We Ain't Going Nowhere.
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KimJongBaze
- Posts: 1329
- Joined: 27 Nov 2018, 18:31
We Ain't Going Nowhere.
Super Bowl or bust
We Ain't Going Nowhere.
January 10, 2021 -- #PITvNE
Gillette Stadium -- Foxborough, MA
CBS -- 1:00 P.M. ET
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PIT - 3 / 0 / 10 / 7 // 20
NE - 3 / 17 / 3 / 7 // 30
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New England seemed to be well on their way to yet another AFC Championship Game, their tenth in a row. The offense was humming, the defense was suffocating, Tom Brady was nearly perfect while Juju Smith-Schuster was held catchless in the first half.
And then Brady was intercepted at the goal-line. Jeff Thomas fumbled a kickoff return after Isaiah Simmons' bit on a play action, resulting in Pittsburgh's first touchdown. Adrian Killins then fumbled on fourth down in the redzone. Pittsburgh returned Jakobi Meyers' fumble on a third down catch to the house to make it a three-point game 6:06 left in the game.
But in the end, New England still runs this conference and owns the Pittsburgh Steelers' soul. Killins redeemed himself with a 55-yard run and Ben Roethlisberger was intercepted by Stephon Gilmore in the endzone with 55 seconds left in the game to finish off the 30-20 win on Sunday.
Smith-Schuster finished with just one catch for 4 yards as he was shadowed by Gilmore throughout the game.
New England will play the Los Angeles Chargers next week in a record 10th straight AFC Championship appearance. It is the 15th conference championship game appearance by the Patriots during the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era.
Brady finished 28 of 38 for 297 yards and a touchdown along with the aforementioned interception. Brady is now 4-0 against the Steelers in the playoffs and 14-3 all time against them. He's never lost at home against them, a feat that might hold given the retirement rumors surrounding the veteran.
Scoring Summary
Quarter 1
8:09 (PIT) C. Boswell, 48 Yd FG
2:08 (NE) R. Blankenship, 23 Yd FG
Quarter 2
9:44 (NE) J. Smith 15 Yd pass from T. Brady
1:21 (NE) A. Killins Jr, 9 Yd run
0:02 (NE) R. Blankenship, 44 Yd FG
Quarter 3
6:54 (NE) R. Blankenship, 47 Yd FG
5:23 (PIT) D. Wood-Anderson 60 Yd pass from B. Roethlisberger
4:16 (PIT) C. Boswell, 24 Yd FG
Quarter 4
6:06 (PIT) A. Harris, returned fumble 64 Yds
4:04 (NE) A. Killins Jr, 55 Yd run
Player Stats
New England Patriots (15-2)
Tom Brady, QB: 28 of 37, 297 yards, touchdown, interception.
Sony Michel, HB: 21 carries, 128 yards.
Adrian Killins Jr, HB: 12 carries, 108 yards, 2 touchdowns, fumble.
Julian Edelman, WR: 12 receptions, 146 yards.
N'Keal Harry, WR: 4 receptions, 59 yards.
Patrick Chung, S: 5 tackles.
Yetur Gross-Matos, DE: 5 tackles, 2.5 sacks.
Stephon Gilmore, CB: 5 tackles, interception.
Isaiah Simmons, LB: 5 tackles, sack.
Pittsburgh Steelers (10-8)
Ben Roethlisberger, QB: 17 of 25, 208 yards, touchdown, interception.
James Conner, HB: 10 carries, 35 yards.
Dominick Wood-Anderson, WR: 4 receptions, 64 yards, touchdown.
Donte Moncrief, WR: 3 receptions, 31 yards.
Juju Smith-Schuster, WR: 1 reception, 4 yards.
Devin Bush, LB: 15 tackles, 2 forced fumbles.
Stephon Tuit, DE: 10 tackles, forced fumble.
Zach Vigil, LB: 4 tackles, sack.
Anthony Chickilo, LB: 4 tackles, sack.
Sutton Smith, LB: 4 tackles, interception.
We Ain't Going Nowhere.
Pittsburgh Steelers 20 :: New England Patriots 30
New York Giants 30 :: Dallas Cowboys 31
Los Angeles Chargers 21 :: Indianapolis Colts 17
Seattle Seahawks 21 :: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 28
Conference Championship Games
Los Angeles Chargers (11-6-1) at New England Patriots (15-2)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-6) at Dallas Cowboys (14-2-1)
AFC Players of the Week
Philip Rivers (QB, LA Chargers): 22 of 34, 246 yards, 2 touchdowns.
Al Harris (S, Pittsburgh): 8 tackles, fumble recovery, touchdown.
NFC Players of the Week
Ezekiel Elliott (HB, Dallas): 19 carries, 165 yards, 2 touchdowns.
Sean Murphy-Bunting (CB, Tampa): 7 tackles, interception.
Notable Injuries
James White (HB, New England): Ruptured Disk, Season.
Amari Cooper (WR, Dallas): Quad Tear, One Week.
Leighton Vander Esch (LB, Dallas): Partial MCL Tear, Season.
Jaylon Smith (LB, Dallas): Dislocated Hip, Season.
