ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK // The New England Patriots have been nearly unbeatable since Tom Brady stopped throwing interceptions more than two months ago.
Now they will be even tougher to stop when the play-offs begin after securing the AFC's top seed with the first-round play-offs bye and guaranteed home games that come with it.
Brady threw three touchdown passes, including two to the tight end Rob Gronkowski, as New England routed the Buffalo Bulls 34-3.
Brady extended his streak of attempts without an interception to 319, topping the NFL mark of 308 set by Bernie Kosar with Cleveland in the 1990/91 season.
"I guess I'm glad I'm not throwing interceptions," Brady said, shrugging off the record.
"I think our team has done a really good job this year of not turning the ball over in general.
"All the guys that have handled it this year are doing a great job of taking care of it. I'm very fortunate. Believe me, I've had plenty of plays that definitely could have gone for interceptions. It's a good trend for us to be on, and hopefully it continues."
He was more pleased with helping the Patriots (13-2) finish first in the AFC for the third time since 2003, clinching their eighth division title in 10 years.
"It never gets old," he said. "We never get tired of winning."
Brady completed 15 of 27 passes for 140 yards, and had his eighth consecutive game with two or more touchdown passes. Alge Crumpler had a four-yard touchdown catch, Danny Woodhead scored on a 29-yard run and Shayne Graham kicked two field goals.
The Patriots complete the regular season by hosting the Miami Dolphins next weekend and are marching to the play-offs riding a seven-game win streak, their longest since going 16-0 in 2007.
Brady is leading an offence that has scored 31 or more points in seven consecutive games. He has only four interceptions this season, and none in 10 games, since throwing two in a 23-20 win over Baltimore on October 17.
The Bills (4-11) have had a hard enough time beating their division rivals to begin with, having now lost 15 in a row and 20 of their past 21 against New England. And they made it even more difficult on themselves by committing seven turnovers.
The only thing that could slow the Patriots was Mother Nature. Bad weather in the northeast prevented the team from travelling home. The Patriots were forced to bus an hour east to spend the night in Rochester; most hotels in the Buffalo-area are booked due to the city hosting the World Junior Hockey Championships.
That's fine with Patriots players, even though they had already missed Christmas with their families after travelling to Buffalo on Saturday.
"We got a win, and that's our biggest present, being able to come into the locker room and being able to see that [championship] hat and T-shirt," the tackle Vince Wilfork said. "That's something to be proud of."
The game was over before half time as the Patriots scored 24 unanswered points after the Bills opened with a field goal.
They went ahead on Woodhead's touchdown, which came after the linebacker Gary Guyton forced Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Buffalo quarterback, to fumble.
The Bills' string of turnovers continued through the last time they touched the ball, giving it away with 1:51 left when CJ Spiller muffed a punt.
Brady broke Kosar's record with his 17th attempt early in the third quarter, when Gronkowski dropped a pass over the middle at the goal line. The two hooked up on the next play for an eight-yard touchdown. Brady has thrown for a touchdown in all 15 games this season, keeping alive his opportunity to become only the seventh NFL player to have thrown a TD pass in all 16 games.
Bill Belichick, coach of the Patriots, is so accustomed to Brady's efficiency that he did not know his quarterback had set a record.
"I didn't realise he broke that. That's great," Belichick said. "Tom does a great job of managing the game and taking care of the ball. I think he deserves that."
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Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
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Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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%3Cp%3EAt%20launch%2C%20Lockdown%20Mode%20will%20include%20the%20following%20protections%3A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMessages%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Most%20attachment%20types%20other%20than%20images%20are%20blocked.%20Some%20features%2C%20like%20link%20previews%2C%20are%20disabled%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EWeb%20browsing%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Certain%20complex%20web%20technologies%2C%20like%20just-in-time%20JavaScript%20compilation%2C%20are%20disabled%20unless%20the%20user%20excludes%20a%20trusted%20site%20from%20Lockdown%20Mode%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EApple%20services%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EIncoming%20invitations%20and%20service%20requests%2C%20including%20FaceTime%20calls%2C%20are%20blocked%20if%20the%20user%20has%20not%20previously%20sent%20the%20initiator%20a%20call%20or%20request%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConnectivity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Wired%20connections%20with%20a%20computer%20or%20accessory%20are%20blocked%20when%20an%20iPhone%20is%20locked%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConfigurations%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Configuration%20profiles%20cannot%20be%20installed%2C%20and%20the%20device%20cannot%20enroll%20into%20mobile%20device%20management%20while%20Lockdown%20Mode%20is%20on%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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What is the Supreme Petroleum Council?
The Abu Dhabi Supreme Petroleum Council was established in 1988 and is the highest governing body in Abu Dhabi’s oil and gas industry. The council formulates, oversees and executes the emirate’s petroleum-related policies. It also approves the allocation of capital spending across state-owned Adnoc’s upstream, downstream and midstream operations and functions as the company’s board of directors. The SPC’s mandate is also required for auctioning oil and gas concessions in Abu Dhabi and for awarding blocks to international oil companies. The council is chaired by Sheikh Khalifa, the President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi while Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, is the vice chairman.
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Superliminal%20
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Martin Sabbagh profile
Job: CEO JCDecaux Middle East
In the role: Since January 2015
Lives: In the UAE
Background: M&A, investment banking
Studied: Corporate finance
Financial considerations before buying a property
Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.
“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says.
Also, shop around for the best mortgage interest rate. Understand the terms and conditions, especially what happens after any introductory periods, Ms Glynn adds.
Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier.
