Maroney (22 carries, 122 yards) plunged in from a yard out to put New England up 14-7 early in the second.

Proving they were legit, Jacksonville responded with an 11 play, 95 yard drive, finished off when Garrard found Ernest Wilford on a perfect 6-yard touchdown pass. The throw was beautiful as he put it in the corner of the end zone, away from Asante Samuel and where only Wilford could grab it.

The Pats had a chance to take the lead but Stephen Gostowski missed a 35-yard field goal so the teams headed into halftime tied at 14.

The 11 play, 82 yard drive that the Pats had to open the third quarter was great and they finished it off in style as Brady found Wes Welker (9 catches, 54 yards; 1 rush, 13 yards) in the back of the end zone after a statue of liberty play. It was reminiscent of Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl last season as Brady faked the handoff to Kevin Faulk (5 catches, 36 yards), spun around with the ball behind his back then threw a laser to an open Welker.

The king of second half adjustments, Bill Belichick's team only allowed six points in the second half as Jacksonville had field goals in the third and fourth quarter.

Another Watson TD, this one from 9-yards put the Pats up 28-17 late in the third. The teams traded field goals in the fourth and New England effectively sealed it when Rodney Harrison picked off Garrard.

The Jaguars second-best rushing attack in the league never really got started. Fred Taylor (13 rushes, 47 yards), the dynamic Maurice Jones-Drew (6 carries, 19 yards; 6 catches, 49 yards) and Garrard (3 rushes, 14 yards) were stuck in neutral most of the night.

The Patriots M.O. for the last seven years has been taking away teams favored offensive style and making opponents beat them with other guys or doing things they're not as good at. Mission accomplished once again.

Brady spread it around to eight different receivers and even more impressive, the Patriots never turned it over. Jacksonville played a pretty nice game but by now it's obvious that if you want to beat New England this season, you have to be flawless in every facet of the game.

Junior Seau played like a man possessed as he had a team-high 10 tackles. James Sanders added nine while Randall Gay, Harrison and Tedy Bruschi all had seven in the win. Jaguars linebacker Daryl Smith had a game-high 14 tackles in a losing effort.

The Patriots now await the winner of the Colts-Chargers game. Regardless of that outcome, New England will host the AFC Championship next Sunday afternoon at Gillette. Two more wins and the Patriots will be 19-0, the greatest team in NFL history.

Merry Christmas to the first NFL team to start 15-0 in the regular season

Another week, another win for the New England Patriots. This one had some historical significance too as the the Pats are now the first NFL team to start a regular season 15-0. This one was never much of a game as the visiting Dolphins (1-14)-the league's worst team-found themselves down 28-0 at the half.

For the first half at least, Tom Brady (18 of 33, 215 yards, 3 TD's, 2 INT's) and Randy Moss (5 catches, 50 yards, 2 TD's) both looked poised to break some lofty records (touchdown passes for a season and touchdown catches for a season respectively). New England forced a Dolphins three-and-out on its first drive before Brady found Moss for an 11-yard touchdown pass. Then early in the second quarter, after a Laurence Maroney 51-yard rush, Brady hit Moss with a one-yard slant to put the Patriots up 14-0.

Things went from bad to worse for Miami as they couldn't get any first downs and on the next Pats possession, Maroney went untouched for a 59-yard rushing score. It was third-and-1 and Miami gambled that the Pats would run. They guessed right but the Pats jumbo set blew up any Dolphins trying to tackle Maroney, who had nobody within 20 yards of him (besides the ref) as he eased into the end zone.

Maroney had his second straight 100-yard game, third of the season and fourth of his career. He carried the ball 14 times for a career-high 156 yards. He's gaining plenty of momentum as the Pats go into January, when they'll undoubtedly rely on him more than they have so far this season.

Patriots icon Troy Brown saw his first action of the season as he returned six punts for 55 yards including a 28-yard return in the fourth quarter. Brown received a memorable standing ovation before his first punt return but also had a lowlight of having a punt hit him right off the facemask for a fumble which Miami recovered. No worries though as the hapless Dolphins couldn't do anything with the short field.

The final score for the Pats in the game was the craziest. Brady found Jabar Gaffney (5 catches, 82 yards) for a 48-yard touchdown pass after Miami safety Lance Schulters somehow had the sure-pick go right through his hands and into Gaffney's. It's been that type of season for the Dolphins.

Typifying that even more was when Miami quarterback Cleo Lemon went out of bounds right before the goalline on fourth and goal at the end of the first half. All he had to do was dive into the end zone but instead he tip-toed out just before the line.

The second half was basically extended garbage time as the Patriots tried to get Brady and Moss their records before the home crowd but it was not to be. Brady was intercepted twice as he forced the ball downfield a couple times (something that you never see from him). The Dolphins finally scored a touchdown but Lemon was sacked seven times for the game by the relentless Patriots defensive line.

New England had another goalline stand as Tedy Bruschi broke up the fourth down pass.

