Patriots begin quest to three-peat today when playoffs open

~ New England will face Jacksonville in an AFC wild card game.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots have a big edge in postseason experience over Jacksonville, winning three Super Bowls since the Jaguars last reached the playoffs.

The Patriots will also be playing at home with some cold temperatures forecast for tonight's wild-card playoff game. And, of course, there's Tom Brady at quarterback, Bill Belichick as coach and oddsmakers making them huge favorites.

None of that seems to matter to the Jaguars.

"We are not ecstatic that we are in the playoffs," defensive end Paul Spicer said. "We are playing to win."

The Patriots are taking the Jaguars very seriously, especially with quarterback Byron Leftwich returning for the playoffs after missing six games with a broken left ankle. He could be rusty. He also could be rarin' to go.

"The way I look at it, he's going to come in here that much rested," New England linebacker Monty Beisel said. "He's going to be amped up."

The last time the Jaguars were in a playoff game, Mark Brunell was the quarterback and they lost to Tennessee 33-14 in the AFC championship game after the 1999 season. That season, Leftwich had played in just two games at Marshall before emerging as a sophomore a year later.

Brady, meanwhile, is 9-0 in the playoffs with two Super Bowl MVP awards and a good sense of perspective.

Being 9-0 "doesn't really matter," he said. "It's how we play this week against Jacksonville. That's the only thing that matters. I don't think it's that important what anybody did against somebody else some other year, some other time, some other team."

Then how about the chilly temperatures forecast for the game?

"I really don't think that it's going to affect anything," Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel said. "It's not like we're standing in 80-degree weather and they're standing in the cold."

Certainly, then, having the fans behind them should help the Patriots in a stadium where they won 25 of their last 28 games? But the Jaguars were 6-2 on the road this year, and Patriots defensive end Richard Seymour criticized New England fans this season for not being loud enough. He also knows that relying too much on the past won't help.

"It's definitely different from the teams we have had in the past," he said. "It's not that we are better or worse, it's just a different team."

Jaguars defensive end Reggie Hayward had playoff experience the last two seasons with Denver.

"It helps a lot," he said, "but everyone in here knows the importance of this game. We understand that if we don't win, we go home. Everyone has that sense of urgency, that gut feeling that every play counts, that every down counts and we have to be at our best."

The Jaguars (12-4) have the fourth-best record among the NFL playoff teams and played Indianapolis well, losing two close games. And they won eight of their last nine games. But none of the eight teams they beat had a record better than 6-10.

"When we turn on that tape, we see them beating Cincinnati, we see them beat Pittsburgh, we see them beat Seattle," Belichick said. "There are not a lot of teams who are saying that."

The Patriots (10-6) won six of their last eight with just two of the teams they beat having winning records.

"They're world champs," Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio said. "They've got a tough group that is battled-tested and understands what it takes to win. They're rounding into shape."

The Patriots' front defensive seven has been outstanding down the stretch, and the secondary, battered by injuries, has improved. Their running game has struggled with Corey Dillon battling injuries for much of the season. Brady, who led the NFL with 4,110 yards passing, must face a Jacksonville defense ranked third with 47 sacks.

If the Patriots win, they would set an NFL record with their 10th straight playoff victory. To win the Super Bowl, though, they'd have to win four playoff games rather than the three they won in each of their last three championship seasons when they drew a first-round bye.

Two other historical notes:

The first time the teams met in the playoffs was in Foxborough on Jan. 12, 1997, when rookie kicker Adam Vinatieri made two field goals in New England's 20-6 win in the AFC title game. Two weeks later the Patriots lost the Super Bowl to Green Bay.

The last time they met in the playoffs, Brunell, who had missed the previous three games with an ankle injury, was the quarterback in the Jaguars' 25-10 win in Jacksonville in a wild-card game on Jan. 3, 1999. They lost the next week.

Now, they're ready to meet again.

"Every time you step out onto the field you have to redo it," Vinatieri said. "Just because you've done it in the past doesn't mean anything."