Talismanic Brady’s magnificent seven

– Tom Brady (left) led the New England Patriots into the seventh Super Bowl of his career on Sunday with a clinical 36-17 defeat of the Pittsburgh Steelers after the Atlanta Falcons routed the Green Bay Packers to reach the NFL showpiece.

Brady, 39, will now be chasing a record-equalling fifth Super Bowl crown in Houston on February 5 after throwing three touchdowns for 384 yards in a convincing defeat of the Steelers at Foxboro’s Gillette Stadium.

Brady’s latest Super Bowl appearances come a full 15 years after he led the Patriots to victory over the St Louis Rams in the 2002 championship game.

“It’s incredible. The team showed a lot of mental toughness over the course of the year,” added Brady, who was suspended for the first four games of the season over for his role in the long-running “Deflategate” saga.

“I’m happy for the team,” Brady added. “I know we’re playing a great team in a couple of weeks, but it’d be great to finish it off.”

Brady was at his deadly best as the Pats outsmarted the Steelers with a series of clever plays which often left Pittsburgh’s defence chasing shadows.

Earlier on Sunday, Matt Ryan led a dominant offensive display as Atlanta crushed Green Bay 4421 in their last ever game at the Georgia Dome.

The Falcons had surged into a 24-0 half-time lead after overwhelming the Packers defence with their varied running and passing game. – AFP