The New England Patriots broke their four year drought of playoff losses, and dominated the Denver Broncos 45-10 to move on to the AFC Championship Game.
Tom Brady had one of his best nights, as he threw for 6 touchdowns in the victory. He finished 26 of 34 for 363 yards and 6 TDs, along with 1 INT. The Brady Magic was back, overpowering any lingering Tebow Magic left from the Wild Card round.
Brady’s favorite target was Rob Gronkowski, who caught 10 passes for 145 yards and 3 TDs. The Patriots also rushed for 146 yards, with tight end Aaron Hernandez getting 5 carries for 61 yards.
Tim Tebow had a disappointing night, as he finished 9 of 26 for 136 yards, with no TDs. He was 3 of 10 at the break. Denver did have 144 yards rushing, but they couldn’t put up enough points to even make it respectable. They scored early in the second quarter on a 5-yard run by Willis McGahee to cut the lead to 14-7, and then the Patriots rattled four successive TDs between the second quarter and the first drive of the third to put the game out of reach.
New England had 5 sacks of Tebow and held the Broncos to 252 total yards, as the Patriots turned in one of their best defensive performances of the year as well.
The Patriots will host the AFC Championship game next weekend, as they take on the winner of Sunday’s Texans-Ravens game in what promises to be a fascinating showdown either way. The other two AFC contenders are both defensive minded, and will have to try to take away the Patriots juggermaut offense.
