No matter, because for the 17th straight time this season the Patriots found a way to win. Just don't tell them that.
"My mom texted me earlier, 'Congratulations on 17-0.' I was like, 'No the regular season is over,' " said wide receiver Donte' Stallworth. "This game just makes us one step closer to what we all want. It's going to be a long road. It's going to be tough. Whoever we're playing it's going to be a tough game. It all means nothing right now. All we did was survive another week. Seventeen and 0 doesn't mean anything. It doesn't guarantee you anything."
Actually, it guarantees them a date next Sunday at Gillette Stadium in the AFC Championship game against the winner of today's game between the Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers.
Jacksonville limited big plays, took Moss out of the game, and put together long scoring drives - nine plays, 11 plays, nine plays, and 13 plays. It didn't matter.
"We have a lot of talent on this team," said wide receiver Jabar Gaffney. "Randy is a part of that talent and if you're going to take him away we still have a lot of other people that can make plays, and we did it tonight."
Tom Brady was just as patient, and more precise, than the Jaguars. Brady completed 26 of 28 passes for 262 yards and three touchdowns. He hit his first 16 throws before Benjamin Watson couldn't corral a catchable ball with 10:27 remaining in the third quarter. The other incompletion was a fourth-quarter drop by Wes Welker.
An inspired Laurence Maroney had the first 100-yard rushing game of his playoff career (22 rushes for 122 yards and a score), upstaging the much-talked-about Jacksonville tailback tandem of Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor, who were held to 66 yards on 19 carries by a fired-up Patriots defense.
