Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots are in a familiar position.Theyve got a first-round bye in the

EAST RUTHERFORD, N. Jaguars Jerseys .J. - Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots are in a familiar position.Theyve got a first-round bye in the post-season for the fifth straight year, and theyre closing in on having home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.But first, they had to sweat through a 17-16 victory over the upset-minded New York Jets on Sunday.We made plenty of good (plays) in the fourth quarter to come from behind, so that was great, quarterback Tom Brady said. Im glad it came out the way it did — makes for a better Christmas. Its always tough to get a win here.Jonas Gray scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 1-yard run early in the fourth quarter after New England intercepted Geno Smith, and Vince Wilfork tipped Nick Folks 52-yard field goal attempt with just over 5 minutes left.Brady threw a 3-yard TD pass to Rob Gronkowski for the Patriots (12-3), who could earn home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs if Denver loses to Cincinnati on Monday night.Right now, were focused on our last game, wide receiver Danny Amendola said. Well kind of assess the situation as we go.New England plays at home against Buffalo next week, then gets to rest for the opening round of the playoffs. The Patriots five consecutive seasons of first-round byes is the longest streak since the current playoff format began in 1990.This win, though, didnt come easy.With the Jets (3-12) leading 13-10 late in the third quarter, Geno Smiths pass for Jace Amaro hung in the air for an easy interception for Jamie Collins — which led to Grays score minutes later.Yeah, he underthrew it, Jets coach Rex Ryan said in what could have been his last home game with the team. Poor throw. That was a big play on their part.So was Wilforks tip of Folks long attempt that could have given New York a lead.It was reminiscent of the teams first meeting, when Chris Jones blocked Folks 58-yard try on the final play of New Englands 27-25 win at Gillette Stadium in October.Brady and the Patriots were then able to run out the clock for the win.Its unfortunate, Ryan said. I really thought it was going to be our day.Here are a few things to know about the Patriots win over the Jets:REXS LAST STAND?: Ryans future with the team is uncertain as his sixth season winds down.New York will miss the post-season for the fourth straight year, and Ryan and general manager John Idzik have come under heavy criticism by fans who have urged owner Woody Johnson to make changes. Several waved yellow penalty towels at MetLife Stadium with the words Fire Idzik! printed in green.Its tough because through this all, hes been the rock, right guard Willie Colon said of Ryan. I honestly want to win for him, more than anybody.SO-SO BRADY: It wasnt a vintage performance by Brady, by any means, but he got the job done — as usual — against the Jets.Brady finished 23 of 35 for 182 yards and was sacked four times, a modest showing while playing without wide receiver Julian Edelman (concussion) and running back LeGarrette Blount (shoulder). He still improved to 20-5 in the regular season — 21-6 overall — as a starter against the Patriots AFC East rivals.They always play us pretty hard, Brady said. We got their best today.REVIS RETURNS: Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis played against his former team for the first time at MetLife Stadium since signing with New England, and it was a mostly quiet return — except for the fans booing him when he made one of his four tackles.Revis spoke briefly to Ryan, his former coach, after the game.I just told him after the game, good luck, good to see him, and that was it, Revis said. I was just showing him my respect for him coaching me in the past.INJURIES: Jets centre Nick Mangold injured his left ankle in the second quarter and was carted off the field.He said he had X-rays, which revealed no break, but was scheduled for additional tests Monday.New York also played without wide receiver Percy Harvin in the second half after he injured a rib.PAYING RESPECTS: Mangold wore a black NYPD cap while walking into MetLife Stadium off the team bus in honour of Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu, who were murdered in Brooklyn on Saturday, and held it to his heart during the singing of the national anthem. The team also observed a 10-second moment of silence before the game.Jets defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson, recently critical of law enforcement in the Ferguson, Missouri, incident, spoke out in support of the officers.Some innocent blood was spilled, Richardson said. Im not with that at all. Thats the message that Im trying to get across. Its sad, real sad that two officers lost their lives and cant go home to their families.