Super Bowl champion quarterbacks Drew Brees and Tom Brady on Sunday each sparkled in leading the New Orleans Saints and the New England Patriots into the NFL semi-finals with home playoff triumphs.
Two days before his 40th birthday, Brees overcame a first-pass pickoff to complete 28 of 38 throws for 301 yards and two touchdowns as the Saints went marching into Sunday’s National Conference Final by beating defending champions Philadelphia 20-14.
Brady, a 41-year-old winner of five NFL titles, completed 34 of 44 passes for 343 yards and a touchdown, while Sony Michel ran 24 times for 129 yards and three touchdowns as the Patriots beat the Los Angeles Chargers 41-28 for a record eighth consecutive trip to the American Conference Final.
Photo: AFP
The Saints are to host the Los Angeles Rams and the Patriots visit the Kansas City Chiefs to decide the berths in Super Bowl 53 on Feb. 3 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Brees sparked the greatest playoff comeback in Saints history from a 14-0 deficit.
“Obviously, we didn’t start this game the way we wanted to,” Brees said. “We were calm, we were poised, we knew were going to get things going.”
The Patriots, who are seeking a ninth Super Bowl appearance in 18 campaigns and a third title in five seasons, jumped ahead 35-7 at halftime.
“The line played great and I think we just did a good job of keeping them off balance. It was a good win,” Brady said.
“It’s that time of year. You’ve got to play your best,” he said.
The Patriots beat Kansas City 43-40 in an October regular-season contest, but the Chiefs, who have not won a title since the 1969 campaign, were the only visitors all season to lead at New England.
“Kansas City has had a hell of a year,” Brady said. “They gave us everything we could handle in October. I’m sure it will be the same. It’s going to be fun to play them in the championship game.”
The Rams and Saints each went an NFL-best 13-3 this season, with New Orleans beating the Rams 45-35 in November.
The Saints won their only Super Bowl in 2010. The Rams own three titles.
The Saints blasted Philadelphia 48-7 in November, but the Eagles’ Cre’Von LeBlanc intercepted Brees’ first pass to set up a 37-yard Nick Foles touchdown toss to Jordan Matthews.
Foles followed with a one-yard touchdown run later in the quarter.
New Orleans answered with a 12-play, 79-yard touchdown drive sustained by a Taysom Hill fake punt run and capped by a two-yard Brees touchdown pass to rookie Keith Kirkwood.
Will Lutz’s 45-yard field goal made it 14-10 at halftime.
The Saints made an 18-play, 92-yard touchdown march that took 11 minutes, 29 seconds of the third quarter and ended with a two-yard Brees touchdown pass to Michael Thomas.
Lutz added a 39-yard field goal.
Lutz missed from 52 yards with 2:58 remaining and the Eagles drove into Saints territory, but a Foles pass deflected off the hands of Alshon Jeffery and into those of Saints defender Marshon Lattimore for an interception. New Orleans then ran out the clock.
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