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insanityclause · 5 years

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“I’m a meat and two veg kinda fella,” says Kenneth Branagh. “I love my fish and chips, and my English breakfast, and I like my football and horse racing – my dad loved the horses.” His tastes, he admits, such as his signature dessert recipe for melted Mars bar over vanilla ice cream, were formed in his working-class childhood.

For the past four decades, this son of a joiner from Belfast has been living cheek by jowl with that other great scion of the lower classes – William Shakespeare. Ever since Branagh became a stage and film star playing Henry V in the Eighties, he’s been directing Shakespeare’s works, adapting them, playing many of his great characters. Now, at 58, he is assuming the bald pate, sharp nose and very pointed beard of the playwright himself, in the self-directed All Is True.

It’s an unexpectedly moving portrait. Branagh’s Will is entering his 50s, and retiring from London to Stratford-upon-Avon, where he had long owned a house, and where at 18, he had married Anne Hathaway, a 26-year-old already pregnant with their child. It’s 1613, the Globe Theatre has burned down, and the playwright is still grieving the death of his only son, Hamnet, many years earlier.

“For me, it was a sort of time travel,” says Branagh, whose enduring boyishness hides the fact that he is eight years older than the Shakespeare we meet in the film. (The playwright died in 1616, at the age of 52.) Branagh’s Shakespeare is stiff of bearing; Branagh isn’t. He’s playful while having his photograph taken in the London hotel where we meet, and his comfortable clothes – knitwear – mirror a softness in his tone and manner. It masks a seriousness that shows itself often when he speaks.

After all these years exploring Shakespeare’s work, does the think he has a feel for the man? “I have a sense of preoccupations that repeat themselves,” he says. “They came together when I played Leontes in The Winter’s Tale a couple of years ago, because it did feel like a play from a man at the end of his professional life, maybe in the evening of his life – there was such a longing in it for this lost child, such an ache for the reunification of a family, that it seemed to add up with all sorts of longings in the plays, even in the comedies.”

The grief for Hamnet in All Is True is so acute that, set against the way Will yearns for a male heir, and his complicated relationship with his daughters, Susanna and Judith (Hamnet’s twin), it makes you wonder whether Branagh has been contemplating his own mortality. Does he wish that he had had children?

“Didn’t happen,” he shrugs. “It doesn’t seem to me to be valuable to be wishing and hoping for things that don’t appear to have been on your dance card. I go with what we have. I start with, are you healthy, do you have some family, do you have some friends? Anything north of that’s terrific.”

Since 2003, Branagh has been married to art director Lindsay Brunnock. Before that, of course, he was married to Emma Thompson – a celebrity coupling that was so ubiquitous between 1989 and 1994 that they were referred to simply as “Ken and Em”. They acted in a series of Branagh’s films together, such as the history-repeats-itself thriller Dead Again (1991), the rather precious paean to privilege, Peter’s Friends (1992), and a very winning Much Ado About Nothing (1993), before the partnership ended with Branagh’s affair with Helena Bonham Carter. Does he think he and Thompson will ever work together again? “I don’t know,” he says. Would he like to? “She’s a terrific talent, so who knows?”

Branagh is clearly not keen to talk about his personal life, however much of it is already in the public arena. Yet so little is known of Shakespeare’s life that All Is True must make a series of guesses to fill the void. (The script is written by Ben Elton, who has already treated the subject as comedy in Upstart Crow.) But the element most likely to raise eyebrows is the casting of Judi Dench as Hathaway. Dench is 84. It’s very unusual to cast a woman 26 years older than her leading man, isn’t it? “Is she 26 years [older]?” says Branagh, surprised. “Really?” I nod – does he think audiences will balk at that?

“I don’t think so. I was aware that for the past 100 years of cinema that age gap has usually been the other way round. If it felt it was going to kill the story, I would have been terrified; for some maybe it will, but for me, not at all. She’s unique and to have that chance with one of the greatest living actors, the age thing didn’t come into it.”

Is it an example of “age-blind casting”? “Yeah, I guess so. She was the right person for the role.” The film seems to suggest that Hathaway and Shakespeare reunite sexually, too. I wonder if, as a director, he considered having a physical scene between them? “No, it didn’t seem appropriate for this. I wouldn’t have balked at it if it had seemed right, very much not.”

