The New England Patriots are off to their tenth Super Bowl, coming back to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 24-20 in the AFC Championship Game. The Patriots head to Super Bowl 52 looking to win their sixth Lombardi Trophy under head coach Bill Belichick.
The Jaguars jumped on top early, taking a 14-3 lead, with a chance to send the Patriots to the mat in the first half. However, the delay of game late in the second quarter got the Patriots the ball back and a chance to cut the lead to 14-10. The Jaguars had several chances after that, but somehow it felt like the momentum took a big swing at that point. As Danny Amendola hauled in the game-winning score, it almost like a foregone conclusion that the Patriots were going to win this game.
I was really hoping the Jaguars would spring the win in this one. It wasn’t so much about disliking the Patriots. Instead, it was about the Jaguars fun swagger, and of course the San Francisco 49ers putting up 44 points on this vaunted Jaguars defense. I would have enjoyed being transitive AFC champs.
The Patriots will head to Minneapolis to face the winner of the Philadelphia Eagles-Minnesota Vikings matchup. This likely marked the final home game for Josh McDaniels and Matt Patricia, both of whom are expected to take head coaching jobs elsewhere.
On a 49ers note, Jimmy Garoppolo and Cassius Marsh will both get a chance to earn a Super Bowl share with the win. If the Patriots lose, they each get $56,000. If the Patriots win, they each get $112,000.