This AFC Championship felt weird from the jump. The Jacksonville Jaguars were massive underdogs on the road in the Foxboro. The New England Patriots have been shrouded in drama – first, ESPN’s report that there was a gigantic rift in the relationship between Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and Robert Kraft. Then, you had Tom Brady’s thumb getting mysteriously slashed open. It was just weird.
Then, the game started and on the first drive, Brady was a perfect 6/6. It looked like they were going to roll, and that the Jags weren’t ready for the spotlight. But, that fast fierce Jags defense held them to a field goal, and then just took over the game from a physical standpoint.
I mean, you had Jalen Ramsey knock the shit out of Rob Gronkowski. Telvin Smith obliterated Rex Burkhead and caused him to drop a pass. The Jags pass rush sacked Brady twice, and Leonard Fournette ran the ball in punishing fashion. Those hits are going to add up and we’ll see how the physicality of that Jags defense comes into play in the second half.
But, as the Pats are prone to do, just as it seemed the Jags would pull away, Brady responded. Of course, it helps when the referees make questionable calls in Foxboro that favor the Patriots. Barry Church hit Gronk head-to-head – probably was a good call, but it was close, and if it’s close in Foxboro, we know how that call is going to go. But, the pass interference on A.J. Bouye was awful. It led to a James White touchdown, and we go into the half, Jags 14 Pats 10. Good game!
I’m going to be honest with you guys – I zoned out for a couple of drives to start the second half. I wanted some pizza. So…I heated up some pizza.
The second half was all about the defense, as both of these units settled in. Josh Lambo proved as clutch a kicker as you’ll find in the NFL, hitting field goals of 54 and 47 yards to put the Jags up 20-10 heading into the 4th quarter.
The Patriots reached into their bag of tricks TWICE. Brady got the ball to Danny Amendola out on the edge, who then ripped it across the field to Dion Lewis. Lewis advanced the ball, but Myles Jack ripped it out of his hands as he was going down. It was the wildest play I’ve seen in a while, and I fully anticipate Lewis will be executed in the Patriots locker room for it. Maybe by the sword of Bill Belichick himself.
Then, they go with a flea flicker that Philip Dorsett, of all people, hauls in. It was obvious that their sense of urgency picked up as the clock ticked down under 10 minutes. That sense of urgency paid off when Brady hit Amendola for a touchdown to pull within a field goal. Really wild drive.
The Jags failed to answer on the following drive, and the offense really fell stagnant. Matt Patricia’s defense looked totally different in the second half, and the Jags just couldn’t get anything going.
Brady hit Amendola for the circus touchdown, and the Jags offense couldn’t produce. Another bit of 4th quarter magic for the Patriots, and wow – what else is there to say about this dynasty? Unbelievable.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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