Patriot games

If a Nor'easter cannot slow Brady's bunch, nothing else will

Tom Brady Tom Pidgeon/Getty Images

Tom Brady, you are the man -- even with the not-needed eye black in sub-freezing weather, the sun a mere memory for the Foxboro faithful. But if nitpicking a game-day routine is the only thing wrong with Brady's game, the rest of the NFL should be prepared to face one of the most consistent winners come January.

Overlooked by many, including yours truly, while recently compiling potential MVP lists, Brady continues to bulk up New England's bottom line with W's -- a streak that has reached a league-best nine in a row after Week 14's 12-0 whitewash of Miami. It was only the third time in the past eight matchups that the game was not decided by seven points or less; Brady is 4-2 against the Dolphins in that time.

The Patriots are 13-4 in their past 16 against AFC East opponents and Brady is now 22-4 after Nov. 1, including the playoffs. Even better, he's an AFC-best 31-12 as a starter.

Brady continues to make Bill Belichick's gamble to jettison Drew Bledsoe before last season pay off. Subbing for Bledsoe in 2001, Brady's bunch was the Cinderella of football, winning Super Bowl XXXVI against the heavily favored Rams (and he was the game MVP to boot).

Last season, he threw for a career-high 3,764 yards and a league-high 28 TDs as New England won its final game (in OT against Miami in less) to finish 9-7 but out of the playoffs.

And then this year began with a 31-d'oh at Buffalo -- not exactly according to plan. But after winning two in a row before a hiccup at Washington, the Pats have been on a sweet-as-cinammon roll because of teamwork and solid coaching (even in allowing the Colts' near-comeback in Week 13, offensive coordinator Charlie Weis stuck to the game plan and didn't take his foot off the gas -- something to be commended for, not chastised).

A large part of the praise of New England's success should be heaped on Brady. Mr. Consistent has thrown for at least 180 yards in 10 games, has not had back-to-back games without a TD and his 12 picks were totaled in five games.

Guess I'm the one with black eyes for not noticing sooner that Brady is a legit MVP candidate.

Indianapolis 29, Tennessee 27: The epitome of Showdown Sunday, this game pitted MVP candidate vs. MVP candidate as well as the AFC South's top two teams facing off for the second time this year. In the end, Steve McNair won the stat battle, but Peyton Manning won where it counts -- on the scoreboard, again.

The Colts took a huge step toward winning the division title with a nail-biting victory that came down to a failed two-point conversion. How close was this game? Consider: first downs, 23-21 Titans; total yards, 338-327 Colts; average yards per play, 5.6-4.9 Titans; touchdowns, 3-2 Titans. The difference-maker: four Tennessee fumbles that Indy turned into nine points.

Despite the Colts' seven red-zone possessions, Indy scored only two TDs on those drives. But Mike Vanderjagt kicked five field goals for the second time in his career as the Colts improved to 10-3, one game ahead of Tennessee with three to play. "I can't even give you a word for how big -- that's how big this one was," Indy TE Marcus Pollard said of the win.

Tennessee, which lost for the first time in its past 11 homes games, clawed within 29-21 with a 1-yard pass from McNair to Robert Holcombe and a two-point conversion run by McNair. Then with 1:52 to play, McNair's 2-yard TD pass to Derrick Mason cut the Colts' lead to 29-27 and set the stage for a game-tying two-point conversion. McNair's pass attempt to Mason in the left of the end zone was defelcted by Colts DE Dwight Freeney, who dropped into pass coverage because there wasn't a back running a pattern.

Freeney said the Titans ran a similar play last season and he jumped too early on the play, missing the pass. "I said, 'If they run it again, I'm going to at least be a factor,'" Freeney said. "Last time, I jumped and didn't need to."

