AFC Championship Game: Patriots hold off Chiefs, advance to Super Bowl

The New England Patriots raced out to an early lead and then held off the Kansas City Chiefs late to win the AFC Championship Game and advance to Super Bowl LIII.

What a wild, wacky championship Sunday around the NFL.

Just hours after the Los Angeles Rams needed overtime to overcome a 13-0 deficit and beat the New Orleans Saints on the road, the New England Patriots followed suit and also won in overtime on the road. Like New Orleans, New England opened up an early double-digit lead over their opponent, before later watching Kansas City claw its way back in the second half of the game.

It certainly wasn’t the prettiest of days for Brady and company in terms of statistics. Tom Terrific finished with 348 passing yards but a 1-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio and a quarterback rating of 77.1. He could’ve finished with 3 picks on the day, but had the third interception nullified by a Dee Ford offsides penalty.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes finished with 3 touchdowns and just under 300 yards passing, though he completed just under 50% of his passes and was pressured all day. The Patriots defense actually sacked Mahomes 4 times for 46 yards – one of which pushed the Chiefs out of field goal range.

Astonishingly, Tom Brady has yet to be sacked this postseason.

The running backs on New England’s roster continued to excel. Sony Michel bruised his way to 113 yards and 2 touchdowns; James White had 23 yards rushing and 49 yards receiving; and Rex Burkhead had 23 yards receiving, 41 yards rushing, and 2 touchdowns on the ground. Combined, the unit was good for 175 rushing yards and 4 scores… maintaining the team’s new identity as a power-running offense.

Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski were Brady’s favorite weapons through the air again, per usual. Edelman finished with 7 receptions for 94 yards and came up clutch numerous times, absolving himself of a bad interception where the ball bounced off his fingertips and into the hands of a Chiefs defender.

Gronkowski might have been the biggest story of the game though. Rumors and whisperings of his potential retirement have followed him all season, along with legitimate questions regarding his decline on the field. He looked like the Gronk of old on Sunday night, shedding blockers and tackles as he hauled in 6 balls for 79 yards. Like Edelman, he was huge on several critical third-down conversions late in the fourth quarter and then in overtime.

The defense also held up their end of the bargain, keeping the Chiefs to 31 points. Normally a defense allowing 31 points would be a disappointing effort, but not against this Kansas City team that averaged over 35 points per game during the regular season.

Besides holding Mahomes below 300 yards passing, they also kept K.C.’s run game in check: Mahomes had 11 yards, and star tailback Damien Williams had just 30 yards. Dangerous speedster Tyreek Hill was essentially erased by Belichick, catching 1 pass for 42 yards. Travis Kelce had 3 balls for 23 yards and a score. Sammy Watkins led all Chiefs receivers with 4 receptions for 114 yards.

Next up for the New England Patriots: the Los Angeles Rams, winners of the NFC. The Rams represent a significant challenge for the Patriots, but if New England can keep playing at the high level they’ve established in impressive wins over the Chargers and Chiefs, there’s a very real chance this team will capture its record-tying sixth Lombardi Trophy.