For the first time in 12 years, the New England Patriots went on the road in the playoffs and got a win.
The lengthy hiatus is due mainly to the fact that New England normally has home-field advantage in the postseason, but that wasn’t the case this season as the Patriots strolled into Arrowhead Stadium for the AFC Championship Game and left with a 37-31 overtime victory against the Kansas City Chiefs.
With their ninth Super Bowl appearance secured, Bill Belichick was understandably was fired up about his team’s performance and it showed in his postgame message to the team.
“Congratulations, men,” Belichick said, via Patriots.com. “Congratulations. This is everything we talked about, competing on the road against another good football team at this time of year. You guys kept battling, kept competing. They certainly made their plays, we made a few more. You guys did a great job and that is what it’s going to be like. The next game will be tougher than this one, but that is the way it’s supposed to be when you go all the way through.
“Enjoy this one, you earned it. You deserve it. Give these guys credit now, they are a good football team. Obviously, so are the Rams. You guys played your ass off and you guys deserved to be champions.”
The Patriots now will turn their attention to Super Bowl LIII where they’ll face the Los Angeles Rams on Feb. 3.
