Patriots edge Jets with top AFC playoff seed in sight
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- By all accounts, it was unusually quiet in the New England Patriot locker room at halftime.
They knew they didn't play well enough in the first 30 minutes to win. They trailed by three points against the hapless New York Jetsthat bombarded Tom Brady with relentless pressure and sacked him four times. The message was simple and understood: play better.
And no one had to say a word to make it clear.
"We knew what we needed to do," running back Shane Vereen told USA TODAY Sports after New England's grind-it-out 17-16 victory at MetLife Stadium. "We knew it wasn't even close to the potential that we can play at."
That potential is of a Super Bowl team. With Sunday's win, the Patriots (12-3) clinched a first-round bye in the playoffs and continue to look like one of the top teams in the NFL. But there's still work to be done. If the Broncos drop their Monday night game against the Bengals, the Patriots will secure home-field advantage throughout the postseason. Even if Denver wins, New England can earn it with a victory in the season finale against the Bills.
It's looking more and more like the path to a championship, once again, will run through Foxborough, Mass.
"Oh, it means a lot," cornerback Brandon Browner said. "(The) chances of getting where we want to be get ramped up a little bit. We've still got unfinished business, and we're looking forward to taking care of that. It's obvious we've got to handle Buffalo next week."
Patriot players seemed uninterested in watching Monday night's Broncos-Begals game. Five different players each said they would not watch it. But no matter what they say, the contest carries significant implications.
New England is a perfect 7-0 at home this season. And once the calendar rolls into January, home-field advantage intensifies.
If the AFC Championship Game does come down to the Patriots and the Broncos – currently projected to earn the AFC's top two seeds – home field could be the difference between losing or advancing.
In last year's conference title game, the Broncos outplayed New England in Mile High Stadium, 26-16, en route to a Super Bowl berth. Playing in a rematch earlier this year in Foxborough, the Patriots demoralized Denver 43-21.
Sunday showed that New England isn't without flaws. The team's offensive line yielded too much pressure early in the game and put the Patriots in a hole.
"I think they're giving good protection," Brady said. "I just think our communication wasn't great. We had a lot of things where we just weren't all on the same page. When you do that, especially against a team that moves a lot of guys in and out of their defensive front and blitz linebackers, safeties and they have a lot of guys coming, our communication needs to be on point. But it just kind of sputtered."
Having a chance to briefly reflect on how New England arrived at its current position, cornerback Darrelle Revis cited hard-fought games that tested the team's resolve. Two match ups stood out.
A two-point victory against the Jets in October and a five-point loss against the Packers last month.
"Through a season, there will be ups and downs," he said. "When we played the Jets in the first game, it was tough. During tough games, you need mental toughness, and we show it."
