New England Patirots links 1/16/17 - No such thing as ugly playoff win; Pats move on

TEAM TALK

• Post Game Notes and Records: Patriots vs. Texans. Robert Kraft earns his 26th postseason win.
• Erik Scalavino posts his observations from the press box at Gillette Stadium: Not as easy as we thought.
• Paul Perillo shares some random thoughts from the game: On to AFC title.
• Andy Hart Stock Watch: Dion Lewis, defense push Pats past Texans.
• Paul Perillo tells us who won their matchups from Pats-Texans: Sloppy Pats slip past Texans.
• Post Game Transcripts: Patriots and Texans.
• Post Game Pressers: Bill Belichick - Tom Brady - Devin McCourty.
• Monday Conference Call Transcript: Bill Belichick.

LOCAL LINKS

• Mike Reiss shares some quick-hit weekend thoughts: Teammates take pride in Logan Ryan proving doubters wrong.
• Christopher Price shares 5 mostly Patriots-related thoughts on Sundays playoff action: If you don't have an elite QB, you're out of luck.
• Mike Reiss says what we're all thinking: The Patriots will need a better performance in the AFC title game.
• Ben Volin tells us why the offense is 'in need of a fine-tuning'.
• Ian Logue (PatsFans) Win over Texans a wakeup call for Patriots heading into AFC Championship.
• Tom E. Curran writes that even though the Patriots move on, it's not all smiles in Foxboro.
• Jim McBride wants Pats fans to admit they were a little bit scared before recapping the game.
• Christopher Price tells us what we learned Saturday: In the playoffs 'an ugly win is better than a pretty loss.'
• Chad Finn gives us 34 takeaways from Saturday's win: Patriots weren't great but they still won.
• Dave D'Onofrio picks 5 reasons the Patriots beat the Texans: Houston's fatal flaw.
• Henry McKenna (PatriotsWire) Bill Belichick still sounds angry about Eric Rowe's costly penalty vs. Texans.
• Henry McKenna (PatriotsWire) Bill Belichick tells Patriots: 'It's not good enough to win next week'.
• Christopher L. Gasper says that to Tom Brady, 'good enough' isn't enough.
• Ryan Hannable looks at Tom Brady's release time and finds Brady averaged 2.61 seconds from snap-to-throw, which was his highest mark all season.
• Anthony Grace (FootballNation) Patriots Tom Brady now has more playoff wins than 85% of NFL franchises! And more TB fun facts.
• Ryan Hannable states that if there's a choice between Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers with one game to decide it all, he's taking Brady.
• Alex Speier writes how Julian Edelman has emerged as The Target, the receiver whose number Brady has called more than any other.
• Adam Kurkjian finds that when Brady's in need of a playmaker, he finds Julian Edelman.
• Ian Logue (PatsFans) Edelman came through again for the Patriots.
• Henry McKenna (PatriotsWire) Martellus Bennett likes the Boston accent, enjoys ‘Mahty' chants from Patriots fans.
• Karen Guregian wants to see how the Patriots defense will perform against a legitimate quarterback.
• Dan Ventura says Brock Osweiler came bearing gifts, and the Patriots secondary were more than willing to accept them.
• Kevin Duffy notes Logan Ryan has put together an excellent month of football, helping to limit DeAndre Hopkins to 65 yards.
• Mike Reiss examines the snap counts: Season low 12 snaps for James White, but he still made an impact with a TD.
• Brandt Frye (FootballNation) Patriots 34, Texans 16: Three biggest takeaways.
• Mike Reiss picks his Ups and Downs from Saturday night.
• Karen Guregian finds that the branches of the Bill Belichick coaching tree all appreciate their roots.
• Tom E. Curran reports Antonio Brown recorded 13-minute Facebook Live video (unbeknown to teammates or coaches) after the Steelers win Saturday over the Chiefs.

