GAME NOTES: Patriots Beat Chiefs, Advance to AFC Championship Game

FOXBOROUGH, MA - For the fifth season in a row, the New England Patriots will play for the AFC Championship.

Tom Brady threw for 290 yards and two touchdowns and a returning Julian Edelman caught 10 receptions for 100 yards as the Patriots beat the Kansas City Chiefs 27-20 in the AFC Divisional round game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough.

The Patriots are now the first team to play in five consecutive conference title games since the Oakland Raiders did the same from 1973 to 1977.

New England will now play the winner of the Denver Broncos - Pittsburgh Steelers showdown. If the Broncos win, the Patriots will travel to Denver next Sunday. Gillette Stadium would play host to the game in the event of a Steelers win.

Edelman is Back

Inactive since leaving the Nov. 15 game against the New York Giants with a broken foot, Edelman ran out of the entrance tunnel at full throttle and didn’t look back. The wide receiver was Brady’s favorite target, catching 10 on 16 looks.

On the opening drive, Edelman prevented a three and out with an 11 yard gain on third and 10 at the New England 20.

Later in the second quarter, a six-yard catch on third and four at the Kansas City 43 while double-teamed kept the Patriots’ second scoring drive alive.

As the man who kickstarted the Patriots offense, he would be the one to end the game. Facing a second and 12 with the Patriots up seven and the Chiefs possessing two timeouts, a 12-yard catch gave New England the first down and an opportunity to drain the clock.

The Gronkowski Difference

In addition to Edelman, Rob Gronkowski put to rest any concerns amid reports of back and knees issues. Facing a third and 13 from the Kansas City 43, a 32-yard pass to Gronkowski down to the 11, followed by a catch at the seven, set up a third-down touchdown reception with 10:23 left in the first.

Gronkowski found the end zone again in the third quarter, pulling in a 16-yard pass from Brady.

Brady the Runner?

Tom Brady may not be known as a running quarterback but he certainly tried to be that on one play. Brady rolled out to the right from the Kansas City 11 to just inside the one with 3:34 to play. A visually angry Brady screamed for a challenge, believing he had converted on the run, but had to wait a play before earning six points.

Despite the Chiefs anticipating a sneak, Brady found a way over the goalline, to make it a 14-3 game with 3:25 left in the first half.

Missed Opportunities

Call it bad time management or credit the bend but don’t break defense, but the Chiefs offensive performance will likely be defined by field goals that should have been touchdowns and timely turnovers created by the Patriots defense.

On their first drive of the game, the Chiefs took their time, 8:31 to be exact, en route to a field goal that cut the deficit to four.

Down 14-3 late in the second, the Chiefs found themselves with first and goal at the New England nine with one time out. A spike and an overthrow by Alex Smith set up a third and goal from the New England 14 after a delay of game penalty. The Chiefs would settle for a field goal after an incomplete pass to Chris Conley.

The only turnover of the game came on the opening drive of the third quarter. Facing a second and eight at the New England 40, Knile Davis coughed up a nine-yard pass which was forced by Chandler Joens, recovered by Dont’a Hightower and led to Brady’s second touchdown pass to Gronkowski.

With 6:29 to go, the Chiefs began a drive that would take 5:16 and saw the team rely on runs and short passes to drive down the field. By the time Charcandrick West scored on a one-yard run, there was 1:18 left to play, the Chiefs were down by seven, and an onside kick was near certain due to the limited time remaining. Gronkowski would recover the kick, making a Chiefs comeback all but improbable.

Below are game notes provided by Patriots Media Relations:

ROBERT KRAFT EARNS HIS 25th POSTSEASON WIN

The Patriots have now won 25 playoff games since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994. Kraft has 25 career postseason wins and now has the third-most postseason wins by an ownership group in NFL history.

