Gone were the sullen, desperate faces who were banging their heads against the benches while trying to work out the kinks earlier in the month against the Miami Dolphins, Carolina Panthers and Buffalo Bills. Rather, Sunday’s effort was smooth, efficient and even explosive at times against the helpless Jags, and the Patriots’ offensive personnel were in a celebratory mood while watching their replays on the Gillette Stadium video boards.
"That’s the thing about having fun,” said wide receiver Randy Moss, who led the charge during one particular instance in the fourth quarter. “When things go right, you get the fans in the game, you get the players in the game, so it was a stadium full of fun [Sunday], and I think we all enjoyed it."
After Moss caught his third touchdown of the afternoon — a 17-yarder in which he fended off a Jaguar and made a nice move to reach the ball into the end zone — the video boards spotlighted a fan wearing a Moss mask who was mimicking the receiver’s “separation” celebration. The camera then cut to Moss, who was bent over laughing hysterically but composed himself enough to acknowledge the fan by repeating the celebratory gesture. This exchange continued for a few moments, and that led to the crowd uniformly chanting, "Randy! Randy!"
That scene was the epitome of the Patriots’ looser nature on the sideline, which was the direct result of the offense’s improvement. Pats quarterback Tom Brady completed 23 of 26 passes for 267 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions, while wide receiver Wes Welker caught all 13 passes thrown his way for 138 yards and Moss recorded four receptions for 45 yards and the three scores. Running back Sammy Morris paced the ground game with 12 carries for 95 yards and one touchdown, and the Patriots rushed for a season-high 197 yards.
The Patriots' 464 offensive yards were their second-most in 2009, and they only had one truly bad possession. The Patriots scored touchdowns on five of their eight drives against the Jaguars. They also had a first-quarter fumble on the goal line, which effectively ended Laurence Maroney’s day, along with one three-and-out and a 20-play, 73-yard drive that ate up 12:12 in the fourth quarter.
The Patriots’ scoring drives were a good mix, too. They capitalized off two defensive stops that led to short fields, and they also traveled 75, 67 and 90 yards for more long-winded touchdown drives that displayed the Pats’ versatility.
Granted, the Jaguars’ defense leaves plenty to be desired. Heading into Sunday, they were ranked 20th in total yardage, 21st in points allowed, 27th in passing yards allowed and 11th in rushing yards allowed. Jacksonville doesn’t present the same problems as the Panthers and Bills, who had two of the best pass defenses in the NFL, but the Patriots still capitalized and created some momentum for an offense that hasn’t always been able to find its way this season.
Obviously, this is a pretty good time for the Patriots to get things moving in the right direction. And even though they struggled scoring points against the Panthers and Bills, they established more of an identity that was focused around ball control and balance. As a result, they’ve put up two of their three best rushing performances during their three-game winning streak. In turn, that balance helped open up the Pats’ passing attack against the Jaguars.
"When we’re completing a lot of passes, it’s really a lot of things," said Brady, who completed passes to seven different receivers. "It’s guys getting open and great protection and great play-calling. It makes it pretty easy on me when those guys are standing there wide open, and it’s my job to hit them."
The issues with Moss have been buried, in part due to his on-field performance in the last two weeks along with Sunday’s acknowledgment that his game against Carolina “wasn’t really too hot.” He and Brady improvised more in the passing game, and their ability to read the same coverage led to his second touchdown.
All in all, the Patriots were close to flawless with the ball in their hands against the Jaguars, and most of the players admitted it was one of their two best performances of the entire season. It’s exactly what they needed during a division-clinching victory two weeks prior to the start of the playoffs.
"We played pretty good [Sunday]," Brady said. "If we play like [we played Sunday], I’d love to go up against anybody."
