SUCK ON THAT
For all of you thinking this was the end of Tom Brady and the Patriots, they advance to yet another Super Bowl with an epic win over the Chiefs
KANSAS CITY — Tom Brady was right. The New England Patriots do suck. They suck at sharing. And he’s just the worst. The Kansas City Chiefs did everything they could to pry the Lamar Hunt Trophy named after their original owner from Brady and the Patriots at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday night. They even scored three touchdowns and had another waved off in the fourth quarter. They made a last gasp drive for a 39-yard field goal that sent one of the most thrilling playoff games in memory to overtime. Then they lost the flip. That’s all it took for Brady to lead the Patriots to the clinching touchdown, a twoyard burst up the middle by Rex Burkhead, and to a 37-31 victory that prolongs the agony for Chiefs fans.
The Patriots are now en route to their third consecutive Super Bowl and fourth in five years, fifth in eight.
Now they’re the Los Angeles Rams’ problem.
Give lots of credit to the Chiefs, who rallied from a 14-0 halftime deficit and looked like they weren’t going to make a game of it.
Their last touchdown, the third of the game by running back Damien Williams was a two-yard surge set up by a pass interference call on Patriots rookie J.C. Jackson and a clutch connection between Patrick Mahomes and Sammy Watkins, his favourite receiver on this day. It put the Chiefs ahead 28-24 with 125 seconds left.
That would be that, at least in the minds of all the people who actually believe the Patriots suck, as Brady stated following last week’s playoff win over the Chargers. Whichwasnoone. Brady promptly led the Patriots back downfield for a four-yard touchdown run by Burkhead to seemingly seal another deal for the New England dynasty.
But Mahomes, the young buck that he is, pulled off his own magic in the final 39 seconds. He moved the ball into position for Harrison Butker to send it into overtime with a 39-yard field goal.
The drama couldn’t get any thicker.
Trailing 17-14 with 8:35 left, Chiefs punter Dustin Colquitt booted a ball down field to where Julian Edelman was waiting, and then reaching out for it when it bounced his way. The awkward last hop appeared to go off Edelman’s finger, or his thumb or his arm and then past him, to where a streaking Gehrig Dieter picked it up and bolted to the end zone.
Who would have guessed the star to be the Chiefs No. 12 not the guy wearing that number for the Patriots. The moment of glory was fleeting for the Dieter, a back up receiver, as after a long look at the replay it was decided the ball didn’t even touch Edelman.
The Pats retained possession and the slim lead, while beer cans and bottles were lofted from the higher levels at Arrowhead Stadium.
As fate would have it, the next ball coming Edelman’s way definitely did touch him. The Brady pass end off his hands to Chiefs safety Daniel Soreneson, who took the interception to the Patriots 23-yard line.
The Chiefs second play after the first went nowhere was a perfectly designed screen to Williams, who raced all the way to pay dirt and the home team’s first lead of the day.
The Patriots erased it with a 10-play, 75-yard drive that was capped by a fourth-andinches gamble which became a 10-yard touchdown jaunt by Sony Michel. The ensuing point after put the Pats in front by a field goal with three and a half minutes to play.
After making only two plays worth mentioning in the first half, Mahomes was a different quarterback to start the third quarter. Just like when the teams met in New England on Oct. 14, his sev-
enth career start. Mahomes fell behind 24-9 at the half that night, then pieced together a rally that fell just short in a 43-40 loss.
Three months and many impressive moments later, Mahomes dropped back into the pocket a minute into the second half and planted his feet while the O-line bought him a ridiculous amount of time. Finally he lofted the ball high and long for Watkins, who made the catch and tripped as he was heading to the end zone. The Chiefs had to settle for a 54 yard gain instead of six points, but they took care of business one play later when Mahomes found Travis Kelce for a 12-yard score.
Handing the ball back to Brady didn’t hurt so much in the third quarter. The Patriots did get into position for a successful 47-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski, but their only other possession ended when Chris Jones swatted away a Brady third down pass at the line.
With some momentum, the Chiefs offence kept rolling. Mahomes made a fantastic sidearm pass to Watkins for a first down just as he was about to be hit. The next play, he led Williams with a screen that turned into a 33-yard gain down the sidelines.
Soon, Williams would be scoring one a one-yard catch, and the Chiefs would be tailing by a field goal. Things were getting interesting, a more so still when the Patriots next possession took them to the Chiefs 25-yard line, where a fourth and inches game was snuffed out by the Dee Ford and friends.
The Patriots attacked K.C.’s 27th ranked run defence right out of the gate. The first play from scrimmage was a handoff to Michel that the rookie took up the middle for 11 yards. Fourteen plays, 80 yards and 8:05 later, Michel was barging through from one-yard out for the score.
It was fourth touchdown in two playoff games for the former Georgia Bulldog.
Mahomes appeared to have AFC Championship game jitters in his second ever playoff start. He overthrew and under-threw receivers from the start. With their first possession, the Chiefs started on their 16 and in six plays they generated one first down, on a penalty. The drive ended on their 10 after Mahomes suffered the first of two, 14-yard sacks.
It was the only time they had the ball in the opening quarter.
With another run-driven march the Patriots started the second quarter with a first-and-goal setup from the five. Very soon, we knew, they would be going up 14-0. But a funny thing happened on the way to their second score. On third down from the one, Brady threw a pass over the middle intended for Rob Gronkowski, but it was picked off by Chiefs linebacker Reggie Ragland.
It looked very much like the turnover the Chiefs would make a turning point. Instead, they turned it into a three and out. Even Mahomes’ lone completion would not have been so had Kelce not picked it off his shoe tops.
Meanwhile, Brady should have been picked off a second time when he got the ball back. His off target throw was right to Chiefs safety Eric Berry, the rustiness player on the field who was suiting up for just the third time this season.
His drop allowed the Chiefs offence to rest a little longer.
When the Chiefs did get the ball a short while later, they finally were able to move it. Mahomes scrambled before finding a leaping Watkins for a first down. Seemingly with some confidence, he reared back on the next play and sailed a 42-yarder to Tyreek Hill, putting the Chiefs on the New England 23.
Seemingly with too much adrenalin running through his veins, Mahomes overthrew a wide open Williams on the next play. It would have been an easy touchdown. A couple of snaps later, the threat ended when Mahomes was sacked by Trey Flowers for another 14-yard loss, this one taking them out of field goal range.
Ahh well, it just meant the Chiefs would punt and two minutes later head to the locker room only down seven. That wouldn’t be so bad. The damage could have been a lot worse.
Of course, giving Brady a chance to orchestrate a two minute drive is not such a good idea. Methodically, he moved the Patriots from their own 10 and (with help from White on a 30-yard gain off a screen pass) into scoring position once again.
This time Brady hit Phillip Dorsett, who fended off the coverage of Steven Nelson to pull in a 29-yard TD pass.
So the Patriots wound up taking that 14-0 lead into the intermission after all.