He also shares a seven-minute scene with Ian McKellen, who plays the Earl of Southampton, to whom Shakespeare famously dedicated two poems. It evolves into a duel between heavyweight Shakespeareans when both recite Sonnet 29 (“When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes”). “I practised for that scene as I’ve never practised before,” Branagh admits, explaining that he went to see McKellen perform as Lear last year, and rehearsed with him backstage. “I found that pretty intimidating… You’ve got to be up pretty early in the morning to keep up with Dench, but with him…”

It’s one of the pivotal moments of the film, which clearly suggests that the Bard was in love with a man. Is that an unavoidable conclusion from the Sonnets, four-fifths of which are addressed to a “fair youth”? “I think it’s certainly unavoidable not to consider it very strongly,” Branagh says. Is there room for doubt that Shakespeare preferred men? He laughs. He’s weighing his words carefully. “I think it’s a strong possibility.”

Branagh does this a lot, studiedly avoiding sound-bites. Asked if he believes Shakespeare was indeed the author of the plays, he decides: “The other theories are brilliant speculations, but there has been no winning piece of evidence. In the current state of knowledge, I would follow the man from Stratford.”

Branagh’s family moved from Belfast to Reading to escape the Troubles when he was nine. As a boy from the sticks, who arrived at Rada in the late Seventies, then went on to act, direct and try his hand as a playwright, had he wanted to actually be Shakespeare?

It’s impossible to imagine it, he says. He just felt “so at home and happy telling stories in the theatre to a live audience, the itinerant nature of it. Those that were ahead of me – whether it was Shakespeare or actors of the past or directors – I was inspired by them.”

Branagh’s career began in a blaze of glory. But while his stage reputation continued to grow, in film at least there was a mid-period lull. His Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1995) was panned; his run of big-screen Shakespeare adaptations stuttered with the widely derided song-and-dance version of Love’s Labour’s Lost (2000), and even when he returned with a striking As You Like It (2006) set in 19th-century Japan, around the same time as The Magic Flute (2006) and Sleuth (2007), all three “received a pretty rough time”, he says. Yet he��s sanguine about criticism. “Sometimes people don’t like ’em. It’s as simple as that. I put the same feeling into all of them.”

He has always had a phenomenal approach to work that seems to border on mania. Since he was 29, he has been using meditation to ensure that he doesn’t yo-yo between frantic activity – “I wouldn’t characterise it as manic, but I would say, yes, extremely hectic at times” – and its corresponding depressive state.

“I knew I had to work quite hard at all those things that would try to allow you some peace amid the noise and haste. I like to read about spiritual matters and I’ve developed the meditation since then to try to find the way to turn down the noise. When the engine’s revving really high, I think you have to be careful.”

A decade ago, Branagh made the decision to leave the West End production of Hamlet he had been about to direct, starring Jude Law, to take up the reins of Thor (2011) for Marvel. It was a change of direction that opened the door to a new phase in his career, as a director of blockbuster movies. He won’t accept the charge that comic-book films have killed grown-up cinema – “Well I’ve just made a grown-up film, I’d say” – and mounts a strong defence.

“In the best hands you get stories that involve spectacle and, in some cases, depth or wit or creative imagination that allows for a really cinematic experience, they provide stories that make you want to go to the pictures. They ain’t killing grown-up movies.”

His hit 2015 Cinderella, starring Lily James and Richard Madden, will be followed this summer by a lavish Disney adaptation of Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer’s 2001 novel about a boy genius who discovers the fairy world beneath our feet. Blockbusters bring their own set of pressures. Does he fear that if Artemis Fowl bombs, that avenue closes? “No, it doesn’t feel that way, although perhaps it is that way,” Branagh says. “I think if it felt like that it would be quite hard to do the work, but I’ve certainly been in situations where if a movie doesn’t work you’re really aware of the cold winds that blow around you for a while. It’s a commercial business and these are big investments.”

What would he do if an invitation to take on the Bond franchise came his way? “I have absolutely no idea,” he says. “I have Artemis Fowl to finish and I hope we get to make Death on the Nile [the second of his Agatha Christie adaptations, after Murder on the Orient Express, in which he stars as Poirot] towards the end of the year. Ask me the Bond question a picture or so from now.” He leans back.

“I should be so lucky.”

There will be a preview screening of 'All is True' followed by a Q&A with Kenneth Branagh at VUE cinema in Leicester Square on Wednesday 6th February, from 6.30pm.

