It wasn’t what the inaugural debut was meant to be. With Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium hosting its first AFC Championship Game, the fans would have desired a different outcome. Their beloved Kansas City Chiefs advancing to the franchise’s first Super Bowl since 1969.
But the New England Patriots had other ideas. In a roller coaster game that saw four lead changes in the fourth quarter, Tom Brady and the Patriots completed the impossible. They won 37-31 in overtime, to advance to their third consecutive Super Bowl. This marks the ninth time that Brady and head coach Bill Belichick will be in this position. Despite what America thinks of the Patriots, it is a dynasty that has proven once again to be the best in football.
“What a great opportunity,” said Brady after the game. “The Chiefs blew so many teams off the field this year. It’s just an amazing feeling to comeback and beat this great organization.”
New England Patriots Show Mental Toughness In Advancing To Super Bowl LIII
Patriots Came in Facing Tough Competition
The Patriots knew who they were going up against in the Chiefs. Kansas City ranked first in the NFL in scoring (35.3 ppg), yards per play (6.84) and yards per game (425.6). With Patrick Mahomes at quarterback, who joined Peyton Manning and Brady to throw 50 touchdowns in one season, the Chiefs were capable of putting points on the board at a prolific pace. On the defensive side of the ball, the Chiefs were tied for first in the NFL with 52 team sacks. They forced 27 turnovers this season and had a +9 turnover differential). Given how well the Chiefs pass rush played against the Indianapolis Colts in the Divisional Round, it was going to be a challenge for the Patriots.
But New England knows how to turn any obstacle into an opportunity. Coach Belichick is a master at neutralizing the opposing team’s strengths. One of them was Chiefs star wide receiver Tyreek Hill. In the Divisional Round against the Colts, Hill had eight catches for 72 yards. His ability to split the defenders in the post route makes him one of the most dangerous receivers in all of pro football. In the AFC Championship Game, Hill only caught one catch for 42 yards. The ability of the Patriots secondary, led by Devin McCourty, to play strong man coverage was crucial in limiting the Chiefs top receiving target.
“We know how special Hill is,” said McCourty post-game. “Our coaches worked so hard to devise a game plan for us to be a successful. It worked out well tonight.”
Patriots Dictate Tone with Running Game and Pass Protection
To start the game, it was clear what the Patriots wanted to dictate the tone by running the football. The Chiefs were the 27th ranked run defense in the NFL during the regular season and it showed throughout the entire game on Sunday.
The Patriots would end the AFC Championship Game with 176 total rushing yards. Sony Michel had a breakout game, with 29 carries for 113 yards and two touchdowns. Rex Burkhead had 12 carries for 41 yards and two touchdowns, with his longest run being 14 yards. One of his two touchdowns was the game winner in overtime, a two-yard run up the middle into the end zone that would send the Patriots to the Super Bowl. Belichick was very impressed with the run game, which allowed the team to move the chains and get free yards on offense.
“We ran the ball effectively,” said Belichick. “I was proud of our guys of constantly keeping the Chiefs off balance and giving them different looks. We could have had a better night offensively, but still made the plays necessary to win.”
Football games are often won in the trenches. And the same can be said about Sunday’s game. The Patriots offensive line was physical, and protected Brady the whole night. The Chiefs recorded zero sacks of Brady, demonstrating the Patriots quarterback’s ability to make quick passes and that he had time in the pocket to find receivers in space. On the flip side, the Patriots defense had four sacks of Mahomes, penetrating the offensive line and making the young Chiefs quarterback scramble constantly.
“They blitzed about every down,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said post game. “They played strong man coverage. The defense was able to get home there a little bit on some of their gains.”
Chiefs Placed in Prime Position to Win Football Game
There were moments in the game where it felt like fate was on the Chiefs side. In the fourth quarter, after Julian Edelman‘s catch was overturned in his favor, he then dropped a catch-able ball on the next play, and the ball was intercepted. Late in the fourth quarter, with Mahomes needing a touchdown to keep the Chiefs alive in the game, he threw an errant pass that Patriots Jonathan Jones should have caught but dropped it.
Like theor Week six match-up against the Patriots, the Chiefs started slow on Sunday. But the second half was where Kansas City shined. In Sunday’s AFC Championship Game, Mahomes and the offense put up 24 points against Bill Belichick’s defense. Both times when the Patriots scored go ahead touchdowns to put them on top, Mahomes responded with scoring drives of his own. This included a five play, 68-yard touchdown drive to put the Chiefs up 28-24. Then, when the Patriots retook the lead 31-28 with under a minute to play, Mahomes got the Chiefs into field goal range to get the game tying field goal.
With the overtime rules as they are, Mahomes never had a chance to respond to Brady’s game winning touchdown drive. The Patriots also owned the time of possession over the Chiefs, generating 43:59 of time on the field compared to Kansas City’s 20:53.
But for young Patrick Mahomes, a lot of positives can be taken in a loss like this. It may hurt now, but this is a quarterback who is going to be performing on the big stage very soon.
“It’s going to hurt,” said Mahomes. “But when you look at the bigger picture, there is a lot to build off of and use it as motivation to go out and find ways to win next time.”
Don’t Bet Against Tom Brady
There is one reason why the Patriots are back in the Super Bowl. It’s Tom Brady. This year, Brady has been scrutinized more than ever. He’s 41 and people are wondering when Father Time will finally catch up with him. Rumors swirled that Belichick wanted Jimmy Garoppolo instead of Brady but owner Robert Kraft told the Patriots coach to trade the now San Francisco 49ers quarterback.
It is Mr. Kraft’s trust in Brady that has clearly paid off. In Sunday’s game, it was Brady, who despite playing with a dearth of wide receivers, made the plays necessary for the Patriots to win the game. He was 13 for 19 on third down, including three for three in overtime when the Patriots scored a touchdown to advance to the Super Bowl. Given all the adversity the Patriots faced this year, there is no one who could be trusted more than Brady.
“The odds were stacked against us,” said Brady. “We started off so slow. But our last four games have been our best. I was probably as excited as I have been in a long time. I am just really proud of my team.”
“He played great,” said Belichick speaking on Brady. “There is no one guy that can beat this team. You need confidence in everybody and the coaching staff did a great job.”
In two weeks, Brady and Belichick will be competing in their ninth Super Bowl together. With the AFC Championship win, Brady now has 29 playoff wins, the most of any quarterback in NFL history. It is more than the combined total of postseason wins of 15 teams since 2001.
Regardless of the status of the relationship between coach and player, it is clear that Brady and Belichick are rock solid in their efforts to help the team be successful. It was 2002 when a young Tom Brady won his first Super Bowl, beating the then St. Louis Rams. Now, 17 years later, a 41 year old is back in the Super Bowl and will go up against a talented, physical Los Angeles Rams team.
“They are a great team,” said Brady. “Well balanced on both sides of the ball. It’s going to be a great game.”
At 41 years old, it is hard to fathom that Tom Brady is playing even better football now than he did back in 2002. But he just might be. February third cannot come soon enough.
Main Photo
