NFL conspiracy theorists and Patriots haters are understandably concerned after a referee congratulated Tom Brady for the win against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
Within seconds of the game’s ending referee Clete Blakeman walked over to Brady and looked to be giving him a few words of congratulations before patting him on the chest.
And after the Patriots were called for only one penalty through the entire game, the scene painted a suspicious picture to onlookers.
Within seconds of the game’s ending referee Clete Blakeman walked over to Brady and looked to be giving him a few words of congratulations before patting him on the chest
And after the Patriots were called for only one penalty through the entire game, the scene painted a suspicious picture to onlookers. Brady led the Patriots to yet another Super Bowl in the win against the Jacksonville Jaguars
The move was immediately called out as being inappropriate in light of referees need to stay impartial during games, and not give any one team the advantage. Wide receiver Danny Amendola (left) celebrates after scoring the winning touchdown, while Matthew Slater (right) drops to his knees with joy
The move was immediately called out as being inappropriate in light of referees need to stay impartial during games, and not give any one team the advantage.
‘First guy to congratulate Brady? Number 34. What a teammate,’ Twitter page OurState_CSU joked with a video of the moment. Blakeman wears number 34 on his referee jersey.
The move was also enough to gain notice of a number of NFL players on social media, and spark complaints from Patriots critics.
Some are worried the move shows that the Patriots might have an unfair advantage in the Super Bowl.
This game had the fewest penalties called on one team in a playoff game since the 2011 AFC Championship, when the Patriots (again) were only called for one in a win over the Baltimore Ravens.
By comparison – the Jaguars were penalized six times and lost 98 yards.
Sunday’s win was a surprise to most onlookers after the Patriots came back from what could have been a crushing defeat in the fourth quarter.
The Patriots appeared to have run out of luck as they entered the final quarter down 20-10, but two touchdowns from Danny Amendola from Brady passes saw them edge the AFC Championship game 24-20.
During the AFC Championship game against the Jaguars, Brady appeared to have no problems with gripping the ball, a concern that NFL watchers had considering the location of his injury
Brady’s wife Gisele Bundchen could’t contain her joy after the Patriots took the win, screaming with joy alongside her husband’s mother, Galynn (pictured), who missed most of her son’s last season because of her fight with breast cancer
Team Brady! Gisele was overcome with joy as the Patriots won the AFC Championship game
The Jaguars – who entered the game as eight-point underdogs – looked like they might cling on to victory, but it was not to be. Blake Bortles is pictured above
Brady’s wife Gisele Bundchen could’t contain her joy after the Patriots took the win, screaming with joy alongside her husband’s mother, Galynn, who missed most of her son’s last season because of her fight with breast cancer.
The Patriots have won their last three playoff games when they’ve been losing by more than 10 points, and as the fourth quarter went on it became more and more inevitable that they would eventually take back the lead.
The Jaguars – who entered the game as eight-point underdogs – looked like they might cling on to victory, until Amendola scraped over the line in with less than three minutes left on the clock.
The Patriots will play in Superbowl LII against the Philadelphia Eagles on February 4. The Eagles pounded the Vikings on Sunday night.