Fans feel Super as Brady, Pats take AFC title
Comeback raises confidence
Patriots Nation is confident Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are on their way to a sixth Super Bowl win after squeaking out yet another come-from-behind victory — this time against the Jacksonville Jaguars — to win the AFC championship last night.
“I’m going to bet my mortgage on the Super Bowl. That is how confident I am,” proclaimed Mike Shield, 24, of Burlington.
Shield was one of the hundreds of rabid Patriots fans who took in the AFC Championship victory at The Greatest Bar on Friend Street. The Pats’ win secured the team a slot in Super Bowl LII, the eighth for Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.
The Jaguars led by 11 points in the first half, and 10 points in the fourth quarter.
And although you could see the anguish and nervousness on the faces of many fans, most wouldn’t admit that much.
Derek Landry, 36, of Waltham, said he had “no doubts” the Patriots would come back because of quarterback No. 12.
“Tom Brady will have seven Super Bowls when he’s finished. Seven Super Bowls total. I’m already looking ahead,” Landry said.
But the New England victory left at least one patron upset.
Joe O’Donohue, 24, of Staten Island, N.Y., said he is a “lifelong” New York Jets fan who was rooting for the Jaguars.
“My entire childhood has been about them winning,” the disgruntled New Yorker said about the Patriots. “I’d like to move on from that. I’m scarred. I’m thinking about suing.”
Shamus Malley, 22, of Worcester, said since he was a child, Boston’s teams have been hanging banners like no other city.
He said the opportunity for a sixth Super Bowl title had him ecstatic.
“As a young kid, seeing the Patriots, Bruins, Celtics and Red Sox all win like this, we’re spoiled, but it’s unbelievable,” Malley said.
Andy O’Hara, 47, of Merrimack, N.H., acknowledged the tight game had him “nervous excited” because he was unsure if the Pats’ offense could muster up enough firepower in the fourth quarter.
When Brady and the offense did just enough, earning a 2420 win, O’Hara was excited he could continue to focus on football instead of the harsh winter.
“I’m hosting a Super Bowl party in a few weeks,” O’Hara said. I’m hoping Gronkowski is back. ... Two more weeks of football!”