BRADY MOVES UP ON THE POSTSEASON TOUCHDOWN LIST
Tom Brady's two touchdown passes today raised his career playoff total to 30 touchdown passes, moving him into a tie with Terry Bradshaw for fifth on the NFL's all-time playoff touchdown pass list. Brady ranks sixth on the NFL's all-time postseason passing yardage list with 4,407 career passing yards.
CRUMPLER HAS LONGEST RECEPTION AS A PATRIOT
Alge Crumpler had a 28-yard catch on the Patriots' first-quarter field goal drive, giving the Patriots a first-and-10 at the Jets' 12-yard line. The catch was Crumpler's longest as a Patriot, topping his 27-yard grab at Detroit on Nov. 25, 2010. The grab was the second longest of Crumpler's six-game playoff career, topped only by a 31-yard catch for Atlanta in the 2004 NFC Championship Game at Philadelphia on Jan. 23, 2005.
CRUMPLER SCORES IN THIRD STRAIGHT GAME
Alge Crumpler caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady in the third quarter. Crumpler has scored a touchdown in three straight games after scoring a touchdown in the final two regular-season games. It was Crumpler's second postseason touchdown. He caught an 18-yard touchdown in a divisional playoff game vs. St. Louis (1-15-05) while with Atlanta.
BRANCH CONTINUES POSTSEASON PRODUCTIVITY
Deion Branch had five catches for 59 yards and a touchdown against the Jets. Branch's touchdown was his fourth career playoff touchdown for the Patriots (three receiving, one rushing), tying him with Corey Dillon (four rushing touchdowns) for third on the Patriots' all-time playoff scoring list. David Givens is the Patriots' all-time playoff leader with seven postseason touchdowns.
With 59 receiving yards today, Branch raised his career playoff total with the Patriots to 688 receiving yards, good for second on the team's all-time playoff receiving yards list. Troy Brown is the Patriots' all-time playoff leader with 694 career receiving yards.
With five receptions today, Branch upped his career playoff total with the Patriots to 46 receptions in nine games, with his total of 46 catches ranking third on the team's all-time playoff receiving list (Troy Brown 58, Kevin Faulk 51).
BRADY THROWNS A TOUCDOWN PASS IN 17th STRAIGHT PLAYOFF GAME
Tom Brady's 2-yard touchdown pass to TE Alge Crumpler in the third quarter gives him 17 straight postseason games with at least one touchdown. That streak is second in the NFL to the league record of 20 by Brett Favre. Brady was held without a touchdown pass in the first two playoff games of his career, but has had at least one scoring toss in 17 straight games since, beginning with Super Bowl XXXVI.
GRONKOWSKI GOES LONG
Rookie tight end Rob Gronkowski hauled in a 37-yard reception in the third quarter, giving the Patriots a first-and-10 at the Jets' 43-yard line. The catch was the longest of Gronkowski's career, topping his 28-yard reception against Miami in the regular-season finale on Jan. 2, 2011.
BRADY PLAYS IN HIS 19th POSTSEASON GAME
Tom Brady played in his 19th career playoff game in a New England uniform. Only Tedy Bruschi (22) and Troy Brown (20) have played in more playoff games for the Patriots.
WELKER IS POSTSEASON RECEIVING MACHINE
Wes Welker led the Patriots with seven receptions against the Jets, raising his career playoff total to 34 receptions in just four career playoff games. Welker is averaging 8.5 receptions per game in the playoffs.
Welker had a playoff career high of 11 receptions in Super Bowl XLII, tied with Deion Branch, Jerry Rice and Dan Ross for a Super Bowl record. Welker has also caught two touchdowns to go along with his 34 receptions in the postseason. Welker's 34 receptions rank fifth in Patriots playoff history.
QUICK HITS
- Julian Edelman had a 41-yard punt return in the fourth quarter, giving the Patriots possession at the Jets' 43-yard line with 3:29 remaining in the game helping to set up a 35-yard field goal by Shayne Graham that cut the Jets' lead to 21-14.
- Tom Brady completed back-to-back passes to Deion Branch on the Patriots' third quarter touchdown drive, connecting on strikes of 12 yards and 14 yards to give the Patriots a first-and-10 at the Jets' 14-yard line.
- Tom Brady's 299 passing yards marked the fourth highest total of his 19-game playoff career, topped only by his 354 yards in Super Bowl XXXVIII against Carolina (2/1/04), his 341 yards in the 2005 divisional playoffs at Denver (1/14/06) and his 312 yards in the 2001 divisional playoffs against Oakland (1/19/02).
- Danny Woodhead had a 19-yard reception on the Patriots' first offensive play of the game.
- Vince Wilfork tripped up LaDainian Tomlinson for a 5-yard loss on a pass play in the first quarter, setting up a third-and-18 that the Jets did not convert. New York missed a 30-yard field goal on the next play and the game remained scoreless. New York had had a first-and-10 at the Patriots' 12-yard line on the drive.
- Gary Guyton stopped Shonn Greene for no gain on second down in the second quarter, setting up a third-and-seven that the Jets did not convert, and forcing a New York punt on the next play.
- Jermaine Cunningham stopped Shonn Greene for a 1-yard loss on first down in the fourth quarter.
SIXTEEN PATRIOTS MAKE PLAYOFF DEBUTS; ELEVEN PATRIOTS MAKE FIRST CAREER PLAYOFF START
Sixteen Patriots made their career playoff debuts tonight: S Sergio Brown, DL Landon Cohen, OL Dan Connolly, LB Jermaine Cunningham, DL Brandon Deaderick, LB Dane Fletcher, RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis, TE Rob Gronkowski, TE Aaron Hernandez, DL Kyle Love, CB Devin McCourty, P Zoltan Mesko, DL Eric Moore, OL Quinn Ojunnaka, LB Brandon Spikes, and WR Brandon Tate.
Eleven of the Patriots' 22 starters were making their first career playoff start: Tate, Connolly, Gronkowski, Hernandez, Deaderick, Moore, McCourty, RB Danny Woodhead, LB Rob Ninkovich, CB Kyle Arrington, and S Patrick Chung.
PATRIOTS AT HOME IN THE PLAYOFFS
The Patriots are now 11-3 at home in the playoffs in their history. Thirteen of the franchise's 14 home playoff games have taken place since Robert Kraft purchased the team 17 years ago.
ALL-TIME PLAYOFF RESULTS
The Patriots have compiled a 21-15 record in their 36 playoff games and their .583 playoff winning percentage is the fourth best in NFL history among teams that have played at least 10 playoff games. New England has qualified for six Super Bowls (XX, XXXI, XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX and XLII) and one AFL Championship Game in 1963.
