The loss of RG Chris Kuper really showed. The leader of that OLine had in Week 15 squared off witht he leader of the Pats DLine, and Wilfork tested the Broncos' depth at that position. Congrats!

Congrats to Rob Ninkovich, he tested their depth at RT.

Congrats to the Pats secondary; they covered what few weapons Tebow has.

The Broncos depth at Safety got tested. No Dawkins, Carter getting banged up multiple times.. it wasn't pretty for them especially without an effecive MLB. Congrats, Pats!

PFT's reported rumors about DE Dumervil and the possibility of an undisclosed knee-injury may not have been far off of the mark. Solder didn't have much to worry about.

Congrats to the Pats! They got away with losing the time of possession battle and the turnover battle. Speaking of which...

Why this team isn't the team of recent playoff-memory;

They lost the time of possession battle and the turnover battle and still won the game.

Their run-game looks stronger, forcing defenses to be honest.

They have better discipline.

All but Vollmer have come back healthy and ready at just the right time. First time the top-4 LBs have been healthy all season.

They have depth at the OLine.

Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez are far better in all facets of their game relative to last year, and weren't around for the 2009 season.

Most of all; they played a full 60 minutes. The Pats started the game for the first time since Week 3 at Buffalo and reminded everyone about that 1st quarter magic we talked about at the very beginning of the season.

Something for the Pats to look forward to next week;

No apparent injuries in this game.

An extra-day to rest while the Ravens and Texans duke it out tomorrow in what should be a physical slugfest.

Both the Ravens and Texans are flawed teams like the Broncos.

The stink of playoff-disappointment is gone.

What the Pats need to really worry about;

Next week, of course.

The New York Giants or the Green Bay Packers. Giants more than Packers.

Brady had probably the best game of the season, or at least one of the better ones. Some people say this was his best post-season game, but I didn't watch Brady's post-season games for half his career so I can't really say.

I will say this, though: the progression of the the team is obvious. Last year, it was if we hacked down the old, dead tree and planted a seed, which sprouted and turned into the TE-based, BJGE-running-it offense/BendButDon'tBreak D. This year, that offense has grown significantly - it might not be a 10-foot wide Redwood yet, but its certainly a sapling!

Now, the other thing I really noticed was that this is what the Jets came last year could have been. Everybody asks "is BB hiding stuff away for the playoffs," and I'd say tonight is a good example of how his style changes during the playoffs. He tries to attack with more complex, trick plays, such as putting Hernandez at RB. Last year, this was working perfectly for the first part of the first quarter, and then was brought to a sudden halt by Brady's int/Crumpler's drop. This year, instead of coming away with 2 great drives and 3 points, we came away with 2 great drives and 14 points. People will say this was utter domination and that that was a loss from the start, but I disagree - the latter half of the first quarter set the tone for both games, likely ultimately deciding their outcome as well.

Next, of all the things that worked well tonight, I'd say the D, and especially the D-line, did the best. I used to think "oh god, what sort of idiotic thing is the defense going to do now" every time the other team snapped the ball. Tonight, it was more like "is it going to be a -10 yard sack, a -5 yard run stop, or a well covered pass?" It seemed like every single play we were blowing up their pocket, even if we didn't get a sack.

And think of this - Tebow is a big, tough dude used to running and backed up by a great O-line. We dominated him. What if we were applied similar pressure to a more fragile QB, such as say Yates, Flacco, Manning, or Rodgers, many of whom probably won't have as many good players protecting them?

So yea. People like to hate on our D, but when everybody is healthy (keep in mind we were dominating even without Carter, the AFC's best pass-rusher) we are at very least middle of the pack. If we can pick up 1-2 good DBs, Ras-I comes back and the D-line plays like it did tonight, hell, I believe you've got a top-10 defense. Also, keep McCourty at safety. I don't know why, it doesn't make sense, but it seems to work.

Other notes:

Did I hear that John Kerry was there? I know Bon Jovi was.

Its so nice to see all those loyal fans finally enjoying a playoff game, like they should be. If any of you were there, I both thank and am jealous of you.

