SCOREBOARD
Sunday, Feb. 4
Philadelphia vs New England, 6:30 p.m. EST. 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. The Patriots will try to match the Pittsburgh Steelers’ six Super Bowl trophies when they face the Eagles in Minneapolis.
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STARS
Passing
- Tom Brady, Patriots, was 26 for 38 for 290 yards with two touchdowns passes, both in the fourth quarter, in New England’s 24-20 win over Jacksonville in the AFC championship game.
- Nick Foles, Eagles, was 26 for 33 for 352 yards and three touchdowns in Philadelphia’s 38-7 win over Minnesota in the NFC championship game.
- Blake Bortles, Jaguars, was 23 for 36 for 293 yards and a touchdown in Jacksonville’s 24-20 loss to New England.
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Rushing
- Leonard Fournette, Jaguars, had 24 carries for 76 yards and a touchdown in Jacksonville 24-20 loss to New England.
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Receiving
- Danny Amendola, Patriots, had seven catches for 84 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns in New England’s 24-20 win over Jacksonville.
- Alshon Jeffery, Eagles, had five catches for 85 yards and two touchdowns in Philadelphia’s 38-7 win over Minnesota.
- Brandin Cooks, Patriots, had six catches for 100 yards in New England’s 24-20 win over Jacksonville.
- Torrey Smith, Eagles, had five catches for 69 yards and a touchdown in Philadelphia’s 38-7 win over Minnesota.
- Zach Ertz, Eagles, had eight catches for 93 yards in Philadelphia’s 38-7 win over Minnesota.
- Allen Hurns, Jaguars, had six catches for 80 yards in Jacksonville 24-20 loss to New England.
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Special Teams
- Josh Lambo, Jaguars, went 2 for 2 on field goals, including a 54-yarder, and 2 for 2 on extra points in Jacksonville 24-20 loss to New England.
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Defense
- Patrick Robinson, Eagles, returned an interception 50 yards for a touchdown in Philadelphia’s 38-7 win over Minnesota.
- Dante Fowler Jr., Jaguars, had two sacks in Jacksonville 24-20 loss to New England.
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SUPER BOWL SET
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 (15-3) back from a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 24-20 in the AFC championship game. 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 (15-3) on Feb. 4 in Minneapolis. Nick Foles, the backup QB who was thrust into the starting role when Carson Wentz blew out his left knee last month, led the Philadelphia to a 38-7 rout of the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC championship game. Foles threw for 352 yards and three touchdowns, showing poise and moxie in going 26 for 33.
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STREAKS & STATS
The Patriots were called for one penalty against the Jaguars. It is the fewest penalties called on one team in a playoff game since the 2011 AFC championship when the Patriots were called for one penalty in a win over the Ravens. … In the first three quarters against Jacksonville, the Patriots’ Tom Brady had an 87.5 passer rating; in the fourth quarter, Brady had a 136.3 passer rating. … Nick Foles’ 53-yard TD pass to Alshon Jeffery by the Eagles in the NFC championship game is the longest touchdown pass by any player against the Vikings this season, including the playoffs. … Philadelphia’s 38 unanswered points are the most by any team in a playoff game since the Jets scored 41 straight points against the Colts in the 2002 wild-card round. … The Eagles are the seventh team since 1970 to win a conference championship game by 30 or more points, and the first since the 2015 Panthers, who beat the Cardinals 49-15. … The AFC has been represented by either Tom Brady, Peyton Manning or Ben Roethlisberger in 14 of the past 15 Super Bowls. The exception is the Ravens’ Joe Flacco in Super Bowl 47.
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MILESTONES
Tom Brady and Bill Belichick will be making their eighth Super Bowl appearance as a quarterback-coach duo, as many as any other team (excluding the Patriots) in NFL history. … The past four times the Patriots have trailed by double digits in a playoff game, they came back to win. On Sunday, New England trailed 20-10 against the Jacksonville Jaguars before rallying for a 24-20 win. In Super Bowl 51, New England trailed 28-3 before rallying for a 34-28 overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons. In Super Bowl 49, New England trailed 24-14 before rallying for a 28-24 win. In the AFC divisional round on Jan. 10, 2015, they trailed 28-14 before rallying for a 35-31 win over Baltimore.
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SPEAKING
“He’s a tough guy, we all know that. But we’re not talking about open heart surgery here.” - Patriots coach Bill Belichick on quarterback Tom Brady playing with a right hand injury and throwing two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to rally the Patriots to a 24-20 win over Jacksonville.
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“Words can’t describe what I feel right now. All glory goes to God. I’m grateful and humbled to be part of this team. No one in the locker room doubted me. We kept working, I got more reps in practice and it’s a rhythm thing.” - Eagles quarterback Nick Foles on advancing to the Super Bowl after a 38-7 rout of the Vikings in the NFC championship game.
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