Julian Edelman Becomes Patriots All-Time Leader In Postseason Receptions
BOSTON (CBS) -- Julian Edelman will now find his name atop the Patriots' record books.
The receiver passed Wes Welker and is now the team's all-time leader in postseason receptions, and did so with a big play against the Houston Texans in the AFC Divisional Round on Saturday night. Edelman hauled in a 48-yard connection from Tom Brady for his 70th career catch in the playoffs.
Edelman had a monster game for the Patriots, finishing with eight receptions for 137 yards on 13 targets, and now has 76 career receptions in the playoffs. That ties him with Thurman Thomas for seventh all-time in NFL postseason history.
He also now owns the second-most postseason receiving yards for the Patriots with 819, trailing just Deion Branch's 852 yards.
But Edelman was in no mood to talk about records after New England's 34-16 win. Instead, he was focused on how the offense could get better after struggling for long stretches against a tough Houston defense.
"If we want to move on, we know we can't play like that," Edelman said after the victory. "We're going to have to learn from the stuff we didn't do well, build off the stuff we did decent and focus on trying to take care of the ball.
"There's an old saying: An ugly win is better than a pretty loss. We found a way to do it and we did show some mental toughness, but we have to improve," he said. "Don't get me wrong, any time you win a game in the playoffs it's a good thing... It's fun to win one game in the playoffs, but it's not where your mind is at."