Snow problem for Tom Brady and Patriots

The bad weather did not bother Tom Brady. The big, bad Bears didn't, either.

He was cool as ever on a snowy, blustery, bone-chilling day, unfazed by the elements and not quite ready to celebrate after the New England Patriots locked up another play-off spot.

They are in it for the eighth time in 10 years after a 36-7 dismantling of the Chicago Bears on Sunday in which Brady threw for 369 yards and two touchdowns despite the harsh conditions.

"There's a long way to go," he said. "I don't think anything's really been accomplished yet. We're working hard. I don't think we've got every problem solved. There are plenty of defences that have kicked us around this year."

So he was not ready to celebrate. Nor was Bill Belichick, the coach. He said: "Good, we got to keep playing. I'm pretty sure when the end of the season comes, someone will tell us what we need to do."

The win was the fifth in a row for the Patriots (11-2), and this one was no less impressive than their 45-3 rout of the New York Jets the previous Monday night.

They wasted little time blowing it open, grabbing a 33-0 half-time lead and sending Belichick to his 174th career win.

Brady picked apart the league's third-ranked defence, completing 27 of 40 passes with no interceptions for the eighth straight game.

Deion Branch caught eight passes for a career-high 151 yards, including a 59-yard touchdown at the end of the first half.