New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady cemented his status as the most clutch player in NFL history after winning Super Bowl LI in dramatic fashion, but as Sunday's AFC Championship Game victory over the Kansas City Chiefs showed, he still has more moments of brilliance late in games to display until he retires.
Brady led a go-ahead drive late in the fourth quarter that appeared to seal an AFC title for the Patriots, but the Chiefs came back down on their ensuing drive and kicked a field goal to force overtime. After winning the coin toss, Brady ensured Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense never got another chance. The five-time Super Bowl champion led a game-winning drive to begin the overtime period as running back Rex Burkhead clinched a Super Bowl LIII berth with a short-yardage touchdown run.
Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman, who caught several key third-down passes on the winning drive in overtime, was in awe of Brady's latest clutch performance.
"You got Tom Brady leading. There's no one I would rather have in a two-minute drive than No. 12, and he just proved it again," Edelman said after the 37-31 win.
What makes Brady able to thrive in high-pressure situations?
“I think it's just his fight, his competition, his prep," Edelman said. "It’s in his DNA, there's a clutch gene. He’s got it.”
Brady is going to his ninth Super Bowl, which is more than any other NFL franchise. The 41-year-old quarterback didn't have a dominant regular season, but he's proven again in this year's playoffs he's the best clutch player in the history of the sport. When the game is on the line, Brady is the quarterback you want in the huddle, and he showed why on two occasions late against the Chiefs.
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