WINS OWNERSHIP

1. 34 The Rooney Family, Pittsburgh (1933-present)
2. 32 Green Bay Packers, Inc., Green Bay (1919-present)
3. 25 Robert Kraft, New England (1994-present)
4. 24 The Mara Family, New York Giants (1925-present)
5. 22 Eddie DeBartalo, Jr., San Francisco (1977-1999)
6. 21 Al Davis, Oakland/Los Angeles (1972-2011)
7. 20 Clint Murchison, Jr., Dallas (1960-1984)

PATRIOTS END CHIEFS 11-GAME WINNING STREAK

The Chiefs entered today’s game having won 11 straight games (including playoffs), which makes them the third team that the Patriots have defeated in the Bill Belichick era (2000-present) that entered the postseason on a winning streak of 10 games or more. In addition to breaking the Chiefs’ streak, in the 2006 season, the Patriots defeated the Chargers in the divisional playoffs, who had won 10 in a row, and in the 2004 AFC Championship, they defeated the Steelers, who had won 15 straight entering the game.

MOST FREQUENT CONF. CHAMPIONSHIP PARTICIPANT OVER LAST TWO DECADES

With the victory over the Chiefs, the Patriots will appear in the AFC Championship Game for the fifth consecutive season. The Patriots have been the most frequent NFL team to appear in the conference championship round of the playoffs over the last 20 years, having qualified for more than half of the AFC title games over that span (11-of-20). Additionally, over the last 15 years (2001-15), the Patriots will have appeared in two-thirds of the AFC championship games held over that span (10-of-15) and have made it to the conference championship round in seven of the last 10 seasons.

PATRIOTS ADVANCE TO 12th AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME OVERALL

The Patriots are 8-3 in AFC Championship Games, including a 5-1 record at home and a 4-1 record at Gillette Stadium.

Most Appearances in Conf. Championship GAME

• Pittsburgh* 15
• San Francisco 15
• Dallas 14
• New England 12
• Oakland 11
• St. Louis Rams 9
• Denver* 9

*-Pending Results of This Weekend’s Games

PATRIOTS ALL-TIME IN PLAYOFF GAMES

The Patriots have compiled a 29-18 record in their 47 playoff games and their .617 playoff winning percentage is second in NFL history among teams that have played at least 15 playoff games.

ALL-TIME BEST NFL PLAYOFF RECORDS (Min. 15 Games)

TEAM W L Pct.

1. Baltimore Ravens 15 8 .652
2. New England Patriots 29 18 .617
3. Green Bay Packers* 32 20 .615
4. Pittsburgh Steelers* 34 22 .607
5. San Francisco 49ers 30 20 .600
6. Oakland/L.A. Raiders 25 18 .581
7. Dallas Cowboys 34 26 .567

*-Pending Results of This Weekend’s Games

Most Playoff wins in NFL History

Team Playoff Wins

1. Dallas 34
2. Pittsburgh* 34
3. Green Bay* 32
4. San Francisco 30
5. New England 29

*-Pending Results of This Weekend’s Games

PATRIOTS IMPROVE TO 18-4 ALL-TIME IN HOME PLAYOFF GAMES

New England improved its all-time home playoff record to 18-4 (.818), which is the second best home playoff record in NFL history among teams that have played at least 10 home playoff games (Seattle, 11-2, .846).

ADDITIONAL TEAM NOTES

• The Patriots are now 14-3 all-time in home playoff games played at Gillette Stadium since the facility opened in 2002.
• The Patriots have now advanced in the playoffs 11 times in the 13 seasons in which they have qualified for the postseason with Bill Belichick as head coach.
• New England played in its 37th playoff game since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994, which is the most in the NFL over that span (Green Bay, 32).
• New England’s 25 playoff wins since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994 are the most in the NFL over that span (Pittsburgh, 18).
• The Patriots are now 26-2 at home over last 3 seasons (regular season and playoffs) and have won 5 straight Divisional Playoff games.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

BELICHICK TIES LANDRY WITH 10 APPEARANCE IN CONFERENCE TITLE GAME

Bill Belichick will coach in his 10th conference championship game as head coach, tied with Tom Landry for the most conference championships by a head coach.

