FOXBOROUGH - They are Camelot's football team, extending perfection (17-0) into the new year, one victory shy of playing in their fourth Super Bowl in seven seasons.
The New England Patriots advanced to the AFC Championship game with a 31-20 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars at Gillette Stadium last night. One week from today Bill Belichick's History Boys will play the San Diego Chargers or Indianapolis Colts in Foxborough for the right to advance to Super Bowl XLII in Arizona Feb. 3.
"We played well enough to win," said Belichick. "It gets tougher every step of the way in the playoffs. It's good to be playing next week."
More than championship-driven, these Patriots are playing for immortality - a chance to someday be known as the Gridiron's Greatest Generation. The 2007 Patriots set regular-season records for points, touchdowns, and victories. Running the table to 19-0 would give them the best record in the history of professional football. The 1972 Dolphins (17-0) are the only undefeated team in NFL annals.
New England's perfect team has a perfect quarterback and Tom Brady threw a near-perfect game. Improving his playoff record to 13-2, Brady completed 26 of 28 passes (the two misses were on target), throwing three touchdown passes.
"When they're open like that, it's my job to hit them," said Brady. "That makes it fun to play."
Already league Most Valuable Player, Male Athlete of the Year (AP), Sportsman of the Year (Sporting News), boyfriend of a supermodel (Gisele Bundchen), Brady is rumored to be up for a Golden Globe tonight.
The Patriots' QB surgically dissected and demoralized the worthy visitors - beating them once with the old Statue of Liberty Play ("Yeah, I'm looking for the Academy Award on that play," joked Brady). Under Brady's direction, New England did not punt until the final 30 seconds.
"Tom's been great in the big games," said the ever-understated Belichick. "He's a tremendous player and he's had a great year for us."
Yes. The best year in the history of the quarterback position.
"We have the opportunity to play another week," said Brady. "I'm glad we're playing at home. I think we've learned a lot of valuable lessons throughout the season. After 17 games, it all comes down to this and we were here last year. I hope we play better."
The Patriots lost the AFC Championship game, 38-34, at Indianapolis last Jan. 21.