The Patriots set the record for touchdowns in a season (71) with the win. They also tied their own record from '03-'04, having now won 18 regular-season games in a row. They finished undefeated (6-0) in the AFC East for the first time and set the franchise mark for total net yards in a season (6190). They also set the team record for first downs in a season-366-while Wes Welker (5 catches, 49 yards) tied Brown's single season record for catches (101) and Mike Vrabel's two sacks helped him reach 11.5 for the season, the most for a Patriot since Andre Tippett in 1987.

Their final regular season game is next Saturday night at the Meadowlands against the Giants (10-5). The G-Men clinched their playoff spot so they really won't have much to play for besides trying to keep New England out of the record books even more. The Patriots on the other hand, have three huge records to try and achieve: the first 16-0 season, Brady's touchdown record (he has 47, he needs two to break it) and Moss's touchdown record (he has 21, he needs two to break it).

Getting a perfect 16-0 season would be amazing and that is the focus for the next week but as soon as that game's over, the Patriots will start thinking about the bigger task: going 19-0 and taking home another Super Bowl. Let's face it, 16-0 would be awesome but anything less than a Super Bowl this season will be seen as a disappointment, that's how ridiculous the Patriots have made their own standards.

Winter Weather in New England, the Great Equalizer

After a substantial snow storm on Thursday, New England was hit hard yesterday with a wintry mix of snow, rain and extreme wind. Of course, it all happened during the Patriots-Jets game at Gillette as the storm system seemed to center around the stadium. Pregame talk of how much the Pats were going to beat the Jets by looked silly as the terrible conditions rendered this a survival game. The Pats (14-0) did enough to win, 20-10, and are now just the second team in NFL history (you know the other) to start 14-0.

New England punted on its first possession but backed the Jets up against their goal-line as special-teamers Kelley Washington and Willie Andrews downed the ball at the 3-yard line. Two plays into the drive, Patriots defensive lineman Richard Seymour broke free and planted Jets QB Kellen Clemens just when he let go of the ball. The pass was a duck and Pats safety Eugene Wilson came off local milk cartons and made the easiest 5-yard interception return for a touchdown that you'll ever see. Wilson became the 21st different Patriot to score a TD this year, tying the '87 Rams and '00 Broncos for the record.

With the intense wind and slippery conditions, it was clear from the start that the Pats vaunted passing attack would be subdued. A good result of this was that the running game was finally a factor. Running back Laurence Maroney had a career-high 26 carries for 104 yards and a touchdown. It was enough to offset Tom Brady's (14 of 27, 140 yards, 1 INT) worst game of the year.

It will sound arrogant (which it probably is) but you just had the feeling, even when the Jets were down by a single score in the fourth quarter that they just had no chance to win. The elements helped them hang around but ultimately, they have way too many bums to take out the Patriots this season. Whipping boy Chad Pennington played most of the game for the Jets and actually was pretty decent (25 of 38, 186 yards). If you thought he had a rag arm before, you should have seen him dink and dunk yesterday. It was amazing the ball even made it the requisite five yards on his normal patterns. The guy is a joke. Even more hilarious, the Jets used Brad Smith (an option QB at Missouri) at quarterback to give the Patriots a different look. It worked the first time as Jets running back Leon Washington took an option pitch 49-yards but after that it was a lame gimmick used by a desperate coach.

After a Stephen Gostowski 26-yard field goal put the Patriots up 10-0 early in the second, two bizarre plays happened less than seven minutes apart that you'll probably never see back-to-back again in an NFL game. First the Jets blocked a Chris Hanson punt and David Bowens returned it 26-yards for a score. On the ensuing Jets drive, after stalling near their end zone, Washington came around the corner and blocked the Jets punt, giving the Pats the ball at the Jets 3. Maroney slammed it in from a yard out to give the Patriots a 17-7 lead at the half.

Other than the running game, the other biggest positive for New England to take from this game was that their red zone defense was spectacular. The Jets had four trips inside the Pats 20 and came away with three total points. A missed field goal, turnover on downs and forced fumble were the costly mistakes.

Linebacker Adalius Thomas has been justifiably criticized much of this season since he's disappeared in most games. Yesterday, however was his best game of the year by far. He had nine tackles, 1.5 sacks and he forced the fumble (which was recovered by Wilson). Fellow linebacker Junior Seau was also great with nine tackles and two sacks. Does any defensive player in the league celebrate more than him?

The scoring in the second half was limited to a field goal for each team in the fourth quarter. The Jets appeared to have a touchdown with 2:30 left in the fourth but Justin McCareins was ruled to be juggling the ball when he caught it in the back of the end zone. True to form of a bad team, the Jets missed the field goal try after that and the game was effectively over.

Moss had five catches for 79 yards while Wes Welker was held in check with three catches for 30 yards. Welker did go over 1000 yards for the season though as he and Moss are the first Patriots duo since Stanley Morgan and Harold Jackson (in 1979) and only the second in history to accomplish that feat. Brady also surpassed his career-high for passing yards as he now has 4235. His previous best was 4110 in 2005.

Miami finally got a win yesterday, 22-16 in overtime so they won't come to Gillette next Sunday winless. The Pats should have no problems with the hapless Dolphins but as yesterday proved, the winter weather can bring the Pats down a few notches. We'll have to see what Mother Nature has in store for Sunday.