TEAM NOTES
• Patriots extend record to 10th Super Bowl appearance.
• Second time reaching back-to-back Super Bowls.
• Kraft becomes third owner with 30 postseason wins.
PATRIOTS EXTEND NFL-RECORD TO 10TH SUPER BOWL OVERALL;
NINTH OF THE KRAFT ERA
New England has advanced to its 10th Super Bowl in franchise history, a total that is the most in the NFL. The Patriots appearance in Super Bowl LII will be its ninth Super Bowl appearance since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994, a total that is the most in the league over that span (Pittsburgh and Denver are second with four). Kraft is the first owner in NFL history to have his team in nine Super Bowls.
PATRIOTS WILL NOW HAVE A CHANCE TO TIE FOR MOST SUPER BOWL WINS *
The Patriots will have a chance to tie Pittsburgh for the NFL lead with six Super Bowl wins in franchise history.
KRAFT'S NINE CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS ARE MOST OF ANY NFL OWNER
The 2017 AFC Championship is the ninth conference championship for Robert Kraft as Patriots owner, more than any other owner in NFL history in the Super Bowl Era (since 1966).
KRAFT IS THIRD OWNER WITH 30 POSTSEASON WINS
Robert Kraft now has 30 career postseason wins and is one of three owners with at least 30 postseason victories.
PATRIOTS WILL PLAY IN SECOND CONSECUTIVE SUPER BOWL
The Patriots will play in their second consecutive Super Bowl. It will be the second time that they have played in back-to-back Super Bowls after qualifying in the 2003 and 2004 seasons. The most recent team to go to back-to-back Super Bowls was Seattle (2013-14).
PATRIOTS PLAYED IN SEVENTH STRAIGHT AFC TITLE GAME
The Patriots played in the AFC Championship Game for the seventh straight season, extending their NFL record for most consecutive conference championship game appearances.
PATRIOTS MOVE UP ON ALL-TIME PLAYOFF WINS
The Patriots won their 34th playoff game to tie Dallas and Green Bay for the second-most postseason wins among all NFL teams, behind Pittsburgh with 36 victories.
PATRIOTS HAVE FOUR PLAYERS THAT PLAYED IN THEIR SEVENTH STRAIGHT AFC TITLE GAME
The Patriots had four players that played in their seventh straight AFC Championship Game: QB Tom Brady, K Stephen Gostkowski, DB Devin McCourty and WR Matthew Slater.
PATS HAVE COME BACK TO WIN AFTER DOUBLE DIGIT DEFICITS IN FOUR STRAIGHT PLAYOFF GAMES*
The last four postseason games that the Patriots trailed by double digits in a playoff game, they came back to win. The Patriots were trailing Jacksonville 20-10 in the fourth quarter before rallying for a 24-20 victory. The Patriots were down in Super Bowl LI vs. Atlanta (down 28-3), Super Bowl XLIX vs. Seattle (down 24-14) and the 2014 AFC Divisional Playoff game against Baltimore (down 28-14) and came back to win.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
BELICHICK WILL COACH IN HIS 11TH SUPER BOWL OVERALL
Super Bowl LII will be the 11th Super Bowl that Belichick will coach in overall, the most among any head coach or assistant coach in NFL history.
BELICHICK EARNS EIGHTH CONFERENCE TITLE;
MOST CONFERENCE TITLES IN SUPER BOWL ERA
The 2017 AFC Championship was Bill Belichick's eighth conference championship as a head coach, the most conference titles by a head coach in the Super Bowl era (since 1966).
BELICHICK HAS CHANCE FOR SIXTH NFL TITLE
Bill Belichick is one of four NFL head coaches to win five or more championships since the league began postseason play in 1933, but the only one to win five Super Bowls. With a victory in Super Bowl LII, Belichick will join George Halas and Curly Lambeau as the only coaches with six championships. Belichick joined an exclusive club in which each of the four other members has been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
BELICHICK HAS A CHANCE FOR HIS SECOND BACK-TO-BACK CHAMPIONSHIP
Belichick will look to win back-to-back championships for a second time in his career (2003-04) – a feat so rare it's been achieved by only two other coaches in history. Chuck Noll did it with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970s (1974-75, 1978-79), and Vince Lombardi did it with the Green Bay Packers in the 1960s (1961-62, 1966-67).
BELICHICK COACHED IN HIS 12TH CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME *
Bill Belichick coached in his 12th conference championship game as head coach, the most in NFL history.
BRADY EARNS EIGHTH CONFERENCE TITLE;
MOST OF ANY QB IN SUPER BOWL ERA
The 2017 AFC Championship is Tom Brady's eighth conference title as a starting quarterback, the most in NFL history during the Super Bowl Era (since 1966).
BRADY HAS PLAYED IN THE MOST SUPER BOWLS IN NFL HISTORY
Super Bowl LII will be the eighth Super Bowl of Tom Brady's career, extending his mark for the most by any NFL player. DL Mike Lodish is second with six Super Bowls. Lodish played in six (four with Buffalo and two with Denver).
BRADY HAS CHANCE TO SET MARK FOR MOST SUPER BOW WINS;
TIED WITH DL CHARLES HALEY WITH FIVE SUPER BOWL WINS
Brady joined Hall of Fame DL Charles Haley as the only NFL players to play on five Super Bowl winning teams. Haley won two with San Francisco and three with Dallas. Bart Starr is the only other NFL quarterback with five NFL championships (three NFL Championships and two Super Bowls).
BRADY PLAYED IN HIS 12TH CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Tom Brady played in his 12th AFC Championship game, the most in NFL history. Gene Upshaw and George Blanda are second with 10 appearances in a conference title game by any player in NFL history. In 16 full seasons as the Patriots primary starting quarterback (omitting the 2008 season in which Brady started only one game due to injury), Brady has led the Patriots to 12 AFC Championship Games in 16 seasons as the Patriots starting quarterback.