Head Coach Conf. Champ. Appearances

1. Tom Landry 10
2. Bill Belichick 10
3. Don Shula 7
4. Chuck Noll 7

BELICHICK COACHED IN HIS 13th DIV. PLAYOFF GAME; 2D MOST IN NFL HISTORY

Bill Belichick coached in his 13th Divisional Playoff Game, tied with Tom Landry for the second-most Divisional Playoff Games in NFL history (Don Shula, 14). Belichick has coached in 12 Divisional Playoff Games as head coach of the Patriots.

Most Divisional Playoff Games by a Head Coach in NFL History

1. 14 Don Shula
2. 13 Bill Belichick
3. 13 Tom Landry

BELICHICK HAS MOST POSTSEASON WINS IN NFL HISTORY

Belichick added to his postseason record with his 23rd career playoff win as a head coach. With the win over the Chiefs, Belichick (.719 winning percentage) passed Bill Walsh (.714 winning percentage) for third place on the NFL’s all-time playoff head coaching winning percentage list.

Most Playoff Wins By an NFL Head Coach

Coach Team (s) Wins

1. Bill Belichick Cleveland/New England 23
2. Tom Landry Dallas Cowboys 20
3. Don Shula Baltimore Colts/Miami 19
4. Joe Gibbs Washington 17
5. Chuck Noll Pittsburgh 16

BEST POSTSEASON RECORD IN NFL HISTORY (Min 10 games)

Head Coach Team (s) W L PCT

1. Vince Lombardi GB/WAS 9 1 .900
2. Tom Flores Oakland 8 3 .727
3. Bill Belichick CLE/NE 23 9 .719
4. Bill Walsh SF 10 4 .714
5. Joe Gibbs WAS 17 7 .708
6. Jimmy Johnson DAL/MIA 9 4 .692

MOST POSTSEASON GAMES AS A HEAD COACH

Head Coach GAMES

• Tom Landry (Dallas) 36
• Don Shula (Baltimore/Miami) 36
• Bill Belichick (Cleveland/New England 32
• Chuck Noll (Pittsburgh) 24
• Mike Holmgren (Green Bay/Seattle) 24
• Joe Gibbs (Washington) 24

BRADY REACHES RECORD-TYING 10th CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Tom Brady has reached his 10th AFC Championship game, tying Gene Upshaw and George Blanda for the most appearances in a conference title game by any player in NFL history. In 14 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 10 AFC Championship Games in 14 seasons as the Patriots’ primary starting quarterback.

BRADY TIES ADAM VINATIERI FOR MOST POSTSEASON GAMES

Tom Brady played in his 30th career postseason game, tying Adam Vinatieri for the most postseason games played in NFL history. Brady is slated to become the NFL’s all-time leader in playoff games played in the AFC Championship Game.

NFL Players with the Most Postseason Games Played

Player Teams Postseason Games

• Tom Brady Patriots 30
• Adam Vinatieri NE/IND 30
• Jerry Rice SF/OAK/SEA 29
• D.D. Lewis Dallas 27

TOM BRADY PLAYS IN 12th DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF GAME; ONE BEHIND THE RECORD 13th BY JERRY RICE

Tom Brady played in his 12th Divisional Playoff Game, one behind the NFL record of 13 by Jerry Rice.BRADY ADDS TO NFL RECORD WITH TWO TD PASSES; LEADS THE NFL WITH 55 TOTAL POSTSEASON TOUCHDOWNS

The Patriots are now 26-2 at home over last 3 seasons (regular season and playoffs) and have won 5 straight Divisional Playoff games.

Tom Brady threw for two touchdowns against the Chiefs, adding to his NFL record for most playoff touchdown passes.

NFL ALL-TIME LEADERS/POSTSEASON TOUCHDOWN PASSES

Player Team(s) Touchdowns

1. Tom Brady New England 55
2. Joe Montana San Fran./Kansas City 45
3. Brett Favre Green Bay/Minnesota 44
4. Peyton Manning Indianapolis/Denver 38
5. Dan Marino Miami 32
6. Kurt Warner St. Louis/Arizona 31
7. Terry Bradshaw Pittsburgh 30

BRADY MOVES UP ON ALL-TIME POSTSEASON LISTS

Tom Brady improved his standing on the NFL’s all-time postseason passing lists. With 28 completions against Kansas City, he became the first player in NFL history to complete at least 700 passes in the playoffs.

