The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Brady leads Patriots back to Super Bowl
Patriots’ 24-20 comeback victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars take the AFC championship on Jan. 21.
FOXBOROUGH, MASS. » Give ‘em a hand: Tom Brady and the New England Patriots are heading back to the Super Bowl.
Brady shook off a hand injury and threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Danny Amendola with 2:48 remaining, rallying the Patriots to a 24-20 comeback victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC championship on Jan. 21.
Brady, wearing a black bandage on his right hand after
needing stitches to close a cut that happened on a play during practice earlier in the week, showed no signs of being hampered.
And, with the game — and the season — possibly on the line, the Patriots star came up big again.
“I’ve had a lot worse,” Brady said. “I didn’t know that on Wednesday. It was a crazy injury. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday was a little scary. Then I started getting some confidence and today we did just enough to win.”
Brady finished 26 of 38 for 290 yards and two touchdowns to Amendola for the Patriots (15-3), who’ll play the Philadelphia in Minneapolis on Feb. 4.
It’s the eighth Super Bowl appearance for Brady and coach Bill Belichick, who have won five times — including last year’s 34-28 overtime rally against the Atlanta Falcons.
“It’s pretty amazing. Just to be on a team that wins these kinds of games, it’s just a great accomplishment,” Brady said. “I’m just so proud of everyone on our team, we made so many great plays. Defense played so great when they needed to.”
Blake Bortles and the Jaguars (12-7) led, 20-10, early in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t hold against the defending champions. The NFL’s second-ranked defense kept Brady and the Patriots at bay for most of the game, but lost linebacker Myles Jack and defensive tackle Marcell Dareus on consecutive plays on New England’s winning drive.
“It’s a locker room obviously with a lot of pain,” Jaguars coach Doug Marrone said. “I’m sure they’re hurting inside. I’m hurting. The players are hurting.”
With New England trailing 20-17, Amendola returned a punt 20 yards to put the ball at the Jaguars 30. Brady hit James White for 15 yards, Amendola for 8 and then the quarterback ran up the middle for 2 yards and a first down.
On first-and-goal from the 5, White ran for a yard to set up the go-ahead score from Brady to Amendola.
Jacksonville — looking to reach the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history — had one more shot, but Bortles’ throw on fourth-and-15 to Dede Westbrook was knocked away by Stephon Gilmore.
“Guys are upset,” Bortles said. “It’s not what anybody expects — contrary to popular belief. Those guys fully expected to win that game.”
The Patriots ran out the clock, with Dion Lewis’ 18yard scamper with 90 seconds
remaining sealing the victory. And they played most of the game without tight end Rob Gronkowski, who left late in the first half and didn’t return.
Brady’s hand was the most-scrutinized body part in Boston since his ankle before the 2008 Super Bowl, and Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling’s right ankle tendon — the bloody sock — in the 2004 playoffs.
Brady hurt his right hand during practice earlier in the week.
“Of all the plays, my season wasn’t going to end on a handoff in practice,” Brady said.
“Mentally, it probably stressed him out a bit,” Amendola said. “It’s hard to throw a football with stitches in your thumb. Everybody knows how tough he is.”
Some Patriots fans were worried, but not Belichick.
“He’s a tough guy, we all know that,” Belichick said. “But we’re not talking about open heart surgery here”
Brady warmed up without a glove on his hand, and he came out throwing. He completed his first six passes for 57 yards to march the Patriots down the field. The drive stalled when Brady was sacked by Dante Fowler Jr., and New England settled for Stephen Gostkowski’s 31-yard field goal.
A wide-open Marcedes Lewis gave the Jaguars a 7-3 lead 45 seconds into the second quarter with a 4-yard touchdown catch from Bortles .
Leonard Fournette gave Jacksonville a 14-3 lead midway through the second quarter with a 4-yard TD run, hushing the crowd at Gillette Stadium.
The Jaguars made some big mistakes just before halftime. Bortles completed a 12-yard pass to Lewis on third-and-7 from the Patriots 44, but Jacksonville was called for delay of game.