Tickets are £20 for non-subscribers and £10 for subscribers.

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emblem-333 · 6 years

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Naughty or Nice: NBA Edition

The greatest day in the Christian religion is almost upon us, ladies and germs! Ah. Christmas. Gathering around an icy cold, barley used fire place, while your dad plays “The Dark Knight Rises” for whatever reason as you and your siblings gather to open up gifts around an artificial tree. I reach down into my stocking and bring out a lump of black, bumpy coal, It’s ash staining my palm. Last Christmas I was on the “Naughty List” of dear ole Saint Nick. Something about not helping the needy. This year I expect to so up on the infamous list once again… but I don’t want to be alone. So let’s rattle off fellow impure -and some pure teams in the NBA that’ll round out Santa Claus’s records.

Naughty: Oklahoma City

Didn’t see this coming back in September. Sam Presti was on my shortlist to win General Manager of the Year, trading for Paul George, Carmelo Anthony, without giving up much, and signing Russell Westbrook to an extension that saved basketball in the state of Oklahoma. Unfortunately the team’s fallen on hard times since. Westbrook is useless when off-ball and isn’t engaged. Carmelo is old, slow and looks rhythmless. Paul George, the second-best small forward in the East just a season ago, can’t seem to carve out a role and the coaching of Billy Donavan apparently is wasting his talents in such an unimaginative system.

The Thunders woes exclusively are on the offensive side of the court; defensively they’ve played at a nearly elite level: 100.2 Opp/PTS allowed (3rd); 103.7 Def Rtg (2nd), which is shocking when considering the personal change over the course of the summer. Carmelo Anthony in year fifteen is not an ideal option to guard your opponents second best wing player. Anthony’s DRtg sits prettily at 105, the best since 2011-12 with the Knicks.

One of the reasons for the surprising poor start is Donovan’s inability to work his three stars into the offense. Making one of the strengths of Paul George last season, running far less Pick and Roll as the Ball Handler, percentage of time he ran this playtype last season was 17.5%, upped to 23% this season; though his points per possession, 1.01 down to 0.76, and percentile rank, 92nd last season to 39th. What’s more staggering is his decline in the most basic of metrics. On an Indiana team, playing alongside miss-match pieces George’s averages were 46.1 fg%, 39.6 3P%, 23.7 PPG - 6.6 RPG - 3.3 APG - 2 Stocks and his Clutch statistics have fallen substantially, given he wasn’t too good to begin with, last season: 47.6 fg%, 33.3 3P%, 4 PPG - 0.7 RPG - 0.2 APG.

This season: 40.4 fg%, 33.9 3P%, 19.9 PPG - 5.7 RPG - 3.1 APG - 3.1 Stocks; Clutch: 37 fg%, 28.6 3P%, 2.4 PPG - 0.8 RPG - 0.1 APG. George’s never been clutch. Surprise, surprise. But the fall in efficiency is enough to have me shaking in my boots. The way Westbrook’s handled this season has also disappointed me. He’s woeful when off-ball, often indifferent, walking aimlessly around the court after getting rid of the ball.

Like George, Westbrook’s strengths also mysteriously disappeared. For Russ it’s his ability to come up big in the clutch that won him the MVP, 44.6 fg%, 1.9 fta, 85.3 ft%, 6.2 PPG - 1.3 APG - 0.7 RPG - 0.5 TPG ; this season: 33.8 fg%, 0.9 fta, 52.9 ft%, 3.6 PPG - 1.5 RPG - 0.7 APG - 0.4 TPG.

Carmelo’s knees betrayed him some time ago. He isn’t able to get the amount of lift necessary to justify his isolation-heavy style of play, predicated on making long-two point attempts. Witnessing the stagnation of the offense whenever Carmelo just touches the ball, teammates resign to the fact he’s just going to shoot it brings back painful memories of Westbrook’s ball-domination sapping the potential of Victor Oladipo. Currently 15-15, there isn’t a lot to pin your hopes on for anybody who came into the season high on the Thunder. Westbrook’s victorious 2016-17 MVP campaign brought about speculation by many whether he was indeed the right choice, some of the shine is starting to come off the magnificent statistical season this year.

