The New England Patriots earned an AFC Championship Game berth for the eighth consecutive season Sunday when they dominated the Los Angeles Chargers for a 41-28 AFC Divisional Round win at Gillette Stadium.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick congratulated his team in the locker room following the victory, and reminded them the competition is only going to get tougher from here.
“Congratulations, men,” Belichick said, per the team's website. “That's a good week of preparation. Played a lot of good football. Just keep doing what we’re doing, OK? Keep getting better each week and expect the competition to get better this week. That's the way it is at this time of year.
"Great job today, men. Great job. Give them credit, that's a good football team you beat. They battled us all the way, that's a good football team, but you were the better ones today and you deserved it. That's why we’re moving on. Congratulations, men.”
The Patriots will face their toughest test of the season next Sunday in the AFC title game, where they'll play the No. 1 seed Kansas City Chiefs on the road at Arrowhead Stadium.
New England beat Kansas City in Week 6, but that 43-40 win came in Foxboro. The Patriots have a 3-11-1 record in Kansas City, but all of that misery will be forgotten if they win Sunday and become the third team in NFL history to advance to the Super Bowl in three or more consecutive seasons.
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