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Patriots Gameplan: AFCCG vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

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The conference championships are the best football games of the season. It’s a real football environment in front of a team’s real fans, and it’s often played in the rain and cold, at least here in New England. It’s hard to put the Patriots eleventh trip to this game in perspective. I certainly don’t take it for granted, even after going to the last five-straight of them.

It’s amazing that the Patriots and Steelers haven’t met since 2004’s AFC Championship, a game that had plenty of narratives in just the fourth season of Belichick and Brady. The Steelers had been the team to defeat the Pats and end their 21-game winning streak, and New England got a chance to avenge that loss and they did, in surprisingly easy fashion against rookie Ben Roethlisberger.

Now, 12 years later, they meet again to battle for a chance to play in Super Bowl 51. With Peyton Manning retired, there simply isn’t another opponent that connects to the original dynasty years quite like the Steelers do, at least in the AFC.

This will be an old school matchup in more ways than one. These are two physical teams, with good quarterbacks and a number of weapons that can score early and often.

Here’s the Patriots gameplan to get through the Steelers and raise the Lamar Hunt Trophy for the seventh time under Bill and Tom, ninth time overall. Wow, did I just write that? What a run this has been, and now it’s time to take it to the highest level of all time.

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Which Hoodie Should Bill Belichick Wear in the AFC Championship?

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Bill Belichick AFC Championship Hoodie

It’s that time of the week again, when I take a look at the history of the game and the opponent and try to figure out what Bill Belichick should wear.

Last week, Belichick went against my prediction, which was admittedly flawed, going with the 2016 Blue Hoodie and he didn’t cut anything off of it. On the season, Belichick was .5-0 in the 2016 Blue Hoodie, wearing it for just the first half of the Week 16 matchup against the Jets.

Should he stick with that Blue Hoodie or change gears in the AFC Championship? And what’s he worn against the Steelers in AFC Championships past? There’s a ton of data to digest, let’s dive in!

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Breaking Down Tom Brady’s Conference Championship Struggles

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The conference championship is the best football game of the year. It lacks the exhibition feel of the Super Bowl, is often out in miserable elements and feels as close to “real” football as we can get these days. Yet somehow it hasn’t always been Tom Brady’s best game.

The Patriots have played in 10 AFC Championship games since 2001 and will set a record with their sixth-straight on Sunday. They won six of those 10, but have lost three of their last four. Tom Brady‘s had his share of struggles, which is of course somewhat understandable since you’re usually playing the best team in your conference, and often one that is familiar with you.

Here’s the breakdown of Brady’s stats in the AFC Championship.

Brady’s career completion percentage is 63.8 percent, which drops to 61.3 percent in the AFC Championship. His career QB rating is 97.2, which drops off a cliff to 80.7 in the AFC Championship.

But again, each game is unique, so let’s take a quick look at why Brady could be due for a bounceback this Sunday.

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AFC Championship Scouting Report: Pittsburgh Steelers

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The playoffs finally feel real. The Patriots are one game away from the Super Bowl and the pressure is on. This is the part of the season we all live for, to face stiff competition and crush old rivals. The Patriots and Steelers haven’t held as intense a rivalry since they last faced off in the playoffs in 2004. Now, the teams are largely different than they were then, but both teams are still top organizations. Let’s break it down.

Here’s everything you need to know about The Pittsburgh Steelers, aka “Bumble Ben and the Yellow Jackets”

Week 7 at Pittsburgh Steelers

Sunday January 22nd

6:40 pm EST, CBS

High 30’s, 10% chance of precipitation, 5 mph winds

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Patriots Tuesday 10 Pack: AFCCG Edition

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After reflecting upon this year’s AFC Championship game — the matchups, the history, etc — I can’t help but feel like it’s a throwback game to the early 2000’s playoffs. That both intrigues and frightens me. During those 2003 and 2004 playoff runs you knew the Pats would have to play their best games and somehow they always did.

It’s also somewhat reminiscent of the 2011 and 2012 AFC Championships against the Ravens. You knew those would be wars and both games lived up to the hype. I can’t help but feel like this game is going to be the same way. Back and forth the entire game, coming right down to the very end where whoever makes the last play will win.

So yeah, exciting, but terrifying.

Here’s a bunch of thoughts on all things Pats as I get back into the flow of the week…

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Patriots Will Face Steelers In the AFC Championship

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The Patriots will host the Steelers in the AFC Championship next Sunday, after Pittsburgh unleashed LeVeon Bell (170 yards rushing) and Antonio Brown (108 yards receiving) on the Chiefs, winning 18-16.

It will be the third time the two teams have met in AFCCG (2001, 2004), both of which saw the Pats win both on the road. This will be the Steelers first chance to return the favor, travelling to Gillette Stadium where they’ve won just once with Ben Roethlisberger, in 2008 against Matt Cassell. USA betting sites have the Pats as early favorites.

The Steelers with Big Ben are 3-7 against the Pats, but they’ve got two of the best weapons in the NFL. No lead is safe, they can score quick. And they’re just the kind of physical team, with a healthy hate of the Patriots, that will

These are the two best teams in the AFC and they’ve been on a collision course for another playoff meeting for a while. They still haven’t met in the playoffs since the 2004 AFC Championship.

They’re due for another classic and we’re going to get it. This will be a sixty minute game, if it doesn’t go to overtime. So start preparing yourself for the stress of it all now.

My early thoughts on the keys for the Patriots:

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Pats Posits: We’re Back in the AFCCG!

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The Patriots overcame three giveaways, pulling away late to close out the Houston Texans 34-16 in the AFC Divisional round, just as american football betting thought they would. The Pats now await the winner of the Steelers and Chiefs as they head to their record sixth-straight AFC Championship game.

The Patriots struggled to find a rhythm on offense, but Dion Lewis was a standout, setting an NFL Playoff record by scoring touchdowns rushing, receiving and on a kickoff return. The Patriots have been managing Lewis since the summer with this moment in mind. Now, when it all counted most, Lewis was the go-to playmaker out of the backfield.

The defense was every bit as suffocating as we expected it to be against an impotent Houston offense, holding the slim Patriots lead throughout the game and coming up with three interceptions of Brock Osweiler. Logan Ryan had the game of his career, recording three passes defensed, an interception, a sack, a QB hit, a tackle-for-loss and seven tackles.

There’s plenty to dissect, but most importantly, the Patriots are one game away from the Super Bowl.

More on it all in the Posits…

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