PHOTOS: Patriots Overcome Sloppy Play to Beat Jaguars Sunday

It certainly wasn't pretty but the New England Patriots found a way to beat the Jaugars Sunday in Jacksonville and keep pace for one of the top two playoff seeds in the AFC.

The Patriots (11-4) overcame a slow start filled with mistakes on both sides of the ball to beat Jacksonville, 23-16.

Quarterback Tom Brady didn't have his best day on the field but managed to end the day with 267 yards passing and two touchdowns. However he only completed 58 percent of his asses and threw two first half interceptions.

Running back Stevan Ridley rebounded from a disappointing, two-fumble game against the San Francisco 49ers last week to gain 84 yards on 18 carries (4.7 average). In the receiving game, Wes Welker hauld in 10 passes for 88 yards and one touchdown.

New England heads home to Foxborough to host the Miami Dolphins in the regular season finale on Sunday, Dec. 30. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:25 p.m.

The following game notes are courtesy of the Patriots Media Relations Department:

BRADY TIES JOHNNY UNITAS FOR THE SECOND LONGEST TOUCHDOWN STREAK

Brady has now thrown at least one touchdown pass in 47 straight regular season games to tie Johnny Unitas for the second longest streak in NFL history, behind Drew Brees (54).

BELICHICK LEADS PATRIOTS TO 11 WINS

The victory over Jacksonville is the Patriots’ 11th win of the season. Bill Belichick now has ten 11 wins seasons, including nine with the Patriots. He is tied with Tom Landry for second place all-time, behind Don Shula, who had 13 11-win seasons.

PATRIOTS TIE NFL RECORD FOR MOST FIRST DOWNS IN A SEASON

The Patriots tied the NFL record for most first downs in a season after gaining 23 first downs against Jacksonville to give them a total of 416 through the first 15 games of the season. The Patriots are tied with the 2011 New Orleans Saints with 416 first downs.

GOSTKOWSKI SETS SINGLE-SEASON HIGH FOR POINTS; ON PACE TO SET PATRIOTS RECORD

Stephen Gostkowski set a single-season career-high after gaining 11 points against Jacksonville to push his season total to 149. Gostkowski’s previous best was 148 points in 2008. Gino Cappelletti has the Patriots record with 155 points in 1964. Gostkowski is averaging 9.9 points per game. If he gets 9.9 points in the season-finale his 2012 total will be 159 points, a Patriots record and the fifth-highest total all-time in a single season in NFL history.

WES WELKER SETS NFL RECORD FOR MOST 10-CATCH GAMES

WR Wes Welker finished with 10 receptions and now has 18 in his career, including four in 2012. Welker broke a tie with Andre Johnson and Jerry Rice, who each have 17 career 10-catch games.

BRADY CAN BECOME THE FIRST PLAYER WITH AT LEAST 35 TDS IN FOUR DIFFERENT SEASONS

Tom Brady threw two touchdowns against Jacksonville and has 32 for the season. He needs three touchdowns to reach 35 and become the second NFL player to have at least three 35 touchdowns in three different seasons.

PATRIOTS SCORE TOUCHDOWNS IN 2012

The Patriots are first in the NFL in 2012 with 63 touchdowns, which is third in team history.

BOUNCING BACK AFTER A LOSS

Since the beginning of 2003, the Patriots are 30-4 (.882) in regular season games following a loss, dropping back-to-back regular season games just four times over that span.

PATRIOTS OFFENSE PUTTING UP HISTORIC SEASON

The Patriots have scored 529 points through 15 games this season, the second most in team history.

WELKER EXTENDS STREAK TO 109 CONSECUTIVE GAMES WITH AT LEAST ONE RECEPTION

Wes Welker extended his streak to 109 straight regular season games with at least one reception, including his time with the Miami Dolphins. He has a streak of 92 straight regular-season games with at least one reception as a member of the Patriots to extend his franchise record. Welker has caught at least one pass in each of his 99 games with the Patriots, including seven postseason games. The last time that Welker did not catch a pass in a game was December 24, 2005 when he was with Miami. He is one of 39 NFL players to have a streak of at least 100 games with one reception.

PATRIOTS FORCE TURNOVERS

With Marquice Cole’s third quarter interception, the Patriots have forced a turnover in 26 straight games, dating back to 2011 and including the first 15 games of 2012. The last team to have at least one forced turnover in all 16 regular season games was the 2010 Atlanta Falcons. The streak of 26 straight games with a turnover is the longest streak for the Patriots since going 30 straight games with at least one takeaway from 1986 to 1988. The Patriots have now had at least one interception in eight of the last nine games.

PATRICK CHUNG HAS FIRST CAREER TWO-INTERCEPTION GAME

Patrick Chung ended Jacksonville’s final two drives with interceptions, including an interception in the end zone to secure a 23-16 win as time expired. It is his first two-interception game. It is the second time in 2012 that a Patriots player had two interceptions in a game. Devin McCourty had two at Buffalo on Sept. 30.