KANSAS CITY, MO- Former Wildcat Rob Gronkowski and the New England Patriots are heading back to the Super Bowl for third-straight year!
As if there was any doubt… Coming in as “under dogs”, former Wildcat Rob Gronkowski and the New England Patriots did what they do best on Sunday evening, win when it matters most.
On a cold, wintry evening in Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO, Gronkowski and the Patriots shined brightest on one of the NFL’s biggest stages. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady would be vying for his ninth Super Bowl appearance, Gronkowski’s third-straight.
Arizona Wildcats
Playing the No. 1-seeded Kansas City Chiefs on the road and against one of the best offenses, everything was setting up for an epic match-up, and it surely wouldn’t disappoint.
From the start, things were electric. In front of a packed and loud crowd, the 53rd AFC Championship certainly lived up to the billing, albeit later in the game.
Early on, New England came out firing, scoring on the opening drive of the game to make it 7-0. However, not much would be doing for either team the rest of the half, as the Patriots entered halftime with a 14-0 lead.
That’s when KC would finally come alive in the second half. A touchdown on the opening drive made it 14-7 New England, but the Patriots would extend their lead nearly eight minutes later, on a field goal from Stephen Gostkowski to make it 17-7.
The electricity and excitement would begin to take over in the fourth quarter.
First it was the Chiefs, scoring another touchdown to make it 17-14. A few series later, Brady would thrown an interception in Kansas City territory to set-up a Chiefs touchdown that made it 21-17, KC.
However, Brady, Gronkowski and the Patriots wouldn’t go quietly. Needing some big plays, New England would deliver.
Whether it was blocking, or catching, Gronkowski did what he always does, ‘Bear Down’. The savvy NFL veteran showed why he’s one of the best Tight End’s to have ever played the game of football.
.@ZonaZealots @RobGronkowski coming up a HUGE block to setup the rushing TD to give the Patriots the lead 24-21 in the #AFCChampionship pic.twitter.com/HMgRch3M5U
— David Rosen (@sciguyrosen) January 21, 2019
When his team needed him most, he came through in the clutch. Trailing 28-24 with under a minute to play, Brady would float a pass to Gronkowski, who would catch along the left sideline to put New England in a position to score.
Re-GRONK-ulous! #BearDown 🐻⬇️https://t.co/r67wHNyURT
— Arizona Athletics (@AZATHLETICS) January 21, 2019
Naturally, New England scored on the next play, giving them the late, 31-28 lead. However, KC would score again in the waning moments of the fourth quarter to send this one to overtime.
Winning the coin toss, Brady and the Patriots would continue to do what they do best, dominate when they need to. On a 3rd-and-10 play at the Kansas City 30-yard line, Brady would go to Gronkowski again, this time on a 15-yard strike to set-up the game-winning touchdown to Rex Burkhead three plays later.
New England won 37-31 in OT.
So for the fifth-time in his career, the former Wildcat will be able to play at the biggest stage, the Super Bowl. When his team needed him the most on Sunday, he stepped up when he needed to, making play after play!
Super Bowl LIII will take place in Atlanta, GA at the Mercedes Benz Stadium on February 3. New England will take on the Los Angeles Rams in a pseudo-rematch of Super Bowl XXXVI, where the Patriots beat the Rams exactly 17 years ago to the day… Brady’s first Super Bowl win.
At Zona Zealots, we are happy to see our family Wildcat continue to succeed, and are excited to see him play in the Super Bowl again! Bear Down, Gronk and Bear Down, Arizona!