NATIONAL NEWS

• NFL Game Center (NFL.com) Houston Texans vs. New England Patriots. Recap, stats, highlights.
• Greg A. Bedard (SI) Pats' flawed win over Texans won't please Belichick—and that may help them next week.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) The Patriots know they need to play better offensively.
• Michael Tunison (Sports on Earth) Pats regrets? They have a few.
• Tyler Kepner (NY Times) Patriots beat Texans to reach sixth straight AFC title game.
• Judy Battista (NFL.com) Patriots march on with imperfect victory over Texans.
• Kevin Patra (NFL.co) Patriots top Texans, move on to AFC Championship.
• Josh Alper (ProFootballTalk) The Patriots are back in the AFC title game.
• Report (AP) I'll have the usual: Patriots advance to AFC title game.
• Andre Vergara (Fox Sports) Tom Brady throws the saddest spiral of his season and still completes it for a big gain.
• Dan Graziano (ESPN) Now it gets real for the Patriots: Two more wins to title No. 5.
• Frank Schwab (Yahoo! Sports) Patriots win as expected, but sloppy performance should give everyone else confidence.
• Chris Chase (Fox Sports) Tom Brady was ugly on Saturday; what does that mean for the AFC championship?
• Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News) Patriots replaced Gronk with four-headed running back monstah.
• Danny Kelly (The Ringer) Dion Lewis played the Gronk role: Despite losing a fumble, the Patriots RB has been New England’s matchup destroyer against the Texans.
• Pat Imig (Sporting News) Dion Lewis' rise to stardom is perfect for Patriots.
• Charles P. Pierce (SI) Dion Lewis follows Patriots' long tradition of journeyman success.
• Dan Hanzus (NFL.com) Dion Lewis enjoys record-setting night vs. Texans.
• Dan Hanzus (NFL.com) Tom Brady is a fired-up maniac assassin, per usual.
• Michael Renner (Pro Football Focus) HOU-NE grades: Patriots CB Logan Ryan earns top mark in playoff victory.
• Jeremy Bergman (NFL.com) Brock Osweiler rues missed opportunities in loss.
• Conor Orr (NFL.com) Earl Thomas complains about Patriots' playoff route.
• Adam Rank (NFL.com) Patriots, Yankees, Lakers among best sports dynasties.
• Peter King (The MMQB) MMQB: Final four looks fantastic.
• Will Brinson (CBS Sports) Sorting the Saturday Pile: Patriots look vulnerable, Matt Ryan plays like an MVP.
• Gary Gramling (The MMQB) 10 Things I think I think: Chargers' greed gets them nowhere, Kyle Shanny magic, Patriots play their C game... and win by 18.
• Andrew Brandt (The MMQB) As franchises move, fans are left in the lurch... plus the mechanics of coach hirings and how players are (under)paid in the postseason.
• Jason La Canfora (CBS Sports) NFL coaching carousel: Two coveted candidates available, but one job remains.
• Jason La Canfora (CBS Spots) Here's a fix to the NFL's tired policy of blocking coaches from interviews.

VIEW FROM HOUSTON

• Aaron Wilson (Houston Chronicle) Texans' Duane Brown: 'A lot of self-inflicted mistakes cost us'.
• Deepi Sidhu (HoustonTexans) Texans fall 34-16 to Patriots.
• Marc Vandermeer (HoustonTexans) Upset bid falls in 4th.
• Aaron Wilson (Houston Chronicle) Patriots' Tom Brady shows Texans how to get it done.
• Trevor Hass (Houston Chronicle) Brock Osweiler unravels in Texans' fall in Foxborough.
• Matt Young (Houston Chronicle) Brock Osweiler ripped by memes after playoff performance.
• Drew Dougherty (HoustonTexans) Texans frustrated by missed opportunities.
• Aaron Wilson (Houston Chronicle) Texans' special teams makes impact vs. Patriots.
• Randy Harvey (Houston Chronicle) Reasons for pessimism heading into offseason.

DUMPSTER DIVE

• Dr. Jessica Flynn (BostonSportsDoc) Should the NFL overhaul its medical system? Why the Harvard study has it right.
• Michael David Smith (ProFootballTalk) NFL’s investigation into Ezekiel Elliott won’t wrap up any time soon.