Final thoughts
So, the Patriots will be returning to the Super Bowl. The question now is: Who will they face? Well, for that, you will have to join David Lengel who is covering the NFC Championship Game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Philadelphia Eagles. My work here is done, however. Thanks for reading, especially everyone who contributed to this liveblog. Sorry I couldn’t quite fit in everybody. Ciao!
You can read the full report from the game here:
Updated
Give the Jacksonville Jaguars the credit: They played well enough to win tonight. The Patriots were able to make just one or two more plays at the end.
Patriots win!
Jaguars 20-24 Patriots, FINAL
And the Patriots get a first down on the Jacksonville 38 and that seals the deal. The Patriots will be returning to the Super Bowl!
Jaguars 20-24 Patriots, 4th quarter, 1:38
Bortles’s throw at 4th & 15 is swatted away by Stephon Gilmore. The Patriots get it back on downs.
Jaguars 20-24 Patriots, 4th quarter, 2:00
Gostkowski’s kick goes into the end zone for a touchback. Bortles makes two great throws to get his team to the New England 38 but James Harrison makes that one postseason play that he was brought to make: he forces a fumble at the New England 47. The Jaguars recover but it’s a 3rd and 19 situation now. That takes us to the 2 minute warning.
Touchdown! Patriots take the lead
Jaguars 20-24 Patriots, 4th quarter, 2:48
1st an goal time, White picks up a yard. On 2nd & 4, Brady finds, who else, Damon Amendola who stretches out to make a touchdown catch that gives the Patriots the lead. The extra point is good.
Jaguars 20-17 Patriots, 4th quarter, 3:57
On 2nd and 2, Brady picks up 2 yards himself. it’s a new set of downs for the Patriots,, who are now at the Jacksonville 5.
Jaguars 20-17 Patriots, 4th quarter, 4:19
Brady throws to White who picks up 15 yards to get the Patriots to the Jacksonville 15. Brady finds Amendola for a spectacular catch to bring the Patriots to the Jaguars’ 7. This could be the game.
Jaguars 20-17 Patriots, 4th quarter, 4:58
Jaguars start at their own. On 1st down, Fournette gets stuffed for a one yard loss. On 2nd and 11, Bortles nearly throws an interception On 3rd and 11, Bortles throws another incompletion. They have to punt.
And Amendola has a great return on the punt, bringing it 20 yards to the Jacksonville 30.
Jaguars 20-17 Patriots, 4th quarter, 5:53
Patriots start at their own 19 after Amendola makes a fair catch. On 1st & 10, Brady throws to Cooks, it’s incomplete but there’s a defensive pass interference call that puts them a the Jacksonville 45.
On 1st & 10, Brady throws incomplete to White. On 2nd & 10, Brady throws incomplete again, this time to Amendola. On 3rd and 10… yet another incomplete pass. So much for momentum. Here comes Ryan Allen to punt.
Jaguars 20-17 Patriots, 4th quarter, 6:34
Gillette is as loud as its been all night. The Jaguars are starting at their own 16 after a kickoff return. Fournette gets a single measly yard on first down but on 2nd & 9, Bortles hits Allen Hurns with a fantastic pass that brings the Jaguars to their own 37. Fournette picks up an extra yard. On 2nd & 9, Bortles almost throws an interception but it will just be an incompletion. 3rd & 9. Bortles throw is… incomplete. The Jaguars have to punt. Solid job the Pats defense there.
Touchdown, Patriots!
Jaguars 20-17 Patriots, 4th quarter, 8:44
Brady finds Amendola for 14 yards. it’s 1st an goal at the Jacksonville 9 and Brady finds Amendola yet again. That’s a touchdown, Gostkowski’s kick is good and just like that it’s a three point game.
