Kings of clutch
Pats earn 10th SB trip due to plan, mettle
When it was time to win the AFC Championship, the Patriots deployed a proven recipe, as offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels dialed up the same exact play that resulted in the gamewinning touchdown against the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX.
The Patriots have so much experience in these clutch situations that there are seemingly endless reasons for their comebacks. Against the Jaguars, it started with Tom Brady and Danny Amendola, whose second fourth-quarter touchdown came on a deep crossing route in the end zone. He weaved through coverage and ultimately got past safety Tashaun Gipson, and Amendola was comfortable enough to master the route because he has run it before. It was the same play that led to Julian Edelman’s go-ahead score against Seattle.
But the Pats’ 24-20 victory, in which they erased a 20-10 fourth-quarter deficit, extended beyond a couple of herculean efforts by Brady and Amendola, who also had the key block on James White’s secondquarter touchdown run, ran through three zones to haul in a 21-yard catch on thirdand-18 and ripped off a 20yard punt return to set up his decisive score.
The defense played a crucial role, too. They were suspect in back-to-back touchdown drives in the second quarter but only allowed six points over the Jaguars’ final nine possessions. More importantly, they forced a three-and-out after Dion Lewis’ fumble and a couple of punts to keep the deficit at 20-17.
While the Patriots trailed in the fourth quarter, the defense took advantage of the Jags’ predictability, as they called four consecutive shotgun draws to Leonard Fournette on first down, which netted 3 yards. After three of those runs, Blake Bortles threw second-down incompletions and couldn’t convert on third-andlong. On thirdand-8 with 13:00 remaining, safety Devin McCourty rolled into his zone to cover Malcolm Butler’s blitz and pressure to make an open-field stop on Allen Hurns to force a punt.
That’s where experience paid dividends. Bortles targeted bad matchups in the fourth quarter, throwing two incompletions to tight en Marcedes Lewis, who was blanketed by Patrick Chung. Credit the cornerbacks, too. Stephon Gilmore was beaten twice for 37 yards on the final drive, but he made the play of his career with the fourth-down breakup against Dede Westbrook. And Eric Rowe, who had a rough game for three and a half quarters, had a breakup earlier in the fourth. A play later, Trey Flowers (four quarterback hits, one pressure, one batted pass) pummeled Bortles to force the three-and-out that preceded the offense’s game-winning drive.
On the other side, Brady exploited the matchup advantages. He thoroughly beat linebacker Telvin Smith throughout the game and decided to attack linebacker Myles Jack in crunch time. Phillip Dorsett beat Jack for 31 yards on the flea flicker before Amendola toasted Jack for the 9-yard touchdown that made it 2017.
Interestingly, there was a cornerback subplot at play, too. Gilmore (five years, $65 million) and A.J. Bouye (five years, $67.5M) signed similar deals last year in free agency. While Gilmore made a game-saving play, Bouye surrendered five catches for 69 yards and committed a 32-yard pass interference penalty against wide receiver Brandin Cooks. It was supposed to be a one-sided matchup in Bouye’s favor, but Cooks was the clear victor.
And again, that goes back to the matchups. Brady had no reservations about testing Bouye, but he only challenged cornerback Jalen Ramsey once, resulting in a 36-yard pass interference penalty. That fourth-quarter drive didn’t lead to points, but it flipped field position.
Remember, it’s about playing smarter, especially in tense situations. Amendola, 32 and with a bad knee, probably couldn’t beat Jack in a foot race, but he left Jack in the box with a dizzying route for his first score. And Amendola wouldn’t be in an ideal situation on the outside against Bouye or Ramsey, but he can beat inside zones as well as any receiver. While Amendola was put in positions to use his strengths, the Jaguars were running draws with a 228-pound running back.
The Patriots completed their latest wild comeback with three of their four most indispensable players, and the lone man standing had a dozen stitches on his throwing hand. But even without Rob Gronkowski (concussion), Edelman (torn ACL) and Dont’a Hightower (torn pectoral), and a sliced-up Brady, the Patriots acted like the Patriots through well-rehearsed play calls and proven mettle in tough spots.