Neither rain, nor mud nor the Baltimore Ravens' vaunted defense can slow the New England express.

09:50 AM EST on Monday, November 29, 2004

BY TOM E. CURRAN
Journal Sports Writer

Journal photo / Mary Murphy

Patriots running back Corey Dillon was on the move again yesterday, rushing for 123 yards and a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens' top-rated defense.

FOXBORO -- It's beginning to look a lot like last year . . . every time they play.

Victories in the slop. Quarterbacks prone to drops. And lots of sad opponents everywhere . . .

The Patriots added Just Another Win yesterday, (heretofore to be referred to as JAW), slogging through the rain and muck at Gillette Stadium to knock off the Baltimore Ravens, 24-3, and move to 10-1.

To take care of the record-keeping, the Patriots kept pace with Pittsburgh (winners over Washington) in the race for home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs and now have won 17 straight at Gillette Stadium.

Of more immediate interest, though, is the fact that New England did what it's done for several years now -- embraced the elements, no matter how ugly they are.

"The worse the weather gets, the better the Patriots play," said linebacker Tedy Bruschi, whose fourth-quarter strip sack of Ravens quarterback Kyle Boller led to a game-icing touchdown. "When it comes November, December, and the sun goes down and that snow starts falling and that rain starts falling and you see that mud, we are extremely confident."

There was little to see except mud yesterday as the entire area between the numbers turned into a sloppy quagmire as the game wore on.

As it started to get really ugly in the third quarter, all-weather Adam Vinatieri kicked field goals of 40 and 48 yards to make it 9-3.

A touchdown drive that started on the Ravens' 48, moved downfield on a 12-yard pass interference call and a 15-yard dart from Tom Brady (15 for 30 for 172 yards) to Deion Branch to reach the Baltimore 5. From there, Corey Dillon (30 carries, 123 yards) took two handoffs and scored on a 1-yard run. He then busted through with the two-point conversion to make it 17-3.

Baltimore, floundering on offense (124 yards and eight first downs for the day), then twisted the knife into itself. On second-and-20 at its own 20, linebacker Mike Vrabel tripped up Boller, Bruschi flashed in and knocked the ball loose, sending it toward the Ravens' goal line. Ravens running back Chester Taylor failed to cover it at the 2, sending it into the end zone where defensive end Jarvis Green gladly covered it to make it 24-3. After that, it was all over but the sliding.

As the Patriots won their 28th game in their last 31 outings, it was impossible not to recall all the other games over that period where the Patriots overcame the elements and their opponents to win with relative ease. Games against the Giants, Cleveland, Jacksonville and the Dolphins last season were all layups once the weather blew in.

Aside from a sloppy first half that ended with New England basically handing the Ravens their only points, yesterday's was like the others.

"We practice (in bad weather) from time to time," said Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. "I know it drives everybody crazy, but there is no way to simulate it. You can talk about it, but the only way to get out there and deal with it is to get out there and learn how to play with your feet under you, learn how to handle the ball and throw the ball where the receivers have a chance to catch it. Defensively, it's making sure you defend the field from the inside out."

The only real misstep the Patriots made came with 1:08 left in the firs half after Kevin Faulk muffed a punt and was slammed down at the Patriots' 16. Brady took a knee but Baltimore called time, hoping to get the ball back. The Patriots then ran Dillon wide to the left but he inexplicably went out of bounds, stopping the clock. The Patriots eventually punted and a 12-yard return by B.J. Sams was compounded by a 15-yard facemask on Matt Chatham and a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty on Bruschi for punting the flag. The 30 yards worth of penalties put the Ravens at the Pats' 16. Matt Stover eventuall kicked a 22-yard field goal to tie the game at 3-3.

But that little embarrassment turned out to be just a piece of broccoli in a supermodel's teeth.

The Patriots tacked on two field goals on their first two possessions of the third quarter to make it 9-3. Then they took over completely.

"They did the same things they always do," lamented Baltimore coach Brian Billick. "Fundamentally sound football. Once they get control of the game, that's an awfully hard team to beat. That's their M.O., and they're very good at it."

Especially when it's ugly out.

"We draw on November and December football in Foxboro," Bruschi said. "We feel like it's a different feeling. Once October ends, we get some home games, we get the weather bad and we love it. You breathe the air and (feel) we ought to be playing at a higher level."