For the longest time this looked like the night where the Patriots' long-running reign was about to come to an end.
FOXBORO — This is a scene that never gets old.
It’s one where the adoring fans of the New England Patriots heap hosannas on the shoulder pads of their heroes. It’s confetti raining from the sky as owner Robert Kraft, coach Bill Belichick and legendary quarterback Tom Brady stand on a stage in the middle of Gillette Stadium and wave to the masses.
It’s a scene Patriot fans everywhere have come to expect each and every January. The Pats roll through the regular season, host the AFC Championship Game and spark a huge red, white and blue party that ends with another Lamar Hunt Trophy being hoisted to the heavens.
That’s what happened yet again Sunday night but each and every Patriot player, coach and the 65,878 frazzled fans in the stands will forever remember the final, tense step to a 10th Super Bowl, the eighth with Tom Brady as quarterback.
For the longest time this looked like the night where the Patriots’ long-running reign was about to come to an end. The tough, physical Jacksonville Jaguars had the Pats pressed to the ropes and in serious trouble but like so many other contenders ultimately couldn’t close the door.
As they did in last year’s Super Bowl, and innumerous other moments over the last 18 seasons, the Patriots weren’t ready to disappear into the night. Tom Brady, Danny Amendola and a plucky defense had other ideas.
The Patriots once again made all the right plays in crunch time, this time wiping out a 20-10 fourth-quarter deficit with two Brady-to-Amendola touchdown passes to pull out a 24-20 comeback victory.
“You cherish these moments and opportunities and I know we’ve had quite a few of them, which we’ve been very blessed to do,” Brady said. “It’s just been an unbelievable run and I think everyone should be really proud of what we’ve accomplished.”
Brady and many of his teammates spoke of the team’s focus when seemingly everything was going wrong for the longest time.
The Jags scored the game’s first touchdown and made the Pats look downright bad in a first half that ended with the visitors holding a 14-10 lead. The Jaguars never did get a good lick on Brady or the stitched-up thumb of his throwing hand but they bopped the next best thing — Rob Gronkowski.
The star tight end was cracked by safety Barry Church with a helmet-to-helmet hit that sent the big guy into orbit. Gronkowski was guided off the field, bypassed the blue injury tent on the sidelines and ultimately diagnosed with a head injury that ended his day.
Church’s big hit drew an unnecessary roughness flag but it appeared to be the most fortuitous penalty in Jaguars franchise history. Without his favorite target, Brady couldn’t move the offense and the crowd greeted the Patriots with more groans than cheers as the clock melted away.
After the Jaguars pulled ahead 20-10 two plays into the fourth quarter, time was up for the champs. With no more room to let Blake Bortles convert a third down pass or Leonard Fournette gut through the defense on a power run, the Patriots dug in. At put up-or-shut-up time, they answered the bell.
“We started playing football,” said linebacker Kyle Van Noy. “There’s no excuse for what happened in the first half on defense. I don’t know what we were doing but we figured it out and we played Patriot football. That’s what we do.”
In four fourth-quarter drives, the Jags fell apart. They managed just two first downs and 64 yards. Three of the four drives ended in punts. The fourth ended the game when Stephon Gilmore knocked away a final, deep desperation pass to Dede Westbrook.
Stopping Bortles and the Jags was only half the equation. Brady and Amendola took care of the rest. With Gronkowski out, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels dug deep into his playbook. There was a pass from Brady to Amendola and then back across the field to Dion Lewis. There was a flea-flicker from Brady to Phillip Dorsett.
Most of all there was Amendola, the 32-year-old vet known more for his cool under pressure than his still-bubbling romance with Cranston’s Olivia Culpo. He caught a huge third-and-18 pass on a drive that ended with him pulling in a TD toss from Brady to cut the deficit to 20-17.
With Jacksonville insisting on giving the Pats the ball back, Brady struck again. This time Amendola returned a short punt for 20 yards to give his team sweet field position. Then he caught a Brady bullet in the back of the end zone to give the Patriots the lead, 24-20.
When it was over, the Patriots seemed to realize how fortunate they were but also quickly pointed to the clutch gene that all champions own. It’s one they’ll gladly take with them to Minneapolis when they face the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII.
“There’s never any doubt on this team, no matter what the situation is, how much time is on the clock,” said Lewis. “We’re going to battle until all the numbers on the clock are zero. That’s just how this team is. It’s a great quality to have.”