TEAM NOTES
- Patriots clinch playoff berth for 22nd time under Robert Kraft, the most by any team since he entered the NFL in 1994.
- Patriots win 10 games for the 27th time in team history, tie Dallas for the most by a team since the 1970 merger.
- Patriots score 50 in second game in 2021. Third time in team history the team has two 50-point games in a season.
- Bill Belichick ties Don Shula for first with 19th postseason berth and 20th 10-win season.
- Patriots reach 20 rushing touchdowns in back-to-back seasons for the first time in team history.
- Damien Harris scores twice for his 13th and 14th rushing touchdown of the season.
- J.C. Jackson becomes first Patriots player with two seasons of at least 8 interceptions.
PATRIOTS CLINCH PLAYOFF BERTH
New England has qualified for the playoffs 28 times in the team's 62-year history. The Patriots have earned 22 of those playoff berths in the 28 seasons since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994. Since 1994, the Patriots' 22 playoff berths are the most in the NFL.
PLAYOFF SEASONS SINCE 1994
New England Patriots 22
Green Bay Packers 21
Indianapolis Colts 18
Pittsburgh Steelers 17
KRAFT NOW GUARANTEED A CHANCE TO SET MARK FOR MOST POSTSEASON WINS
Under the direction of Robert Kraft, the Patriots have 33 playoff wins which are the third-most for an owner/ownership family in NFL history.
OWNERSHIP YEARS WINS
The Rooney Family, Pittsburgh (1933-present) 89 36
Green Bay Packers (1919-present) 103 36
Robert Kraft, New England (1994-present) 28 33
The Mara Family, N.Y. Giants (1925-present) 97 24
Eddie DeBartolo, Jr., San Francisco (1977-1999) 23 22
Al Davis, Oakland/Los Angeles (1972-2011) 40 21
Pat Bowlen, Denver (1984-2018) 35 21
PATRIOTS WIN 10 GAMES FOR 27TH TIME IN TEAM HISTORY, THE MOST BY A TEAM SINCE 1970
The victory over Jacksonville improved New England to a 10-6 record, their 27th 10-win season since the 1970 merger, tied with Dallas for the most since the 1970 merger.
MOST WINNING 10-WIN SEASONS SINCE THE 1970 MERGER
Team Seasons
New England 27
Dallas 27
Pittsburgh 26
San Francisco 24
Miami 23
PATRIOTS REACH 20-PLUS RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS IN BACK-TO-BACK SEASONS
The Patriots scored four rushing touchdowns to reach 22 rushing touchdowns for the season. It is the 9th time in team history that the team has reached at least 20 rushing touchdowns in a season. It is the first time in team history that the Patriots had back-to-back years reaching 20 rushing touchdowns after rushing for 20 in 2020.
MOST RUSHING TDS IN A SEASON IN TEAM HISTORY
Season Rush TDs
1978............................................30
2012............................................25
1976............................................24
1981............................................23
2021..........................................22
2008............................................21
1974............................................21
2020............................................20
2006............................................20
PATRIOTS SCORE ON OPENING POSSESSION FOR 7TH TIME IN 2021
The Patriots capped an 11-play, 70-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown on their opening drive. It is the seventh time in 2021 the team has scored on its opening drive, the most since they scored on seven opening drives in 2017.
PATRIOTS SCORED TOUCHDOWNS ON ALL FOUR OF THEIR FIRST HALF DRIVES
The Patriots scored touchdowns on all four of their first half drives. It is the third time that has happened under Bill Belichick. The Patriots scored on all four drives at the St. Louis Rams on Oct. 28, 2012 and all five of their first half drives at Buffalo on Nov. 18, 2007.
PATRIOTS SCORE ON ALL FIRST HALF DRIVES FOR THIRD TIME IN 2021
It is the third time in 2021 that the Patriots scored on all of their first half drives. The team scored on all four first half drives vs. Cleveland on Nov. 14 and all five of their first half drives the win vs. the New York Jets on Oct. 24.
PATRIOTS SCORE ON EIGHT OF FIRST NINE OFFENSIVE DRIVES
The Patriots scored on eight of their first nine offensive drives (the 10th possession was a victory formation kneel down). The Patriots also scored on all but one drive (9-of-10) vs. the New York Jets on Oct. 24 and vs. Cleveland on Nov. 14 (7-of-8).
PATRIOTS SCORE 50 POINTS FOR SECOND TIME IN 2021
The Patriots scored 50 or more points for the second time in 2021 after a 50-10 victory. The Patriots had a 54-13 win vs. the New York Jets on Oct. 24. It is the third time in team history that the Patriots have had a season with two games scoring at least 50 points. They also scored 50 points in two games in 2007 and 2012. It is the 10th time scoring at least 50 points under Bill Belichick. It is the second 50-point game against Jacksonville. The Patriots beat the Jaguars, 51-17, on Sept. 27, 2015.
