Tom Brady’s 3 touchdowns led the Patriots past Steelers and into Super Bowl LI

The New England Patriots defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 36-17 in the AFC Championship. The game took place in Foxborough, and the Patriots will advance to Super Bowl LI in Houston, Texas. Here are five things you should know about this game.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady had a lot of success against the Steelers in his career, especially since head coach Mike Tomlin came to Pittsburgh in 2007.

Prior to this matchup, the veteran quarterback has faced the Tomlin-led Steelers six times. In those six games, he threw for 1,889 passing yards to go along with 19 touchdowns and no interceptions.

In 10 career regular season games against the Steelers, Brady is 8-2. And he is 3-0 in the postseason against them. This is his first win against Tomlin in the playoffs.

In this matchup, Brady shredded Pittsburgh’s defense with ease.

On New England’s third possession of the first half, Brady threw a 16-yard touchdown to receiver Chris Hogan. The four-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback rolled out of the pocket and found a wide-open Hogan in the back of the end zone. That touchdown increased the New England’s lead to 10-0.

As usual, Brady wasn’t done making big plays and throwing long touchdown passes. Early in the second quarter, he hooked up with Hogan again on a 34-yard flea flicker touchdown pass. Running back Dion Lewis took the handoff and ran up to the line of scrimmage.

He then tossed the ball back to Brady, and the 39-year-old quarterback threw the long touchdown pass to Hogan to extend the lead to 17-6.

After Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich recovered Eli Rogers’ fumble late in the third quarter, Brady threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to receiver Julian Edelman. New England took a 33-9 lead.

Brady finished the game with 384 passing yards and three touchdowns. He is only one game away from hoisting his fifth Lombardi trophy.

Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell has been the catalyst of Pittsburgh’s offense all year, especially in the postseason. In two games, the two-time Pro Bowler ran for 337 yards and two touchdowns.

Pittsburgh got him involved in this game early, but the young running back left the game late in the first quarter with a left groin injury. He stood on the sidelines without a helmet but later returned to the game for one play in the second quarter.

After that play, Bell went to the sideline and didn’t return. Pittsburgh running back DeAngelo Williams relieved him for the rest of the game. Bell finished the game with 20 yards on six carries.

Williams only ran for 34 yards and a touchdown.

Because of Bell’s injury, Pittsburgh had to rely on quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s arm to win the game. Unfortunately, that plan did not work. While the two-time Super Bowl champion made great throws, he could not consistently lead his team to the end zone.

He had to resort to short passes because New England’s defense took away his favorite target, receiver Antonio Brown. Other players like receiver Eli Rogers and tight end Jesse James made some tough catches but couldn’t get into the end zone.

Roethlisberger’s only touchdown pass came late in the fourth quarter. He threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to receiver Cobi Hamilton, but the game was already out of reach.

The veteran signal caller threw for 314 yards to go along with one touchdown and an interception. Brown had 77 reception yards.

Patriots receiver Chris Hogan may not be a top-five receiver in the NFL, but he played like it today. Pittsburgh’s defense did not have an answer for him. The veteran receiver gained yards after contact and used his speed to race past defenders for long plays.

Brady looked in his direction when the team needed to score, and Hogan did not disappoint. He hauled in nine passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns. Hogan’s 180-yard performance is the most in Patriots’ postseason history.

Super Bowl LI is now set. The Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons will compete for the league’s richest prize in Houston, Texas. For the Falcons, this is their second Super Bowl appearance in franchise history.

Quarterback Matt Ryan has orchestrated Atlanta’s high-powered offense this season and is one of the favorites to win the NFL’s Most Valuable Player of the Year Award.

As for New England, it will be competing in its ninth Super Bowl. This should be a high-scoring affair between two of the league’s most lethal offenses.