For all of the talk about the New England Patriots’ struggles this season, they put together one of their most complete games of the season Sunday, defeating the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars 35-7 to clinch the AFC East division.  They will host a playoff game at Gillette Stadium in January, where they went a perfect 8-0 this season.

Less than two years after completing 26 of 28 passes for 262 yards and three TDs against the Jaguars in the 2007 playoffs, Patriots QB Tom Brady completed 23 of 26 passes for 267 yards and 4 TDs!  There’s just something about the Jaguars secondary that makes Brady want to throw more TDs than incompletions.  The Jaguars had no answer for WRs Wes Welker and Randy Moss, who accounted for 69% of Brady’s yards.  Welker caught 13 passes for 138 yards; another 10-catch game (his seventh this season), another 100-yard receiving game (his sixth this season).  He now has 122 receptions this season, breaking his 2007 Patriots franchise record.  He still hasn’t scored a TD since the bye week, but that’s what Moss is there for!  Moss caught four passes in this game - three of them were red zone TDs.  For all of the criticism Moss has taken this season, he still has 78 receptions and 13 TDs.  This game’s surprise participant?  TE Chris Baker!  His 26 yard TD reception in the second quarter capped a drive that started with great field position due to SS Brandon Meriweather’s 56-yard INT return (his fifth INT of the season).  Coming into this game, Baker had only 19 total yards in the seven games since the bye week!

This game also marked the return of former Jaguars RB Fred Taylor to the Patriots’ lineup.  Taylor didn’t see action until the fourth quarter, where he carried the ball 11 times for 35 yards on the Patriots’ 20 play, 12 minute, clock-killing final drive.  Before that, RB Laurence Maroney had five carries for 22 yards on the first drive of the game - but Maroney once again lost a fumble on the goal line.  With Sammy Morris, Kevin Faulk, and Fred Taylor active, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick benched Maroney for the rest of the game.  Faulk carried the ball six times for 41 yards, and Morris carried 12 times for 95 yards.  Morris had a career-best 55 yard run on the drive that ended with his second quarter TD.  Faulk did see his streak of 60 straight games with a reception end.  But with a full complement of backs, you can see the Patriots’ offense coming together as the four running backs combined for 34 rushes, and Brady chipped in with a couple of 4th down conversions rushing on the 20-play 4th quarter clock killer.  The offensive line was outstanding in this game, with the only flaws being two false starts on RT Sebastian Vollmer.  They cleared the way for the Patriots to average 5.5 yards on the ground, and Brady wasn’t sacked for the fourth game in a row.

As for the defense?  Jaguars QB David Garrard was completed 19 of 25 passes, but for only 185 yards, and he threw INTs to Meriweather and CB Shawn Springs.  Springs’ red zone INT was his first of the season, and it ended a 16 play, ten minute Jaguars drive to start the second half.  With that INT, Springs has now intercepted at least one pass every year of his 13 year career.  Garrard couldn’t find WRs Mike Sims-Walker or Torry Holt much in this one, as they were held to a combined 42 yards on four receptions.  RB Maurice Jones-Drew was held to only 63 yards on 18 carries, and Patriots ILB Jerod Mayo led the defense with 11 tackles.  FS James Sanders had perhaps the biggest stop of Jones-Drew when Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio decided to go for it on 4th and 1 on the Jaguars own 35 yard line in the first quarter following Maroney’s fumble.  That stop took the momentum away from the Jaguars permanently, as Brady capitalized on the field position to throw his first TD pass to Moss.  Garrard was also sacked by OLB Tully Banta-Cain (9.5 sacks this season) and ILB Gary Guyton.  Playing without NT Vince Wilfork, the Patriots defense made big plays and only allowed one TD, a run by Garrard after the Patriots went up by five touchdowns.

With this pivotal win, the Patriots don’t really need the game at Houston.  At 10-5, they are tied with the AFC North champion Cincinnati Bengals and will be either the 3rd or 4th seed.  They can rest players such as Brady, Moss, Welker, Wilfork, and DE Ty Warren and focus on who they might face in the AFC Wild Card game.  Potential visitors to Foxborough in January include the 8-7 New York Jets (the team that would face the Patriots if they beat the Bengals next week), the 8-7 Baltimore Ravens (beat Oakland Raiders and they’re in), the 8-7 Denver Broncos (who beat the Patriots in week 5), the 8-7 Pittsburgh Steelers (defending Super Bowl Champs), Miami Dolphins (serious life support at 7-8), the Jacksonville Jaguars (serious life support at 7-8), and the same 8-7 Houston Texans they’ll face in Week 17.  Win or loss next week, for this decade, the New England Patriots have proven their dominance.  At least ten wins for seven straight seasons, and eight of the last nine.  Seven division championships in the last nine years.  And there will definitely be a shot at another home playoff win, another conference championship, and another Super Bowl.

-1SKILLZ