Patriots' defense does super job

FOXBORO, Mass. -- Jerod Mayo gathered the defense around him, as only a true leader could.

A little more than 11 minutes stood between the Patriots and their fifth trip to the Super Bowl in 11 years, and Mayo was determined to make sure the defense didn't blow it.

The linebacker reminded the unit that the score -- 23-20, after Tom Brady's 1-yard dive into the end zone with 11:29 left -- and the team's destiny was in its hands. All he asked his teammates to do was stop the Ravens.

And that's just what they did.

"We had to step up our level of play," said Patriots safety James Ihedigbo, a former Jet. "Everyone talks about every other defense that's in the playoffs besides ours. It was a matter of us . . . saying we can compete at a high level. We have and we will continue to. And people need to start respecting the defense and the way we play."

Even Brady, who on national TV admitted "I [stunk] really bad today," gave credit to his defense for ensuring their 23-20 victory over the Ravens in yesterday's AFC Championship Game.

The Patriots had the second-worst defense during the regular season, but their much-maligned unit stifled Baltimore when it counted. The Ravens controlled the time of possession in the final quarter 10:01 to 4:59, but New England came up with the big plays in crunch time, including Brandon Spikes' interception on the Ravens' first possession of the fourth.

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"A few days ago, I was dreaming about this game and my dream came true," said the linebacker, who picked off Joe Flacco's first-down pass intended for tight end Ed Dickson and ran it back 19 yards. "I was dreaming about making a big play. It wasn't that, but hey, I'll take it."

Cornerback Sterling Moore provided another big lift, punching the ball out of Lee Evans' hands in the end zone to prevent a touchdown that would have given Baltimore the lead with 27 seconds left.

The Patriots sacked Flacco three times and held running back Ray Rice to 67 yards on 21 carries.

As Mayo stood inside the Patriots' locker room, which was packed and pulsating with rap music, he said he couldn't recall his exact words to his teammates. But unlike Ihedigbo, he said he wasn't bothered by the criticisms aimed at them this season. "We've been through some things as far as injuries are concerned, as far as not having that consistency that you would like," Mayo said. "But coming into the playoffs, coach [Bill] Belichick really told us, 'Hey, it's all about now. We're playing for now.' "

And if the unit continues to play as well as it did Sunday, a fourth Lombardi Trophy could be headed to Foxboro.

Said Mayo: "The sky's the limit, to be honest with you."