Five-time champion Tom Brady on Sunday guided the New England Patriots to their third consecutive Super Bowl, where they face a Los Angeles Rams squad that advanced in dramatic, but controversial fashion.
The only day in NFL playoff history with two overtime thrillers saw the Patriots win 37-31 at Kansas City on Rex Burkhead’s two-yard touchdown run in the American Football Conference Final.
“Overtime, on the road, against a great team, it required everything,” Brady said. “This is crazy. That was a hell of a game. It’s unbelievable.”
Photo: AFP
The Rams edged New Orleans 26-23 on Greg Zuerlein’s club playoff record 57-yard overtime field goal in the National Football Conference Final, their rally from 13-0 down the best in team playoff history.
“Unbelievable. Can’t find the words,” Rams quarterback Jared Goff said. “To be down 13-0, the defense to play the way they did, and our kicker made a 57-yard field goal. Unbelievable.”
New England face Los Angeles in Super Bowl 53 on Feb. 3 in Atlanta, Georgia, in the NFL championship spectacular.
The Patriots are seeking their third title in five years in their ninth Super Bowl trip in 18 seasons under Brady, who at 41 could surpass 39-year-old Peyton Manning as the oldest starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl and become the first to do it six times.
“It feels pretty sweet,” Brady said. “We earned it and I’m really happy for us. It was awesome. What a game.”
Brady became the first quarterback in NFL playoff history to go 3-0 in overtime, having won all three on the opening drive of the extra session.
This one came after four lead changes in the fourth quarter and a dramatic fightback drive by Kansas City to force the first overtime American Conference Final since 1986.
“The players just competed really hard today,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “You can’t buy these. You’ve got to earn them and they earned this one.”
Meanwhile, the Saints were livid over the lack of a late-game penalty call when Rams defender Nickell Robey-Coleman ran into Saints receiver Tommylee Lewis on a third-down pass. New Orleans lost a chance to run down the clock and make a last-play short field-goal attempt.
“They blew the call,” Saints coach Sean Payton said. “I don’t know if there was ever a more obvious pass interference call. It’s a tough way to lose a game, especially when you’re in a position like that to win it. We’ll probably never get over it.”
The Saints received the ball to begin overtime, but Rams linebacker Dante Fowler hit Brees as he threw and safety John Johnson picked off the awkward lob while falling onto his back, the lone New Orleans turnover setting up Zuerlein’s winner.
“I was crying on the bench,” Rams defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh said. “I’ve never been this excited.”
Rams coach Sean McVay, who turns 33 on Thursday, became the youngest coach to reach the Super Bowl.
“It’s a credit to the people you have around you,” McVay said. “Our team demonstrated great mental toughness. It was a tough start. We had confidence and we got it done. It was a great win.”
The Rams are seeking their fourth NFL crown, but their first for Los Angeles in the Super Bowl era.
The team won NFL titles in 1945 based in Cleveland, Ohio; 1951 based in Los Angeles; and the 2000 Super Bowl while based in St Louis, Missouri.
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