Jaguars 20-10 Patriots, 4th quarter, 9:30
The Jaguars get a huge 1st down sack on Brady to set up a 3rd and 18, but Brady manages to throw to Amndola for 21 yards. Whoa. On the next pass, he throws to Dorsett for a gain of 31 yards, and that puts them at the Jacksonville 23. That, as the kids say, escalated quickly.
Jaguars 20-10 Patriots, 4th quarter, 12:03
Patriots start at their own 25. Brady throws to Cooks for an 18 yards gain . It’s 1st and 10 on the New England 45. On the next play however, a gadget play breaks down and Lewis fumbles the ball after an Amendola throw Jacksonville recovers the ball, but they can’t do anything with it, so the Patriots get a break here. They end up punting on their own 42.
Updated
Field goal, Jaguars!
Jaguars 20-10 Patriots, 4th quarter, 14:52
The Patriots force the Jaguars to kick a field goal. Lambo’s 43 yard attempt is good, and that’s a two score lead for Jacksonville.
Updated
@HunterFelt Tom Coghlan is Brady and Belichick bogeyman of years gone by. He's on Jaguars coaching ticket. So...? Obvious that Jacksonville will win.
— John Rogers (@JohnRogersShow) January 21, 2018
If the Patriots lose, it’s clearly going to be on the Illuminati. That’s my take.
Jaguars 17-10 Patriots, end of the 3rd quarter
Bortles finds Hurns for a 15 yards gain to the Jacksonville 49. Fournette gets them a few extra yards. Lee picks up a first down. The Jaguars are at the New England 41 and it’s 1st & 10.
Bortles throws incomplete. Grant picks up 2 yards to put the Jaguars at New England’s 25 when play resumes in the 4th quarter.
Jaguars 17-10 Patriots, 3:21, 3rd quarter
The Jaguars start at their own 9. The Patriots defense stuff LaFournette for no gain. On 2nd and 10, Fournette picks up 7 yards. It’s 3rd and 3, maybe a key moment for the New England defense…
Instead, Bortles finds Lee for a 18 yard gain. They’re at their own 34 and have a new set of downs.
Jaguars 17-10 Patriots, 4:41, 3rd quarter
Amendola returns the Jaguars punt to the New England 46. Not bad field position. It doesn’t matter. The Jaguars defense forces another 3-and-out.. Could… Could the Jaguars actually pull this off?
Jaguars 17-10 Patriots, 6:47, 3rd quarter
Jaguars start on their own 10. His first throw is incomplete. On 2nd down, he gets sacked for a 5 yard loss. It’s 1st and 15 and Yeldon can only get his team 3. The Jaguars punt.
@HunterFelt Touchdowns are worth 6 points.
— Adam White (@adam_m_white) January 21, 2018
“Up by a touchdown, assuming that the kicker didn’t totally screw up the extra point attempt” doesn’t quite have the same ring to it.
Jaguars 17-10 Patriots, 8:20, 3rd quarter
Patriots will start at their own 25 after a touchback. Lewis picks up a 5 yard gain. On 2nd & 5, Brady’s throw to Cooks is incomplete. No bother, Brady targets Horgan who gets the Patriots 17 yards. Brady makes a beautiful throw on 1st & 10 but Cooks just finagle the catch. On 2nd & 10, Lewis picks up 4 yards. It’s 3rd and & 6 and they’re at the Jguars 49. White can only pick up two and that’s not enough. So it’s punting time again.
Field goal, Jaguars!
Jaguars 17-10 Patriots, 10:23, 3rd quarter
The Patriots stop the Jaguars on the New England 36, so on 4th & 4 at the New England 36 and they try for a field goal. Josh Lambo makes the 54 yarder that puts Jacksonville up by a touchdown.
Jaguars 14-10 Patriots, 12:18, 3rd quarter
On 3rd & 8, Bortles finds Yeldon for 9 yards, getting them to the New England 42. That’s a first down for Jacksonville but tackle Cam Robinson was hurt during the play.
Second half begins!
