Patriots: 3 best non-Super Bowl playoff games of the decade

1. 2017 AFC Championship vs Jaguars

Danny Amendola was a hero for the Patriots in the 2017 AFC title game.

Amendola stole the show in this game, but let’s not forget about Brady’s hand. After a collision with Rex Burkhead in practice, Brady was left with a gash near his thumb with blood spilling out of it.

On Wednesday, Patriot fans were wondering if Brian Hoyer would be starting the AFC Championship game. Remember Brady’s press conference when he said “not talking about it” or “we’ll see” half a dozen times? He also toted two big red gloves during the presser, leaving Pats fans scared and confused.

Jacksonville had a team to be reckoned with that year, as they were the league’s top-ranked pass defense. As the game turned to the fourth quarter, the Patriots found themselves in a difficult situation. No Julian Edelman; his ACL was torn. No Rob Gronkowski; he suffered a concussion earlier in the game. With 10 stitches in his throwing hand, Brady found himself down by 10 points.

In the fourth, the Patriots were staring at a third and 18. Brady was able to fire a bullet over the middle of the field to Danny Amendola to convert the improbable third and long. Later in the drive, Brady leaned on Amendola once again, who was able to break free over the middle of the field on a crossing route, and scampered into the end zone to narrow the Jaguars’ lead to just three points.

New England’s defense forced the Jaguars to punt a few minutes later. Amendola had a massive punt return to the Jaguars’ 30-yard line. A few plays later, the Patriots once again turned to Amendola. Off of a play-action pass, Brady threw a ball to the back of the end zone to Amendola. The speedy threat leaped into the air, and then took the role of a ballet dancer to get his feet down and give New England the lead.

Bortles and the Jaguars had one more chance, but it was Stephon Gilmore who foiled Jacksonville’s plans of a Super Bowl with an incredible defensive play. On a fourth down, Gilmore left his feet to break up a pass, and fans in Foxborough stood on theirs as they saw the Patriots get the ball back with a chance to milk the clock, and win the game.

Not often do you see Belichick demonstrative with happiness, but a Dion Lewis run to seal a victory had Belichick clapping his hands and cheering. Lewis’ run on third down clinched a win for the Pats, one which was extremely unlikely, given the circumstances.

Sure, New England had a stomach-churning loss to the Eagles two weeks later, but this AFC Championship game was a classic, and the best playoff win of the decade for New England.