Pats, Packers Look Super Afc Crown Goes To New England

Suddenly, a game that lacked electricity - literally and figuratively - was illuminated with drama.

Jacksonville quarterback Mark Brunell, on his knees at the 10-yard line, buried his face in his hands. Tom Coughlin shook his head sadly, an emotional explosion for the icy-eyed Jaguars coach. And in the Foxboro Stadium end zone, beneath a red-white-and-blue heap of happiness, the Patriots’ Willie “Big Play” Clay had earned his nickname.

Clay’s interception of Brunell’s second-and-goal pass, with 3 minutes and 43 seconds to play, preserved New England’s frail seven-point lead. Otis Smith’s 47-yard touchdown return of a Jaguars fumble 1:19 later added to it as the Patriots defeated the Jaguars, 20-6, Sunday for their first AFC championship in 11 years and a berth in Super Bowl XXXI.

“To miss an opportunity like that,” Brunell whispered of the interception, “to stop that drive and come way with nothing … That’s what’s hurting me now. That’s what will hurt for a while.”

So the Jaguars, like their second-year expansion cousin, Carolina, saw their remarkable postseason run end in the coldest conditions they had experienced all season.

“The cold was not a big deal,” Jaguars wide receiver Keenan McCardell said. “We had been doing everything we needed to do the last several weeks. Today we couldn’t. When we needed to make the big plays, we couldn’t. Their defense, on the other hand, did. If you’re looking for a story, that’s it.”

The Patriots, built for offense by Bill Parcells, will be playing the Packers in New Orleans on Jan. 26 because their defense stymied Brunell’s rollouts, stuffed Natrone Means, and, when it mattered most, made crucial plays.

Jacksonville stifled New England’s offense, too, limiting the high-octane Patriots to a relatively anemic 234 total yards. But 10 of New England’s 20 points came after turnovers - including seven after Jaguars punter Bryan Barker was tackled on the 4-yard line after a bad snap on the game’s fifth play.

“I kind of thought this game would be helter-skelter like it was,” said Parcells, who will be shooting for his third NFL championship. “These games, and I’ve been in a few, usually are. The weather is usually cold, and it usually comes down to defense and how your special teams play.

“But we struggled on offense. We’re going to have to play a whole lot better than that if we hope to compete with the Packers.”

Brunell, the NFL’s passing leader, threw for only 190 yards - his second lowest total this season. And Means, who had galloped for 315 yards in two previous playoff wins, could manage only 43 on 19 carries, although he was hampered by a first-quarter ankle sprain.

“We’ve been working for this for four years,” said defensive end Willie McGinest, whose pass-rushing baffled Jacksonville tackle Tony Boseli and kept the mobile Brunell from the corners. “But we’ve still got one game left. That’s the big one.”

This one, though, judging by the celebration, carried considerable emotional weight for the Patriots.

Cigar smoke hung over their noisy, crowded locker room like the fog that enveloped Foxboro in last week’s win over Pittsburgh. And even before this game was over, New England players were celebrating wildly on the field - much to the dismay of Parcells, who will try to become the first coach to win Super Bowls with different teams.

“We’ve got some wild guys on this team,” Parcells said. “It’s all I can do to keep them under control sometimes… . But I’ll tell you what: They worked their butts off to achieve this, so in that sense I can kind of understand it.”

Drew Bledsoe, the New England quarterback since Parcells ended his brief coaching exile in 1993, never looked comfortable, completing 20 of 33 passes for only 178 yards.

“If one component of a machine breaks down, the other part has to kick in,” Patriots receiver Shawn Jefferson said. “The defense carried us today… . We were lucky to get away with a victory.”

As they had against Pittsburgh, the Pats took an immediate advantage. After taking a high snap, Barker spurned a punt attempt and tried to run right. Larry Whigham tackled Barker at the 4, and two plays later, Curtis Martin’s 1-yard run put the Patriots ahead, 7-0, just 2:26 into the biggest football game ever played in New England.

After Aaron Beasley’s interception of a Bledsoe pass on the first quarter’s final play, the Jaguars scored on a 32-yard Mike Hollis field goal with 10 minutes left in the second quarter.

After a blown transformer darkened the stadium and delayed play for about 10 minutes, New England’s Adam Vinatieri kicked a 29-yard field goal with 7:23 left in second period.

Parcells gambled with a half-minute left in the half, going for it on a fourth and 3 at Jacksonville’s 45. Bledsoe hit Ben Coates for 5 yards. Then, with 8 seconds left, Bledsoe found Jefferson for a 38-yarder that set up Vinatieri’s 20-yarder on the half’s final play.

Hollis’ 28-yarder with 2:37 left in the third got Jacksonville to within 13-6. Finally, with 8:40 to go, the Jaguars put together a drive, Brunell moving them from their 41 to the edge of the game-tying TD - a first and goal on the Patriots’ 7 - in seven plays.

Means carried to the 2 before Brunell fired into an end-zone crowd and Clay intercepted a pass intended for tight end Derek Brown.

Patriots 20, Jaguars 6

Jacksonville 0 3 3 0 - 6 New England 7 6 0 7 - 20

NE-Martin 1 run (Vinatieri kick)

Jac-FG Hollis 32

NE-FG Vinatieri 29

NE-FG Vinatieri 20

Jac-FG Hollis 28

NE-O.Smith 47 fumble return (Vinatieri kick)

A-60,190.

Jac NE First downs 18 13 Rushes-yards 33-101 24-73 Passing 188 161 Punt Returns 4-15 3-29 Kickoff Returns 4-69 3-52 Interceptions Ret. 1-15 2-12 Comp-Att-Int 20-38-2 20-33-1 Sacked-Yards Lost 1-2 2-17 Punts 5-36.4 6-39.7 Fumbles-Lost 3-2 2-1 Penalties-Yards 4-23 2-5 Time of Possession 34:43 25:17

Individual statistics

RUSHING-Jacksonville, Means 19-43, Stewart 7-40, Brunell 6-34, Barker 1-(minus 16). New England, Martin 19-59, Meggett 3-9, Bledsoe 1-4, Byars 1-1.

PASSING-Jacksonville, Brunell 20-38-2-190. New England, Bledsoe 20-33-1-178.

RECEIVING-Jacksonville, Mitchell 7-63, McCardell 6-62, J.Smith 3-45, Stewart 2-8, D.Brown 1-10, Barlow 1-2. New England, Glenn 5-33, Jefferson 4-91, Byars 4-16, Martin 3-18, Meggett 3-15, Coates 1-5.

MISSED FIELD GOALS-New England, Vinatieri 46 (WL).