Three former Wolverines were in action on Sunday, with the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams punching their tickets to the Super Bowl.
We recap all the action from New England's thrilling victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, and also provide an update on how the two other former Wolverines fared:
⢠Tom Brady (1996-99), QB, New England Patriots: Completed 30 of his 46 passes (65.2 percent) for 348 yards with a touchdown and a pick in Sunday's thrilling 37-31 overtime victory over the Chiefs ⦠The Patriots have next weekend off before facing the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl on Feb. 3 ⦠Brady finished the regular-season by completing 65.8 percent of his passes for 4,355 yards, 29 touchdowns and 11 picks, to go along with two rushing scores ⦠His 4,355 yards were the seventh most in the NFL, while his 29 touchdowns were 10th most and his 65.8 completion percentage 18th ⦠Cindy Boren of The Washington Post did a good job on Monday of explaining the Patriots' mindset prior to the game, and why the victory over Kansas City tasted so much sweeter as a result.
"Tom Brady is going to his ninth Super Bowl ā as many as Joe Montana, Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers appeared in, combined," she noted. "But after a tumultuous and erratic regular season, this one is different, and Brady keeps letting everyone know it. For one thing, heās now 41, far closer to the end of his career than the beginning, no matter how long he intends to play. For another, he and the New England Patriots came into the AFC championship game against the Kansas City Chiefs as an underdog, the first time New England found itself in that position since 2014. 'Everyone thinks we suck,' Brady opined after the Patriots beat the Chargers in the divisional round, and thatās a theme he struck again after Sundayās overtime victory in Kansas City sent New England to a fourth Super Bowl in five years. Weāre here again, he seemed to say. Deal with it.
"On Monday, Brady admitted 'that was as emotional a game as Iāve been through, certainly in a long time' during his weekly WEEI interview. 'We fought through adversity all year,' he said. He told WEEI on Monday that itās not unusual for offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to come up with 'plays that weāve never even practiced' as 'preparation goes right up to the beginning of a game.'
"In his last 17 playoff games ā roughly the equivalent of a full season ā Brady has gone 13-4, passing for 5,596 yards, with a 33-16 touchdown-to-interception ratio. All that success aside, he was thinking of Chiefs phenom Patrick Mahomes after Sundayās dramatics, seeking him out for a brief, private conversation. 'I just went and saw him,' Brady said, declining to offer details Monday. 'I mean, heās feeling like you think heād feel when you lose a game like this. It hurts. Heās a heck of a ⦠I mean, what a great young player. So impressed with his poise, his leadership. He is spectacular.'"
⢠Blake Countess (2011-14/finished at Auburn), S, Los Angeles Rams: Played, but did not accumulate any stats in the Rams' 26-23 overtime victory at New Orleans on Sunday ⦠Los Angeles will next face New England in the Super Bowl in two weeks ⦠Countess took part in all 16 affairs this year (one start), compiling nine tackles, two passes defended, a pick and a 24.6-yard average on 17 kick returns ⦠He also recovered a blocked punt in the end zone for a touchdown in a Sept. 23 win over the Chargers.
⢠Chad Henne (2004-07), QB, Kansas City Chiefs: Did not see action in the Chiefs' heartbreaking season-ending loss to the Patriots on Sunday ⦠Henne was Pat Mahomes' backup in Kansas City all year, and as a result only appeared in the regular-season finale against Oakland, where he completed two of his three passes for 29 yards, while also rushing for three yards.
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