ALL-TIME LEADERS/POSTSEASON PASSING YARDS

Player Team(s) Passing Yards

1. Tom Brady New England 7,647
2. Peyton Manning Indianapolis/Denver 6,800
3. Brett Favre Green Bay/Minnesota 5,855
4. Joe Montana San Fran./Kansas City 5,772
5. John Elway Denver 4,964
6. Dan Marino Miami 4,510

NFL ALL-TIME LEADERS/POSTSEASON COMPLETIONS

Player Team(s) Completions

1. Tom Brady New England 711
2. Peyton Manning Indianapolis/Denver 598
3. Brett Favre Green Bay/Minnesota 481
4. Joe Montana San Fran./Kansas City 460

NFL ALL-TIME MOST PLAYOFF VICTORIES AS A STARTING QUARTERBACK

Player Team(s) Playoff Wins

1. Tom Brady New England 22
2. Joe Montana San Francisco/Kansas City 16
3. Terry Bradshaw Pittsburgh 14
4. John Elway Denver 14
5. Brett Favre Green Bay/Minnesota 13
6. Troy Aikman Dallas 11
7. Roger Staubach Dallas 11
8. Peyton Manning Indianapolis/Denver 11
9. Ben Roethlisberger Pittsburgh 11

MOST POSTSEASON STARTS BY A QUARTERBACK

Player Team(s) Starts

1. Tom Brady New England 30
2. Brett Favre Green Bay/Minn. 24
3. Peyton Manning Indianapolis/Denver 24
4. Joe Montana San Fran./Kansas City 23
5. John Elway Denver 21

BRADY EXTENDS NFL RECORD FOR MOST MULTI-TD GAMES IN POSTSEASON

Brady threw two touchdowns against Kansas City to extend his NFL record for the most multi-TD passes in the playoffs with 17.

MOST MULTI-TD PASSING GAMES IN THE PLAYOFFS – NFL HISTORY

1. Tom Brady 17
2. Brett Favre 15
3. Joe Montana 14
4. Terry Bradshaw 10
5. Dan Marino 10

BRADY HAS NINTH CAREER 300-YARD PASSING GAME IN THE PLAYOFFS

Tom Brady threw for 302 passing yards, marking his ninth career playoff game with 300 or more passing yards. That total is tied with Peyton Manning (9) for the most in NFL history.

MOST 300 YARD GAMES IN POSTSEASON HISTORY

Player Team(s) 300-Yard Games

1. Tom Brady New England 9
2. Peyton Manning Indianapolis/Denver 9
3. Joe Montana SF/Kansas City 6
4. Kurt Warner STL/Arizona 6
5. Drew Brees San Diego/New Orleans 6
6. Dan Fouts San Diego 5

BRADY SCORES ON A 1-YARD RUN FOR 6TH CAREER POSTSEASON TD RUN

Tom Brady scored on a 1-yard run in the second quarter for his sixth postseason touchdown run. His six touchdown runs are second in team history in the postseason to the seven rushing touchdowns by LeGarrette Blount.

Most Rushing Touchdowns in Patriots Postseason History

1. LeGarrette Blount - 7
2. Tom Brady - 6

Most Rushing Touchdowns by a Quarterback in NFL Postseason History

1. Steve Young - 8
2. Tom Brady - 6
3. John Elway - 6
4. Steve McNair - 6
5. Otto Graham - 5

WINNINGEST COACH AND QB TANDEM IN THE POSTSEASON

Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are the winningest coach and quarterback tandem in the postseason.

Quarterback/Head Coach Postseason wins

1. Bill Belichick/Tom Brady 22
2. Chuck Noll/Terry Bradshaw 14
3. Tom Landry/Roger Staubach 11

GRONKOWSKI SETS NFL RECORD FOR POSTSEASON TDS BY A TIGHT END; SETS TEAM RECORD FOR MOST POSTSEASON TOUCHDOWNS

TE Rob Gronkowski scored a pair of touchdowns to raise his career playoff total to 8 touchdowns, setting a new Patriots playoff record for most touchdowns and setting an NFL playoff record for most touchdowns by a tight end.

