FOXBORO, Mass. — Gillette Stadium was rocking at decibels rarely, if ever, heard before on Sunday during the New England Patriots’ 24-20 win in the AFC Championship Game over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“I have never heard Gillette Stadium as loud as it was tonight,” owner Robert Kraft said after the game to fans still in the stadium. “Thank you, all.”
Kraft wasn’t kidding. Patriots fans were on another level after the 3:05 p.m. kickoff. They upped the noise late as the Patriots started to mount a comeback from a 20-10 deficit.
“I know at the stadium last night, man they were cheering as loud as I have ever heard,” quarterback Tom Brady said Monday morning on WEEI’s “Kirk and Callahan.” “That was an unbelievable experience. The fans were into it. I just think about all the Super Bowl rally’s we’ve left the stadium to, Super Bowl parades and the kind of support we get from our fans. That is all we need. It’s pretty special.”
Even head coach Bill Belichick acknowledged the crowd during a conference call Monday morning.
“I thought there was a lot of energy in the stadium,” Belichick said. “I sure did.”
The crowd helped spark the Patriots’ 10-point comeback. The Patriots beat the Jaguars, advancing to Super Bowl LII, after receiver Danny Amendola scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The Patriots’ defense, aided by the fans, stonewalled the Jaguars after a field goal early in the fourth quarter.
Patriots fans might have been at their loudest when stadium DJ TJ Connelly played Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ On A Prayer” with Jon Bon Jovi in the stadium egging on the crowd to sing along.
