FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Skeptics pounced when a blowout loss left the New England Patriots with a 2-2 record. Quarterback Tom Brady was over the hill, they said. Maybe Bill Belichick wasn’t a coaching genius after all. But the Patriots never had doubts. Not when they endured grueling practices to get back on track. And […]
Patriots
Posted inNational Sports
Revis’ skills crucial to Patriots in playoffs
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Darrelle Revis looked straight ahead and spotted the reporter standing behind his right shoulder. “I can see him right now without looking at him,” New England’s star cornerback said, smiling at writers and cameras at his locker. “It’s a God-given talent.” Baltimore wide receiver Steve Smith will try to evade that amazing […]
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Patriots’ O-line gets ready for Ravens rushers
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England’s offensive line was a work in progress that wasn’t showing much progress. The player the Patriots could least afford to lose was under pressure in the very first game behind a rebuilt line that had just lost its toughest blocker. Four sacks of Tom Brady in that 33-20 loss to […]
Posted inNational Sports
Patriots set their sights on Ravens
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Patriots waited a week only to learn that a familiar foe would make a return visit. A foe with a history of playoff success in a stadium where the Patriots rarely lose. The Baltimore Ravens will fly to Foxborough for Saturday’s divisional game after their 30-17 wild-card win, also […]
Posted inNational Sports
Brady more appreciative of early titles
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — A young Tom Brady and the New England Patriots grabbed three championships in his first four seasons as a starter. They have been outstanding ever since, and are still chasing their first NFL title since the 2004 season. “I think when you’re young, there is no perspective,” the 37-year-old quarterback said […]
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Wait-and-see game for Pats
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The New England Patriots are moving on from a game they didn’t have to win to one they can’t afford to lose. Their 17-9 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday had no bearing on their status as the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs. Key starters didn’t play and […]
Posted inNational Sports
Patriots go without
Steelers top Bengals 27-17 to win AFC North WILL GRAVES, AP Sports Writer PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers are back on top of the AFC North. Antonio Brown returned a punt 71 yards for a touchdown and added a clinching 63-yard scoring grab with 2:50 to go in the Steelers’ 27-17 victory over the […]
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Despite poor play, Patriots get bye
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Bill Belichick sounded like a coach whose team was just eliminated from playoff contention rather than one that clinched a first-round bye. Tom Brady was sacked four times and had a poorer passer rating than Geno Smith. New England’s offense gained just 52 yards in the first half. It took a […]
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Girls’ basketball: Gray-New Gloucester overwhelms York in second half
Led by a defense that held York to two points in the fourth quarter, Gray-NG turned a tense showdown of unbeaten Western Maine Conference teams into a blowout, 52-35, on Tuesday night. Gray-NG (4-0) has been competitive since Katie Whittier’s teams won back-to-back regional titles in 2001 and 2002, but not a year-in, year-out championship […]
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NFL: Patriots clinch AFC East with big win over Dolphins
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Tom Brady was upset that his New England Patriots hardly looked like a division champion in the first half. So upset that the slow-footed quarterback made a rare scramble for a first down that sparked them to a big third quarter and their sixth consecutive AFC East title Sunday. “I wasn’t […]