For the third straight year, the New England Patriots are headed to the Super Bowl after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs 37-30 in overtime, Sunday night.
Where have we heard this before? Oh yeah, NINE TIMES since 2002, when the Patriots defeated the then St. Louis Rams 20-17. The Patriots will again play the Rams, who now reside in Los Angeles, in Super Bowl LIII in a couple weeks.
Tom Brady was able to make it to his ninth Super Bowl after a hard fought, back and forth, overtime battle against the Chiefs.
The game started off extremely well for New England, as they took their opening drive 15 plays, 80-yards and shaved 8:05 off the clock after Sony Michel scored a touchdown on a 1-yard run.
3 TDs last week.One more this week.@Flyguy2stackz gives the @Patriots a 7-0 lead! #EverythingWeGot--: #NEvsKC on CBS pic.twitter.com/S7FNqWgtQI
— NFL (@NFL)
January 20, 2019 After a couple stalled drives by both teams, the Patriots looked content to run out the clock before halftime util Kansas City Head Coach Andy Reid called timeout with 1:13 left before haltime thinking they could get the ball back. New England all of a sudden changed their game plan after that timeout and quickly marched the ball down the field and then punched it into the endzone with a 29-yard touchdown pass from Brady to Phillip Dorsett, to take a 14-0 lead going into halftime.
Quarterbacking at its finest.Brady to @Dorsett_4 for the 29-yard TD! #EverythingWeGot--: #NEvsKC on CBS pic.twitter.com/R8Lmqh6HGV
— NFL (@NFL)
January 21, 2019 Kansas City was able to answer with their opening possession of the second half as Patrick Mahomes found tight end Travis Kelce for a 12-yard touchdown, to make it a 14-7 ballgame.
.@PatrickMahomes5 to @TKelce and the @Chiefs are on the board! #LetsRoll--: #NEvsKC on CBS pic.twitter.com/icjuy9CsMV
— NFL (@NFL)
January 21, 2019 Both teams would then punt back and forth until New England added 3 more to their score on a Stephen Gostkowski 47-Yard field goal to give the Patriots a 10-point lead 17-7.
Then came the Damian Williams show for Kansas City. The Mira Mesa Maurader put up three touchdowns for the Chiefs in the fourth quarter. The first being a 1-yard reception from Patrick Mahomes to cut the Patriots lead to 17-14.
8 plays, 75 yards.@PatrickMahomes5 caps off the @Chiefs drive with a TD to Damien Williams! #LetsRoll--: #NEvsKC on CBS pic.twitter.com/qrKYJ7Bgvy
— NFL (@NFL)
January 21, 2019 After a Tom Brady Interception the Chiefs found the endzone again on the back of San Diegan Williams, this time a 23-yard reception from Mahomes, to give Kansas City their first lead of the night 21-17, with just over 7 minutes to go.
#EverythingWeGot 17#LetsRoll 21--: #NEvsKC on CBS pic.twitter.com/Q8gYBEe6au
— NFL (@NFL)
January 21, 2019 New England would answer with a 10 play, 75-yard drive capped off by another Sony Michel touchdown. This time from 10-yards out and on 4th and inches.
On fourth and inches... @flyguy2stackz scores his second TD!@Patriots have the lead!!! #NFLPlayoffs--: #NEvsKC on CBS pic.twitter.com/7K28JFcaQx
— NFL (@NFL)
January 21, 2019 Damian Williams and the Kansas City Chiefs would answer again with a 2-yard touchdown run to retake the lead 28-24, but unfortunatley left Tom Brady too much time to try and retake the lead.
Damien Williams gives the @Chiefs the lead again! #LetsRoll--: #NEvsKC on CBS pic.twitter.com/gXnOQEn3wY
— NFL (@NFL)
January 21, 2019 With just over 2 minutes to play, Brady orchestrated a 6 play, 65-yard drive that finished with a Rex Burkhead 4 yard touchdown rush and only left Patrick Mahomes 39 seconds, and one timeout to try and tie the game up trailing 31-28. Many Chiefs fans had already started heading to the parking lot, lacking any faith that their young 23-year old quarterback could work his way downfield to set up a game tying field goal with only 39 seconds. To the fair-weather fans that left early, Mahomes proved he could lead the Chiefs to the promise land.
Rex Burkhead is IN.@Patriots take the lead with 39 seconds left! #EverythingWeGot--: #NEvsKC on CBS pic.twitter.com/gZSXatujHA
— NFL (@NFL)
January 21, 2019 The final drive for Kansas City started with a 21-yard pass connection from Mahomes to Spencer Ware down to the New England 48-yard line. After the Chiefs burned their last timeout, Mahomes connected with Demarcus Robinson for 27-yards down to the Patriots 21-yard line and setting up for a Harrison Butker 39-yard game tying field goal, in which he drilled to send the game to overtime.
Mahomes Magic!Chiefs across the 50-yard line.--: #NEvsKC on CBS pic.twitter.com/G2BIyV9pCy
— NFL (@NFL)
January 21, 2019 Just the second overtime in AFC Championship history and the first time ever that both the AFC and NFC Championship games had gone to overtime in the same year or the same day.
The Patriots would win the coin toss in overtime and not look back.
Needing a touchdown to win, Tom Brady led his team down the field and did what Tom Brady does best in AFC Championship games...win.
They won the coin toss. Then the game.Every play from the OT drive that sent the @Patriots to the @SuperBowl! #SBLIII #NFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/iyGCYeTYSx
— NFL (@NFL)
January 21, 2019 It took 13 plays in overtime to win, but the New England Patriots pulled it off...again, on a 2-yard run by Rex Burkhead to walk it off in Kansas City and punch their ticket to Atlanta for a date with the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII.
Local Stat: Damien Williams finished the game with 30 yards rushing on 10 carries and 1 rushing touchdown, as well as 5 receptions for 66 yards, and two receiving touchdowns. The Chiefs may have found their replacement for Kareem Hunt.
Local Stars in Super Bowl: Although Damian Williams is now eliminated, there are still a couple San Diegans represented in the Super Bowl. Corey Littleton from Mount Miguel will play for the Los Angeles Rams and Joe Cardona of Granite Hills will be long snapping for the New England Patriots.
