- Joined
- Aug 13, 2005
- Messages
- 19,463
- Reaction score
- 13,230
Today in Patriots History: January 7
Patriots rout Jets 37-16 in Wild Card
Patriots rout Jets 37-16 in Wild Card
Sun Jan 7, 2007 at 1:00
2006 AFC Wild Card Game at Gillette
New England Patriots 37, New York Jets 16
Head Coaches: Bill Belichick, Eric Mangini
Quarterbacks: Tom Brady, Chad Pennington
Odds: New England favored by 9
Pats improve to 13-4; next game is at 14-2 San Diego
Jets finish the 2006 season 10-7
Key Stat:
3rd Down: Patriots 11-16; Jets 3-11
Richard Seymour slams Chad Pennington to the ground, a play that temporarily forced Pennington from the game with an injured elbow.
Pennington was under duress the whole game, as in this hit by Ty Warren.
Vince Wilfork with his impression of a running back on a 31 yard fumble recovery.
Game Recap | AP/ESPN
Tom Brady capped long scoring drives with short touchdown passes to Daniel Graham and Kevin Faulk, and Asante Samuel sealed it with a 36-yard interception return for a score with 4:54 left as New England beat Eric Mangini's New York Jets 37-16 on Sunday.
Brady improved to 10-2 against the Jets (10-7), and played much better than in the teams' last meeting, when New York frustrated the quarterback with blitzes and won 17-14.
New England, which has won seven of eight since that loss to New York, improved to 9-1 at home in the playoffs. The Jets made things interesting early, taking a 10-7 lead in the second quarter on a 77-yard touchdown catch and run by Jerricho Cotchery.
But it was all New England from that point in the teams' second-ever meeting in the playoffs, the last also a victory by the Patriots in 1985.
With the Patriots leading 23-16, Brady engineered the type of drive that has made him so deadly in big games. New England took over at its 37 and, with a series of short passes and runs got to the Jets 7.
Brady then found Kevin Faulk with a short pass and the running back zipped into the end zone with 5:16 left as the Patriots quarterback put up both hands and pointed skyward.
Brady finished 22-of-34 for 212 yards and two touchdowns, while Jabar Gaffney had eight catches for 104 yards. The Patriots also outrushed the Jets 148-70.
New England also took advantage of a big mistake by the Jets late in the third quarter.
Chad Pennington's pass was knocked down by Rosevelt Colvin and picked up by Vince Wilfork, who rumbled 31 yards to the Jets 15 before being tackled by Cotchery. The play was ruled a backward pass and a fumble, and the ruling was upheld after a challenge by Mangini.
Patriots beat Jets 37-16 in AFC Wild Card | Reuters
Patriots ground Jets 37-16
Patriots 37, Jets 16 - Boston.com
"Master vs Apprentice"; 9:55 Highlight Video: