Edelman’s return helps Patriots return to AFC title game

New England grabbed a 7-0 lead only 4:37 into the game as Brady capped an 11-play, 80-yard march with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Gronkowski.

Tom Brady threw for two touchdowns and ran for another to power the Patriots over visiting Kansas City 27-20 while Carson Palmer threw for three touchdowns for his first playoff win in the Cardinals’ 26-20 home victory over Green Bay.

The New England Patriots came in and took care of business on Saturday, defeating the Kansas City Chiefs by a score of 27-20.

Kansas City saw an 11-game win streak snapped. Not necessarily a two-minute play but your best play you’ve got in your game plan. Only four teams are playing next weekend and I’m glad we’re one of them.

New England (13-4) meets the victor of today’s Steelers-Broncos game at Denver for a spot in Super Bowl 50. “We had the plays”.

“We didn’t worry about what’s happened in the past or what’s going to happen in the future”. What’s more, Gronk now has eight postseason touchdowns in his career, which is the most by a tight end.

That score was set up by the play that drew the loudest cheers here, an adrenaline-pushing plod to the goal line by the 38-year-old Brady, who was ruled short of a touchdown but forced the ball over on a quarterback sneak on the next play. He caught seven passes for 83 yards. The following onside kick attempt bounced right into the arms of Gronkowski and the Patriots were one first down away from the AFC Championship.

Yet the reason the Patriots won was the same reason they were flirted with another undefeated regular season: Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman were back on the field together.

“We work those situations all the time”, Reid said Sunday after the Chiefs returned home and had time to digest their 27-20 loss.

“It’s been a unique season, a lot of new things have happened this season, kind of like tonight”, said Manning, who replaced Osweiler in the season finale, leading the Broncos to a win over San Diego to secure the No. 1 seed.

Brady aired it out 42 times for 302 yards and two touchdowns (plus one rushing score).

The Patriots’ struggling third-down offense was immediately bolstered by the returns of Edelman and Gronkowski. I think you knew that answer was coming.

“It took everything we got”, Brady said. “But I don’t foresee a lot of guys leaving to do that”.

“It’s insane. Three years in a row we’re going to the conference championship”, he said. Jeremy Maclin caught just two balls on the afternoon while limited by an ankle injury, leaving Smith without the receiving options to move the ball efficiently down the field against an effective Patriots secondary.

After trading punts twice, the Patriots started on their 2 when Amendola was flagged for a helmet-first hit to coverage man Jamell Fleming. He then has a shot at his 5th Super Bowl title. Quarterback Alex Smith had a different take, though. I think the preparation was good, we had a good week of practice. “It’s football season, so there’s bumps and bruises, but you’ve got to fight through those”. Brady added another touchdown pass to Gronkowski to make it 21-6.

Kansas City made the game closer on one-yard touchdown run by Charcandrick West with 1:13 left.

Earlier in the game, when Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” was blasting over the stadium loudspeakers, the crowd – and even some of the players – started singing along when footage of Jon Bon Jovi (who was in owner Bob Kraft’s luxury box) singing to the song and pumping his fists in the air were shown on the jumbo screens.