Most Postseason Touchdowns by a Tight End

Player TDS

1. Rob Gronkowski 8
2. Dave Casper 7
3. Vernon Davis 7
4. Jay Novacek 6
5. Keith Jackson 6

Most Postseason Touchdowns in Patriots History

1. Rob Gronkowski - 8
2. LeGarrette Blount - 7
3. David Givens - 7
4. Tom Brady - 6
5. Deion Branch - 5
6. Curtis Martin - 6

GRONKOWSKI HAS SCORED IN FOUR STRAIGHT POSTSEASON GAMES

Rob Gronkowski has scored in four straight postseason games after scoring in all three in 2014 and two against Kansas City.

GRONKOWSKI HAS SECOND MULTI-TD POSTSEASON GAME.

Gronkowski scored on an 8-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and a 16-yard touchdown in the third quarter. It is his second NFL postseason game with at least two touchdowns. He had three touchdowns in a Divisional Playoff game against Denver on Jan. 14, 2012.

JULIAN EDELMAN TIES CAREER PLAYOFF HIGH WITH 10 CATCHES

Julian Edelman had 10 receptions for 100 yards against the Chiefs. The 10 catches tie Edelman’s playoff career high, as he also achieved the feat on Jan. 19, 2014, in the AFC Championship Game at Denver. The 100-yard receiving game was Edelman’s second career 100-yard game in the playoffs, joining his 109-yard output in Super Bowl XLIX against Seattle on February 1, 2015. Edelman has now had at least eight receptions in five consecutive playoff games in which he has played.

STEPHEN GOSTKOWSKI HAS MOST POSTSEASON POINTS IN TEAM HISTORY

Stephen Gostkowski first quarter extra point pushed him past Adam Vinatieri (117) into the team lead for most postseason points. Gostkowski finished the game with 126 career playoff points, establishing a new Patriots record.

Most Kicking Points in the Postseason / NFL History

1. Adam Vinatieri 234
2. David Akers 175
3. Gary Anderson 153
4. Stephen Gostkowski 126
5. George Blanda 115
6. Matt Stover 106
7. Matt Bahr 103

Most Points in the Postseason / NFL History

1. Adam Vinatieri 234
2. David Akers 175
3. Gary Anderson 153
4. Jerry Rice 132
5. Stephen Gostkowski 126
6. Emmitt Smith 126
7. Thurman Thomas 126
8. George Blanda 115
9. Matt Stover 106
10. Matt Bahr 103

Most Field Goals in Patriots Postseason History

1. Adam Vinatieri 26 in 17 games
2. Stephen Gostkowski 22 in 18 games

WR KESHAWN MARTIN SETS CAREER-HIGH WITH A 42-YARD RECEPTION

WR Keshawn Martin connected with Tom Brady on a 42-yard reception in the second quarter for the longest reception of his career. His previous best was a 39-yard reception from Tom Brady at Indianapolis on Oct. 18, 2015.

ADDITIONAL PLAYER NOTES

• Patriots WR Julian Edelman (24 receiving yards) and TE Rob Gronkowski (43 receiving yards) combined for 67 of the Patriots’ 80 scrimmage yards on New England’s game-opening touchdown drive that ended in Gronkowski’s 8-yard scoring catch.
• Patriots DL Akiem Hicks fought through the Chiefs’ offensive line on third-and-6 from the Chiefs 16-yard line in the first quarter, helping to force Kansas City QB Alex Smith to throw the ball away as the Chiefs settled for a field goal to cut the New England lead to 7-3.
• Patriots CB Malcolm Butler stopped Chiefs TE Travis Kelce for a 2-yard loss on first down in the second quarter, kicking off a three-and-out for the Patriots defense to maintain a 7-3 lead after Kansas City had gained possession at the Patriots’ 36-yard line following a punt return.
• Patriots CB Justin Coleman broke up an Alex Smith pass intended for WR Chris Conley on third down in the red zone in the third quarter.
• Patriots DL Rob Ninkovich ran Chiefs QB Alex Smith out of bounds for a 3-yard loss on a rush in the first quarter.