Sunday’s win over the Jets secured the top seed in the AFC for the Patriots, with the team coming up with some big performances from several key players during their 26-6 victory at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Looking back, New England still has some things to build on when they finally play again in two weeks but here’s a look at some takeaways from Sunday’s game.<\/p>\n
1) Another great day from Dion Lewis<\/strong> – One of the best stories the Patriots’ regular-season finale is the fact that the Patriots came into this game with a backfield that was without James White, Rex Burkhead and Mike Gillislee, all of whom were inactive.\u00a0 That left just Lewis to carry the load against the Jets’ defense and once again, he came through in a big way.\u00a0 He was front and center in the Patriots’ ground game, carrying 26 times for 93 yards while averaging 3.6 yards-per-carry as the Patriots controlled the clock and won the time of possession by a solid margin.\u00a0 They held the football for 34:49 compared to just 25:11 for the Jets, with Lewis gaining some tough yardage as the team piled up 10 rushing first downs on the afternoon.<\/p>\n Lewis’ contribution can’t be underplayed, especially\u00a0given how cold it was and the inconsistency they dealt with in the passing game throughout much of the afternoon.\u00a0 Had Lewis struggled, it may have made things more difficult and prevented New England from pulling away offensively.<\/p>\n Instead, Lewis moved the football consistently and he enjoyed similar\u00a0success down in the red zone, carrying 7 times for 24 yards including three first downs, one of which was a touchdown.<\/p>\n The Jets’ defense didn’t make it easy and they had their moments, stopping Lewis for a loss three times on Sunday while holding him to 2-yards or less on eight other carries.\u00a0 Fortunately, Lewis did what he needed to and he enjoyed the expanded role.<\/p>\n “I’m embracing it,” Lewis told reporters after the game.\u00a0 “I like having the ball, I like helping my team win.\u00a0 They counted on me today and I had a lot of fun out there.”<\/p>\n “We won.\u00a0 It was a great way to close the year out.\u00a0 Now we’ve just got to move forward and work hard for the playoffs.”<\/p>\n 2) Gronkowski played, but he was protected<\/strong> – Another thing that stood out was the fact that while Rob Gronkowski played in the season finale, the Patriots came in with a plan to protect him. They kept him out of harm’s way by keeping him in as a blocker for the majority of their plays, which saw him finish the afternoon without a single target.\u00a0 That marks the first time in his career that he wasn’t targeted in a game he played in.<\/p>\n As a result, Gronkowski finished the season with 69 receptions for 1084 yards and 8 touchdowns.<\/p>\n Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald Tweeted after the game that he asked Gronkowski if he knew how many catches he had this season.\u00a0 Howe said Gronkowski smirked and replied, “Yeah, 69”.<\/p>\n How fitting.<\/p>\n Howe also posted the temperature in the Patriots’ press conference room after the game.<\/p>\n Temperature in the Patriots press conference room pic.twitter.com\/yh3jMROfCh<\/a><\/p>\n — Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) December 31, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n