A Tom Brady vs. Drew Brees Super Bowl is something that many football fans are surprise hasn't happened yet, but we moved one step closer to that happening on Sunday. First, the New England Patriots had no issue taking care of the Los Angeles Chargers at Gillette Stadium with a 41-28 victory. The score does not indicate how dominant the Patriots were in the Divisional Round matchup, as they advanced to their eighth consecutive AFC Championship Game next week. Sony Michel was the leader on this day, as the rookie ran for 129 yards and three touchdowns, improving the Patriots to a perfect 9-0 on their home field this season.
The Patriots will participate in their 13th conference championship game with Brady and Bill Belichick leading the way, and it will be against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. The Patriots have already defeated the Chiefs, 43-40, in Foxborough on Sunday Night Football in Week 6. On Sunday, Brady threw for 343 yards and a touchdown, improving to 8-0 as a starting quarterback against Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers. Julian Edelman was Brady's top target, catching nine passes for 151 yards, while James White tied Darren Sproles' playoff record for running backs with 15 catches for 97 yards. New England wasted no time to jump ahead, scoring on their first four possessions to build a 35-7 advantage.
All of that keeps the Chargers out of the AFC Title Game since the 2007 season, as the veteran Rivers dropped to 1-8 all-time against the Patriots. He threw for 331 yards and three touchdowns, but he is also now 0-5 at Gillette Stadium, including 0-3 in the postseason. The loss for the Chargers is just their second on the road this season, and first out of the city of Los Angeles. In each of their previous four postseason appearances, the Chargers have been eliminated in the Divisional Round.
Meanwhile, Brees and the New Orleans Saints put an end to the Nick Foles story for at least this season, hanging on for a 20-14 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional Round. Brees threw two touchdowns on the day, leading the Saints to their first NFC Championship Game since the 2009 season, which is the year they went on to beat the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl. The Saints will be hosting that contest next Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams, who beat the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday night.
Marshon Lattimore came up big on the defensive end, recording two interceptions to help the Saints overcome an early 14-0 deficit. The Saints went on scoring drives of 92, 79, and 67 yards, and now focus in on the Rams, whom they beat at the Mercedes Benz Superdome, 45-35, last November. Will Lutz added two field goals for the Saints, whose victory completed a sweep of the top two seeds in both conferences this Divisional weekend.
The Eagles' loss means that we will stay without a repeat Super Bowl Champion since the New England Patriots did it in 2004. They did have a chance to rally late in the fourth quarter, where head coach Doug Perderson says he thought his team was going to pull it off. It started when Lutz missed a 52-yard field goal attempt, but Alshon Jeffery's inability to handle Nick Foles' pass ended the Eagles' chances on the day. Keith Kirkwood and Michael Thomas caught touchdown passes for the Saints, with Thomas setting a franchise playoff record with 12 catches for 171 yards. The Brees-Brady combo will have to get the job done one more time against two explosive teams in order to meet up in Atlanta for the Super Bowl.
The Patriots will participate in their 13th conference championship game with Brady and Bill Belichick leading the way, and it will be against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. The Patriots have already defeated the Chiefs, 43-40, in Foxborough on Sunday Night Football in Week 6. On Sunday, Brady threw for 343 yards and a touchdown, improving to 8-0 as a starting quarterback against Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers. Julian Edelman was Brady's top target, catching nine passes for 151 yards, while James White tied Darren Sproles' playoff record for running backs with 15 catches for 97 yards. New England wasted no time to jump ahead, scoring on their first four possessions to build a 35-7 advantage.
All of that keeps the Chargers out of the AFC Title Game since the 2007 season, as the veteran Rivers dropped to 1-8 all-time against the Patriots. He threw for 331 yards and three touchdowns, but he is also now 0-5 at Gillette Stadium, including 0-3 in the postseason. The loss for the Chargers is just their second on the road this season, and first out of the city of Los Angeles. In each of their previous four postseason appearances, the Chargers have been eliminated in the Divisional Round.
Meanwhile, Brees and the New Orleans Saints put an end to the Nick Foles story for at least this season, hanging on for a 20-14 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional Round. Brees threw two touchdowns on the day, leading the Saints to their first NFC Championship Game since the 2009 season, which is the year they went on to beat the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl. The Saints will be hosting that contest next Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams, who beat the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday night.
Marshon Lattimore came up big on the defensive end, recording two interceptions to help the Saints overcome an early 14-0 deficit. The Saints went on scoring drives of 92, 79, and 67 yards, and now focus in on the Rams, whom they beat at the Mercedes Benz Superdome, 45-35, last November. Will Lutz added two field goals for the Saints, whose victory completed a sweep of the top two seeds in both conferences this Divisional weekend.
The Eagles' loss means that we will stay without a repeat Super Bowl Champion since the New England Patriots did it in 2004. They did have a chance to rally late in the fourth quarter, where head coach Doug Perderson says he thought his team was going to pull it off. It started when Lutz missed a 52-yard field goal attempt, but Alshon Jeffery's inability to handle Nick Foles' pass ended the Eagles' chances on the day. Keith Kirkwood and Michael Thomas caught touchdown passes for the Saints, with Thomas setting a franchise playoff record with 12 catches for 171 yards. The Brees-Brady combo will have to get the job done one more time against two explosive teams in order to meet up in Atlanta for the Super Bowl.
