Charles Barkley was right. We don’t appreciate the Patriots enough.
So, with this being the Patriots’ 10th AFC Championship appearance, I offer an appreciation of their first nine. Going all the way back to their first one in 1986, when crusty current offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia was a crusty special teams coach, I’ve ranked them by their standing in franchise history and nostalgic value:
No. 9: Patriots 21, Chargers 12 (Jan. 20, 2008) — Yep, I’m ranking a victory that made the Patriots the first team in NFL history to go 18-0 last. A vast majority of New England has forgotten this game, and for good reason. The most indelible images are of San Diego players — LaDanian Tomlinson hiding on the bench with what must have been the most painful bruised knee in history while Phillip Rivers hopped around the field on a torn ACL. All you need to know is that Laurence Maroney was the star of the game with 122 yards and a touchdown rushing. That’s why it’s lower on the list than a couple of devastating losses.
No. 8: Ravens 28, Patriots 13 (Jan. 20, 2013) — Joe Flacco, Bernard Pollard and the eventual Super Bowl champions handed New England its first home loss in an AFC championship game. After Aqib Talib went down with a hamstring injury, Flacco and Anquan Boldin torched the secondary for a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns. In between those game-clinching scores, Pollard knocked out Stevan Ridley with a hit that gave Aaron Hernandez ideas. The amount of roster turnover since this game is astounding. Yet, “Bill Belichick the GM has failed Bill Belichick the coach” remains a hot sportz take in some circles.
No. 7: Colts 38, Patriots 34 (Jan. 21, 2007) — The Patriots’ last road playoff game, in which they blew a 21-3 halftime lead, is still too painful to discuss. But the fact is today’s game and the Brady/Manning rivalry wouldn’t be nearly as interesting if Manning didn’t have his signature win.
No. 6: Patriots 20, Jaguars 6 (Jan. 12, 1997) — The Patriots hosted their first AFC Championship Game at Foxboro Stadium and, naturally, the power went out. The Drew Bledsoe-led offense didn’t do much, but the defense and special teams made up for it with several big plays. Bill Parcells won his last conference championship. Jaguars coach Tom Coughlin got his revenge 11 years later thanks to David Tyree’s Velcro helmet.
No. 5: Patriots 41, Steelers 27 (Jan. 23, 2005) — The Steelers talked a lot of trash during and after their 34-20 regular-season win over New England. It only took two plays for the Patriots to shut them up when it mattered. Leading 3-0 on Pittsburgh’s second possession, they stuffed Jerome Bettis on 4th-and-1. On the next play, Brady threw 60 yards over the middle to Deion Branch for a touchdown. Game over.
No. 4: Patriots 23, Ravens 20 (Jan. 22, 2012) — Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good. Baltimore outplayed the Patriots, but Lee Evans dropped a game-winning touchdown pass (with a little help from Sterling Moore) and Billy Cundiff missed a chip shot field goal that would have tied it. The Patriots lost Rob Gronkowski to a high ankle sprain in the third quarter and, not coincidentally, another heart-breaking Super Bowl to the Giants two weeks later. The Ravens settled the score a year later, but any win that makes Terrell Suggs even more miserable is well worth it.
No. 3: Patriots 24, Colts 14 (Jan. 18, 2004) — Regardless of what unfolds today in Denver, this will always be the Manning Face at its peak. Four interceptions, three by Ty Law, overcame an uneven performance by New England’s offense (despite those picks giving them some great field position, they had to settle for five Adam Vinatieri field goals). I’d have paid a month’s salary just to be able to sit next to Colts GM Bill Polian at this game. As it was, New England’s mugging of Manning’s receivers and the Colts’ subsequent squealing served as a catalyst for the NFL morphing into the Arena Football League.
No. 2: Patriots 31, Dolphins 14 (Jan. 12, 1986) — Only the old-timers remember this game and understand its true meaning. The Patriots had never won at the Orange Bowl, a string of 18 losses. Everyone outside of New England figured a Dolphins/Bears Super Bowl was a given. But the Patriots had too much momentum after winning their first two playoff games on the road and Squished the Fish. Craig James, Tony Collins, Robert Weathers and Mosi Tatupu ran the ball down Miami’s throat (255 yards). Tony Eason played yet another mistake-free playoff game (that didn’t last long). The defense frustrated Dan Marino and his receivers so much that Mark Duper threw his helmet and was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. If Wes Welker throws his Great Gazoo hat today, the Patriots will be penalized for unnecessary meanness.
No. 1: Patriots 24, Steelers 17 (Jan. 27, 2002) — The Tuck Rule Game played the week before is more legendary. The Super Bowl win over the Rams the week after is more revered. But this game doesn’t get near the love it deserves from Patriots fans. The Pats were 10-point underdogs against a Pittsburgh team that had manhandled the defending-champion Ravens the week before. Troy Brown had one of the great games in franchise history, returning a punt for a touchdown, scooping up a blocked field goal and lateraling it to Antwan Harris for another score and catching eight passes for 127 yards. Tom Brady went down with a sprained ankle in the second quarter. Drew Bledsoe replaced him and took a hit that was scarily similar to the one that cost him his starting job in Week 2, threw a touchdown pass to David Patten, then spent the rest of the game reminding us why he hadn’t started since Week 2. Twelve years later, this game is the gift that keeps on giving. The mere mention of it causes Steelers fans to flip out and whine about Spygate. They conveniently forget that for five years, their franchise believed Kordell Stewart was a legitimate NFL quarterback.
So that’s today’s list. If the Patriots win today, look for Tuesday’s column ranking this year’s Top 100 Super Bowl bye week non-stories.
Randy Whitehouse is a staff writer. His email address is rwhitehouse@sunjournal.com
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