Nice: Victor Oladipo

Anybody who tries to tell you they liked the Paul George return prior to Thanksgiving are liars. Do not believe them. Kevin Pritchard had zero support once the deal became official. Domantas Sabonis, miscast by Donovan in OKC as a stretch big-forward, Nate McMillan deserves props for recasting the Gonzaga product as a pure center, shooting 54.4% from the field, averaging 12.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2 assists per game. Sabonis is the best backup center in the East; a sneaky choice for Sixth Man of the Year.

Shooting guard Victor Oladipo wasn’t respected by those who considered him Smush Parker to Westbrook’s Kobe last season. Despite then career-highs in field goal and three-point. His massive $84 million contract given to him by Presti raised the eyebrow of many. Drafted second overall in a weak draft, from Indiana University, Oladipo entered Indianapolis amidst fanfare. Pritchard loved Oladipo before he even suited up for the Pacers in a game, mostly due to his Indiana roots. This came across to me more as a low profile clown show. When the spotlight was shined on to Indiana, and when we all stopped laughing at them, they weren’t expected to do more than to be in the middle-to-later parts of the lottery. Fast forward to Christmas time, the Pacers are on pace for 42 wins (I think they’ll win 45), despite a piss-poor bench outside of Sabonis. High profile wins over the then-streaking Cleveland Cavaliers, Vic went for 33 points off of 11 of 24 Shooting (Indiana also beat Cleveland on Nov 1), San Antonio, and sneaky good Toronto.

Oladipo in the clutch will save the Pacers from the ashes they’d otherwise be reduced to, 43.1 fg%, 41.2 3P%, 3.2 PPG - 0.8 RPG - 0.4 APG. Against Boston on Monday, Vic was held in check in the first half before exploding for thirty-points in a contest the Pacers absolutely should’ve won if it wasn’t for late-game bungling courtesy of Bojan Bogdanovic. Vic scored 14 points in the final quarter, Boston had no answer for him. Make no mistake Victor Oladipo is the best shooting guard in the East. Better than Bradley Beal. Better than DeMar DeRozan.

He can score in more ways than DeRozan, who’s amazingly been productive despite an utter lack of a jump shot, and isn’t a liability on defense like he and Beal are. For Pritchard to obtain third best shooting guard in a time where the league is seemingly stacked at that position is reason enough for him to be involved in GM of the Year talks. Boy, do I have egg on my face.

Naughty: Washington Wizards

Awful lot of talking the fellas in the D.C area have done since being ousted in the second round by a clumsy Canadian and a five-foot, nine inch point guard suffering immense pain because his hip bone was puncturing his skin. Still, the previous season reignited the John Wall-era, his knees were stable once again, played the best ball of his career. Hopes were high entering the 2017-18 campaign, nice, but the utterly inconsequential trade for backup point guard Tim Frazier and signing of shooting guard Jodie Meeks was welcomed by critics of the Wizards front office, such as myself. The summer prior when the money pit was all too deep not to jump in head first line Scrooge McDuck. Ian Mahimi, Jason Smith and Andrew Nicholson, none worked out. While Smith is serviceable, Mahimi hasn’t produced, and Nicholson was traded by February.

Tim Frazier isn’t a backup point guard on a perennial East-Finalist. Jodie Meeks hasn’t played a quality season since... a long time.

Wall’s knees are made of cotton candy, missed seven-games this season due to discomfort and inflammation in the knee. Given PRP (platelet-rich plasma). I don’t know what that is, but it can’t be good.

Markieff Morris and Marcin Gortat enjoyed the best season of their respective careers. Morris’ points per game is down; rebounds are down; assists are down, as is his field goal percentage. Gortat is thirty-three, will turn thirty-four in February, his field goal percentage fell from 57.9% to 53.5%. The Wizards sit in a tight scramble for the bottom of the playoff picture at 16-14. For all the talk of their belief that the Cavaliers “were ducking” them, I don’t even think the Wizards can beat the Nets two out of three times this season.

The dream fans cling to is a DeMarcus Cousins 0.25 cents on the dollar transaction, one which doesn’t involve Star two-guard Bradley Beal. Despite the 15-16 record causing the murmurs of a potential trading of Superstar Anthony Davis, given the delicate situation of the Pelicans franchise, they’re currently in the eighth seed. Only three-games behind Minnesota for the fourth-seed, the final spot for home-court advantage. Shooter Otto Porter alone provides necessary salary flotsam to obtain Cousins; though his contract provides a 15% trade kicker. And while Porter is a better option to play either forward position than Solomon Hill, if New Orleans stays the course and if by February 8th the are out of the playoff picture and it’s clear their core around A.D & Boogie isn’t good enough then MAYBE the Wizards have a chance. But who’s to say by then the Wizards and Pelicans won’t have the same record by then?

