Patriots' defense, special teams improve

By MATTHEW CARROLL

Associated Press / November 23, 2012

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‘‘I thought it was almost impossible to score 35 points in a quarter, but they found a way to do it,’’ said Jets coach Rex Ryan. ‘‘You have to give them a ton of credit. That’s a great football team. Like I said, they don’t need any help, and when you don’t protect the football . 35 points in a quarter is ridiculous.’’

The Patriots’ mantra all season has been to play a full 60 minutes. On Thursday, however, 52 seconds was more than enough to quiet the Jets.

‘‘This team is a steady group. When we play together, we play well. Good things happen,’’ nose tackle Vince Wilfork said. ‘‘It starts being fun when you score 28 points in a quarter. All you can say is, ‘Wow.’ ‘‘

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