FOXBORO — The temperature was 13 degrees Fahrenheit with the wind blowing 14 mph making for a wind chill factor of 2 degrees below zero when the Patriots and New York Jets took the Gillette Stadium surface Sunday afternoon under a cloudy sky.
That made it the coldest regular-season home game since the franchise relocated here in 1970.
The Patriots, though, were prepared after having practiced outside Wednesday, Thursday and Friday with the middle workout being especially chilly.
“Yeah it was cold,” said Patriots safety Devin McCourty, who has played in his share of challenging weather conditions since arriving in New England in 2010. “It was definitely cold and as much as I’d hate to admit it, practicing outside during the week definitely helped.
“We hated every part of being out there and practicing but I think everybody came out there today and was all, ‘This isn’t as bad as Thursday practice.’ Mentally I think that already gives you a nod when you go into the game like, ‘It is what it is.’ ”
Being aware of wind direction was a top priority.
“Deep balls when you’re with the wind, the offense is trying to take advantage of that with the quarter and when it shifts,” McCourty said. “You want to throw the ball downfield because you have the wind. Field goal position, things like that is what we talk about situationally but I think guys understood that and didn’t let it affect them mentally.”
None of it seemed to bother Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who was spotted on the field before the game wearing a T-shirt and shorts.
Gronk quiet
Rob Gronkowski entered the Patriots’ regular-season finale having played 111 games since being arriving here as a second-round draft choice in 2010. The 6-foot-6, 265-pound tight end had been held without a reception in three games, but never once had he not been targeted for a pass.
That changed Sunday in the Patriots’ 26-2 win over the Jets. Quarterback Tom Brady threw 37 passes to nine receivers, none of whom wore uniform No. 87.
Gronkowski, though, realized the lack of balls to come his way and said he was fine with it.
“Yeah, everything is good,” Gronkowski said. “We just won the AFC … we got the No. 1 seed. We worked hard all season and that was a big win right there and we topped it off. So it was a good, overall team win.”
Asked if he was surprised by the lack of targets, Gronkowski paused for a second or so and said, “No,” and left it at that.
Gronkowski came in leading the team with 105 targets despite missing two games, one to injury and the other to suspension.
The lack of opportunities in the passing game was partly attributable to the Jets paying extra attention to Gronkowski and the lack of snaps (nine) he had in the second half. Why he didn’t play much after halftime was anyone’s guess outside of Belichick.
“I have no clue,” Gronkowski said. “It was coach’s decision, so coach’s decision is coach’s decision.”
Gronkowski finished as the team leader in receptions (69), receiving yards (1,084) and receiving touchdowns (8). That those statistics remained unchanged Sunday shouldn’t affect any bonuses he has in his contract.
Gronkowski earned $4.5 million for reaching 1,000 yards and can earn another $2 million — which he could have hit by reaching 1,200 yards — by being named All-Pro, which seems a strong possibility.
Harrison productive
James Harrison set out a simple goal to start his career — prove people wrong.
When he signed with the Patriots last week, after being released by the Pittsburgh Steelers, the 39-year-old set out to do the same. This time, instead of proving scouts wrong, the former undrafted free agent wanted to show everyone he could still play football.
Despite playing only 40 defensive snaps in five games this season, Harrison showed everyone he still has some gas left in the tank. In his first game with the Patriots, the edge rusher finished with a season-high 5 tackles, 2 sacks, and 1 forced fumble.
“I don’t really listen to what other people say I can do. I listen for what people say I can’t do,” Harrison said. “I want to prove people wrong. I want to show I’m able to still do it. I may not be able to do it like I used to, but I want to prove I’m still able to do it to where I should be out there.”
This season was a struggle for Harrison who played sparingly. His most playing time came in Week 3 against Kansas City when he played 15 defensive snaps. On Sunday, he played over two dozen for the Patriots, lining up on the edge in the team’s base defense.
Harrison’s first couple of hits as a member of the Patriots was a big one as he and Elandon Roberts stopped running back Elijah McGuire for a loss of two. Then in the third quarter, on third-and-5, Harrison crushed Robby Anderson over the middle to stop the receiver short of the first-down marker.
“I was getting a lot of help. A lot of help from the guys that were out there, that been here,” Harrison said. “They were helping me to get lined up and if I didn’t know something I would give them a look.”
It looked like Harrison’s day might’ve been over, but he came on the field for the final series of the game and subsequently sacked Jets quarterback Bryce Petty on the final two plays of the game. The first was a strip sack, but the Jets recovered.
“I was just rushing outside. It was the last couple plays of the game. They’re going to pass it so I’ve got a good off to get around the corner,” Harrison said. “The other one, they caught me and I was able to convert back underneath the guard. The quarterback was scrambling back towards me, so luck.”
On top again
For the seventh time, the Patriots will enter the playoffs as the AFC’s No. 1 seed. That’s the most in the NFL, under their current format since 1990. Going back to 1975, the seven top seeds are second all-time behind San Francisco and Denver.
With the top seed, the Patriots also lock up home-field advantage and have a bye next weekend. The team will have the next two days off before returning to practice on Wednesday.
It remains to be seen who the Patriots will play in the AFC divisional round, scheduled for the weekend of Jan. 13-14.
Two things are certain — the Pats can’t play the second seed (Pittsburgh) or third seed (Jacksonville) until the AFC championship. They’ll play the lowest remaining seed after next weekend’s wild-card round.