Week 16 Game Recap: New England Patriots 24, Jacksonville Jaguars 21

What you need to know

New England Patriots

The Patriots clinched the AFC East and handed the Jaguars their second home defeat of the season. A comfortable lead was eroded in the fourth quarter but the Patriots managed to hold on. They dominated possession and had the ball for over 37 minutes in the game.

Tom Brady adopted the same strategy that proved successful against the Vikings. He was in shotgun formation often, and used the short passing game rather than the run. He completed over 70% of his passes and threw a touchdown pass to David Thomas. Brady was also able to scramble effectively although he did take one big hit while doing so.

Corey Dillon and Laurence Maroney only carried 17 times between them, but each scored a touchdown. Dillon went in from a yard out in the first half while Maroney broke a run for a 27 yard score after the break.

Eleven different receivers caught passes from Brady, but TE David Thomas was the only one to exceed 50 receiving yards for the Patriots. Thomas caught Brady’s two longest completions of the game, for 36 yards and 22 yards, the second of which was for a touchdown.

The Jaguars had one final possession with under two minutes remaining, but the Patriots’ defense generated the only turnover of the game to seal the victory. Jarvis Green sacked David Garrard and Rodney Harrison was able to recover the ensuing fumble.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars dropped their second home game of the season after leading the game in the second quarter. Fred Taylor was inactive but that didn’t stop the team from trying to win with its strong running game.

David Garrard only attempted ten passes in the first half and had 44 passing yards. The situation changed in the second half with the Jaguars trailing, and Garrard had to throw a lot more. He stretched the field with long completions to Matt Jones and Ernest Wilford, and found Jones for a 33 yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Trailing by three in the final two minutes, Garrard fumbled away possession after being sacked and the Patriots were able to kneel down for the victory.

Maurice Jones-Drew led the Jaguars’ ground attack with 19 carries. He was thought to be down after falling at the line of scrimmage, but the Patriots didn’t touch him. Jones-Drew got up and broke two tackles to turn the play into a 74 yard touchdown run. He scored on a one yard run in the third quarter and caught six passes, but his efforts were not enough to pull out a victory for the Jaguars.

Matt Jones led the Jaguars with 69 receiving yards. He caught a 33 yard touchdown pass with three minutes left in the game. Ernest Wilford had a 41 yard gain to the two yard line but was not a factor apart from that one play.

Although Tom Brady used the short passing game in preference to a running attack, the Jaguars still allowed 117 net rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Brady was only sacked once and the defense was unable to create a turnover all day.

What you ought to know

QB Tom Brady, Pass: 28 - 39 - 249 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 10 - 31 - 0

Tom Brady was asked to control the Patriots’ attack by using the short passing game rather than the run. He dropped back into shotgun formation on first down for most of the day and distributed passes underneath to anyone that was open. Brady ran two sneaks for first downs on the Patriots’ opening drive. He then found Jabar Gaffney for a 22 yard gain, but the call was reversed after a challenge showed that the ball was bobbled as the receiver went out of bounds. Brady ran another sneak from the six yard line at the end of the half, but he was stopped a yard short of the goal line and Corey Dillon got the touchdown. On the Patriots’ opening possession of the second half, Brady had his longest completion of the game. David Thomas was the recipient, gaining 36 yards, with over 30 yards coming after the catch. Brady then completed the drive by throwing the ball into the end zone for Thomas to make a diving catch for a 22 yard touchdown. Late in the game, Brady attempted to scramble on third and six. He tried to dive for the marker but came up short and took a helmet in the back as he was stopped. Brady had to miss one play but returned for the remainder of the game. Brady threw very few errant passes, although he did miss a wide open Troy Brown near the end of the game and the Jaguars got the ball back.

RB Corey Dillon, Rush: 10 - 30 - 1

Dillon was not used as a receiver, and only had ten carries in the game as the Patriots focused on the short passing game. He converted a first down with an eight yard run on the Patriots’ second drive and scored from a yard out near the end of the half. Dillon had another eight yard gain on third and inches in the second half but didn’t see very much action.

RB Laurence Maroney, Rush: 7 - 48 - 1, Rec: 2 - 10 - 0 (2 targets)

Maroney entered the game on the Patriots’ opening drive. He only saw four first half carries, but converted two first downs on the final possession of the half. He was limited to three carries in the second half, but his last touch saw him break clear to score a 27 yard touchdown. He also caught two short passes from his two targets.

