Patriots Game

Telling stat: The New England Patriots’ All-World (formerly All-Thug, purportedly All-Rehabilitated) wide receiver Randy Moss was held to a total of two — two! — catches in the Pats’ playoff wins against the Jacksonville Jaguars and San Diego Chargers. This was planned. As one TV sports sage wagged, sagely, the Patriots are so deep that Moss was used as a decoy, drawing a shroud of double coverage and opening up the rest of the field for Joe Montana Jr., QB Tom Brady. It was perilous strategy by the Jags and the Bolts, but what isn’t? The Pats are 18-0 — 19-zip if you count their victory in Super Bowl XLII.

Oh, oops, they haven’t won yet. Oh, oops, yes, they have, though the final numbers have yet to be posted on University of Phoenix Stadium’s Herculean scoreboard. Eli Manning and the fated-darling New York Giants ain’t gonna beat these Cinderella manglers.

Tickets? Guffaw. Here’s your ticket: Fox Channel 10, with an anal-retentive NFL kickoff of 4:18 p.m. Radio: Westwood One (AM 910). UofP’s location if you just want to loiter outside of the stadium like a lame doof: 1 Cardinals Drive in Glendale. More info than you’ll ever need: www.superbowl.com.