US Sport story by Gareth Bowman, Mon, 09 Jan 2006 02:12:00 GMT


FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts - The New England Patriots new found confidence resulted in a blitz that left the Jacksonville Jaguars panting for breath. The Patriots mauled the Jaguars 28-3 in an AFC wild card game at the Gillette Stadium on Saturday night.

Tom Brady was in great nick as the Patriots stamped their authority early on in the game. Byron Leftwich's return to the squad did nothing to ease the worries for Jaguars and even he could not stop the rampaging Patriots. Brady compiled 15-of-27 for 201 yards and looks all set to help the Patriots to an unprecedented third Super Bowl.

"We're going to keep fighting, I know we will keep fighting," Brady said after the match. "We'll get ready to play the toughest game of the year. Now we are even with the best teams in the league, Indy and Denver." Either of the two teams mentioned by him are the Patriots next opponents when the divisional round gets underway later next week.

Leftwich, who was out since November 27 with a broken ankle, notched up 18-of-31 for 179 yards and also made an interception. "I was excited to be back out there and just to be back in the huddle with the guys. It was very exciting. You just think about if you had a few plays here and a few plays there, it's a different ballgame," he said after what was a good run for him.

He however added that the credit should go to New England who did all the running. New England head coach Bill Belichick was also delighted with his side's display, "I thought they played hard tonight and Jacksonville is a very physical team, tough football team, and the first half, 7-3, was a hard fought half," he commented.

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