SUPER EFFORT FROM BRADY-LED PATRIOTS
Brady’s big game helps New England end Kansas City’s 11-game win streak
Tom Brady throws two TD passes and runs for a TD as the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots reach their fifth consecutive AFC title game with a 27-20 victory over the Chiefs.
foxborough, mass.
» Tom Brady took off for the end zone and dived for the pylon, taking a helmet in the back as his body sailed over the goal line.
The ball stayed out, but it didn’t matter. The reigning Super Bowl MVP carried it in for a touchdown on the next play, reaching over the goal line to convert in a way the Kansas City Chiefs couldn’t Saturday.
Brady threw two touchdown passes to star tight end Rob Gronkowski and ran for another TD, and the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots advanced to their fifth consecutive AFC title game with a 27-20 victory over the Chiefs.
New England (13-4) will meet the winner of Sunday’s Denver-Pittsburgh playoff game for a berth in Super Bowl 50. The Patriots are trying to become the first team to win back-toback NFL titles since they did it in 2003 and 2004.
“It’s pretty special to get back to another AFC championship game,” said Brady, who will play in his 10th conference title game overall. “It’s pretty cool. It’s hard to do, man. You’ve got to grind throughout the entire year. There’s only four teams playing next weekend and we’re one of them. That game means a lot.”
After spending the last two weeks recovering from knee and back injuries, Gronkowski caught seven passes for 83 yards, including touchdown plays of 8 and 16 yards. Gronkowski also recovered an onside kick after Kansas City cut its deficit to 27-20 with just over one minute left.
New England’s Julian Edelman returned from a broken foot to catch 10 passes for 100 yards. Danny Amendola contributed two catches for 18 yards.
“It’s just great to have those guys back,” Gronkowski said. “They’re hard workers, they’re great players. The chemistry was clicking tonight.”
Alex Smith completed 29of-50 passes for 246 yards and one touchdown for Kansas City (12-6). The Chiefs had won 11 consecutive games, including a 30-0 victory at Houston in the wild-card round last weekend for their first playoff victory since 1993.
Brady led New England to a TD on the opening drive, throwing 11 consecutive passes and completing eight — the last an 8-yard strike to Gronkowski. The Chiefs then made it to the Patriots’ 16-yard line but settled for a field goal.
Brady was unable to find an open receiver on the play before his TD run. So he sprinted — sort of — for the corner of the end zone. The Chiefs managed to keep him out, but only for one more play. On the next snap, Brady leaned forward and reached into the end zone to give the Patriots a 14-3 lead.
“I thought I could try to make it. We were close. Not close enough, but we got in on the next play,” said Brady, who shrugged off two big hits he took on that drive. “It’s football season, so there’s bumps and bruises, but you’ve got to fight through those.”