Patriots top Chargers to stay in AFC driver's seat

SAN DIEGO — Breaking down the Patriots' 23-14 win over the Chargers.

Patriots pull away: It wasn't Tom Brady's best game — and his interception just before halftime was one of the ugliest passes he's thrown all year — but it has to be one of the most gratifying wins of the season for the Patriots quarterback. He was emphatic in celebrating the end of a scramble for a first down late in the fourth quarter that all but sealed the win, and he was the first player to congratulate the Patriots defense after New England stopped the Chargers on a last-ditch fourth-down attempt in the final minutes of the game.

Patriots in control: New England needed this win to remain in control of the No. 1 seed for the playoffs, thanks to Denver's win earlier in the day against Buffalo. The Patriots and Broncos each have 10 wins, but New England has the head-to-head win. For the Chargers, the loss doesn't knock them out of playoff contention, but they currently sit in the No. 6 spot, behind the Pittsburgh Steelers. It isn't a fantastic position to be in heading into next week's game against Denver.

Solving Gronkowski: The Chargers looked helpless to cover Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski in the first half. They couldn't cover him with an outside linebacker (Dwight Freeney), a cornerback (Brandon Flowers) or a safety (Jahleel Addae). So in the second half, the coverage responsibility went to star safety Eric Weddle, who at least helped slow Gronkowski. In the third quarter, Weddle made a touchdown-saving shoe-string tackle on Gronkowski on one possession and broke up a third-down pass on another drive.

Lost Scifres: Chargers punter Mike Scifres had to be driven off the field on a cart after suffering a shoulder injury when his punt was blocked in the first half. Scifres' injury forced place kicker Nick Novak into emergency punting duties. His punts got progressively better as the game progressed, from a 27-yarder in the second quarter to a 51-yarder to start the fourth.

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

Follow Lindsay H. Jones on Twitter @bylindsayhjones.

GALLERY: BEST OF WEEK 14 AROUND THE NFL