Michael Vick rushed for 141 yards Sunday -- more yards than Josh McCown (120), Jay Fiedler (111), Quincy Carter (93), Dave Ragone (71), Rick Mirer (68), Kerry Collins (62) and Jeff Blake (59) passed for. ... After its 31-13 win against Cincy, Baltimore has scored a franchise-record 118 points in the past three games. ... Brett Favre's 22-yard TD pass to Javon Walker in the second quarter against Chicago on Sunday tied Dan Marino for the longest consecutive game streak with at least one passing TD against an opponent since 1970. Marino torched the Jets for a score 24 games in a row from 1985-98, while Favre -- who also tied Cecil Isbell for the team record with a TD pass in his 22nd consecutive game -- has at least one in 24 games in a row against Da Bears since 1992.

... With San Diego's 14-7 win against the Lions, Marty Schottenheimer is now 4-0 against Detroit, where he was linebackers coach from 1978-79. ... There have been 48 100-yard rushing games since Week 11, including 11 this week -- the most during any four-week span in history. ... With a win Monday night, St. Louis clinches a playoff berth. ... Cleveland has a sack in eight consecutive games and has not allowed a receiver 10-plus catches in 60 games, the longest current streak in the league. ... Detroit fumbled three times Sunday, but did not lose one. The Lions have only two turnovers via fumbles this season, fewest in the league. ... The Packers are 35-11 in December since 1993, tops in the NFL. ... K.C.'s Priest Holmes has 40 rushing TDs in the past two seasons, moving past John Riggins (38 in 1983-84) for the second-most rushing TDs in consecutive seasons in history. Holmes, who has a league-high 19 rushing TDs, needs seven rushing scores to pass Emmitt Smith (46 in 1994-95) for the record.

Jerome Bettis AP

... Indy's Mike Vanderjagt was 5-for-5 on field-goal attempts Sunday and has now converted 37 in a row, the second-longest streak in history (40, Gary Anderson). ... New Orleans' Deuce McAllister fell 102 yards shy of becoming the first player to have at least 190 yards from scrimmage in four consecutive games. As it is, he's stuck sharing the record with Jim Brown and Walter Payton. McAllister, who had nine consecutive games with at least 100 yards rushing, also failed to join Barry Sanders (14) and Marcus Allen (11) as only players in history with 10 100s in row. ... The 49ers' Tony Parrish now has seven INTs, including picks in five consecutive games to join Kermit Alexander as the only players in franchise history with an INT in five games in row.

... The Jaguars' Jimmy Smith had three catches for 58 yards and a TD -- the third consecutive game against the Texans that he has a score. ... Minnesota's Randy Moss had eight catches Sunday, giving him 504 for his career. He also had two catches for more than 20 yards, extending his league-leading total to 24; both went for TDs -- a 47- and 45-yarder. ... Denver's Jake Plummer improved to 5-1 against the AFC West. ... The Buccaneers had six sacks Sunday against the Saints -- none by Warren Sapp. But he did have the game-winning TD, a 1-yard catch in the second quarter. ... Tennessee's Derrick Mason had 64 yards receiving Sunday to become the first player in team history with three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. ... With four receptions Sunday, the Skins' Rod Gardner has caught a pass in 44 consecutive games.

... Washington's Bruce Smith recorded his 199th sack Sunday, eclipsing Reggie White (198.0) for the all-time record (wink, wink). Future trivia answer: The Giants' Jesse Palmer went down on a second-and-3 play with 8:33 showing on the fourth-quarter clock. And somewhere Deacon Jones is taking umbrage to hailing the "all-time" record. ... Philly is riding its first eight-game winning streak since 1992-93. ... The Eagles' Donovan McNabb now has 11 TD passes and only one INT in his past five games against Dallas. ... Pittsburgh's Jerome Bettis rushed for 106 yards Sunday against the Raiders, and now has 12,116 -- ninth-best all-time ahead of Thurman Thomas (12,074). ... Peyton Manning made his franchise-record 93rd consecutive start, surpassing Johnny Unitas' mark for QBs.

