THE NEW ENGLAND Patriots advanced to the AFC title game for a record sixth straight time as Dion Lewis scored touchdowns three different ways in a 34-16 win over the Houston Texans.
Lewis became the first player in National Football League history to score on a kickoff return, pass and run in a playoff game to help set up a conference title showdown against either the Kansas City Chiefs or the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“You gotta give these guys a lot of credit. We didn’t play particularly well but we hung in there and ended up making enough plays to win,” said coach Bill Belichick.
In Saturday’s other playoff game, Matt Ryan carried the high-powered Atlanta Falcons to the NFC title game as they defeated the Seattle Seahawks 36-20.
Lewis scored on a 98-yard kickoff return, caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady and ran for a one-yard touchdown in the final quarter.
Lewis’s kickoff return score was the first in Patriot’s playoff history. He was also guilty of fumbling away a kickoff, leading to a Houston touchdown, and he fumbled on a running play in the fourth quarter.
The only other players to score on a kickoff return, run and pass are Chicago Bears legend Gale Sayers (1965) and Kansas City’s Tyreek Hill, who did it earlier this season.
Brady finished 18-of-38 for 287 yards with two interceptions, for the Patriots who are seeking their fifth Super Bowl championship in franchise history.
Brady said the games are going to get more difficult going forward.
“We’ve got to learn from this game,” he said. “This team did a good job playing against us. You add our poor execution and the interceptions on top of that.
“It doesn’t feel great because we worked pretty hard to play a lot better than we played. We got to fix some of the things we saw tonight and play better next week.”
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