RB Kevin Faulk, Rush: 2 - 8 - 0, Rec: 2 - 12 - 0 (3 targets)

Faulk was not used very much in the game. He carried twice and gained four yards on each carry. The second gave the Patriots a first down and they were able to score a touchdown on the drive. Faulk saw three first half targets. Two were caught for gains of six yards each but the third was batted down at the line.

RB Heath Evans, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0, Rec: 1 - 1 - 0 (1 targets)

Evans caught his only target for one yard and carried once for no gain.

WR Troy Brown, Rec: 4 - 44 - 0 (9 targets)

Brown was Tom Brady’s favorite target on the day and saw nine passes thrown in his direction. He had receptions of 11 yards and 19 yards for first downs during the Patriots’ first three drives and two other short gains in the half. But none of his second half targets were caught, and the last two sailed over his head out of reach.

WR Reche Caldwell, Rec: 4 - 15 - 0 (7 targets)

Caldwell was targeted seven times, but all four of his receptions were for short gains. He was quickly tackled on each occasion and did not have much chance to make a play.

WR Jabar Gaffney, Rec: 3 - 26 - 0 (4 targets)

Gaffney appeared to make a difficult catch near the sideline on the Patriots’ opening drive. The 22 yard gain was negated after a challenge showed that he didn’t have control of the ball until he stepped out of bounds. Gaffney caught a five yard pass to convert on third and one on the Patriots’ final drive of the first half. He converted another third down with a nine yard reception on the opening possession of the second half. His final catch was for 12 yards and a first down.

WR Brandon Childress, Rec: 2 - 7 - 0 (2 targets)

Childress caught both his targets for a total of seven yards. The first catch was for a five yard gain and a first down.

WR Kelvin Kight, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (1 targets)

Kight caught his only target for a nine yard gain.

WR Chad Jackson, Rec: 1 - -2 - 0 (1 targets)

Jackson caught the only pass thrown his way, but he lost two yards after being hit immediately by the defender.

TE David Thomas, Rec: 5 - 83 - 1 (6 targets)

With Ben Watson inactive, Thomas was very involved in the passing game. He caught one pass for a six yard gain in the first half but had the Patriots’ longest reception of the day on the opening possession of the second half. Thomas caught a short pass and turned it into a 36 yard gain with a good run after the catch. He was then targeted in the end zone and made a dive to catch the ball. It was challenged and may have touched the ground, but it was ruled that he had possession and it stood for a 22 yard touchdown. Thomas also had a 15 yard gain on second and 16 and Dillon was able to convert on the next play and keep the drive alive.

TE Daniel Graham, Rec: 3 - 44 - 0 (4 targets)

Graham caught three of his four targets. He turned one short pass into a 19 yard gain for a first down. He also had an 18 yard reception after being targeted deep, and his first down catch helped set up a Laurence Maroney touchdown run.

TE Ben Watson

Watson was inactive for the game.

PK Stephen Gostkowski 1 - 2 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 6 points

Gostkowski made a 48 yard field goal on the Patriots’ second drive of the game before missing narrowly from 49 yards in the second half. He made all three extra point attempts.

NE Rush Defense

The Patriots made a big error on the Jaguars’ third possession. Maurice Jones-Drew slipped and appeared to be down, but he was not touched by a defender. He got back up, broke two tackles, and then ran 74 yards into the end zone. The Patriots challenged the play but the score stood. The defense was unable to stop Jones-Drew scoring a one yard touchdown later in the game.

NE Pass Defense

David Garrard only attempted ten passes in the first half, completing eight of them. The defense allowed three long completions in the second half, including a 33 yard touchdown reception by Matt Jones. Garrard was only sacked once (Jarvis Green) but it resulted in a fumble which Rodney Harrison recovered for the Patriots to seal the win.