... The Titans' Frank Wycheck had three catches, becoming only the fourth TE in history with 500 career receptions. ... Arizona's Anquan Boldin leads all rookies with 79 catches, 1,155 yards and seven TDs. ... In five games as a starter against the Cardinals, San Francisco's Jeff Garcia is 4-1 (95 of 152 passing for 1,183 yards with 10 TDs and only one pick). ... The Jets' Curtis Martin has 11,314 yards rushing, surpassing Inmate No. 4013970 (aka O.J. Simpson, 11,236) for 12th on the all-time toteboard. ... Buffalo's Drew Bledsoe has tied Phil Simms for 25th all-time with 199 TD passes. ... The Broncos are 4-0 against Dick Vermeil-coached teams in Denver. ... Carolina has been scored on in the first quarter in only three of 13 games this season. ... The Eagles have reached double-digits in wins for the fourth consecutive season -- the longest active stretch in the NFL.

It was cold -- 28 degrees with the wind whipping the remnants of 28 inches of snow at 25 mph -- and Patriots LB Tedy Bruschi was ready to take it to the house, even if it was only 5 yards away.

Tedy Bruschi AP

With New England clinging to a 3-0 lead midway through the fourth quarter (the result of a field goal on the Patriots' second offensive series), playing for field position became Bill Belichick's top priority. Enter NFL newbie Brooks Barnard to make his ninth punt of the day -- and it was a beauty: 36 yards to pin Miami down at its 4-yard line.

Facing first-and-10 with 8:59 to play, the Dolphins were expected to pound the ball with Ricky Williams for at least one play in an effort to escape the shadow of their goal post. But offensive coordinator Norv Turner, ever the trickster, had something else up his sleeve.

Dropping to pass on first down, Jay Fiedler looked to the right flat for a quick pass. At the same time, Bruschi took a step inside to play the run, recognized pass and began to retreat into coverage. Fiedler released the ball ... into the leaping mitts of Bruschi, who rumbled 5 yards into the end zone with the game-winning -- and AFC-East clinching -- pick six.

"It seems like every time he catches it he ends up in the end zone," Belichick said of Bruschi's INT return, the fourth TD of his eight-year career. "I should put him on offense." Fact is, it was Bruschi's fourth INT in his past 16 games -- and all were returned for scores.

• 49ers QB Jeff Garcia: His combined stats Sunday -- 19 of 28 passing for 252 yards and four TDs plus five carries for 32 yards and two scores -- added up to 282 yards and six TDs. He had four passing TDs total in both September and October. Too bad: too little, too late

• Broncos RB Clinton Portis: Gaudy is a word -- 22 carries, 218 yards rushing and five TDs -- but splendiferous sounds much more ... I dunno, exciting. The word is out on how to beat the Chiefs -- and Portis' second career 200-yard game announced it with an exclamation point.

• Chargers RB LaDainian Tomlinson: Always a threat out of the backfield, L.T. has a career day hauling in passes Sunday -- nine catches for 148 yards and two TDs. Can you believe his previous 204 career catches including only one score? And for good measure he added 88 yards rushing.

For the first time since 1995, Monday Night Football returns to the southern shore of Lake Erie as the Browns play host to the NFC West-leading Rams. Television's longest-running primetime entertainment series is returning to its roots; Cleveland welcomed the Jets on Sept. 21, 1970, in the first MNF telecast (a 31-21 for Cleveland).

The Browns' defense is ranked seventh, yielding 298.7 yards per game and is especially proficient against the pass (178.8 ypg, fifth-best in the league). And it will be tested by the Rams' fifth-ranked offense that has scored at least 30 points in seven of 12 games

But here's what you won't hear from M&M:

• Shannon Dawson, the wife of Browns K Phil, toured with Wayne Newton from 1992-94 and sang at Dubya's inauguration as governor of Texas in 1994.

• Rams CB Aeneas Williams declined an academic scholarship to Dartmouth to follow in the footsteps of his father and brother at Southern University.

• Browns T Joaquin Gonlalez turned down a scholarship at Harvard to walk on at the University of Miami in his hometown of Coral Gables, Fla.

• Browns LB Chaun Thompson ran away from a track scholarship at Stanford and several Ivy League-school scholarships to play on a football scholarship at West Texas A&M.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.