Jaguars 14-10 Patriots, 13:41, 3rd quarter
The Jaguars will start on their own 25 to start the second half after a touchback. Fournette picks up 2 yards on 1st down and Bortles throws a nice short pass to Tommy Bohanon who picks up 20 yards. to get them to their own 47.
Oh and Gronk is officially “questionable” to return.
Email from Benjamin Yoo:
Hey Hunter, watching along while in NZ. with all the concussion issues in the game surely a red card equivalent could help. Gronk looks done. Shouldn’t the offender in helmet contact cases should be kicked from the game and have a 2 or 3 game ban. It took the two footed tackle out of soccer, why not be more aggressive about this sort of tackle in American football.
Cheers, Ben
I seriously doubt that anything approximating the card system will ever work in the NFL, regardless of whether or not it actually would help. What will the NFL end up doing? Man, I don’t know. If they knew they could get away with it, the answer would probably be “absolutely nothing.”
Well this got depressing really quick.
Email from Simon McMahon:
Evening Hunter. I know nothing about American football, except that I want the Jaguars to win tonight. I do know it’s overtime, not extra time, though. You want a prediction? Ok, let’s say, eh, 34-28. GO JAGUARS!!!
It’s hard not to root for the Jaguars in this matchup for a wide variety of reasons.
Halftime
I would call this something close to the best case scenario for the Jaguars, especially if Gronkowski can’t return. The Patriots, of course, can’t be too upset, that could have gone much worse and they’re great at making second half adjustments. What really matters now is how these two teams start the second half.
Jaguars 14-10 Patriots, end of the first half
Gronk is in the concussion protocol, which is never good to hear. Gostkowski’s kick goes into the end zone.for a touchback. And the Jaguars decide to play it conservatively and will just take a knee and let the clock run out. Given that Bortles’s ball security issues, that’s probably the right call here. They will get the ball to start to second half, however.
Touchdown, Patriots!
Jaguars 14-10 Patriots, :55, 2nd quarter
Brady throws to Cooks who takes it all the way to Jacksonville 1 and James White picks up that last yard on the next play as he runs in for the Patriots’ first touchdown of the game. The extra point is good.
Jaguars 14-3 Patriots, 1:28, 2nd quarter
The Patriots, of course, are as dangerous as any team with only two minutes to play. Brady throws to Cooks for a ten yard gain. He throws to Amendola who gets the ball to the 35. Brady connects with White who pick up 5 yards and a first down. He throws to Gronkowski, who get hit by Barry Church. That’s unnecessary roughness and a first down. The Patriots are at their own 40 but Gronk is injured and out.
Jaguars 14-3 Patriots, 2:02, 2nd quarter
It’s 3rd & 7 now for the Jaguars at the New England 44, they get a first down BUT there’s a delay of game penalty that negates it AND it pushes them back to 5 yards. On 3rd & 12, Bortles is sacked and the Patriots decline a holding penalty. The Jaguars punt, the Patriots escape the jam.
Jaguars 14-3 Patriots, 3:28, 2nd quarter
Blake Bortles is 12-f0r-14 so far, by the way. The Jaguars are on their own 25. The Patriots have a chance to force a three and out on 3rd & 8 after a 26 yard throw from Bortles to Keelan Cole.
Jaguars 14-3 Patriots, 5:26, 2nd quarter
Dante Fowler sacks Brady for a 3 yard loss and the Patriots have to punt. This game is going exactly how Jacksonville wants it to so far.
Jaguars 14-3 Patriots, 6:17, 2nd quarter
So how will the Patriots respond here? They will start at their own 11 after a holding penalty on Marquis Flowers. Te next play Brady finds Gronkoski with a throw, that’s usually a good thing, as it is here. He gets them to the New England 32.
it’s only so they can show more ads
— shampoo doesnt expire, baby (@mw60525) January 21, 2018
This is actually the answer to quite a lot of questions you might have about America.
Touchdown, Jaguars!
