Super Bowl: Tom Brady’s Patriots to face Philadelphia Eagles

Tom Brady and the New England Patriots are going back to the Super Bowl in search of a sixth title.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady looks to pass against Jacksonville Jaguars. Picture: AFP

Tom Brady and the New England Patriots are going back to the Super Bowl in search of a sixth title.

They’ll face a Philadelphia Eagles team looking for their first Lombardi Trophy.

Brady led the Patriots back from a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 24-20 in the AFC championship game yesterday (AEDT). Starting his 36th playoff game, Brady shook off an injury to his right hand and the loss of top target Rob Gronkowski to rally the Patriots to their record 10th Super Bowl appearance.

The Patriots will try to match the Pittsburgh Steelers’ six Super Bowl trophies when they face the Eagles on February 4 in Minneapolis.

Nick Foles, the back-up quarterback who was thrust into the starting role when Carson Wentz blew out his left knee last month, led Philadelphia to a 38-7 rout of the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC championship game.

Foles threw for 352 yards and three touchdowns.

The Vikings were hoping to become the first NFL team to host a Super Bowl in their own stadium, but couldn’t repeat the heroics that took them past New Orleans a week ago.

Bookmakers like the chances of Brady winning a sixth Super Bowl ring, making the Patriots nearly a touchdown favourite to beat the Eagles. The Patriots and Eagles, the latter of which last won an NFL title in 1960, several years before the first Super Bowl, met in the Super Bowl in 2004. The Patriots won 24-21.

Hours after Brady’s game-winning four-yard touchdown pass to Danny Amendola with 2:48 remaining in Foxborough, the Eagles won for the fourth time in five tries under Foles.

It started out ominously.

The Vikings celebrated Kyle Rudolph’s 25-yard touchdown catch from Case Keenum on their opening drive by mimicking the Olympic sport of curling for their TD celebration.

But it was the Eagles who had all the fun after that.

Patrick Robinson’s spectacular 50-yard interception return got Philadelphia started. Then Foles and his offence tore up the league’s stingiest scoring defence, with long TD throws to Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith. LeGarrette Blount had an 11-yard scoring run when things were decided in the first half.

Corey Graham of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates his fourth-quarter interception against the Minnesota Vikings. Picture: AFP

“You know everyone was against us,” Foles said. “Coming out here and stick together and (we) come away with an amazing victory against a great team.”

Blake Bortles and the Jaguars led New England 20-10 early in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t hold out against the defending champions. The NFL’s second-ranked defence kept Brady and the Patriots at bay for most of the game, but lost linebacker Myles Jack and defensive tackle Marcell Dareus on consecutive plays on New England’s winning drive.

It was New England’s 13th win in 14 games since their 2-2 start. Their only stumble since September was a 27-20 loss at the Dolphins on December 11.

Brady, wearing a black bandage on his right hand after needing stitches to close a cut that happened on a practice play earlier in the week, showed no signs of being hampered.

And with the game, and the season, possibly on the line, the Patriots star came up big again.

“I’ve had a lot worse,” Brady said. “I didn’t know that on Wednesday. It was a crazy injury. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday was a little scary. Then I started getting some confidence and today we did just enough to win.

“It’s pretty amazing,” Brady said. “Just to be on a team that wins these kinds of games, it’s just a great accomplishment.”

AP