And then there was the time when Danny Amendola won the AFC Championship.
When they tell the legend of the Bill Belichick-Tom Brady era in Foxborough, they’ll have to give a chapter to Amendola and the game he had on Sunday, helping the Patriots advance to Super Bowl LII with a 24-20 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Patriots, who trailed 14-3 in the second quarter and 20-10 in the fourth, were running low on the go-to wizards who make magical plays for this team. Julian Edelman’s season ended with a knee injury in August and Rob Gronkowski’s game ended with a head injury at the end of first half. That left the oft-overlooked but always clutch Amendola to answer the call and he did just about everything you could imagine – if you could imagine Danny Amendola having a better passer rating than Tom Brady.
“Danny’s such a good football player,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said. “When you look up ‘good football player’ in the dictionary his picture is right there beside it. It doesn’t matter what it is. Fielding punts, third down, big play, red area, onside kick recovery – whatever we need him to do. He’s just a tremendous player, very instinctive, tough, great concentration. He had some big plays for us today.”
Amendola caught seven passes for 84 yards and two touchdowns, including the three most important receptions of the game in the fourth quarter. His difficult, 21-yard catch on third-and-18 with 10 minutes, 49 seconds left in the game was the turning point that enabled the victory.
“Amendola made a great catch coming across the middle,” Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone said. “Had his hand underneath the ball, which is outstanding. That is what those guys do and they do it very well. That is why they are moving on.”
The play gave the Patriots a first down at their own 46, and Amendola then added two more receptions on the drive, including a careful diving catch and a 9-yard touchdown, narrowing the deficit to 20-17.
After the teams traded possessions, the Pats held Jacksonville to a three-and-out with 5:10 remaining, forcing Jacksonville to punt from its own 9-yard-line. Amendola caught the kick at midfield and returned it 20 yards to the Jaguars 30. Amendola was not supposed to be the punt returner this season – that job would likely have gone to Cyrus Jones who tore his ACL in the preseason – but his best return of the season meant New England would start the drive already in range of a game-tying field goal.
“It just comes down to making a play when you get the ball in your hands,” Amendola said. “Following a block or two or, seeing any open space to get to. That was it.”
The Patriots never needed to kick that field goal. Brady connected on passes to James White for 15 yards and Amendola for eight to get New England inside the Jacksonville 10. Two plays later, Amendola caught the game-winning touchdown with his arms stretched over his head and his right foot anchored to the ground as he tapped his left foot in bounds to complete the catch.
“It was great,” Brady said. “He’s made so many big catches, and I saw he got the one foot in and I just saw it up on the big screen one time. He’s got great hands and just a great sense about where he’s at on the field. So, I mean, he’s made so many big plays for us, and this was huge, and without that, we don’t win. It was an incredible play.”
Prior to his key play on third and 18, Amendola threw a 20-yard completion to Dion Lewis on a trick play. Lewis fumbled the ball at the end of run and Jacksonville recovered, but the play gave Amendola a passer rating of 118.8. Brady finished with a rating of 108.4.
“It’s a lot about preparation, circumstance, opportunity, being ready and no fear,” Amendola said of his big game. “Just get out there and get it done. That’s what we’re all about in this building.”
(Dave Brown is a freelance correspondent who covers the Patriots for the Monitor. You can follow him on Twitter @ThatDaveBrown.)