Jaguars 14-3 Patriots, 7:06, 2nd quarter
On 1s and 10, T.J. Yeldon is hit for a loss. On 2nd and 13, he’s able to pick up 12 yards and get to the New England 6. On 3rd & 1, Fournette picks up 2 yards, they’re at the New England 4 with a fresh set of downs. They don’t need all of them though, as Fournette immediately runs into the end zone for the Jaguars’ second touchdown of he game.
Updated
Jaguars 7-3 Patriots, 9:55, 2nd quarter
On 2nd & 2, the Patriots defense stops them, but not so much on 3rd and 2, as Fournette runs for 4 yards. That’s a first down and the Jags are on the New England 15.
Jaguars 7-3 Patriots,, 11:08, 2nd quarter
The Jaguars get to 33.. Out of the shotgun, Bortles throws for 27 yards to Allen Hurns who gets it to the New England 40. Hurns picks up 8 yards the next time out, putting the Jaguars at the 32. There they decide it’s prudent to take out a timeout.
@HunterFelt never understood why it takes soooo long for the game to pick up after a change in possession, watching in France w/o commercials, I see no obvious reason for it as everyone on the field just seems to hang around bored and waitng for kickoff. Would you know why? Thx
— Marc (@_LeMarc) January 21, 2018
One of the peculiar quirks of the NFL is that there is actually very little football in them. It’s sort of like how boxes of cereal are like 40% air.
Jaguars 7-3 Patriots,, 13:13, 2nd quarter
And the Jaguars force a three-and-out right after scoring a touchdown. This is exactly how the Jaguars had to start if they were going to have any hope of pulling off a win here at Gillette. The Patriots seem somewhat frustrated early and it’s hard to blame them.
Touchdown, Jaguars!
Jaguars 7-3 Patriots,, 14:15, 2nd quarter
Jaguars start the quarter at the Patriots 28. They don’t stay there long. Bortles throws to Grant who goes for 24 yards before being stopped by Devin McCourty at the 4 yard mark.. The next play, Bortles throws a touchdown pass to Marcedes Lewis! The extra point attempt is good and, look at that, the Jaguars have a lead.
Jaguars 0-3 Patriots, end of the 1st quarter
Bortles throws to Cole who picks up 11 yards and a first down. That’s the end of the first quarter, these teams are definitely still feeling each other our right now it seems.
Jaguars 0-3 Patriots, 1:01, 1st quarter
Ryan Alllen’s punt buts the Jaguars on their own 34. Bortles throws a short pass to Corey Grant who picks up 20 yards. Bortles connects with Lee to get insider the New England 49. Fournette picks up 6 yards and that’s good for a first down. The Jaguars dare at the New England 43.
Jaguars 0-3 Patriots, 3:37, 1st quarter
Amendola makes a fair catch at the New England 14, where the Patriots will start their drive. The Jaguars gets them into a 3rd & 3 situation, stopping James White, who only is a yard short. A 3 and out for the Patriots.
Jaguars 0-3 Patriots, 5:01, 1st quarter
They get to their own 49 and that’s as far as they will get as Malcolm Butler takes down lee. Jaguars end their first possession on a punt.
Jaguars 0-3 Patriots, 6:01, 1st quarter
The Jaguars keep handing going to Leonard Fournette, putting together drives. On 3rd an 2 he passes to Allen Hurns for 3 yards and a first down.
Patriots are due a bad day that's all I got @HunterFelt
— Gene Loves Jezebel (@gljezebel) January 21, 2018
I think the majority of America agrees with you on this one. Also, unrelated, but “Desire” is absolutely brilliant.
Field goal! Patriots!
Jaguars 0-3 Patriots, 9:21, 1st quarter
The Jaguars defense steps up and forces the Patriots to settle for a field goal. Stephen Gostkowski’s kick is good but that has to feel like a win for Jacksonville.
