After scuffling through their final six games, the New England Patriots finally resembled the team that won its first 10 games and was considered the best in the NFL. The Denver Broncos, wounded as well with their franchise quarterback Peyton Manning out with a foot injury, would welcome Brady and company to Denver, and wound up being the team to break perfection.
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With Julian Edelman back from a broken foot, the Patriots shrugged off their end-of-season slump and beat Kansas City 27-20 in the divisional playoff round. The Patriots may have their groove back.
After spending the last two weeks recovering from knee and back injuries, Gronkowski had touchdown catches from 8 and 16 yards. For others it was a return to the offense the Patriots expect.
A sixth-round draft pick who spent his rookie year as the No. 4 quarterback on the Patriots’ depth chart, Brady has grown into a four-time National Football League champion and a three-time Super Bowl MVP.
“We have to play together and execute every game”.
The conference championship will be played next Sunday, either at Gillette or in Denver. When the Patriots recovered the ensuing onside kick and picked up a first down thanks to a wacky tip play, the game ended. If Pittsburgh wins, the Steelers come here.
“Tom was pretty sharp”, said Belichick. “It’s what we do, it’s what we’re here for is to win”. “We’ve got to be ready”.
On the first play of overtime, Carson Palmer spun away from a defender and threw across his body to an uncovered Larry Fitzgerald. Kansas City’s 11-game winning streak mattered even less.
Brady led New England to a score on the opening drive, throwing 11 straight passes and completing eight – the last an 8-yard score to Gronkowski.
The Steelers listed Roethlisberger as questionable on Friday’s injury report with a sprained AC joint and ligament damage in his right shoulder. Brady pump-faked in Gronkowski’s direction, and Chiefs safety Eric Berry charged forward.
The Chiefs squandered about 59 seconds in the final 2 minutes, 29 seconds of the game as they tried to overcome a 14-point deficit.
Alex Smith managed to get his Chiefs down the field at the end of the half but had to settle for a field goal after missing high in the end zone twice. Amendola called it a clean hit, but he may be facing punishment. In fact, on multiple occasions during the regular season, Brady stressed how important Edelman was to the offense and how reliable he is out there. He connected with the usual suspects, tossing to Edelman, Gronkowski and Amendola. “It was good that we got points out of that first drive and [could] kind of go from there”. Our coaches put us in insane situations during the week and we were able to go out and do it well.
“It’s pretty cool, pretty cool – it’s hard to do man”, Brady said. I thought we worked hard, studied this team, watched a lot of film, so I think the preparation was good. We all know what happened the next year. “I think that’s what it comes down to”.
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Patriots fan certainly would prefer to not see Brady taking any more big shots near the goal line. With the Patriots leading 7-3 late in the first half, he dropped back on a second down at the Kansas City 11-yard line.
