Rex Burkhead plunged into the end zone from two yards out to put the finishing
touch on Tom Brady's
surgical opening drive in overtime, propelling the Patriots to
their NFL-record eleventh Super Bowl appearance. Bill Belichick will lead his team to a rematch of the Super Bowl XXXVI victory over the Rams that
jumpstarted the Patriots'
21st century dynasty.
Here's what I
learned in New England's labyrinthine 37-31 victory over the Chiefs,
which featured four fourth-quarter lead changes and a two-minute-drill
touchdown followed by a game-tying, 30-second field-goal drive that ensured
both conference championship tilts would reach an extra frame for the first
time in NFL history.
1. Tom vs. Time has
become the most lopsided rivalry in football, with the greatest of all time
once again stiff-arming the inexorable march toward retirement. Although Hall of Fame quarterbacks Bobby Layne and
Johnny Unitas invented the two-minute drill in the 1950s, Brady has spent the
bulk of his career perfecting the clock cheat code and slowing the
sands of the hourglass. After directing a six-play, 65-yard drive to
take a momentary lead with 39 seconds remaining in regulation, Brady channeled
the platonic ideal of the athletic "zone" in overtime, using
impeccable ball placement and timing to climb out of three separate
third-and-10 pitfalls on the game-winning drive. Already the most decorated
hero in football's pantheon, Brady continues to increase his insurmountable lead over fellow quarterback legends. His
latest exploits leave him with 28 more touchdowns, 3,578 more yards, 13 more
victories and four more Super Bowl appearances
than any other signal-caller in postseason history.
2. Echoing his Week 6 performance that featured four
second-half touchdowns in a see-saw shootout with Brady, MVP favorite Patrick
Mahomes overcame a sluggish start to lead another quartet of
expeditions to the end zone after halftime. Matching Brady's late-game magic,
Mahomes took control with 32 seconds remaining, showcasing his game-breaking
ability with downfield strikes of 21 and 27 yards to set up Harrison
Butker's 39-yard field goal and force a fifth quarter. Due to the
peculiarities of the NFL's overtime rules, Mahomes was left
high-and-dry on the sidelines as Brady marched down the field
for the winning score.
3. Belichick's post-game comments steered the credit toward
his players for executing with legacies on the line, but the plans drawn up by
his coaching staff the past two weeks have fashioned two of the most dominant
30-minute sequences in playoff history. Tag-teaming with offensive boss Josh
McDaniels and defensive play-caller Brian Flores (expected to be the Dolphins'
choice as next head coach), the gridiron's preeminent strategist has overseen an operation that has
amassed an astonishing 40 first downs versus 39 total plays for
the Chargers and Chiefs in
their respective first halves. If not for Sunday's 14-0 halftime cushion,
Belichick's troops would not have withstood Kansas City's furious
fourth-quarter flurry. Rams coach
Sean McVay has emerged as the poster boy for precocious offensive innovation,
with right-hand man Zac Taylor set to take the reins in Cincinnati next month.
Wade Phillips is regarded by many as the greatest defensive coordinator of the
past four decades. Special teams coordinator John "Bones" Fassel
might be the most valuable special teams coordinator in the league today. That
said Belichick's staff takes a backseat to no coaching coven. Much like Super Bowl LII, this year's run for
the Lombardi Trophy promises to showcase a compelling battle of wits in the
meeting rooms as well as on the sidelines.
4. While the NFC Championship Game was haunted by a controversial
no-call that will live in Big Easy infamy, the instant-classic
AFC title showdown featured a series of game-altering replay reviews. A muffed
punt return was overturned on replay review when multiple angles showed just
enough evidence that the bouncing oblong spheroid narrowly missed Julian
Edelman's gloves before the Chiefs recovered.
On the heels of that ruling, the review system upheld one key third-down catch
by Chris Hogan and
rejected an ensuing Hogan catch that left the Patriots in
yet another third-and-10 predicament with the game on the line. Brady's next
pass clanged off Rob
Gronkowski's hands for an interception only to be nullified by Dee Ford's offsides penalty. Brady dialed Gronkowski's number
in the friendlier third-and-5 scenario, setting up the first of Burkhead's two
late-game touchdowns with a beautiful 25-yard fade to the door step of the end
zone.
5. Relegated to past-prime punchline status as his role in
the aerial attack evaporated over the past month, Gronkowski reemerged as a
legitimate receiving threat with 79 yards on six receptions. Formerly the gold
standard at tight end, Gronkowski no longer separates from coverage or rampages
through a phalanx of defenders after the catch, but he can still punish
man-to-man coverage with his behemoth frame and vice-grip hands. The Rams can't
assume Gronkowski will be relegated to bone-jarring blocking duties in a game
that may stand as
the last of his unparalleled career.
6. Burkhead wasn't the only backfield star for New England.
A third-down conversion machine, perennial postseason stud James White totaled
72 yards on 10 touches, enabling the Patriots to
play keep-away from Mahomes in the early portion of the festivities. Even
better, rookie power back Sony Michel carried
a career-high 29 times for 113 yards and two more trips to pay dirt -- bringing
his two-game postseason total to five touchdowns. This three-headed hydra will
do battle with an improved Rams run
defense that has shut down the ground attacks of Dallas and New Orleans the
past two weeks.
7. Undrafted rookie J.C. Jackson reached
a stumbling block in his bid to recreate Malcolm
Butler's postseason star turn to close out the 2014 campaign.
Although Jackson boasted the lowest opposing passer rating of any cornerback
this season, per Pro Football Focus, he wore a target on his back Sunday.
The Patriots double-teamed Tyreek Hill at
the line of scrimmage and assigned top corner Stephon
Gilmore to trail Sammy Watkins.
That left Jackson in a one-on-one mismatch versus All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce.
Jackson ended up surrendering not only his first career touchdown but also
Robinson's 27-yard gain that led to Butker's game-tying kick at the end of
regulation. Along the way, Jackson was guilty of a pair of pass interference
infractions as well as a holding penalty. Hailed as an especially confident
young cover man, Jackson will be tested by the Rams trio
of Robert Woods, Brandin Cooks and Josh Reynolds in
the season's ultimate showdown.
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