Nice: Toronto Raptors

Entering the summer of 2017 after being swept by LeBron without breaking a sweat, a tremendous sea change was about to be expected. GM Masai Ujiri decided to run back the previous season’s team, despite the skinny wallet. Choosing to re-sign Serge Ibaka over P.J Tucker. Sign-and-trade Cory Joseph for C.J Miles. Trading DeMarre Carroll, a first round pick and a 2018 second draft pick to Brooklyn for Justin Hamilton - a deal not looking so good now, given Carroll’s resurgence. So far the Raptors are on a wins pace of fifty-seven, good for second best in ESPN’s BPI Playoff Odds. Despite Lowry’s sluggish start to the season of transition, averaging 17.9 points, 7.5 assists, 6.9 rebounds, 45.1 fg% and 41.4% from three-point; help the Raptors offensive rating of 113.4 (4th). Lowry is on a team-friendly three-year, $100 million contract that assures the Raptors aren’t paying an arm and a leg for old and decrepit Lowry.

Second-year center Jakob Poeltl was unglued from the bench and showed some promise, making 89 of his 130 field goal attempts; 74% on attempts taken zero-to-three feet. The production of Poeltl is similar to albatross Jonas Valanciunas, on the second-year of a four-year, $64 million contract; a player-option for 2019, one Jonas will surely pick up given the NBA isn’t clambering for a slow-footed, old school center and certainly don’t want to pay one $17 million.

The Raps are seventh in defensive rating. DeRozan has the highest DRtg of all the team with 107. Rank fifth in eFG%; forces the seventh most turnovers (14.5). On offense the Raptors are fifth in field goal percentage and third in two-point attempts.

An intriguing roster of seasoned veterans on sort-of-nice contracts and prospects. They’re weak in the backup guard and wing positions, if the Raptors still have assets from last season’s gamble they can chase marksman Buddy Hield, bench scorer Tyreke Evans, and even take a big whiff at Marc Gasol and Paul George. The Raptors should be linked to Gasol especially. The Grizzlies have fallen to the bottom of the lottery, if the season were to end today.

Ujiri is an underrated candidate for Executive of the Year. He’s navigated through dangerous waters and came out still on track to win a playoff series and sneak into the East-Finals. The Cavaliers aren’t afraid of Toronto, but maybe it won’t be them they’ll have to face. You never know.

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movietvtechgeeks · 7 years

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Latest story from https://movietvtechgeeks.com/tom-brady-takes-patriots-super-bowl-51-36-17/

Tom Brady takes Patriots to Super Bowl 51 36-17

Tom Brady may have started the NFL season with a four-game suspension from the New England Patriots, but he is ending it with the word Deflategate far in the rearview mirror. He led the Patriots to beat the Steelers 36-17, and an AFC win.

Next up is going up against the ‘against all odds’ Atlanta Falcons at Super Bowl 51.

The Tom Brady redemption tour is headed to the Super Bowl.

After beginning the 2016 season suspended for four games for his role in the “Deflategate” scandal, the New England quarterback relentlessly carried the Patriots to an unprecedented ninth appearance in the title game, and his seventh.

Brady threw for a franchise playoff-best 384 yards and three touchdowns in a 36-17 rout of the helpless Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday in New England’s sixth consecutive AFC championship game.

The Patriots, who have won nine in a row, are early 3-point favorites heading to face Atlanta in two weeks in Houston, seeking their fifth NFL title with Brady at quarterback and Bill Belichick as coach. Belichick’s seventh appearance in a Super Bowl will be a record for a head coach.

Brady was banned by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell when New England (16-2) went 3-1 to open the schedule.

Since his return in Week 5, the only defeat came at home to Seattle, and Brady, 39, had one of the best seasons of a Hall of Fame-caliber career.

He punctuated that in dreary weather similar to the 2014 conference title game that precipitated the deflated footballs investigation by flattening Pittsburgh’s secondary.

“This is my motivation right here, all these fellas in front of me, these guys,” Brady said, pointing to his teammates and ignoring mentions of “Deflategate.” ”The boys showed up to play today.”

