Much like the Monday night Week 14 game, the New England Patriots had little trouble putting away the Houston Texans once again on Sunday evening. The 41-28 victory showcased yet another outstanding postseason performance from Tom Brady (344 yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 turnovers), who led the Patriots to another AFC Championship game where, for the second year in a row, they will host the Baltimore Ravens for the right to punch a ticket to the Super Bowl.
While Wes Welker, Aaron Hernandez, and Stevan Ridley all played well -- as they usually do -- the Patriots got an enormous boost from an unlikely source. Shane Vereen, who had just 70 touches all regular season, turned out to be a major focal point of New England's offense on Sunday -- he racked up over 120 yards from scrimmage and found the end zone three times to help put the game out of reach. Brad Wells of SB Nation shares his thoughts on the Patriots' 17th postseason win in the last 12 years.