Brady has Pats back in title game

FOXBOROUGH, MASS. — The New England Patriots have handled every bit of adversity that has been thrown at them this season — from a string of injuries to the recent off-field firestorm created by reports of purported discord within the core of the franchise.

Now, they’ll have a chance to play for yet another AFC championship. The Patriots’ 35-14 victory over the Titans in Saturday’s divisional round was yet another reminder of the defending Super Bowl champion’s unique ability to not only compartmentalize, but play some of their best football in the face of it.

Tom Brady chuckled when he was asked after the game about his name being mentioned in a swirl of media reports last week about alleged bickering between himself, coach Bill Belichick and team owner Robert Kraft.

“Noooo,” he responded sarcastically, when a reporter asked about Brady’s name being mentioned in a negative light. But Brady said it “just goes with the territory.”

It was his 10th career postseason game with at least three TD tosses, moving him past Joe Montana for the most in NFL history. It also brought out some of the best football in his teammates.

James White caught a touchdown pass and ran for another, and Danny Amendola had 11 catches for 112 yards — his first career 100-yard receiving game.

Marcus Mariota tossed an early TD pass to give the Titans an early 7-0 lead. But Tennessee faltered down the stretch.