PATRIOTS OFFENSE PRODUCES 32 FIRST DOWNS
The Patriots offense produced 32 first downs, the 13th time in team history that they have had at least 32 first downs and the second time in 2021. The Patriots had 32 first downs vs. the New York Jets on Oct. 24.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
BILL BELICHICK TIES NFL RECORD WITH 19TH POSTSEASON BERTH AS A HEAD COACH
Bill Belichick has led his teams to 19 postseason berths as a head coach, tied with Don Shula for the most postseason berths as an NFL head coach.
NFL HEAD COACHES WITH THE MOST POSTSEASON BERTHS
Head Coach Postseason Appearances
Bill Belichick 19
Don Shula 19
Tom Landry 18
Andy Reid 17
BILL BELICHICK TIES DON SHULA FOR MOST 10-WIN SEASONS
Bill Belichick now has 20 10-win seasons as a head coach, including 19 as head coach of New England. His 20 10-win seasons are tied with Don Shula for the most by an NFL head coach.
Most 10-Win Seasons by a NFL Head Coach
Coach 10-Win Seasons
Bill Belichick 20
Don Shula 20
Tom Landry 16
Andy Reid 16
JONES BECOMES 15TH ROOKIE QUARTERBACK TO REACH 3,000 PASSING YARDS AND 20 TDS
QB Mac Jones entered the game with 18 touchdown passes and threw three against the Jaguars. He is the 15th rookie quarterback to reach 3,000 passing yards and 20 touchdown passes and now has 3,837 passing yards with 23 touchdowns
JONES SETS TEAM RECORD FOR A ROOKIE QUARTERBACK WITH 20 TOUCHDOWN PASSES
Jones has 23 touchdown passes to set a team record for most touchdown passes by a Patriots rookie quarterback in team history. Jim Plunkett had 19 touchdown passes during his rookie season in 1971.
JONES TIES ROOKIE MARK FOR MOST GAMES COMPLETING 70 PERCENT OF HIS PASSES
Jones completed at least 70 percent of his passes for the ninth time to join Dak Prescott (2016 with Dallas) for the most games by a rookie quarterback with a 70 percent completion percentage. Jones completed 22-of-33 passes for 73.3 pass completion percentage.
JONES BECOMES 8TH ROOKIE QB TO WIN 10 GAMES
Mac Jones is the 12th rookie quarterback to lead his team to a winning record and the 8th to lead his team to 10 or more wins during his rookie season.
Most Wins by a Rookie Quarterback (since 1970)
Player Year Wins
Dak Prescott 2016 13
Ben Roethlisberger 2004 13
Andrew Luck 2012 11
Russell Wilson 2012 11
Matt Ryan 2008 11
Joe Flacco 2008 11
Mac Jones 2021 10
Kyle Orton 2005 10
Robert Griffin 111 2012 9
Andy Dalton 2011 9
Chris Chandler 1988 9
Joe Ferguson 1973 9
JONES HAS SEVENTH MULTIPLE-TD GAME OF 2021 AND SECOND THREE-TOUCHDOWN GAME
QB Mac Jones threw for three touchdowns, with two to WR Kristian Wilkerson and one to WR Jakobi Meyers. It is his seventh multiple-touchdown game of the season and his second three-touchdown game of the season. He also threw for three touchdowns vs. Cleveland on Nov. 14.
JACKSON IS FIRST PATRIOTS PLAYER WITH TWO SEASONS WITH 8 OR MORE PICKS
J.C. Jackson intercepted Jacksonville QB Trevor Lawrence in the second quarter for his 8th pick of the season. He is the only Patriots player with at least two seasons with 8 or more interceptions.
MOST INTS IN A SINGLE SEASON IN PATRIOTS HISTORY
Player Season Interceptions
Ron Hall 1964 11
Asante Samuel 2006 10
J.C. Jackson 2020 9
Ty Law 1998 9
J.C. Jackson 2021 8
Ronnie Lippett 1986 8
Mike Haynes 1976 8
JACKSON TIES NFL FOR MOST PICKS IN FIRST FOUR NFL SEASONS
Jackson has 25 career interceptions, tied with Lester Hayes and Everson Walls for the most interceptions by a player in his first four seasons since 1970.
JACKSON MOVES INTO SOLE POSSESSION OF 9TH PLACE ON THE PATRIOTS INTERCEPTION LIST
Jackson moved ahead of Ronnie Lippett and Nick Buoniconti and into sole possession of 9th place with his 25th career interception. Maurice Hurst is in 8th place with 27 interceptions.
JACKSON HAS HIGHEST TWO-YEAR INTERCEPTION TOTAL IN TEAM HISTORY
Jackson increased his two-year interception total to 17 (9 in 2020 and 8 in 2021) to move past Asante Samuel who had 16 interceptions in 2006 (10) and 2007 (6) for the most interceptions in consecutive seasons for the Patriots.
FOLK JOINS THE 300 CLUB
Folk entered the week in 10th place on the team's all-time scoring list with 298 points. Folk scored eight points with five extra points and a field goal to move past Randy Moss (302) and Ben Coates (302) into 8th place on the Patriots all-time scoring list.