At the end, I couldn't help but think about how last time we won a post-season game, Moss would have been next to Brady. Now, its Gronk. Conclude what you want from that, but they're my new desktop background.

Someone should tell that Bronco player its not a good idea to shove a 250+ pound linemen when there are like 4 other 250+, fired-up linemen right there to back him up. Your already losing bad, nothing to gain from ending up on the bottom of a pile on the Pats sidelines.

Nicely done 49ers, that was a great game. Great final 2 minutes too.

And finally, hats off to all you Bronco fans. I hope Tebow has give you reason for optimism, and congratulate you on a great season. Though I've always been pretty much Tebow-neutral, I'd like to apologize on behalf of all the haters out there who thing its their job to make a mountain out of a molehill. Good luck going forward, to both you and the Pats! =D

Keep ignoring Tom Brady and the Patriots. That’s just fine with them.

Brady, playing like a sharpshooter out on a morning deer hunt, played with precision and a killer instinct all night as the Patriots moved to the doorstep of the Super Bowl with a 45-10 rout of Tim Tebow and the Broncos.

Brady, who took a backseat all week to Tebowmania, put his stamp on the night with six touchdown passes, five in the first half as the Pats made it a laugher by halftime.

The Patriots (14-3), winners of nine straight games, will move on to host either Baltimore or Houston next Sunday for a spot in the Super Bowl.

Saturday night’s romp snapped a three-game postseason losing streak, two of those at Gillette Stadium, and lifted the Patriots to the verge of their fifth Super Bowl appearance in 11 seasons. They’ve won it three times.

Brady’s night even included a punt, it coming with 2:56 remaining, 48 yards on a third down.

And so ended one of the season’s most exciting story lines — one that caught the nation’s attention and began when Denver was 1-4 and made Tebow a starter. The one-time third-stringer promptly won six in a row and seven of eight, with a string of stunning comebacks, and the Broncos ended up backing into the AFC West title.

Tebow was beat up and hit about as hard it at any point in his pro or college career. The Pats defense did their homework, and seemed to know the Broncos playbook all too well.

The second-year QB was just 9-for-26 for 136 yards with no touchdowns and no picks. Willis McGahee was about all the offense that Denver had, going for 76 yards on 17 carries with a TD that made it a 14-7 game early in the second quarter.

New England put the game away with two TD’s in the final two minutes of the first half. Already up 21-7, Brady threw a 61-yard score to Deion Branch, and then with just five ticks left in the half he hit TE Rob Gronkowski down the middle for a 19-yard TD to make it 35-7 at the break.

Gronkowski dominated the Broncos to the tune of three touchdowns on 10 catches for 145 yards. New England outgained the Broncos 509 yards to 252, even though the Broncos actually held the ball almost 7 minutes longer than the Pats.

Brady was 26 for 34 for 363 yards and Gronkowski made 10 catches for 145 yards as the Patriots gained 509 yards in all. In stark contrast, Tebow was 9 for 26 for 136 yards.

The Broncos won the coin toss and elected to defer. Bad idea: They never were in the game after that.

Brady hit his first eight passes for 79 yards and two touchdowns. Offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, who’s leaving to become Penn State’s coach once the Patriots are done, threw in a wrinkle by using TE Aaron Hernandez as a running back. On one of those plays, Hernandez broke free down the left sideline for a 43-yard gain, the team’s longest run this season.

But with the ball in his hands and a 14-0 lead, Brady momentarily stumbled. His throw over the middle for Julian Edelman sailed directly to safety Quinton Carter, whose weaving return set up Denver at the New England 24.

Carter left the game moments later with a neck injury; Denver was already without strong safety Brian Dawkins with a neck problem. And it’s secondary had no chance without them.

Brady was 26 for 34 for 363 yards with the six scores. The Pats defense, ranked 31st in the league, never looked like it. They hit hard all night, and never seemed to miss a tackle.

Now it’s sit back and scout time, as the Pats will watch Sunday’s other AFC Divisional game between the Texans and Ravens to see the next team that will come to New England.