Patriots stay unbeaten, Dolphins learn to swim

China Daily | Updated: 2007-12-18 07:10

BOSTON, Massachusetts: The undefeated New England Patriots stayed on course for a perfect season by beating the New York Jets 20-10 on Sunday, while Miami snapped a 13-game, season-long losing streak with a dramatic overtime win over Baltimore.

The Patriots (14-0) ground out the win without a touchdown pass from quarterback Tom Brady for the first time this season, clinching home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.

"We expected a tough game. We understood what type of game it was going to be, and we just went out there and executed our game plan," Patriots cornerback Ellis Hobbs said.

New England is on course to become the first team since the 1972 Miami Dolphins to go through the regular season without a loss.

Battling gusting winds and driving rain, the Patriots took a 10-0 lead after Eugene Wilson's five-yard interception return and a Stephen Gostkowski field goal.

The Jets (3-11) reduced the deficit when David Bowens returned a blocked New England punt, but the Patriots restored the 10-point cushion through Laurence Maroney's one-yard touchdown run.

Mike Nugent kicked a fourth-quarter field goal to bring the Jets within a touchdown, but Gostkowski capped the scoring with a 34-yard kick.

Maroney paced the ground game with 104 yards on 26 carries.

"We knew they were going to do a lot of movement, so it was basically just attack them," Maroney told reporters.

Brady, the NFL season leader with 45 touchdown passes, was 14 of 27 for 140 yards and an interception.

The Dolphins (1-13) got their first win of season with a 22-16 victory over the Ravens (4-10) in Miami. Receiver Greg Camarillo caught a 64-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Cleo Lemon to seal the win in overtime.

The Dolphins had lost 13 straight this season and 16 consecutively over two years. The Ravens fell to their eighth loss in a row.

Record-breaking Green Bay (12-2) quarterback Brett Favre became the all-time NFL passing leader in a 33-14 win over the St. Louis Rams (3-11).

Favre completed 19 of 30 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns to boost his 17-year total to 61,405 yards. The retired Dan Marino held the previous record of 61,361 yards, also in 17 seasons.

The victory assured Green Bay of a first-round playoff bye for the first time in 10 years.

The Philadelphia Eagles (6-8) intercepted Dallas quarterback Tony Romo three times on the way to an upset 10-6 win over the Cowboys. Donovan McNabb's one-yard pass to Reggie Brown produced the game's only touchdown. Dallas (12-2) had won seven in a row.

The Indianapolis Colts (12-2) rallied to beat the Oakland Raiders 21-14 on Anthony Gonzalez's 20-yard pass from Peyton Manning with 4:49 left in the game. The win earned the Colts a fifth-straight AFC South Division title and a first-round playoff bye.

Ladainian Tomlinson and Darren Sproles each rushed for two touchdowns as the San Diego Chargers (9-5) clinched the AFC West title with a 51-14 rout of the Detroit Lions (6-8).

Agencies