New England wide receiver Danny Amendola made a spectacular catch at the back of the end zone to put the Patriots ahead of the Jacksonville Jaguars 24-20. You can watch the catch below:
Danny Amendola has been incredible in this game. Free agent to be
It was the second touchdown catch of the second half for Amendola, who also set up the Patriots touchdown drive with a 20-yard punt return.
After the Amendola score, the Patriots defense helped lockup the victory on another amazing play. Cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who joined New England on a 5-year, $65 million contract before the 2017 season, made a perfectly timed lunge to knock the ball away from Jaguars’ wide receiver Dede Westbrook.
Running back Dion Lewis then sealed the 24-20 win with a first down run after New England took over on downs. The Patriots now head back to the Super Bowl in an attempt to win their second championship in a row and sixth during the Brady-Belichick era.
HUUUUGE 1st Down For the @Patriots.
Bill Belichick is LOVING it. #JAXvsNE #NFLPlayoffs t.co/2Q8RU7sLAv
While Gilmore and Lewis came up big in the fourth quarter, it was Amendola who was the Patriots’ biggest hero.
With Rob Gronkowski sidelined with a possible concussion, Amendola stepped up for the Patriots and his quarterback, Tom Brady, in the second half. For the game, Amendola leads the Patriots with seven catches for 84 yards, including the two touchdowns.
Danny Amendola with the catch of the year for the @Patriots.
Gronkowski praised Amendola’s clutch performances in the postseason after the wide receiver recorded 11 catches for 132 yards during the Patriots’ Divisional Round victory over the Tennessee Titans last week.
“He’s just Danny ‘Playoff’ Amendola,” Gronkowski said, according to Boston.com.
Amendola, 32, will be a free agent after this season. He has been with the Patriots since 2013, when he signed a five-year contract for $28.5 million. Amendola went undrafted after his senior season at Texas Tech in 2008. He spent 2008 and 2009 on the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles practice squads before joining the St. Louis Rams and eventually catching the eye of Belichick.
He is a two-time Super Bowl champion and is one of only 27 NFL players in history to have two touchdown catches in the championship game.