Jaguars 0-0 Patriots, 11:21, 1st quarter
They don’t quite get a first down in a 3rd & 4 situation They take a timeout to figure out what they’re doing here. It looks like they’re going for it here. It’s 4th and a yard and he hits Damon Amendola, who gets it to the Jacksonville 10. Not very conservative there.
Jaguars 0-0 Patriots, 13:47, 1st quarter
Dion Lewis gets 5 yards on 1st & 10. The next time Brady throws to Brandon Cook for a 31 yard gain. Looks like the hand is fine. They’re at the Jacksonville 39.
Kickoff!
Jaguars 0-0 Patriots, 15:00, 1st quarter
It goes into the end zone for a touchback.
Coin toss
Jacksonville wins the coin toss and they will defer, the Patriots will start with possession. We’re almost off.
Meanwhile....
The White House scrambled to find a way to make sure troops could watch today's NFL conference championship games because the Armed Forces Network stops during the shutdown. This, after months of ripping NFL players for disrespecting the troops by protesting during the anthem.
— Kyle Feldscher (@Kyle_Feldscher) January 21, 2018
Predictions
So, is anyone willing to take the Jaguars for this game? I think the only chance they have a chance is if Brady has a terrible game, which (of course) entirely possible if his hand injury is more significant than it seems.
In fact, there’s already chatter that this whole thing is being set up as an excuse if Brady looks terrible today, a line of thinking that would probably sound incredibly paranoid if it weren’t for the fact that this is the Patriots organization we’re talking about. I say that even if the hand is a factor, the Patriots will be able to figure out a way to end Jacksonville’s run. Jaguars 10-20 Patriots.
How they got here
In order to make it to this AFC Championship game, the Jaguars had to first beat the Buffalo Bills, which they did in relatively unexciting fashion: they won by the final score of 10-3 victory. Their wild win over the Pittsburgh Steelers was a lot more exciting. they held on to a 45-42 win after a last second Pittsburgh touchdown made it look like a tighter game than it actually was.
The Patriots, on the other hand, had a bye week and then easily defeated the Tennessee Titans 35-14. One of these teams is a tad more rested than the other, one would think.
BRADY HAND UPDATE. It is now covered in black wrapping of some sort.
Tom Brady came out with a black wrap on his hand and told the cameraman "F*ck out the way" pic.twitter.com/sUjeQddkWu
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) January 21, 2018
Preamble
There’s only one real story line for today’s AFC Championship Game: Can the Jacksonville Jaguars continue their unexpected playoff run by beating the New England Patriots? If they could pull it off, and it honestly feels like anything is possible at this particular point in history, it would amount to one of the biggest upsets in NFL history.
To make their first Super Bowl, all the Jaguars have to do is defeat the defending champions in the New England Patriots, who are seeking their 7th Super Bowl win/. The Patriots are led by Tom Brady, who is making a strong case for being the greatest quarterback of all time. The Jaguars have Blake Bortles, who is literally a sitcom punchline..
What’s a potential wild card? Well that would be this game’s biggest sublet: How injured is Tom Brady? Earlier this week he suffered some sort of hand injury that prevented him from practicing this week, giving al of New England a good scare. He will definitely be starting, the question is how close he is to 100% and how close to 100% does he need to be for his team to beat the Jaguars? Don’t expect to hear anything from Brady, he actually showed up at Gillette Stadium with his hands in his pockets.
Tom Brady arrives to Gillette Stadium with his hand in his pocket pic.twitter.com/xZTZfN8MBW
— Dianna Russini (@diannaESPN) January 21, 2018
As always we welcome your commentary throughout today’s NFL action. Send us your thoughts, questions, predictions, rants, jokes and what-have-you, either via email (to hunter.felt.freelance@theguardian.com) or Twitter (to @HunterFelt). It’s the AFC Divisional Game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. The game starts at 3:05 EST, but we’ll be back well before then.
Hunter will be here shortly. In the meantime here’s the latest on the most-talked-about right hand in New England.
