Patriots Roll Titans 35-14, Advance to 7th Straight AFC Championship
Joe Calabro, GoLocalProv Sports Team
Patriots Roll Titans 35-14, Advance to 7th Straight AFC Championship
Going Gronkers.
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) January 14, 2018
TD, @RobGronkowski #GoPats pic.twitter.com/KzWQ9x1cmR
The Patriots cruised past the Tennessee Titans 35-14 on Saturday night in the AFC Divisional Playoff game to advance to their seventh straight AFC Championship game next Sunday at Gillette Stadium.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTPatriots Cruise After Slow Start
The Patriots got off to a slow start in the game and trailed 7-0 after the first quarter.
However, New England would score 21 straight points in the second quarter to take control of the game.
New England tied the game when Tom Brady connected with James White on a touch pass that White ran into the end zone to tie the game after a Stephen Gostkowski extra point was good.
On the Patriots next offensive possession, White would take a handoff six yards into the end zone to put New England up 14-7 after a Gostkowski extra point.
The rushing touchdown was White’s first rushing touchdown since last year’s Super Bowl game winner.
New England would add their final touchdown of the half when Brady connected with Chris Hogan on a four-yard touchdown pass in the back of the end zone to put the Patriots up 21-7
Brandon Bolden added a touchdown in the third quarter to put the Patriots up 28-7.
Brady connected with Rob Gronkowski on a four-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to put the Patriots up 35-7 following a Gostkowski extra point.
The touchdown catch by Gronkowski was the tent of his postseason career.
Brady finished the game completing 35 passes for 337 yards and three touchdowns.
Next Up
The Patriots will host the AFC Championship on Sunday, January 21 at Gillette Stadium against either the Pittsburgh Steelers or Jacksonville Jaguars.
Patriots will advance to their seventh straight AFC Championship Game and 12th in 16 years with Brady and Belichick at the helm. Feats that will never again be duplicated
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) January 14, 2018
The last time the #Patriots weren't in the AFC Championship Game, Terry Francona was manager of the #RedSox and Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen were still members of the #Celtics.
— Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) January 14, 2018
20 Biggest Wins in Patriots History
#20
September 19, 1971
Patriots 20, Raiders 6
In only their second season in the NFL, the Boston Patriots became the New England Patriots and earned their first win under their new name against the Raiders.
Oakland took an early 6-0 lead but New England quarterback Jim Plunkett led the Patriots to 20 straight points and the win.
The Patriots finished the season 6-8.
Photo courtesy of Pinterest
#19
October 10, 1993
Patriots 23, Cardinals 21
Patriots rookie quarterback Drew Bledsoe won his first game as a professional, going 8 for 17 for 85 yards and one touchdown pass to Ben Coates.
Bledsoe went on to play 8 seasons as a starter for the Patriots and is in the Patriots Hall of Fame.
#18
December 12, 1982
Patriots 3, Dolphins 0
The snow plow game, one of the most memorable and famous games in Patriots history.
The game was played at Schaefer Stadium and Patriots kicker John Smith called on snowplow operator Mark Henderson to clear a spot on the field so that he could kick the game-winning field goal.
The Patriots went 5-4 that season and lost in the wild-card round of the playoffs.
The snow plow is in the Patriots Hall of Fame.
Watch it below.
#17
September 30, 2001
Patriots 44, Colts 13
Just one week after Drew Bledsoe went out with injury and Patriots fans thought the season was over, backup quarterback Tom Brady came in and helped New England to a 44-13 win over Peyton Manning and the Colts.
This was the first meeting between the two quarterbacks, who would go on to form one of the greatest rivalries in the NFL and in sports.
Brady completed 13 passes for 168 yards in the game.
The Tom Brady era was under way.
#16
December 29, 2007
Patriots 38, Giants 35
The Patriots beat the Giants at the Meadowlands to go 16-0 on the season.
The game saw both Tom Brady and Randy Moss break records for touchdown passes thrown and touchdown receptions.
The Giants played the Patriots tough, turns out, that would be a sign of things to come a few weeks later.
#15
December 4, 2016
Patriots 26, Rams 10
Tom Brady became the winningest quarterback of all-time with the Patriots 26-10 win over Los Angeles.
The win was the 201st of Brady’s career moving him past Peyton Manning in the record books.
#14
October 5, 2014
Patriots 43, Bengals 17
This game felt like one of those games in a season where a loss can send a team in a bad direction and a win would do the opposite.
The Patriots were 2-2 and coming off a 41-14 blowout loss to Kansas City. That week was a long one as national media outlets and fans were calling for the end of the Patriots season and the end of the Brady era.
The Patriots put all of that talk to rest by blowing out Cincinnati on Sunday Night Football.
#13
2003 AFC Divisional Round
Patriots 17, Titans 14
On their road to another Super Bowl, the Patriots had to survive a real tough game against the Tennessee Titans in one of the coldest games in Patriots history. It was 4 degrees.
The Patriots won the game on an Adam Vinatieri 46 yard field goal and then came up with a defensive stop to advance to the championship round.
#12
2014 AFC Divisional Round
Patriots 35, Baltimore 31
The New England Patriots had a tough divisional round opponent in the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens had just beat New England in the AFC title game two years before at Gillette.
