By BEN WALKER, AP National Writer
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - Perfection comes down to one game now. Despite a shaky Tom Brady, the New England Patriots were still too much for the banged-up San Diego Chargers in the AFC championship game Sunday, pulling out a 21-12 victory that sent them back to the Super Bowl for the fourth time in seven seasons.
I think there will be a time to sit back and reflect," Patriots coach
Bill Belichick said. "We'll certainly enjoy this for a few days."
Brady made several stunningly poor throws that fluttered in the
chilly wind, Randy Moss was a non-factor for the second straight game
and the highest-scoring team in NFL history sputtered all afternoon.
Instead, the Patriots (18-0) relied on Laurence Maroney's spins, cuts
and helmet-rattling runs.
With injured Chargers star LaDainian Tomlinson reduced to mostly watching in a parka, the Patriots moved on to a Feb. 3 matchup in Glendale, Ariz., against the winner of the NFC title game between the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants.
"Now we're going someplace warm, because I'm freezing my you-know-what off," Brady said.
Yet for all the Brady Bunch
has accomplished — they're the only team in NFL history to start out
with 18 straight victories — the Patriots are well aware they must win
that final game to avoid being relegated to a footnote.
No matter, New England
took care of the nuts and Bolts. The sellout crowd at Gillette Stadium
chanted "Super Bowl! Super Bowl!" in the closing minutes, anticipating
the Pats' first appearance in the big game since the 2004 season.
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