enlarge The Associated Press

Tom Brady and Randy Moss, an offseason acquisition, became a record-setting combo for the Patriots. Brady set an NFL season record with 50 touchdown passes, and Moss did the same with his 23 TD catches.

Looking back now, everyone there at the beginning says they knew the New England Patriots could be something special this year.

They had acquired the talent, bringing in wide receivers to give Tom Brady more targets and linebackers to give more versatility and depth. They had the hunger, having lost in the 2006 AFC championship game in a fourth-quarter meltdown. They had the coach, Bill Belichick, considered one of the finest head coaches in NFL history.

And then, after Week 1, they had the motivation.

Belichick was found guilty by the NFL of illegally videotaping opponents' assistant coaches from the Patriots' sideline during games. That's a no-no, so Belichick was fined and the team was fined and stripped of its natural first-round draft pick next April.

Worse, critics said the incident blemished the team's championship seasons in 2001, 2003 and 2004.

So the Patriots have spent the rest of the season looking to prove they don't need to cheat to win.

They accomplished their goal, becoming the first team to complete a 16-0 regular season in NFL history and advancing to the Super Bowl with an unprecedented 18-0 record.

Here's a look at how it happened:

Sept. 9, at East Rutherford, N.J.: Pats 38, Jets 14

You name it, the Patriots did it and did it well. Tom Brady threw for 297 yards and three touchdowns; Randy Moss made his Patriots debut a spectacular one by catching nine passes for 183 yards and two TDs; the defense had five sacks; and Ellis Hobbs returned the second-half kickoff an NFL-record 108 yards for a touchdown.

"The bottom line is to make plays," said Hobbs, whose kick return made it 21-7. "That's what our offense did today. That's what our defense did today. That's what our special teams did today. It was a whole victory."

Moss then caught a 51-yard scoring strike from Brady, starting on the right side of the field and cutting diagonally across behind the Jets' secondary, where Brady found him alone for the score.

Sept. 16, at Foxborough: Pats 38, Chargers 14

In the first game after the Videogate scandal, just days after the NFL sanctions, the Patriots showed a national TV audience it's not smart to tick them off. The Patriots held a potent San Diego offense to 201 total yards, Brady threw for three more TDs and Moss scored twice more. It was 24-0 at halftime after linebacker Adalius Thomas, signed in the offseason, returned an interception 65 yards for a touchdown.

"We went through a lot this week but we blocked it out," said linebacker Tedy Bruschi. "To come out and win this game after hearing some of the things that were said about our team ... this victory was for all Patriots teams past and present."

Sept. 23, at Foxborough: Pats 38, Bills 7:

The steamroller continued as Brady threw four TD passes and Laurence Maroney rushed for 103 yards.

Buffalo led 7-3 after one quarter, expertly controlling the clock and keeping the Pats' offense off the field. But it was all Patriots after that. Brady threw TD passes to Benjamin Watson and Moss in the second quarter, another to Jabar Gaffney in the third and another to Moss in the fourth, a stunning one-handed grab down the right sideline.

Cornerback Asante Samuel, in his first start after holding out the entire training camp, got his first interception.

Oct. 1, at Cincinnati: Pats 34, Bengals 13:

Sammy Morris, starting for the injured Maroney, rushed for 117 yards and a touchdown while Brady threw another three TD passes, two more to Moss and the other to linebacker/end Mike Vrabel.

New England held Cincinnati to 57 yards rushing and wide receiver Chad Johnson to three catches.

Vrabel's touchdown catch was the ninth of his career, including playoffs. In fact, each of his nine career receptions has gone for a touchdown.

Oct....