FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots machine rolls on.
Despite all the distractions, it was business as usual for the Patriots as they returned to the AFC Championship Game for the seventh consecutive season by beating the Tennessee Titans 35-14 on Saturday at frigid Gillette Stadium.
The result came after a week in which an ESPN The Magazine report detailed friction between coach Bill Belichick, quarterback Tom Brady and owner Robert Kraft, and had each of the “Big Three” answering questions about it. By Tuesday morning, Belichick had felt the need to reset the agenda and said, “At this point, I’m all-in on Tennessee.