Super showdown — it’s Patriots vs. Rams after pair of overtime thrillers
OT drive secures Patriots’ 3rd straight Super Bowl berth
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Patriots are headed to their third straight Super Bowl, once more thanks to Tom Brady’s brilliance.
The five-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback guided the Patriots 75 yards after winning the overtime coin toss, and running back Rex Burkhead’s two-yard touchdown lifted the Pats past the Chiefs 37-31 for the AFC championship Sunday night.
The drive, during which the Patriots made three third-down conversions against an exhausted Chiefs defense, was reminiscent of when they beat the Falcons in the only Super Bowl to go to overtime two years ago.
“Overtime, on the road against a great team,” Brady said. “They had no quit. Neither did we. We played our best football at the end. I don’t know, man, I’m tired. That was a hell of a game.”
Awaiting the Patriots in Atlanta are the NFC champion Rams, who won 26-23 in overtime in New Orleans. The Rams last made the Super Bowl in 2002 while still in St. Louis, losing to the Patriots.
The Patriots benefited from two critical replay reviews and reached their ninth Super Bowl with Brady at quarterback and Bill Belichick as coach.
“This is crazy,” Brady said. “What a game.” It’s the first time both conference title games went to OT. The last time both visitors won conference title games was 2012.
Several times, the Patriots appeared to have it won, only to see the Chiefs come back in spectacular fashion.
Brady, at 41 already the oldest quarterback to have played in a Super Bowl, drove the Patriots 65 yards in 1:24 to set up Burkhead’s go-ahead four-yard touchdown with 39 seconds left in regulation. But that was enough for Brady’s far younger counterpart, 23-year-old Patrick Mahomes, to take the Chiefs 48 yards to set up Harrison Butker’s 39-yard field goal with eight seconds left to force overtime.
It was a sizzling offensive showing in the fourth quarter after a game ruled by defense. Indeed, the Chiefs were blanked in the opening half for the first time all season and had the ball for 8:53 of the first 30 minutes. Mahomes was sacked three times for 43 yards; the Chiefs’ record-setting attack ran only 16 plays and gained a mere 32 yards.
And they never saw the ball in overtime, which, along with the two replay decisions, might call into play NFL rules and officiating.
An apparent muff by the usually reliable Julian Edelman on a punt return in the fourth quarter was overturned by a lengthy video review, prompting raucous booing and some demonstrative arguing from Chiefs coach Andy Reid. Edelman definitely touched his next try when Brady’s pass deflected off his hands directly to safety Daniel Sorensen. Sorenson’s 22-yard return set up the Chiefs at the Patriots’ 23, and Damien Williams, who scored three times, had no defender near him down the left sideline for the score that made it 21-17 — the Chiefs’ first lead.
Back came Brady, engineering a 75-yard march on which Chris Hogan’s diving onehanded catch on third down appeared to touch the ground. Reid challenged — and lost.
Minutes later, Patriots rookie Sony Michel scored from the 10, his second TD of the night.
With 3½ minutes remaining, there was plenty of time for more points. Williams’ two-yard run gave the Chiefs a 28-24 edge that the Patriots took up most of the remaining time overcoming before Butker’s field goal sent it to overtime.
The Patriots are the third franchise to reach three Super Bowls in a row. And Belichick now has 30 postseason victories, more than Bill Walsh and Don Shula combined. That Hall of Fame coaching duo also won five Super Bowls; Belichick shoots for No. 6 in two weeks.