Brady’s main weapon was Chris Hogan. The previously unheralded receiver found open spaces everywhere on the field against a leaky secondary. Hogan caught nine balls for 180 yards and two scores.

“It’s been a long journey, but I’ve worked really hard to get to this point,” said the product of Monmouth – yes, Monmouth. “I couldn’t be happier to get to be a part of this thing, this team – this whole thing.”

Top wideout Julian Edelman added eight receptions for 118 yards and a touchdown as Brady tied Joe Montana’s playoff record with nine three-TD passing performances. Brady also had his 11th 300-yard postseason game, extending his NFL record, completing 32 of 42 throws.

“We won a lot of different ways under a lot of different circumstances,” Brady said. “Mental toughness is what it is all about and this team has got it. We’ll see if we can write the perfect ending.”

The ending for Pittsburgh (13-6) was anything but perfect. It lost star running back Le’Veon Bell late in the first quarter to a groin injury.

That didn’t seem to matter much in a record 16th conference title match for the Steelers, who made mistakes in every facet of Sunday’s game. The 19-point loss ended their nine-game winning streak

The franchise that has won the most Super Bowls, six, and the most postseason games, 36, never seemed likely to challenge in the misty rain.

“We’ve got to be capable of overcoming those things,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “Injuries and so forth are part of the game. The reality is we didn’t make enough plays in any of the three phases. The game kind of unfolded in the way they would like it to as opposed to the way we would like it to. Not only in score, but in style of play and so forth. We didn’t get a lot accomplished tonight.”

Hogan’s second touchdown came on a flea-flicker, and he easily beat safety Mike Mitchell to the corner of the end zone. At that point, Hogan had seven catches for 117 yards and the first multi-touchdown game of his four-year career.

His first score made it 10-0 and came after Brady could have taken a nap before throwing, a common occurrence against a nonexistent pass rush. Hogan was all alone in the back of the end zone for the 16-yard score.

Pittsburgh had drawn to 10-6 on DeAngelo Williams’ 5-yard run to cap an 84-yard drive. Veteran Williams is a nice security blanket in the backfield, though he’s no Bell these days.

Still, he contributed on a 70-yard drive toward the end of the second quarter that appeared to be capped by Jesse James’ TD reception. But video review showed James down at the 1, and the Steelers couldn’t get into the end zone, Chris Boswell connecting for a 23-yard field goal.

The Steelers never threatened to get back into it. LeGarrette Blount punctuated the romp with a bruising 18-yard run on which he carried nearly the entire Pittsburgh defense with him. He then scored from the 1.

By the end, the crowd was chanting “Where is Roger?” and celebrating yet another Super Bowl trip for the Patriots.

Soon after, tight end Martellus Bennett was boogeying with the cheerleaders, pompoms in hand , and owner Robert Kraft was accepting the Lamar Hunt Trophy.

“For a number of reasons, all of you in this stadium understand how big this win was,” Kraft said. “And we have to go to Houston and win one more.”

PATRIOT GAMES

The Patriots are 6-1 in conference championship games played at home and 9-4 overall. Belichick and Brady have won 24 playoff games together, most in league history by a head coach and starting quarterback. No other coach-QB combo has even participated in that many postseason games together. … Brady’s 24 playoff wins are the most by a starting quarterback in league history.

BIG LEG

Stephen Gostkowski’s 31-yard field goal to open the scoring set a franchise record with 27, surpassing Adam Vinatieri’s 26. Gostkowski is fourth all-time. He made a 47-yarder in the third quarter, a 26-yarder in the fourth, but he missed an extra point.

Boswell, who set an NFL mark with six field goals in the Steelers’ 18-16 win at Kansas City last week, missed an extra point wide left and made a 23-yard kick.

INJURIES

Steelers: Bell’s early departure left him with 20 yards on six carries and no receptions.

Patriots: DB Nate Ebner left with a head injury.

SUNDAY WALKS IN THE PARK

The previous time before Sunday that both conference championship games were decided by at least 19 points was the 1978 season. The Falcons beat the Packers 44-21 for the NFC title.

UP NEXT

After winning the AFC East with the conference’s top record, New England defeated the Texans 34-16 and the Steelers to reach Super Bowl 51 in Houston on Feb. 5; New England won the 2002 and 2005 Super Bowls after beating Pittsburgh for the AFC championship.

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#New England Patriots #NFL #Pittsburg Steelers #Super Bowl #Tom Brady

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