BRADY NEARING THE TOP FOR MOST WINS AMONG ALL NFL PLAYERS
Tom Brady has the most wins by an NFL quarterback with 223 overall career wins. His 223 wins are the second-most wins all-time by an NFL player, behind the 225 wins by Adam Vinatieri.
BRADY EXTENDS NFL RECORD FOR MOST MULTI-TD GAMES IN POSTSEASON
Brady threw two touchdowns against Jacksonville to extend his NFL record for the most multi-TD passes in the playoffs with 22. Brady has thrown at least two touchdown passes in five straight postseason games.
BRADY HAS 54 COMEBACKS FROM A FOURTH QUARTER DEFICIT OR TIE;
11 IN THE POSTSEASON
QB Tom Brady rallied the Patriots from a 20-10 fourth quarter deficit to a 24-20 victory. He has 54 game-winning performances to lead the Patriots to a victory from a fourth quarter deficit or tie, including 11 in the postseason. Brady had two fourth quarter comebacks in the 2017 regular season with a win at Pittsburgh on Dec. 17 and a win vs. Houston on Sept. 24.
WINNINGEST COACH AND QB TANDEM IN THE POSTSEASON
Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are the winningest coach and quarterback tandem in the postseason. Belichick and Brady have the most Super Bowl appearances (8) and Super Bowl wins (5). Their five championships match the combination of Vince Lombardi and Bart Starr, who also won five championships (two Super Bowls and three NFL Championships).
GRONKOWSKI IS NOW ALL-TIME LEADER FOR POSTSEASON RECEIVING YARDS BY A TIGHT END
TE Rob Gronkowski caught a 21-yard pass from QB Tom Brady in the second quarter to move past Dallas Clark (847) and become the all-time leader for most postseason yards by a tight end with 856 postseason receiving yards. He entered the game needing 13 yards to move past Clark.
GRONKOWSKI MOVING UP ON PATRIOTS ALL-TIME POSTSEASON RECEIVING LIST
Gronkowski moved past Deion Branch (852) and now has 856 postseason receiving yards, second to the 1,024 yards by Julian Edelman.
GOSTKOWSKI WILL PLAY IN HIS FIFTH SUPER BOWL
K Stephen Gostkowski will join Tom Brady (8), Tedy Bruschi (5) and Matt Light (5) as the only Patriots to have played in five Super Bowls. Gostkowski will be the 18th player overall to play in at least five Super Bowls.
GOSTKWOSKI HAS NOW SCORED IN 24 STRAIGHT POSTSEASON GAMES
K Stephen Gostkowski has now kicked at least one point in 24 straight postseason games after a 31-yard field goal in the first quarter, tied with David Akers for the second longest streak all-time in NFL postseason history.
GOSTKOWSKI TIES GARY ANDERSON FOR THIRD-MOST POSTSEASON FIELD GOALS
K Stephen Gostkowski's 31-yard field goal in the first quarter was his 32nd postseason field goal, putting him in a tie for third-place with Gary Anderson.
JAMES WHITE SCORES AGAIN
RB James White scored on a 1-yard run in the second quarter. In his las five playoff games, he has scored seven touchdowns (four rushing and three receiving. He now has three touchdowns in the 2017 postseason (two rushing and one receiving). He had three total touchdowns (all receiving) in 14 games in the regular season.
WR BRANDIN COOKS HAS FIRST POSTSEASON 100-YARD GAME
WR Brandin Cooks had his first postseason 100-yard game. He finished with six receptions for 100 yards.
AMENDOLA HAS SECOND NFL COMPLETION
WR Danny Amendola completed a 20-yard pass to RB Dion Lewis in the third quarter. It is his second NFL completion. He completed a 36-yard pass to QB Tom Brady vs. Philadelphia on Dec. 6, 2015.
AMENDOLA HAD THIRD STRIAGHT POSTSEASON GAME WITH AT LEAST SEVEN RECEPTIONS
Amendola finished with seven receptions for 84 yards. He has now caught at least seven receptions in three straight postseason games.
AMEDNOLA CAUGHT TWO TD PASSES
Amendola scored two fourth quarter touchdowns on a 9-yard pass and a 4-yard pass. It is the second time he has caught two touchdown passes in a postseason game. He caught two in the 2014 Divisional game vs. Baltimore on Jan. 10, 2015.
BURKHEAD - 25 STRAIGHT YEARS WHERE A NEBRASKA PLAYER WILL PLAY IN THE SUPER BOWL
RB Rex Burkhead's appearance in Super Bowl LII will mark the 25th consecutive year that a player from the University of Nebraska will be on a Super Bowl roster.
DL LAWRENCE GUY RECORDS FIRST POSTSEASON SACK
DL Lawrence Guy dropped Jaguars QB Blake Bortles for a 5-yard sack in the third quarter for his first postseason sack.
ROOKIE ADAM BUTLER HAS TWO SACKS IN TWO POSTSEASON GAMES*
Rookie DL Adam Butler had a 6-yard sack in the second quarter. He now has a sack in each of his postseason games after recording a sack in the AFC Divisional Playoff Game vs. Tennessee.
LINEUP NOTES
• LB James Harrison was in the starting lineup, making his first start as a member of the Patriots.
• OL Cameron Fleming made his first career postseason start when he started at right tackle.
• OL Cole Croston and WR Phillip Dorsett played in their first postseason game.
• RB Rex Burkhead returned to action after missing the last two regular season games and the AFC Divisional Playoff game due to injury
