EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- It wasn't surpassing Jerry Rice that made Randy Moss happiest, it was silencing his critics.

"I don't think me breaking Jerry Rice's record was special," Moss said at his postgame press conference. "I think shutting you guys up was really what made it special.

"After all the negativity, and all my critics, I think this really is a good feeling, to be able to come and have a season like this."

At the age of 30, and coming off the worst season of his career, with Oakland, Moss had a season for the ages, breaking Rice's record by catching 23 touchdown passes -- two of them coming in the Patriots' come-from-behind, 38-35 victory over the Giants that enabled New England to become the first team in NFL history to finish the regular season 16-0.

Moss had 98 receptions for a league-high 1,493 yards in his first year with the Patriots and their star quarterback, Tom Brady.

"My mind-set," said Moss, "was to come here and have a hell of a season. I knew what they had here -- the coaching staff, the guys, the success they've had here over the years. Now, what the numbers would be, I really didn't know. I just wanted to come here and play some good football."

Moss has played great football all year, and was terrific once again against the Giants. He scored the Patriots' first touchdown on a 4-yard pass from Brady on the first play of the second quarter, and then put the Pats ahead in dramatic fashion in the fourth quarter when he hauled in a 65-yard scoring bomb.

Only the play before, Moss tried to come back on an underthrown pass by Brady that would have been good for 50 yards, but couldn't quite hang on to the ball.

"I tried my best to come back and get it, because I saw one guy -- I don't know if it was the cornerback or the safety -- fall, so I knew it was my chance to try to get that catch and move the offense a little closer to the end zone.

"But I missed the ball and jogged back to the huddle, and the very next play, they called a play was really designed for Wes Welker to go out and get the first down, but the corner and the safety trapped Wes, and tried to trap Tommy into throwing the ball there and getting the ball picked off. But Tommy made a good read."

Moss made a bad decision after catching his first touchdown pass, drawing a penalty for excessive celebration after dancing in the end zone and then spiking the ball emphatically. That proved costly for the Patriots as, kicking off from their own 15, they were victimized by Domenik Hixon, who returned the ball 74 yards for a touchdown.

"I don't usually dance," Moss said. "But I decided to try to have a little fun. This week, it was the 'Tootsie Roll.' I kind of got in trouble with coach Belichick, but, hopefully, he'll look past that.

"We're grown men," Moss continued, "but we're still little kids at heart. I love what I do in between the white lines. I'm very blessed and fortunate to be in this position."

And the Patriots are very blessed and fortunate to have Moss playing the wide receiver position.