AUBURN – Smoke billowed from the grills. Flames leapt from the burn barrels – slightly elevating the chilly Sunday afternoon temperatures. Cars honked as drivers slowed down to wave and cheer on Brady and the boys. And a pigskin soared through the air to eagerly awaiting – albeit heavily gloved – hands.

Eat your heart out Foxboro! Tailgating came to Auburn on Sunday afternoon as Tim Veilleux and his friends prepared a feast fit for New England’s kings of football. More than 50 sausage sandwiches, 100 hamburgers, a huge vat of chili, two kegs of beer and several cases of soda graced the driveway of his Beech Hill Road home.

And that was just the pre-game snacks. At half-time, Veilleux and about 30 of his closest football buddies dug into their second course of ziti and meatballs.

All over the region, friends gathered around their televisions to cheer on this season’s favorite football dynasty.

“It’s nice and cold and it’s something to do,” said Veilleux, a life-long Oakland Raiders fan who was pulling for the Pats perfect season along with his friends – many of whom also had other favorite teams.

But Sunday, everyone in New England was a Patriots fan. Well, almost everyone.

“I want San Diego to win badly,” laughed lifelong Miami Dolphin fan Jason Allen of Auburn. “And hypothetically, if the Pats win, I want Green Bay or the Giants to win.”

He doesn’t want to see the Dolphins’ 1974 perfect 17-0 record beaten, and Allen and other Miami fans will surely be pulling for the New York Giants in two weeks. The Pats beat San Diego 21-12, while New York edged Green Bay 23-20 in overtime.

“Tom Brady is there for us!” yelled an ecstatic Julie Ingerson, who watched the game with friends at Fast Breaks Restaurant in Lewiston.

The 41-year-old Lisbon woman added that “It’s my birthday, and Brady just gave me my present right there.”

While fans such as Veilleux and his tailgating crew opted to watch the Pats move to 18-0 from the comfort of their homes, others – like Ingerson – headed to their favorite watering hole to cheer on their favorite undefeated team. Tom Pelletier, also of Lisbon, came to Fast Breaks with his wife and friends to watch Sunday’s championship victory. For him, it was all about the atmosphere.

“It’s much more fun,” Pelletier said as he watched his favorite team claim their fourth AFC Championship trophy in seven years. “With the bar and the crowd, and the big screens and the surround-sound. There’s an excitement.”

But while some watched from home and others from their favorite sports bar, others – like Matt Delamater – had prior commitments that conflicted with their viewing abilities. Delamater, who was on stage for Sunday’s matinee performance of The Laramie Project at CLT, had a game-plan ready. His family recorded the game on DVR and he made sure he isolated himself from any updates.

“I’m even turning my Blackberry off so I won’t be tempted to even get text messages about the game,” Delamater said. “I think this season is epic. It’s incredible to have a team go 17-0 and potentially 19-0.”

And now, 18-0 with one to go.