Patriots Don’t Melt in Heat of Big Game

With playoff fever in the air, the New England Patriots took a deep breath and played like the defending AFC champions.

After listening all week to talk they can’t win big games, the Patriots showed they could with a 26-20 victory Sunday that ended Jacksonville’s home winning streak at 13 games and dropped the Jaguars (9-5) out of the AFC Central lead.

New England (9-5), meanwhile, kept at least a share of first in the AFC East, where they hold all the tiebreakers.

“Today was a championship effort by a team that was really committed to getting it done,” Patriot Coach Pete Carroll said.

New England played without injured running back Curtis Martin but got a strong performance from Drew Bledsoe, who was 26 of 35 passing for 234 yards and two touchdowns and did not throw an interception for the third consecutive game.

The Patriots’ blitzing defense, meanwhile, sacked the Jaguars’ Mark Brunell four times and forced a fumble that led to a touchdown.

“I had said this would be a good time to see which team would show up--a team that sneaks into the playoffs or a team that can come into a hostile environment and come out with a win,” left tackle Bruce Armstrong said. “We played with a sense of urgency.”

The Jaguars have to go on the road for their last two games, against Buffalo and Oakland, to try to secure a playoff spot. The Jaguars are 2-4 on the road.