AFC Divisional: Oakland Raiders at New England Patriots (Foxboro Stadium), with a Conference Championship spot at stake. Kickoff time: 8:05pm. Winner advances to the Conference Championship. The losing team's season is over.
The divisional round is where the bracket is supposed to take its real shape. Oakland Raiders traveling to New England Patriots at Foxboro Stadium, with the league watching to see whether the better team or the better matchup wins. Bye-week home favorites carry the weight of expectation; the visiting wild-card winner walks in with no one expecting them and nothing to lose.
The bracket has narrowed to the teams that survived the regular season. Oakland Raiders and New England Patriots are two of them; the rest of the league is in scouting mode for the offseason. What happens in Foxboro Stadium shifts the rest of the tree: a road favorite winning rearranges seeding expectations; a home upset shows the bracket math underweights heart.
Oakland Raiders versus New England Patriots in the AFC Divisional. The teams who reach this round have already proven they survive a long schedule; the stats that matter most now are the ones that compress: scoring differential, red-zone efficiency, turnover margin. At this stage of the year, the simple math is that defenses tighten and the team that protects the ball wins more often than the team that scores the most. Whichever side of Oakland Raiders-New England Patriots cleans up the careless plays first usually walks out with the result. Conservative-game expectations should not surprise the reader; both staffs know exactly what worked all season and will lean hard on what travels. The early answer is the kicking game, where any swing of field position compounds.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 13-3 | W1 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 10-6 | W1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 7-9 | L1 |
| Tennessee Titans | 7-9 | L2 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 6-10 | W2 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 6-10 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 11-5 | W2 |
| New England Patriots | 11-5 | W6 |
| New York Jets | 10-6 | W1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 6-10 | W1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 3-13 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Oakland Raiders | 10-6 | L3 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 9-7 | W2 |
| Denver Broncos | 8-8 | L1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 6-10 | L1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 5-11 | L9 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Rams | 14-2 | W6 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 12-4 | W1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7-9 | L2 |
| New Orleans Saints | 7-9 | L4 |
| Carolina Panthers | 1-15 | L15 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 13-3 | W4 |
| Green Bay Packers | 12-4 | W3 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 9-7 | L1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 5-11 | L4 |
| Detroit Lions | 2-14 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Eagles | 11-5 | W2 |
| Washington Redskins | 8-8 | W2 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 7-9 | -- |
| New York Giants | 7-9 | L2 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 5-11 | L1 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland Raiders | 0 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 07131313 |
| New England Patriots | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 0031316 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| No scoring this quarter. | ||
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Raiders | James Jett 13 yard pass from Rich Gannon ( Sebastian Janikowski kick) | 7-0 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Patriots | Adam Vinatieri 23 yard field goal | 7-3 |
| Raiders | Sebastian Janikowski 38 yard field goal | 10-3 |
| Raiders | Sebastian Janikowski 45 yard field goal | 13-3 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Patriots | Tom Brady 6 yard rush ( Adam Vinatieri kick) | 13-10 |
| Patriots | Adam Vinatieri 45 yard field goal | 13-13 |
| OT | ||
| Patriots | Adam Vinatieri 23 yard field goal | 13-16 |
| Raiders | Patriots | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 14 | 22 |
| Total Yards | 230 | 365 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 17/31 | 32/52 |
| Pass yards | 159 | 312 |
| Pass TD | 1 | 0 |
| Interceptions | 0 | 1 |
| Sacks taken | 1 | 2 |
| Sack yards lost | 6 | 15 |
| Net pass yards | 153 | 297 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 30 | 30 |
| Rush yards | 77 | 68 |
| Rush TD | 0 | 1 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 0 | 3 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 0 |
| Penalties | 4 | 1 |
| Penalty yards | 20 | 15 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OAK | |||||
| Rich Gannon | 17/31 | 159 | 1 | 0 | |
| NWE | |||||
| Tom Brady | 32/52 | 312 | 0 | 1 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OAK | ||||
| Charlie Garner | 17 | 64 | 0 | 12 |
| Tyrone Wheatley | 4 | 5 | 0 | 2 |
| Zack Crockett | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Terry Kirby | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Rich Gannon | 5 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| NWE | ||||
| Antowain Smith | 20 | 65 | 0 | 12 |
| Tom Brady | 5 | 16 | 1 | 6 |
| Kevin Faulk | 1 | -1 | 0 | -1 |
| J.R. Redmond | 3 | -3 | 0 | 3 |
| Troy Brown | 1 | -9 | 0 | -9 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OAK | ||||
| Jerry Rice | 4 | 48 | 0 | 22 |
| Tim Brown | 5 | 42 | 0 | 19 |
| Charlie Garner | 4 | 32 | 0 | 12 |
| James Jett | 2 | 23 | 1 | 13 |
| Jeremy Brigham | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Jerry Porter | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| NWE | ||||
| David Patten | 8 | 107 | 0 | 25 |
| Jermaine Wiggins | 10 | 68 | 0 | 22 |
| J.R. Redmond | 4 | 43 | 0 | 20 |
| Troy Brown | 4 | 43 | 0 | 29 |
| Marc Edwards | 3 | 29 | 0 | 13 |
| Kevin Faulk | 3 | 22 | 0 | 8 |
New England Patriots defeated Oakland Raiders 16-13 at Foxboro Stadium in the AFC Divisional. The final scoring play was Patriots: Adam Vinatieri 23 yard field goal. The result came down to the final possession; New England Patriots won by 3. Top line of the day: Tom Brady: 312 pass yards on 32-of-52, 0 TD, 1 INT. New England Patriots move on to the conference final.
New England Patriots walked out of Foxboro Stadium as the team that survived an AFC Divisional Oakland Raiders will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 16-13. The game stayed within 3 points throughout, the kind of contest where every drive felt like a referendum and every defensive stop carried twice its usual weight. The final scoring play came from Patriots: Adam Vinatieri 23 yard field goal. Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. New England Patriots move on to a conference championship.
New England Patriots 16, Oakland Raiders 13. Round: AFC Divisional. Attendance: 60292. Q2: 1 scoring play. Q3: 3 scoring plays. Q4: 2 scoring plays. OT: 1 scoring play. Top performers: - Tom Brady: 312 pass yards on 32-of-52, 0 TD, 1 INT - Antowain Smith: 65 rush yards on 20 carries - David Patten: 8 catches for 107 yards
AFC Divisional, played at Foxboro Stadium. Final: Oakland Raiders 13, New England Patriots 16, with New England Patriots taking the result by 3. **Second quarter**
- Raiders: James Jett 13 yard pass from Rich Gannon ( Sebastian Janikowski kick)
**Third quarter**
- Patriots: Adam Vinatieri 23 yard field goal - Raiders: Sebastian Janikowski 38 yard field goal - Raiders: Sebastian Janikowski 45 yard field goal
**Fourth quarter**
- Patriots: Tom Brady 6 yard rush ( Adam Vinatieri kick) - Patriots: Adam Vinatieri 45 yard field goal
**Overtime**
- Patriots: Adam Vinatieri 23 yard field goal
**Top performers**
- Tom Brady: 312 pass yards on 32-of-52, 0 TD, 1 INT - Antowain Smith: 65 rush yards on 20 carries - David Patten: 8 catches for 107 yards
A 3-point margin in AFC Divisional is the kind of result that defines reputations on both sidelines.