For the majority of the game, it was not looking good for Patriots.
But a Julian Edelman touchdown pass to Danny Amendola sparked the crowd and the team and the Patriots would come back from down 28-14 to win the game.
See the play that sparked the comeback.
#11
2004 AFC Divisional Round
Patriots 20, Colts 3
For the second straight season, the Patriots and Colts met in the playoffs, this time in the divisional round. For the second straight season, the Patriots would win.
New England was up 6-3 When Tom Brady found David Givens in the endzone to put the Patriots up 13-3. Brady would get into the endzone himself to give the Patriots their winning margin.
#10
2001 AFC Championship Game
Patriots 24, Steelers 17
After the epic snow bowl game against Oakland, the Patriots went to Pittsburgh and beat the Steelers in the AFC title game.
What is easy to forget is that Tom Brady actually got hurt in this game, and it was Drew Bledsoe who came in to save the day. Bledsoe threw a touchdown pass to David Patten to put the Patriots up 14-3 before half.
#9
2003 AFC Championship
Patriots 24, Colts 14
The first playoff meeting between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning came down to Manning throwing 4 interceptions, 3 of which went to Ty Law, the other to Rodney Harrison.
The Patriots led 15-0 at the half on a Brady touchdown pass to David Givens and then two Adam Vinatieri field goals and a safety.
#8
2004 AFC Championship Game
Patriots 41, Steelers 27
The Patriots were looking to get to their third Super Bowl in four years and to do it they beat Pittsburgh in the AFC Championship in Pittsburgh.
New England got touchdown catches from Deion Branch and David Givens, as well as an interception return by Rodney Harrison and led 24-3 at the half.
The night before the game, quarterback Tom Brady was bed ridden with a temperature of 103. Brady ended up throwing for 201 yards and two touchdowns.
Photo courtesy of Jeff Beall/flickr
#7
1996 AFC Championship
Patriots 20, Jaguars 6
The Bill Parcells-coached Patriots hosted the AFC Championship game at Foxboro Stadium in 23-degree weather and defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars to advance to the Super Bowl.
Curtis Martin got the Patriots on the board with touchdown and then New England added a bunch of field goals and sealed the game on an Otis Smith fumble return for a touchdown.
The Patriots ended up losing the Super Bowl, however, this team and this playoff run served as a prelude to what was coming a couple of years later.
The game featured a power outage just as Vinatieri was lining up a field goal. See below.
Anyone else miss those jerseys?
#6
1985 AFC Championship
Patriots 31, Dolphins 14
For the first time since 1969 the Patriots beat the Dolphins in Miami and advanced to their first Super Bowl in franchise history.
New England's roster consisted of players such as Andre Tippet, Irving Fryar, Steve Grogan and Mosi Tatapu.
The Dolphins were led by quarterback Dan Marino.
Prior to this season, the Patriots made the playoffs just one time in the previous five years.
Relive Part of That Game Below
#5
AFC Divisional Round
Patriots 16, Oakland 13
Yes, the tuck rule game, the snow bowl. If it wasn't for a Patriots win in this game, the first Super Bowl does not happen and we can only speculate as to what it would mean for the franchise going forward.
Adam Vinatieri kicked two field goals in the driving snow, the first to tie the game, and the second to win the game in overtime.
Relive The Game Below
#4
Super Bowl XXXVIII
Patriots 32, Panthers 29
In a high scoring affair, 37 points total in the 4th quarter, it was Adam Vinatieri who gave the Patriots a 32-29 win on a 41-yard field goal with 4 seconds left.
The Patriots bounced back from missing the playoffs the season before to win their second Super Bowl in franchise history and the second in three years.
Tom Brady was named Super Bowl MVP.
#3
Super Bowl XXXIX
Patriots 24, Eagles 21
The New England Patriots were crowned dynasty after beating the Eagles, winning their third Super Bowl in 4 seasons.
Rodney Harrison sealed the win with an interception of Donovan McNabb and Adam Vinatieri had another clutch field goal to extend the Patriots lead to 24-14 in the 4th quarter.
Deion Branch was named Super Bowl MVP.
Relive the Game Below
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
#2
Super Bowl XLIX
Patriots 28, Seahawks 24
This win cemented the legacy of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, 4 Super Bowl rings in 6 Super Bowl appearances.
A loss would have made Brady and Belichick 3-3 in Super Bowls and losers of three straight. This win was monumental for the legacy of Brady, Belichick and the Patriots.
Rookie cornerback Malcolm Butler picked off Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson on the one-yard line to seal the Patriots fourth Super Bowl.
Prior to that, the Patriots trailed by 10 points, 24-14, in the fourth quarter before Tom Brady led the Patriots offense to 14 straight points, hitting Julian Edelman for the game winner.
Tom Brady was named Super Bowl MVP.
Relive Malcolm Butler's Heroics Below
#1
Super Bowl XXXVI
Patriots 20, Rams 17
Nothing beats the first time, and the Patriots won their first Super Bowl by beating the Rams in New Orleans on a kick by Adam Vinatieri.
The most memorable part of this game, other than the kick, was Tom Brady spiking the ball, catching it with one hand and giving it to the ref.
Tom Brady was named Super Bowl MVP.
