Rejuvenated Tom Brady Poised To Lead New England Patriots To Super Bowl After Historic Performance
By Michael Compton
@MWCompton
Greg L. Cooper-USA Today Sports
Big-game quarterback Tom Brady helped the New England Patriots flip the postseason script on the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday. Clutch second-half play from Brady, already a two-time Super Bowl MVP, carried the Patriots to a come-from-behind win in a chippy AFC divisional-round playoff contest at Gillette Stadium.
The Patriots had dropped two of their previous three playoff contests to the Ravens, including a surprising loss in the AFC Championship game two years ago ahead of the Ravens’ subsequent Super Bowl victory. The Ravens’ front seven, among the NFL’s best, were successful in getting after Brady in previous postseason meetings, holding the future Hall of Famer to just three touchdown passes and picking him off seven times.
That changed on Saturday, as Brady and the Patriots regained their much-needed mojo.
Despite a slow start, Brady and company found their rhythm this time around. Under duress the entire game, Brady, not known for extending plays with his legs, ran for the Patriots’ first touchdown of the game (the fifth postseason rushing touchdown of his career) and soon after connected with Julian Edelman for a 15-yard touchdown score late in the second quarter. Brady added a five-yard touchdown pass in the second half to tight end Rob Gronkowski.
The play of the game for the Patriots capitalized on the element of surprise. New England knotted the game at 28 on a trick play that featured a backwards pass from Brady to Edelman, who in turn threw downfield to a wide open Danny Amendola, resulting in a perfectly executed 51-yard touchdown. Brady couldn’t have thrown it any better.
As he is known to do, Brady engineered the game-winning drive with just over five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, finding Brandon LaFell for a 33-yard touchdown pass that put the Patriots up 35-31. The historic pass iced the victory and gave Brady his 46th postseason touchdown, making him the all-time leader, one ahead of his childhood hero Joe Montana (45). Brady finished the game completing 33-of-50 for 367 yards and three touchdowns.
Brady rattled off Super Bowl titles in three of his first four seasons as a starter, and at 37 is seeking an elusive fourth ring with the Patriots 10 years removed from his last Super Bowl triumph. Not bad for a late-round draft pick who has evolved into one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. Once again, Brady proved why he is Tom Terrific in a memorable, high-stakes game that won’t soon be forgotten.
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