Patriots go after 17th straight win Saturday when they host Jaguars

New England is coming off a bye week and expects a battle.

By DAVE GOLDBERG

ASSOCIATED PRESS

After a week out of the spotlight, the New England Patriots are back in its glow. They’re three games away from 19-0 and an NFL title, but one loss away from losing a lot of the luster a 16-0 regular season brought them.

That hasn’t changed Bill Belichick.

“We’ve treated it one week at a time all year, so this week it’s Jacksonville,” he said. “Each week has it’s own unique challenges and that’s definitely true this week. I don’t think any of those other games really have a whole lot of bearing on this one.”

Same old song.

New England rested last week, as did the other top seeds in the NFL’s postseason festival: No. 2 Indy and the two top NFC teams, Dallas and Green Bay. They all face first-round winners in the latest test of whether it’s better to have momentum or rest.

But the Patriots probably rested less than most.

Even in a bye week, Belichick always gives his players something to work on. That’s in contrast to Dallas’ Wade Phillips, who told his players to take three days off. So Tony Romo went to Mexico with his celebrity girlfriend while the Patriots studied playbooks.

The Patriots have reason to believe that Saturday night’s game will be difficult.

The Jaguars (12-5) won in Pittsburgh for the second time this season, losing a 28-10 fourth-quarter lead, then rallying to win 31-29 on Josh Scobee’s late 25-yard field goal. It was set up a by a 32-yard fourth-down run by QB David Garrard, who was the team’s leading rusher in the game.

Jacksonville probably will have to open up its offense against a team that set a regular season record with 589 points (almost 37 a game). That, of course, was due to league MVP Tom Brady, who set a record with 50 touchdown passes; Randy Moss, who had a record 23 TD catches; and Wes Welker, who tied for the NFL lead with 112 receptions.

There has been so much focus on the Patriots that the reigning champion Colts have been low-profile this season, something they don’t mind at all. They’ve also had time to heal injured players, although Marvin Harrison, who’s missed much of the season with a knee problem, is still uncertain.

Still, this team may be stronger defensively than any Tony Dungy has had with the Colts. And the offense has been without Harrison for so long that Peyton Manning has gotten used to working with new receivers, notably rookie Anthony Gonzalez.

The Giants and Cowboys have played 91 times, although this is the first time they’ve met in the playoffs.

The Cowboys won both regular season meetings: 45-35 on opening night and 31-20 at the Meadowlands Nov. 11. That loss in Dallas is the last time the Giants were beaten on the road. They have won eight straight, including a 24-14 win in Tampa last week, their first playoff victory since they beat Minnesota to go to the Super Bowl following the 2000 season.

Mike Holmgren, who won a Super Bowl coaching the Packers, points to last season’s overtime loss to eventual NFC champion Chicago to demonstrate why his Seahawks are equipped to play in cold weather. Seattle is in Green Bay Saturday.

The key for Seattle will be to get a rush on Brett Favre. Patrick Kerney was second in the NFL with 141⁄2 sacks and the Seahawks were fourth overall with 45. But traction at Lambeau Field could be a problem; a wet or slippery field often causes defenses as many problems as it causes offenses.