FOLK EXTENDS STREAK
Folk extended his streak to 54 straight field goals under 50 yards with a 43-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. It is the second-longest streak in NFL history behind 56 straight field goals from inside 50 yards by Ryan Succop from 2014-2017 while with Tennessee. Folk's last miss from inside the 50-yard line was a 45-yard field goal attempt in the 2020 season-opener vs. Miami on Sept. 13.
KENDRICK BOURNE HAS SINGLE-SEASON HIGHS
Kendrick Bourne entered the week with 47 receptions and added five receptions to push his 2021 totals to 52, a single-season personal high mark. He had 49 receptions in 2020 with San Francisco.
MATTHEW SLATER IS SPECIAL
Matthew Slater (10) reached double-digit special teams totals for the 10th time in his career.
SLATER PLAYS IN 205TH GAME WITH THE PATRIOTS
Slater played in his 205th regular-season game and has overtaken Stephen Gostkowski for sole possession for fourth place for most games played in New England history. He also played in his 102nd regular season game at Gillette Stadium to tie Gostkowski for second place, behind the 134 games by Tom Brady.
MOST REGULAR-SEASON GAMES PLAYED
285 Tom Brady
212 Bruce Armstrong
206 Julius Adams
205 Matthew Slater
204 Stephen Gostkowski
MOST REGULAR SEASON GILLETTE STADIUM GAMES PLAYED FOR THE PATRIOTS
134 Tom Brady
102 Matthew Slater
102 Stephen Gostkowski
HARRIS' 14 RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS THIS SEASON TIES CURTIS MARTIN FOR SECOND IN FRANCHISE HISTORY
RB Damien Harris capped the Patriots first touchdown drive with a 2-yard touchdown for his 13th touchdown of the season and then culminated the Patriots second drive with a 7-yard touchdown run for his 14th rushing touchdown of the season. His 14 rushing touchdowns are tied with Curtis Martin (1995 and 1996) for the second-most rushing touchdowns in a single season in team history.
MOST RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS/SEASON IN PATRIOTS HISTORY
18 LeGarrette Blount , 2016
14 Damien Harris, 2021
14 Curtis Martin, 1996
14 Curtis Martin, 1995
13 BenJarvus Green-Ellis, 2010
13 Corey Dillon, 2006
12 Cam Newton, 2020
12 Stevan Ridley, 2012
12 Corey Dillon, 2005
12 Corey Dillon, 2004
12 Antowain Smith, 2001
12 Steve Grogan, 1976
HARRIS HAD 10TH GAME WITH A RUSHING TOUCHDOWN
Harris has now scored a rushing touchdown in 10 games in 2021, which is tied for second-most in team history. In 2016, RB LeGarrette Blount had 13 games with a rushing touchdown.
HARRIS HAD THIRD GAME WITH MULITPLE TOUCHDOWNS
Harris had his second straight game and third game of the season with multiple touchdowns. He had three rushing touchdowns vs. Buffalo on Dec. 26 and two vs. the New York Jets on Oct. 24.
RHAMONDRE STEVENSON HAD SECOND 100-YARD GAME
RB Rhamondre Stevenson had his second 100-yard rushing game after finishing with 107 yards on 19 carries for a 5.6-yard average. He had his first 100-yard game vs. Cleveland on Nov. 14 with 100 yards on 20 carries.
STEVENSON HAD SECOND TWO-TOUCHDOWN GAME
Stevenson scored on a 1-yard touchdown run in the third quarter and a 6-yard run in the fourth quarter for his second two-touchdown game of the season. He also scored two touchdowns in the win vs. Cleveland on Nov. 14.
DB MYLES BRYANT REGISTERS SECOND CAREER PICK
DB Myles Bryant celebrated his birthday today and picked off a Trevor Lawrence pass in the second quarter and returned it 33 yards to the Jacksonville 33-yard line. It was his second career interception. His first pick came at the LA Rams in the second quarter on Dec. 10, 2020.
WR KRISTIAN WILKERSON HAD FIRST NFL RECEPTION AND SCORES TWO TOUCHDOWNS
WR Kristian Wilkerson made his first NFL start after being elevated to the active roster from the practice squad and caught his first NFL reception – a 7-yard pass from QB Mac Jones during the first drive of the game. He caught his first NFL touchdown pass in the second quarter on a 6-yard pass from Jones and then added a second touchdown on a 20-yard reception in the third quarter. Wilkerson finished with 4 receptions for 42 yards and 2 touchdowns.
CHRISTIAN BARMORE HAD FIRST SOLO SACK
DL Christian Barmore registered his first solo sack when he dropped Jacksonville QB Trevor Lawrence for a 11-yard loss on the last play of the first half. He combined with LB Matthew Judon on sack of QB Justin Herbert at the LA Chargers on Oct. 31.
LINEUP NOTES
- RB Rhamondre Stevenson returned to action after missing the Buffalo game.
- LB Jamie Collins Sr. made his first start of the season for New England.
- WR Kristian Wilkerson was elevated to the active roster from the practice squad and made his first NFL start.
- Ted Karras moved to center, Yasir Durant to right guard, Mike Onwenu to left guard and Justin Herron to left tackle late in the fourth quarter.
