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Patriots advance to yet another Super Bowl, pound Steelers

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — This was supposed to be the year New England’s stranglehold on the AFC could be loosened.

Yet after starting the season without their biggest star, the Patriots find themselves in a familiar place: with a chance to earn a Super Bowl title.

A week after showing flecks of vulnerability in its divisional-round win over Houston, New England put together the kind of dominant performance that has come to define the Bill Belichick and Tom Brady era, earning a 36-17 AFC championship game win over Pittsburgh on Sunday.

Now the Pats will face the Atlanta Falcons with a chance to earn their fifth Super Bowl victory.

“Yeah, it was a good day. I mean, we’re going to the Super Bowl, man,” Brady said. “You’ve got to be happy now.”

This wasn’t supposed to happen. Not this time.

Not in the shadows of Brady’s four-game “Deflategate” suspension to start the season.  And certainly not after his favorite target Rob Gronkowski was lost in December to season-ending back surgery.

Sunday’s performance was yet another entry on the resume for the 39-year-old Brady as maybe the best quarterback ever.

He connected on 32 of 42 passes for 384 yards and three touchdowns — extending his NFL record with his 11th 300-yard postseason passing game. It was also Brady’s ninth postseason game with three passing touchdowns, tying Joe Montana for the most ever.

The Patriots hold a 4-1 playoff series lead with the Steelers, including winning all three matchups in AFC championship games following wins with Brady at Pittsburgh in 2005 and 2002.

Steelers star running back Le’Veon Bell was forced to leave the game in the first half with a groin injury he has felt for a while. Bell had only six carries for 20 yards.

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