:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/48579497/GettyImages-505307168.0.jpg)
Few Ravens fans were cheering for pretty boy Tom Brady and the New England Patriots on Saturday. Though the mercurial quarterback did what he needed to do, using his partying tight end to get into the endzone twice through the air and get ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs early on. Riding a defense that got after Chiefs' quarterback Alex Smith, that would be all he needed to see his 10th AFC Championship game in 15 seasons, a feat that will be in record books for some time.
It's the fifth straight trip to the conference title game for the Patriots, helping set the standard for what a dynasty means in this day and age.
In the first half, the Patriots were able to put up two touchdowns, one being an eight yard toss to Rob Gronkowski and the second being a one yard run, while the Chiefs could only get close enough to kick field goals. The 14-6 lead and momentum carried into halftime would be too much for the Kansas City Chiefs to overcome, though they did have their own drive late in the fourth quarter to bring the game within a single score.
Tom Brady continued to use the Patriots offensive tactic of throwing shorter routes and waiting for things to open up to brilliant effect yet again against the Chiefs. Throwing for over 300 yards and more importantly, keeping it turnover free, is what allowed the Patriots to stay ahead of their opponent and dictate the pace of the game when they wanted.
The big discussion after the game wasn't Brady's accomplishments, but how Kansas City's head coach Andy Reid continued with his ineptitude of clock management for yet another game. Taking the ball back with six and a half minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Chiefs were down by 14 points. Having all three timeouts available to them and needing to score rather quickly to give themselves the best chance at getting the ball back on offense with some time left, the Chiefs inexplicably showed no desire to hurry or even look at the clock. Frequently the offense huddled up, letting the clock get within ten seconds before snapping the ball. When near the goal line, they actually ran the ball and when that didn't get the touchdown, huddled back up instead of using a timeout.
The result of the drive was a one yard touchdown run by Charcandrick West to cap a 15-play 80-yard snoozefest that left only 1:15 on the clock. A poor excuse for an onside kick that went directly to tight end Rob Gronkowski was what sealed the deal for the Patriots and Chiefs.
The Chiefs played sloppy football while the Patriots were clean and efficient for the entire game. Neither team was perfect, but the Patriots showed that they could play game managers and let the Chiefs slowly defeat themselves. It was a gameplan that clearly showed it's face in the last six minutes of the fourth quarter and sees the Patriots watching Sunday's matchup between the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers for their opponent in the conference title game.