The 2003 AFC East Champion New England Patriots will host the Jacksonville Jaguars at Gillette Stadium this weekend, aiming to set franchise records for victories in a season and for consecutive wins. New England enters the game having tied club marks with 11 wins and nine victories in a row. The Patriots are 6-0 at Gillette Stadium this season (a team record) and will bid to treat the Foxborough Faithful to their eighth straight victory at home.

With a first round bye and home field advantage in the playoffs still up for grabs, the Patriots know they must remain focused and maintain their week-to-week outlook to maximize their playoff position. Jacksonville comes to Foxborough having won two games in a row, including a 27-0 shutout win over Houston last week. Led by rookie Head Coach Jack Del Rio, the Jaguars have started to jell, boasting the league's fifth-ranked defense. In their last four games, Jacksonville has allowed an average of just 8.3 points, presenting the Patriots with a first-rate challenge to test their playoff preparedness.

TELEVISION
This week's game will be televised by CBS. The game can be seen locally on WBZ-TV Channel 4 in Boston. Greg Gumbel will handle the play-by-play duties and Phil Simms will provide analysis. Armen Keteyian will provide reports from the sidelines throughout the game. Following the game, the Fifth Quarter postgame show can be seen on WBZ-TV Channel 4 in Boston.

RADIO
WBCN 104.1 FM is the flagship station for the Patriots Rock Radio Network. Play-by-play broadcaster Gil Santos is in his 27th season as the voice of the Patriots and calls the action along with Patriots Hall of Famer Gino Cappelletti. In 2003, Santos and Cappelletti celebrate their 20th season as a broadcast tandem.

PLAYOFF POSSIBILITIES
The AFC East Champions are assured of hosting a playoff game and control their playoff positioning with three games remaining. New England has now won seven division titles in its 44-year history, winning AFC East crowns in 2003, 2001, 1997, 1996, 1986 and 1978, and claiming the AFL East title in 1963.

If the Patriots win one more game…
…and the Indianapolis Colts lose one more game, New England will clinch a first- round bye and host a divisional playoff game.

If the Patriots win two more games…
…they will clinch a first-round bye and host a divisional playoff game.

If the Patriots win three more games…
…they will clinch the top seed in the AFC and home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

DEFENDING THEIR HOME TURF
The Patriots have not allowed their opponent to score a touchdown in their last four home games. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Patriots are the first team to allow no touchdowns in four consecutive home games within one season since the 1938 New York Giants. New England has kept its opponents out of the end zone on 52 consecutive drives at Gillette Stadium. Out of those 52 drives, 20 of them ended in New England territory and seven reached the Patriots' 20-yard line before they were stopped short of the end zone.

PATRIOTS FEVER
The Patriots' 12-0 win over the Dolphins earned a 43.8 rating (61 share) in the Boston television market, recording the highest regular-season television rating in team history. The rating means that on Sunday, 43.8 percent of the Boston market's 2.1 million television homes were watching the Patriots game. As a point of comparison, Last week's rating was 2.2 points higher than the rating for the Patriots' 2001 Divisional Playoff win over Oakland (40.6) and just 1.7 points shy of the Patriots 2001 AFC championship victory over Pittsburgh (45.5). The Patriots' victory in Super Bowl XXXVI earned a 56.1 rating and is the most-watched program in Boston television history.

SERIES HISTORY
The Patriots and Jaguars will meet for just the fifth time overall and for the first time since the 1998 playoffs. Two of the four previous games between the teams have been playoff games, including the 1996 AFC Championship Game at Foxboro Stadium. In that contest, the Patriots beat the Jaguars 20-6 to advance to Super Bowl XXXI. The Patriots have won both of the regular-season matchups between the clubs, a 28-25 overtime win at Foxboro Stadium in September 1996, and a 26-20 victory at Alltel Stadium in December 1997. Both of the regular-season games have been decided by less than a touchdown, while the two playoff games between the teams have been decided by two touchdowns or more. Jacksonville is the final AFC South team on the Patriots' schedule this season, and New England has won all three of their previous games against their Southern foes.

PATRIOTS 3, JAGUARS 1

*-AFC Championship Game
^-Wild Card Game

SERIES TRENDS
Record in New England - 2-0 (1-0 in playoffs)
Record in Jacksonville - 1-1 (0-1 in playoffs)
Total Points in the Series - Patriots 84, Jaguars 76
Bill Belichick vs. Jacksonville - 0-2 (0-0 with New England)
Jack Del Rio vs. New England - First Meeting

HOME COOKING
The Patriots are 11-3 (.786) at Gillette Stadium since their new home opened in 2002, including a 6-0 record this season. New England is 6-0 at home for the first time in team history. The Patriots have won nine of their last 10 home games and are 17-5 (.773) at home since 2001. Foxborough has proven to be a very hospitable place for the Patriots since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994. Since that time, the Patriots hold a 69-33 (.676) record at home, including preseason, regular-season and postseason games.

SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST
The Patriots have three games left in the 2003 season, and since Bill Belichick took over as head coach in 2000, the Patriots have saved their best football for the end of the season. Since 2000, New England is a combined 9-4 (.692) in the month of December. Last year, the Patriots were 2-2 in their last four games, following a 2001 season where they closed out with a 4-0 record.

PASSING PERFORMANCES
Tom Brady will match up against Jacksonville for the first time. Brady has compiled a record of 17-7 (.708) when facing a team for the first time. This season, he is 4-1 (.800) when facing new teams (Philadelphia, Washington, N.Y. Giants, Dallas and Houston). Three weeks ago, Brady was under center for the Patriots' 23-20 overtime win over Houston in his first game against the Texans.

SETTING THE MARK
The Patriots have established the best start in franchise history with an 11-2 record through 13 games. The Patriots' previous best 13-game start was in 1964 when they began the season with a 10-2-1 mark. The Patriots' 11 wins tie a franchise record for victories in a season. New England is currently on a nine-game winning streak, tying the overall club record for consecutive wins (nine, from Nov. 25, 2001 to Sept. 22, 2002), and setting a franchise record for consecutive wins in a single season. The Patriots' nine-game winning streak ties the Kansas City Chiefs for the longest winning streak in the NFL this season.

TALE OF THE TAPE

THE LAST TIME
Jaguars 25, Patriots 10 – January 3, 1999

The Patriots fell behind early and could not recover in a 25-10 loss in a Wild Card matchup at Alltel Stadium. New England qualified for the playoffs for the third consecutive season by virtue of a 9-7 regular-season record. The Patriots were forced to travel to play Jacksonville, the Central Division champions and owners of an 11-5 record.

The Jaguars jumped out to a 12-0 halftime lead courtesy of a pair of field goals by Mike Hollis and a 13-yard run by Fred Taylor. But on their first possession of the second half, the Patriots started to chip back into the game. Scott Zolak led New England on a 17-play, 85-yard drive that ended in a 1-yard touchdown run by Robert Edwards that cut the Jaguars' lead to 12-7. After the Patriots defense forced a key three-and-out, New England got the ball back and promptly put together another scoring drive, closing the Jaguars' lead to 12-10 on a 27-yard field goal from Adam Vinatieri with 14:48 left in the game. But from there, the Jaguars took control of the game, extending their lead to 19-10 on a 37-yard pass from Mark Brunell to Jimmy Smith. The Patriots couldn't regain their offensive rhythm and Jacksonville got another pair of field goals from Hollis to close out the game and advance to the AFC Divisional Round with a 25-10 win.