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Tanner Lee Jaguars Jersey . - Mike Magee converted two penalty kicks in a 10-minute span of the first half and the Chicago Fire beat Sporting Kansas City 2-1 on Sunday. DJ Chark Jersey . -- DeMarcus Cousins had 25 points and 16 rebounds to help the Sacramento Kings snap a seven-game losing streak by defeating the Chicago Bulls 99-70 on Monday night. http://www.authenticjaguarslockroom.com/Youth-Ronnie-Harrison-Elite-Jersey/ . Vargas (8-3) allowed four singles and two walks while striking out five, allowing only two runners from a diluted Twins lineup to reach second base. Mike Moustakas and Jarrod Dyson hit RBI singles in the second inning against Kevin Correia (4-10), and that was all Vargas needed.HOUSTON -- This is how Dwight Howard plays when hes healthy. Howard had 17 points and a career-high-tying 26 rebounds in his Houston debut, James Harden added 21 points and the Rockets cruised to a 96-83 win over the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night. Howard spurned the Lakers to sign an $88 million deal with Houston, joining Harden and a team that made the playoffs last season for the first time since 2009. He said he rushed back too quickly from off-season back surgery last year and never felt quite right in his one disappointing season with Los Angeles. He believes hes returned to form since arriving in Houston and on Wednesday night he showed it. When asked if he could have had a game like this last season, he chuckled. "Physically, I doubt it," he said. "Not the way I did tonight." He said there were times last season that he just couldnt do things he was used to doing. "My mind was at the ball, but my body was still on the other side," he said. "I couldnt do it. Im a lot healthier than I was last season." It was the 63rd 20-plus rebound game of his career, but he was hoping for more. "I really was trying to get 30," he said. "I said coming in tonight that I wanted to get 30 rebounds. I was upset that I didnt do it, but Ill try the next game." The Rockets led by four points in the fourth quarter before using a 14-4 run to extend the lead to 86-72 with about 3 1/2 minutes left. Harden tossed an alley-oop to Howard for a dunk during that span. The crowd roared as Howard pointed and smiled at his new teammate. "He was amazing," Harden said. "Running the floor, rebounding the basketball ... and finishing the basketball. You know, doing what he does. Hes a game changer." Another dunk by Howard, this one a two-handed slam, capped the spurt. Howard didnt want to talk too much about how big this first game was after his off-season talk of joining the Rockets to help them win championships. "I didnt want to put any pressure on myself," he said. "I just wanted to go out there and play and have fun and get back to being who I am as a player. I think when you focus too much on that and what everybody else is saying thats when you dont play like you want to play." Charlotte coach Steve Clifford said dealing with both Harden and Howard was difficult. "They played to their strengths and we werent able to hold them when we needed to," he said. The Bobcats were led by Josh MMcRoberts, who had 15 points. D.J. Hayden Jaguars Jersey. Houston coach Kevin McHale stayed with the big lineup he first used late in the preseason with 7-footer Omer Asik at centre and Howard at power forward. But he switched things up and started Patrick Beverley over Jeremy Lin at point guard. Beverley injured his ribs in the second quarter and didnt return. Lin received stitches to his chin, but returned to the game. Harden was dealing with a sore wrist and back, but said hed be OK by Houstons next game on Friday. Beverley finished with five points and Lin added 16. Francisco Garcia had five 3-pointers and finished with 19 points. Al Jefferson started after missing most of the preseason with a sprained right ankle. Jefferson, who signed a three-year, $41 million deal in the off-season, had 13 points and eight rebounds in 31 minutes. "I was a little rusty and I most definitely am not in game shape and I missed a lot of shots I would normally make," he said. Houston led by eight points after a putback layup by Howard early in the third quarter. Jefferson got the Bobcats going after that, scoring four points in a 7-2 run to cut the lead to 51-48. A 3-pointer by McRoberts about three minutes later got Charlotte within 57-56. But Lin answered with a 3-pointer that was the first of six straight points for Houston, which pushed the lead to 63-56. Houston led 67-61 at the end of the third quarter. Charlotte is looking to bounce back from a terrible two-year stretch where the team posted an NBA-worst 28-120 record. They added Jefferson and drafted Cody Zeller with the fourth overall pick in an attempt to bolster the lineup. Zeller had two points and four rebounds in about 15 minutes. Howard was given what at first was called a flagrant foul after what looked like a light push at the midsection of McRoberts with about two minutes remaining in the first half. McRoberts got in Howards face after the foul before teammates pulled him away. The play was reviewed and changed to a personal foul, but Howard went to the bench anyway. McRoberts made both free throws and Howard returned in the third quarter. NOTES: The Rockets picked up the third-year option on the contracts of forward Terrence Jones and forward/centre Donatas Motiejunas on Wednesday. ... Former Rockets star Tracy McGrady, who retired from the NBA this summer, watched the game from a courtside seat next to team owner Leslie Alexander and got a loud ovation when he was introduced during a timeout in the second quarter. Cheap Heat Jerseys Cheap Bucks Jerseys Cheap Timberwolves Jerseys Cheap Pelicans Jerseys Cheap Knicks Jerseys Cheap Thunder Jerseys Cheap Magic Jerseys Cheap 76ers Jerseys Cheap Suns Jerseys Cheap Blazers Jerseys Cheap Sacramento Kings Jerseys Cheap Spurs Jerseys Cheap Raptors Jerseys Cheap Jazz Jerseys Cheap Wizards Jerseys ' ' '