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Today in Patriots History
4th quarter comeback over Jaguars
Colts turn up the heat
4th quarter comeback over Jaguars
Colts turn up the heat
Sunday January 21, 2018 at 3:00
2017 AFC Championship Game at Gillette
New England Patriots 24, Jacksonville Jaguars 20
Head Coaches: Bill Belichick, Doug Marrone
Quarterbacks: Tom Brady, Blake Bortles
Odds: Patriots favored by 7½
Pats improve to 15-3; advance to Super Bowl 52 vs Philadelphia
Jaguars finish 12-7
The 2017 Jacksonville Jaguars had a great defense, ranked second in scoring, yardage and turnovers. They limited Buffalo to three points in their wild card game, then won a 45-42 shootout at Pittsburgh to advance to the AFC championship game.
What the Jags did not have was Danny Amendola and Tom Brady.
This play from the AFCCG still haunts the Jaguars | boston.com
The Jaguars did just about everything right through three-plus quarters against the defending Super Bowl champions. The defense pressured Tom Brady, sacking him three times. The offense controlled the clock, keeping the three-time league MVP on the sideline. Together, they built a lead and stretched it to 20-10 with a field goal early in the final frame.
After that came a play that Jacksonville fans and players are still bitter about, and will be for years. Myles Jack forced a fumble and recovered the ball, with a clear path for a touchdown. Problem was that the referee had blown the whistle and the play was dead. While the Jaguars did maintain possession the lead remained at 10 rather than 17.
The Patriots forced a three-and-out and got the ball back. Then on a third-and-18 from their own 25 with 10:49 left to play, Brady connected with Danny Amendola on a 21 yard pass for a first down. The next play was a 31 yard completion to Phillip Dorsett, then the Pats found the end zone on two more passes to Amendola.
Both teams punted on their next possession, but Jacksonville began the next drive deep in their own territory. The Jaguars had to punt once again, this time from their nine yard line. Amendola returned the kick 20 yards to the Jacksonville 30, with 4:58 left to play. Five plays later Brady connected with 'Dola again to give the Patriots a four point lead.
Check out the highlights [19:06] below:
Sunday January 21, 2007 at 6:45
2006 AFC Championship Game at the RCA Dome
Indianapolis Colts 38, New England Patriots 34
Head Coaches: Bill Belichick, Tony Dungy
Quarterbacks: Tom Brady, Peyton Manning
Odds: Indy favored by 3
Pats finish 14-5
Colts improve to 15-4; play Bears in SB 41
Tony Dungy and Peyton Manning finally beat the Patriots to advance to the Super Bowl. The Patriots jumped out to a 21-3 lead after an Asante Samuel 39 yard pick six, but the Colts battled back to tie the game three times, and then scored the winning touchdown with 60 seconds left to play.
About half of the Patriot defense was sick with the flu, and television announcer Jim Nantz commented that the stadium felt like a sauna. Bill Polian had allegedly ordered stadium workers to turn off the air conditioning and turn on the heat, though that report was never factually confirmed.
In a bit of trivia three linemen scored touchdowns in this game: Logan Mankins and Jeff Saturday on fumble recoveries in the end zone, and former Patriot Dan Klecko on a one yard reception.
Highlights [11:15]
Full Game
Full Game
Happy 28th birthday to Jordan Richards
Born January 21, 1993 in Sacramento
Patriot safety, 2015-2017, uniform #37; 2019, uniform #39
Pats 2nd round (64th overall) selection of the 2015 draft, from Stanford
Jordan Richards played in 44 regular season games and 5 playoff games with New England, with seven starts. He was used primarily on special teams, never quite living up to his draft status. The Pats traded Jordan on August 31, 2018 to Atlanta for a conditional 2020 seventh round draft pick.
After spending time with the Falcons and Raiders, the Pats re-signed Richards on October 2, 2019. He played in three games, strictly on special teams, and was released. Richards spent the remainder of the season with the Ravens.
2015: 238 defensive snaps (25%), 253 special team snaps (60%) in 14 games
2016: 18 defensive snaps (2.5%), 151 ST snaps (50%) in 11 games
2017: 272 defensive snaps (26%), 309 ST snaps (69%) in 16 games
2019: zero defensive snaps, 57 special team snaps (13%) in three games
Career stats with Patriots: 50 tackles (41 solo), 3 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. 528 snaps on defense and 770 on special teams. Jordan earned a ring for Super Bowl 51 versus Atlanta, though he did not play in that game.
Happy 31st birthday to Kanorris Davis
Born January 21, 1990 in Perry, Georgia
Patriot ST/SS/LB 2013-14; uniform #36
Signed as an undrafted free agent on May 3, 2013 from Troy
Kanorris Davis played in three regular season and two playoff games for the Patriots in 2013, bouncing between the active roster and practice squad three times. During that time he was on the field for 53 special team snaps (64%), and zero on defense.
Davis was initially signed to the practice squad again after being cut at the end of 2014 training camp. Less than a week later Davis was released again, as the Pats signed WR Marcus Thigpen, OL Chris Barker and TE Allen Reisner to the practice squad. Davis went on to play for the Toronto Argonauts in the CFL, but his pro football career ended in 2016 due to a knee injury.
Happy 36th birthday to Dan Gronkowski
Born January 21, 1985 in Amherst NY
Patriot TE in 2011; uniform #82
Signed as a free agent on September 6, 2011
The elder Gronk played in five games with one start while with the Patriots. He was originally a seventh round draft pick by Detroit in 2009, from Maryland. Dan also played for Denver prior to coming to Foxborough, and for Cleveland after the Pats waived him on November 8, 2011. Between those four teams he played in 21 NFL games, with five starts and nine receptions.
Happy 40th birthday to Johnathan Sullivan
Born January 21, 1981 in Griffin, Georgia
Patriot DT, 2006 offseason
Acquired from New Orleans on June 5, 2006 in trade for Bethel Johnson
Johnathan Sullivan was originally the sixth overall pick of the 2003 draft. The Saints had traded up to snag Sullivan in a lopsided trade with Arizona that netted the Cardinals DE/LB Calvin Pace, WR Bryant Johnson and WR Anquan Boldin. Sullivan played in 36 games with 16 starts in three seasons with the Saints - with only four of those starts coming in year two and three.
Sullivan was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana near Atlanta three weeks after being traded to New England, with those charges later being dropped. He began training camp on the physically unable to perform list due to being unable to pass his conditioning test, then was activated off PUP on August 7. The Patriots released Sullivan on October 9, 2006; he never did get on the field of play in a regular season game while with the Pats - and never played in the NFL again either, going down in league history as one of the biggest draft busts ever.
January 21, 1991
The Patriots announce the initial coaching staff for new head coach **** MacPherson.
Joe Collier is the defensive coordinator and **** Coury is the OC. Bobby Grier (RB) and Rod Humenick (OL) are re-signed as assistant coaches. Dante Scarnecchia returns to New England after two seasons with the Colts to coach special teams and tight ends. Other new position coaches are Ivan Fears (WR), Stan Jones (DL), Norm Gerber (ILB), Myrel Moore (OLB), Dave Uyrus (assistant ST/DL) and Joe Collier Jr. (assistant RB/WR).