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Pats stitch up another Super berth
FOXBORO — The more unbelievable it seems, the more believable it becomes.
The Patriots stunned the Jacksonville Jaguars, 24-20, yesterday to win the AFC Championship for the eighth time since 2001, and they’ll play the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII onFeb.4in Minneapolis. And for the fourth time in the last four postseasons, the Pats erased a double-digit deficit in the second half.
“Amazing,” Tom Brady said after orchestrating the 11th playoff gamewinning drive of his career.
The comeback had shades of the two most recent Super Bowl victories, from the ugly start against the Atlanta Falcons to the well-executed, situational madness during the ending against the Seattle Seahawks. And through each affair, the Patriots relied upon their experience to slow down each necessary moment.
“We’ve been in this situation, and we’ve been able to get out of the situation and come out victorious,” Duron Harmon said. “When you’re in a situation like that, it gives you a sense of comfort and confidence to be able to know if we do what we’re supposed to do, play good situational football in the fourth quarter, we’ll make it a game and eventually come back and win.”
Brady had 12 stitches on his right hand from a midweek collision in practice with Rex Burkhead, but he was 26-of-38 for 290 yards and two touchdowns. Nowthe Patriots are a victory shy of winning their third Super Bowl in a four-year stretch for the second time.
It wouldn’t have been possible if Brady weren’t 8-of-10 for 120 yards and both of those scores in the fourth quarter. Danny Amendola had seven receptions for 84 yards and both late TDs, and Brandin Cooks hauled in six balls for 100 yards to pace a passing at- tack that lost Rob Gronkowski to a second-quarter concussion.
“We always have confidence. We really do,” Brady said of the hectic comeback. “It’s never really over until it’s over with this team. I was proud of the way we fought.”
The Pats have rewritten this script many times over in Brady’s career, and they erased a 20-10 fourth-quarter deficit with even more magic from perennial playoff co-star Amendola. Staked to thirdand-18 with 10:49 remaining, Brady and Amendola connected for 21 yards to keep hope alive, and Brady then delivered a 31-yard strike to Phillip Dorsett on a flea flicker a play later. Shortly thereafter, Brady and Amendola hooked up for a 9-yard touchdown to trim the deficit to 20-17 with8:44remaining.
The Pats defense followed with two stops, including a three-andout to force a punt with 5:10 to play. Brady proceeded to make it look easy with three completions for 27 yards, and Amendola reeled in a magnificent, toe-tapping 4-yard touchdown to give the Patriots a 24-20 lead with 2:48 to go.
Stephon Gilmore delivered an addendum to the Pats’ well-rehearsed story, climbing the ladder for a fourth-and-15 breakup on Blake Bortles’ final throw for Dede Westbrook at the 12-yard line, which allowed Dion Lewis to then run out the clock.
“Just make the play,” Gilmore said of his thought process. “I kind of knew he was going to run it, and I did everything I could to not let him catch it.”
Brady completed all six passes for 57 yards on the game’s opening drive, but they stalled in the red zone and settled for Stephen Gostkowski’s 31-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead.
The Jaguars fired back with a dominant stretch in the second quarter. Eric Lee turned Marcedes Lewis loose shy of the goal line, and Bortles hit Lewis for a wide-open 4-yard TD and 7-3 lead. Leonard Fournette (24 carries, 76 yards) capped Jacksonville’s next march with a 4-yard TD plunge that made it 14-3.
The Patriots snapped out of their funk, which included three scoreless possessions, with a quick score inside the two-minute warning, but it was a costly drive. Gronkowski couldn’t corral Brady’s throw up the right seam, and Barry Church sent the Pats’ leading receiver into the concussion protocol with a helmet-tohelmet hit that yielded a personal foul penalty. Cooks then drew a 32-yard pass interference penalty, and James White’s 1-yard touchdown run cut the deficit to 14-10.
Josh Lambo’s 54-yard field goal extended the Jags’ advantage to 17-10 on the opening possession of the third quarter, and he delivered a 43-yard boot to push it to 20-10 in the fourth.
Lewis lost his first fumble of the season on the next drive, which only delayed the Pats’ latest comeback.
“You cherish these moments and opportunities,” Brady said. “We’ve had quite a few of them, which we’ve been blessed to do. It’s just been an unbelievable run.”