Whether that has more to do with the fans in attendance or the building itself can and has been debated for years, but if there’s one thing that can’t be denied, it’s that the Patriots are a force at home.
Sunday’s 35-7 domination of the Jaguars capped off a perfect 8-0 season at Gillette for 2009, and given the Patriots’ abysmal 2-5 road record, it turned out to be a saving grace for the year.
Fittingly, Sunday’s win was also perhaps the liveliest day in the stadium’s regular-season history, highlighted by the sequence of events following Randy Moss‘ third touchdown of the day.
After reaching the ball across the goal line as Derek Cox took Moss to the ground, the stadium video boards showed a fan wearing a Randy Moss mask and afro wig that riled up the 68,756 fans in attendance (fast forward video below to the 2:04 mark).
“That was very entertaining,” Moss said after the game in his news conference, which is always entertaining in its own right. “I had a lot of my teammates wanted me to mess with the guy, he put a little humor into it and I enjoyed it, man. That’s the thing about having fun — when things go right, you get the fans in the game, you get the players in the game.
“It was a stadium full of fun today. I think we all enjoyed it.”
It was no doubt enjoyable for Moss, who felt a shower of boos in his last game at Gillette in what has come to be known as EffortGate. The Hall of Fame wide receiver seemed to be able to handle the lows with the highs.
“Just by hearing the fans and the stadium behind me, it felt good definitely,” Moss said when asked about the fans’ chanting his name in the fourth quarter. “My last performance here wasn’t really too hot so the good thing about it is everybody had fun. I think that was just the main thing, everybody having fun. We did some good things out there today and we got the division back up here in New England, so we can hang our hats on that.”
In clinching the division, the Patriots locked up a home playoff game. With five AFC teams currently at 8-7, the opponent is not yet known. Regardless of who makes the trip to Fobxorough, though, it wouldn’t be irresponsible to pencil in a victory for New England.
Since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994, the Patriots are 11-0 at home in the playoffs. That includes seven wins at Gillette and four at the old Foxboro Stadium. And since the Pats have moved into their new home, they’ve been nearly unstoppable.
The team went a perfect 8-0 at home in 2003, 2004 and, of course, 2007 and owns an overall record of 59-12. The .831 winning percentage at home is the best mark in the NFL. And Tom Brady? He’s led the Pats to 23 straight wins in Foxborough.
Yes, Gillette isn’t the loudest stadium, and yes, some home-field advantage was likely sacrificed for aesthetic purposes, but nothing has stopped the Patriots from getting the job done in their own building.
So with Week 17 only having an impact on positioning, it’s time to start looking toward January. You know you can plan on seeing a home playoff game, you know the odds are in your favor to see a Patriots victory, and it also might be safe to expect to see some more Moss masks.
