First, the Patriots tuned out a week full of off-field drama. Then, they silenced the Titans to earn yet another trip to the AFC championship game in the NFL.
Tom Brady passed for three touchdowns and 337 yards and New England cruised past Tennessee 35-14 on Saturday night to advance to their seventh successive conference title game.
New England (14-3) will host the winner of Sunday's (Monday AEDT) divisional matchup between Jacksonville and Pittsburgh.
It was Brady's 10th career post-season game with at least three TD tosses, moving him past Joe Montana for the most in NFL history. James White caught a touchdown pass and ran for another, and Danny Amendola had 11 catches for 112 yards.
New England's victory came on the heels of a week filled with turmoil following reports of discord involving Brady, coach Bill Belichick and team owner Robert Kraft.
None of that showed on the field.
"I've been around long enough," Brady said. "So, 18 years, there's so many nice things said about me. It just goes with the territory."
Tight end Rob Gronkowski finished with six catches for 81 yards and a touchdown. It was his 10th career postseason TD. He's tied with five others for third all-time. But it's the most for a tight end.
Gronk also moved into second all-time for a tight end with 835 post-season receiving yards. He passed Keith Jackson, and only Dallas Clark is ahead of him.
In Sunday's (AEDT) other NFL game, The Philadelphia Eagles defence staged a last-minute goal-line stand to beat the Atlanta Falcons 15-10 and progress to the NFC championship game.
Despite being underdogs as the No.1 seed, the Eagles showed plenty of character in the tightest spots of the fourth quarter and Jake Elliott atoned for a missed extra point with three field goals.
Philadelphia stopped sixth-seeded Atlanta after they got to the nine with a first down, and then on fourth down from two-yards when Matt Ryan's pass slipped through the fingers of Julio Jones in the end zone.
It was the first playoff win for Philadelphia since the 2008 season, and they will host the Minnesota Vikings or New Orleans Saints for the conference title next Sunday.
Share
