17 - 0 with one down and two to go ...

... hey, look at me ... that rhymes!

What a game last night, Patriots winning 31-20. Patriots QB Tom Brady set another NFL record by completing his first 16 consecutive passes, the most in playoff history. For the game, he finished 26 of 28 for 262 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions, and a 92.9 completion percentage, another NFL playoff record.

That's right, only two incompletions for the game. Damn.

And RB Laurence Maroney was en fuego with 122 yards on 22 carries with a TD, while having a 33-yard catch-and-run to set up the Patriots' first score.

Nice.

But, WR Randy Moss was a non-factor ... or was he? Yup, he didn't have a TD the entire game because he was double and triple-teamed all night. But, by being so, he opened up other opportunities for the offense. Wonder how this affect the prep for the team the Patriots face next in the AFC Championship game.

While the Patriots' offense overall played a great game, their defense is still making me a nervous as they've been inconsistent at times. Last night they could stop then run, then not ... they could stop the passing game, then not so much.

And Rodney Harrison's two unsportsman-like penalties (which cost the Patriots a total of 30 yards of field position) were very disappointing. You think Coach Belichick is going to tear Rodney a new one in practice this week?

Was watching the game with a bunch of hard-core Patriots fans last night and we were all saying that as much as we want to see our team win the Lombardi hardware for the fourth time in seven years for the obvious reasons, it also means a sweet DVD from NFL films. We wondered if it ends up that New England isn't the last team standing this season, will the NFL still release a highlight DVD because of the first 16-0 season? Here's hoping because there was some great moments this season, including the games against the Ravens, Steelers and Giants.

One other note: During Tom Brady's post-game press conference, the questions are winding down and suddenly you hear from the side in a southern drawl, "Do you think you're a handsome quarterback?" Randy Moss asked. Brady says, "That was the last question."

Nice ...