QB David Garrard, Pass: 17 - 23 - 195 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - 11 - 0

Garrard had a quiet first half, attempting just ten passes. He completed eight, with five going to Maurice Jones-Drew and one hitting the umpire in the head. The wide receivers had three receptions between them for a total of 12 yards during the half. The Patriots took the lead in the second half and Garrard was forced to throw the ball with more ambition. On the Jaguars’ opening possession of the half he threw deep over the middle and found Matt Jones for a 24 yard gain. Garrard was intercepted on the following drive after trying to find Ernest Wilford, but the play was negated by a roughing the passer call. He went straight back to Wilford, hitting him deep for a 41 yard gain before he was tackled at the two yard line. Garrard threw an accurate pass to Matt Jones with three minutes remaining in the game, and Jones took it in for a 33 yard score. The Jaguars got the ball back one more time, but Garrard fumbled away possession to Rodney Harrison after being sacked by Jarvis Green. It appeared that Garrard was content to hand the ball off and control the game until the score forced him to open up the passing game in the second half.

RB Maurice Jones-Drew, Rush: 19 - 131 - 2, Rec: 6 - 41 - 0 (8 targets)

With Fred Taylor inactive due to a hamstring injury, Jones-Drew was the Jaguars’ primary running threat. He was also effective as a receiver and gave the Jaguars their opening first down with an 11 yard reception. Jones-Drew showed great awareness on the Jaguars’ third possession. He hit the ground at the line of scrimmage and appeared to be stopped, but he was not touched by any New England player. He quickly recovered and broke two tackles before running 74 yards to the end zone. The play was reviewed and showed that Jones-Drew was untouched, so the score stood. He caught all five of his first half targets for a total of 32 yards, and had over 100 yards on the ground. In the second half, Jones-Drew saw less action as the Jaguars were forced to throw more. He only added a further 25 yards rushing from nine carries, but he did score a second touchdown with a one yard run. He was targeted three times in the passing game in the half, catching one for a nine yard gain.

RB LaBrandon Toefield, Rush: 1 - 2 - 0

Toefield had just one carry and gained two yards. He was not used as a receiver.

RB Fred Taylor

Taylor was inactive for the game with a hamstring injury.

WR Matt Jones, Rec: 4 - 69 - 1 (5 targets)

Jones caught his only target of the first half for a gain of seven yards. Garrard then threw deep for him on the Jaguars’ opening possession of the second half, and connected for a 24 yard gain. Jones converted on third and two by making a five yard reception two drives later. His biggest contribution of the game came when Garrard threw an accurate deep pass to enable him to score a 33 yard touchdown with three minutes left in the game.

WR Reggie Williams, Rec: 2 - 9 - 0 (4 targets)

Williams was the target on third down in the first half, but the pass hit the umpire in the head and fell incomplete. He ended the half with one catch for a two yard gain from three targets. Garrard only looked his way once in the second half and Williams made a seven yard catch on third and 10.

WR Ernest Wilford, Rec: 2 - 44 - 0 (3 targets)

Wilford caught his only first half target for a three yard gain. He was also the intended target on the Jaguars’ second drive after the interval, but the pass was intercepted. Fortunately for the Jaguars the play was negated after a roughing the passer call. Garrard went straight back to Wilford and hit him deep for a 41 yard gain before he was tackled at the Patriots’ two yard line.

TE George Wrighster, Rec: 2 - 28 - 0 (3 targets)

Wrighster was not asked to catch a pass in the first half. Garrard targeted him deep on the Jaguars’ opening possession after the break, and Wrighster made the reception for a 17 yard gain and a first down. He converted on third and three later in the half with an 11 yard catch, and the drive ended in a Matt Jones touchdown.

TE Kyle Brady, Rec: 1 - 4 - 0 (1 targets)

Brady was targeted once in the game and made the catch for a four yard gain.

PK Josh Scobee 0 - 1 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 3 points

Scobee attempted a 53 yard field goal on the Jaguars’ first possession of the second half, but he missed wide right. He converted all three extra point attempts.

JAX Rush Defense

The Patriots moved the ball by focusing on short completions in the passing game, but Corey Dillon was allowed to score on a one yard run on the Patriots’ final possession of the first half. Laurence Maroney scored on a 27 yard run in the second half and Tom Brady also had success scrambling and with the quarterback sneak. The Jaguars gave up 117 net rushing yards on the day on 30 carries.

JAX Pass Defense

The Jaguars allowed Tom Brady to complete over 70% of his passes as he looked for short passes underneath. Only two plays went for 20 yards or more, both caught by David Thomas. The second of those was caught in the end zone for a 22 yard score.