Jordan Love (QB, Dallas): Shoulder Tear, One Week.
Christopher Herndon (TE, LA Chargers): Fractured Shoulder Blade, Season.
Mike Williams (WR, LA Chargers): Fractured Shoulder Blade, Season.
Travis Benjamin (WR, LA Chargers): Upper Arm Fracture, Season.
Mike Evans (WR, Tampa Bay): Broken Femur, Season.
Austin Ekeler (HB, Tampa Bay): Broken Tibia, Season.
Ali Marpet (G, Tampa Bay): Compound Foot Fracture, Season.
We Ain't Going Nowhere.
January 17, 2021 -- #LACvNE
Gillette Stadium -- Foxborough, MA
CBS -- 1:00 P.M. ET
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LAC - 3 / 0 / 0 / 0 // 3
NE - 7 / 10 / 7 / 14 // 38
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Isaiah Simmons was two years old when Tom Brady was drafted by the New England Patriots in the sixth round. Twenty years later, Simmons got his opportunity when New England traded up in the first round to select Simmons with the ninth pick of the draft.
The move was celebrated as Simmons was a versatile safety-turned-linebacker that fit the mold of a Bill Belichick defensive player by not fitting a mold. Others questioned why New England didn't draft Justin Herbert or Jake Fromm.
Sunday ended those doubts.
Simmons intercepted Philip Rivers four times, returned two of them for touchdowns as New England pitched a near shutout in the 38-3 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday to send New England to it's fourth straight Super Bowl where it will play the Dallas Cowboys.
Vernon Perry had the most interceptions in a playoff game, with 4 interceptions in the 1979 AFC divisional game against the San Diego Chargers on December 29, 1979. Simmons tied the record while also leading the team with eight tackles and sacking Rivers twice. It's yet another feat in what has been an impressive rookie season for Simmons that will likely end with him winning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
New England needed that performance as Brady struggled, throwing for just 86 yards and a touchdown. His second pass of the day was an interception, which led to the field goal, the Chargers only points of the night.
Scoring Summary
Quarter 1
8:57 (LAC) A. Vinatieri, 26 Yd FG
0:25 (NE) J. Edelman 3 Yd pass from T. Brady
Quarter 2
5:48 (NE) D. King, 25 Yd run
0:46 (NE) R. Blankenship, 36 Yd FG
Quarter 3
6:14 (NE) K. Vaughn, 5 Yd run
Quarter 4
9:56 (NE) I. Simmons, returned interception 93 Yds
3:33 (NE) I. Simmons, returned interception 28 Yds
Player Stats
New England Patriots (16-2)
Tom Brady, QB: 12 of 22, 86 yards, touchdown, interception.
D'Eriq King, HB: 19 carries, 110 yards, touchdown, fumble.
Sony Michel, HB: 14 carries, 53 yards.
Julian Edelman, WR: 4 receptions, 31 yards, touchdown.
Isaiah Simmons, LB: 8 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 4 interceptions, 2 touchdowns.
Devin McCourty, S: 8 tackles, 2 tackles for loss.
Jonathan Jones, CB: 6 tackles, interception.
Jamie Collins Sr, LB: Tackle, interception.
Los Angeles Chargers (11-7-1)
Philip Rivers, QB: 18 of 33, 124 yards, 6 interceptions.
Melvin Gordon, HB: 15 carries, 46 yards.
Keenan Allen, WR: 5 receptions, 66 yards.
Kendell Beckwith, LB: 18 tackles, 2 tackles for loss.
Joey Bosa, DE: 7 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, sack.
Casey Hayward Jr, CB: Tackle, interception.
We Ain't Going Nowhere.
Brady gonna ride off into the sunset.
We Ain't Going Nowhere.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14 :: Dallas Cowboys 21
Los Angeles Chargers 3 :: New England Patriots 38
Super Bowl
Dallas Cowboys (15-2-1) vs. New England Patriots (16-2)
AFC Players of the Week
D'Eriq King (HB, New England): 19 carries, 110 yards, touchdown.
Isaiah Simmons (LB, New England): 8 tackles, 2 sacks, 4 interceptions, 2 touchdowns.
NFC Players of the Week
Jameis Winston (QB, Tampa Bay): 19 of 27, 264 yards, 2 touchdowns.
Lavonte David (LB, Tampa Bay): 11 tackles.
Notable Injuries
James White (HB, New England): Ruptured Disk, Season.
Leighton Vander Esch (LB, Dallas): Partial MCL Tear, Season.
Jaylon Smith (LB, Dallas): Dislocated Hip, Season.
La'el Collins (T, Dallas): Torn Bicep, Season.
Eric Ebron (TE, Dallas): Broken Collarbone, Season.
We Ain't Going Nowhere.
Tom Brady (QB, New England): 425 of 597, 5176 yards, 47 touchdowns, 18 interceptions.
Award Winners
AP Offensive Player of the Year
Ezekiel Elliott (HB, Dallas): 322 carries, 1841 yards, 14 touchdowns, 24 receptions, 388 yards, 4 touchdowns.
