FOXBOROUGH, Mass. _ The NFL forced Tom Brady to sit out the first four games of the season, punishment for his role in an alleged football-deflating scheme.
That did not stop Brady and the New England Patriots from returning to the Super Bowl.
The veteran quarterback looked as poised and polished as ever throughout the season and again on Sunday in a 36-17 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC title game at Gillette Stadium.
Brady passed for 384 yards and three touchdowns _ including one on a flea-flicker play _ as the Patriots earned a record ninth Super Bowl appearance, their second in three seasons.
The Patriots will play the Atlanta Falcons, 44-21 winners Sunday over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC title game, in two weeks in Super Bowl LI at Reliant Stadium in Houston.
Brady and coach Bill Belichick are heading to the Super Bowl for the seventh time, and they are in search of their fifth championship.
Just as they did during the 2001 and 2004 seasons _ when they won Super Bowl titles _ the Patriots advanced by defeating the Steelers in the title game.
This time, Brady relied heavily on receiver Chris Hogan, who caught nine passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns as the Patriots extended their winning streak to nine games and improved their record to 16-2.
And they did it with the crowd at times chanting "Roger," a reference to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who handed down Brady's suspension and chose to attend the NFC title game rather than visit Gillette Stadium.
The Steelers had hoped to duplicate the Denver Broncos' performance in last season's AFC title game, when they sacked Brady four times and hit him 17 others.
But the Patriots' offensive line gave Brady all the time he needed.
He spread the wealth, completing 32 of 42 passes to nine receivers. Julian Edelman had eight catches for 118 yards, including a 10-yard fourth-quarter touchdown.
Brady will enter the Super Bowl having thrown 33 touchdown passes, with only four interceptions.
It wasn't all Brady and the offense on Sunday.
The Patriots defense forced two turnovers and came up with a goal-line stand that forced the Steelers to settle for a field goal near the end of the first half.
The secondary controlled Steelers star receiver Antonio Brown and broke up passes throughout the game. Eric Rowe, Malcolm Butler, Logan Ryan and Patrick Chung all made key plays.
The Patriots led, 17-9, at halftime, added a third-quarter field goal and then all but sealed the victory with a three-play sequence near the end of the third quarter.
Brady connected with Hogan for 39 yards, running back LeGarrette Blount dragged nearly the entire defense for the final 10 yards of an 18-yard gain and then scored on a one-yard run for a 27-9 lead.
The Patriots forced a fumble on the first play of the ensuing possession and Brady hit Edelman for the touchdown, starting a celebration by the crowd.
It was a flat finish for Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who won Super Bowls in the 2005 and 2008 seasons. Roethlisberger completed 31 of 47 passes for 314 yards and a late touchdown, with an interception.
Star running back Le'Veon Bell came into the game after rushing for 167 and 170 yards in two playoff victories. But he suffered a groin injury in the first quarter and retuned briefly before sitting out the rest of the game. He finished with 20 yards in six carries.
Brown caught seven passes for 77 yards.
Brady completed 19 of 24 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns as the Patriots took a 17-9 halftime lead.
He attacked from the outset, throwing passes on all five plays during an opening possession that ended with Stephen Gostkowski's 31-yard field goal.
Late in the first quarter, the Patriots went to a hurry-up offense, giving the ball repeatedly to Dion Lewis before Brady began to rely on Hogan. Brady found the receiver on three consecutive plays, including one for 27 yards as the Patriots drove to the 16-yard line.
On third down, Brady got great protection from the offensive line and waited for Hogan to break free, finding him wide open in the back of the end zone for a touchdown and a 10-0 lead.
Bell was injured on the ensuing series, but the Steelers still drove down the field behind Roethlisberger and running back DeAngelo Williams, who scored on a short run to pull the Steelers to a 10-6 score. Chris Boswell missed the conversion kick.
The Patriots then turned to some razzle-dazzle.
Brady's third-down passes to Julian Edelman and Hogan had moved the Patriots to the Steelers' 34.
Brady handed off to Lewis, who ran up the middle to the line of scrimmage and then turned and tossed the ball back to Brady. Meantime, Hogan broke free to the right side and Brady lofted him a touchdown pass for a 17-6 lead.
The Steelers appeared to cut the deficit on an apparent 19-yard touchdown pass from Roethlisberger to tight end Jesse James. But a review of the play instead put the ball at the one.
The Patriots stopped Williams for no gain on first down, dropped him for a four-yard loss on second down and then Roethlisberger's pass fell incomplete, forcing the Steelers to settle for a field goal.
The Patriots' title-game victory continued a season that began without Brady.
Back-up Jimmy Garoppolo led the Patriots to victories over Arizona and Miami, and rookie Jacoby Brissett engineered a win over Houston before the Buffalo Bills came to Gillette Stadium and shut out the Patriots 16-0.
Brady returned the next week at Cleveland and looked as good as ever, passing for three touchdowns without an interception in a 33-13 victory.
The Patriots won four consecutive games before losing at home to Seattle, 31-24. A back injury suffered by star tight end Rob Gronkowski compounded the defeat.
But the Patriots have not lost since.
Brady starred in a Bay Area homecoming against the San Francisco 49ers and the Patriots then defeated the New York Jets in a game that proved to be Gronkowski's final appearance of the season.
The Patriots still rolled to victories over the Los Angeles Rams, the Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, Jets and Miami Dolphins before dispatching the Houston Texans for a divisional playoff victory.
Now they have won nine games in row.
With a chance to extend the streak in the Super Bowl against the Falcons.
