The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
HEADED TO HOUSTON
Patriots blow out Steelers to punch ticket to Super Bowl LI
Patriots wide receiver Chris Hogan catches a touchdown pass during the first half of the AFC championship against the Steelers Sunday in Foxborough, Mass. The Patriots won 36-17.
FOXBOROUGH, MASS. >> The Tom Brady redemption tour is headed to the Super Bowl.
After beginning the 2016 season suspended for four games for his role in the “Deflategate” scandal, the New England quarterback relentlessly carried the Patriots to an unprecedented ninth appearance in the title game, and his seventh. Brady threw for a franchise playoff-best 384 yards and three touchdowns in a 3617 rout of the helpless Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday in New England’s seventh consecutive AFC championship game.
The Patriots are early 3-point favorites heading to face Atlanta in two weeks in Houston, seeking their fifth NFL title with Brady at quarterback and Bill Belichick as coach. Belichick’s seventh appearance in a Super Bowl will be a record for a head coach.
Brady was banned by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell when New England (16-2) went 3-1 to open the schedule.
Since his return in Week 5, the only defeat came at home to Seattle, and Brady, 39, had one of the best seasons of a Hall of Fame-caliber career. He punctuated that in dreary weather similar to the 2014 conference title game that precipitated the deflated footballs investigation by flattening Pittsburgh’s secondary.
Chris Hogan was his main weapon. The previously unheralded receiver found open spaces everywhere on the field against a leaky secondary. Hogan caught nine balls for 180 yards and two scores.
Top wideout Julian Edelman added eight receptions for 118 yards and a touchdown as Brady tied Joe Montana’s playoff record with nine three-TD passing performances. Brady also had his 11th 300-yard postseason game, extending his NFL record, completing 32 of 42 throws.
Pittsburgh (13-6) lost star running back Le’Veon Bell late in the first quarter to a groin injury. It didn’t seem to matter much in a record 16th conference title match for the Steelers, who made mistakes in every facet of the game. The franchise that has won the most Super Bowls, six, and the most postseason games, 36, never seemed likely to challenge in the misty rain.
Hogan’s second touchdown came on a flea-flicker and he easily beat safety Mike Mitchell to the corner of the end zone.