AP Defensive Player of the Year
Aaron Donald (DE, LA Rams): 61 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 21.5 sacks.
AP Offensive Rookie of the Year
Jake Fromm (QB, Indianapolis): 334 of 491, 3878 yards, 35 touchdowns, 6 interceptions.
AP Defensive Rookie of the Year
Isaiah Simmons (LB, New England): 104 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, 3 interceptions, 10 pass breakups, 7 forced fumbles, touchdown.
Coach of the Year
HC Bill Belichick, New England
AP First-Team All-Pro
QB Tom Brady, New England
HB Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas
HB Christian McCaffrey, Carolina
WR Julian Edelman, New England
WR N'Keal Harry, New England
WR Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers
TE Evan Engram, New York Giants
T Tyron Smith, Dallas
T Trent Williams, Washington
G Shaq Mason, New England
G Zach Martin, Dallas
C Travis Frederick, Dallas
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DL Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams
DL Yetur Gross-Matos, New England
DL DeForest Buckner, San Francisco
DL DeMarcus Lawrence, Dallas
LB Isaiah Simmons, New England
LB Roquan Smith, Chicago
LB Jamie Collins, New England
CB Stephon Gilmore, New England
CB Bryce Hall, Buffalo
S Jordan Poyer, Buffalo
S Damarious Randall, Cleveland
We Ain't Going Nowhere.
Super Bowl: Dallas Cowboys vs. New England Patriots Preview
DynastySports.com
It's been 23 years since the Dallas Cowboys last played in a Super Bowl. New England has played in eleven of them since then, winning an NFL record seven Super Bowls in what will undoubtedly go down as the best sports dynasty in all of sports.
Tom Brady will be aiming for his eight Super Bowl victory, cementing his legacy as the game's all-time quarterback and perhaps the greatest player of all time. In doing so, he'd also become the first quarterback in NFL history to win three straight Super Bowls. After winning yet another MVP at the age of 43 -- another record -- there is little Brady hasn't accomplished.
There is plenty for Jordan Love to accomplish. The fellow Californian is standing in the way of history alongside his injury riddled Dallas Cowboys. When Dallas opted to not extend Dak Prescott and instead draft the quarterback out of Utah State, many balked at the decision but soon ate their words as Love led Dallas to a 12-1-1 record.
Love tore his shoulder in the 35-28 win over Seattle on Monday night, seemingly ending his impressive rookie season. Despite veteran backup Jacoby Brissett -- and former Patriot -- leading the team to a 2-1 finish down the stretch with wins over Philadelphia and Cleveland, many doubted that Dallas would be able to make it to the big game. Not with injuries to their two top linebackers in Leighton Vanderesch and Jaylon Brown.
Brissett's sole loss of the season was in the regular season finale to the New York Ginats and who else would the Cowboys face in the divisional round oter than the Giants? Brissett threw for 228 yards and two touchdowns while Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 165 yards and two touchdowns in the one point win. And then came red hot Tampa Bay and once again, Brissett's slowly and steady performance punched their ticket into the Super Bowl and gave Love the opportunity to finish off his season.
He'll have a tough task ahead of him after New England completely undressed Philip Rivers for the world to see. New England had no issues with Ben Roethlisberger either, sacking him six times while blanketing Juju Smith-Schuster.
New England's weakness on defense is their rushing defense. Both Pittsburgh and Los Angeles abandoned the running game after trailing but before they did, they were able to get some solid gains on the ground. Despite leading most of the season, New England's defense still managed to finish just 21st in the league in rush defense. They were able to offset that with their league leading 74 sacks and 38 takeaways.
It is imperative for Dallas and for Love's sake that they stay away from obvious passing downs. Even with a stout offensive line, they are without right tackle La'el Collins and New England has a favorable matchup against his replacement Cameron Fleming, a former Patriot.
It would behoove Dallas to lean on that offensive line and Elliott as they can not only be productive on the ground but also keep Brady and the Patriots offense off the field.
Defensively, Dallas' weakness are clear. Linebackers Mason Foster and Quentin Poling will be targetted, early and often. Even veteran Sean Lee will have a tough time keeping up with running back D'Eriq King out of the backfield while tight ends Grant Calcaterra and Jonnu Smith could be a big factor.
Dallas needs to get pressure up front, preferably without blitzing. New England's offensive line is its biggest weakness, as shown by DeMarcus Lawrence's seven sack performance last season against the Patriots. Dallas is strong in the back end as well with Byron Jones, Chidobe Awuzie and Anthony Brown. Brown should be able to handle the speed of Henry Ruggs III while Awuzie will likely get the assignment on Julian Edelman, giving Jones the interesting matchup against N'Keal Harry.
Harry is a big body receiver capable of winning jump balls and also surprisingly able to create separation by going inside. With the linebackers requiring safety help, this will give Harry some favorable matchups on the outside one-on-one.
In the end, it will come down to Brady vs. Love. It figures to be a close matchup between the two teams with the best record in the league. Brady and Love are likely to both have the ball in their hands late in the fourth quarter with the game on the line. Who will prevail?
Last edited by Soapy on 28 Oct 2019, 12:45, edited 1 time in total.