FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – For all of Tom Brady’s legendary postseason heroics, the New England Patriots might have another Mr. Postseason.
Wide receiver Danny Amendola has been Brady’s most consistent offensive weapon in the playoffs, catching 49 passes for 554 yards with six touchdowns in postseason games with Brady dating back to 2013.
The Patriots wouldn’t be preparing to play in their third Super Bowl in that span without him.
Amendola caught seven passes for 84 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday’s 24-20 AFC Championship Game win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Both of Amendola’s touchdowns came in the fourth quarter as the Patriots erased the Jaguars’ 20-10 lead.
In addition to the two touchdowns, Amendola caught a 21-yard pass from Brady to convert a third-and-18 in the fourth quarter. He even completed a pass – a 20-yarder to Dion Lewis, though the running back fumbled at the end.
“Amendola, everyone says it all the time, he’s clutch,” safety Devin McCourty said.
He’s emerged as that go-to receiver at critical times when the Patriots have been without other top receiving options like tight end Rob Gronkowski or slot receiver Julian Edelman. That certainly was the case Sunday, after Gronkowski was knocked out of the game with a concussion in the second quarter.
That left Amendola as Brady’s security blanket, a role that in other years has belonged to Edelman.
“I’m always looking for him at some point. I mean, he’s a big part of what we do, so he’s never not part of what we’re doing. He’s a huge part of what we’re doing always,” Brady said of Amendola.
The Patriots have played the entire season without Edelman, a hero of Super Bowl LI with his memorable finger-tip catch in the fourth quarter. Amendola’s ability to line up all across the formation, as an outside receiver or in the slot, or even as a rusher on jet sweeps, have helped the Patriots make up for the loss of Edelman.
“I don’t feel any added pressure. Every play, I’m competing my tail off to try to win the route, when the block or whatever my job is on that play,” Amendola said. “I know we have a lot of trust in this room.”
Gronkowski will be in the concussion protocol as the Patriots begin the Super Bowl preparation, which could mean a large role once again for Amendola as New England’s favorite chess piece against the Philadelphia Eagles’ defense.
“When you look up ‘good football player’ in the dictionary, his picture is right there beside it,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said. “It doesn’t matter what it is — fielding punts, third down, big play, red area, onside kick recovery, whatever we need him to do. He’s just a tremendous player, very instinctive, tough, great concentration.”
Indeed, Amendola appears to be everything Belichick wants in a player: a tough and team-first underdog who often plays bigger than his 5-11, 190-pound body would indicate.
Amendola started his career on the practice squad of the Dallas Cowboys in 2008, and he briefly spent time on the Eagles' practice squad in 2009 before getting signed to the Rams’ active roster. He was productive in St. Louis, albeit injury-prone, and showed enough potential as a slot receiver that the Patriots signed him in 2013 to replace Wes Welker, who signed with the Denver Broncos in free agency.
The signing has paid off most in the postseason. While Welker played in two Super Bowls with Brady, he never won a title (and lost another Super Bowl with the Broncos). Amendola had one touchdown in the Patriots' win over the Seattle Seahawks in Super XLIX and eight catches for 78 yards and a score in Super Bowl LI against the Atlanta Falcons last year.
“I’m thankful for my opportunity here and what it’s been the last five years,” Amendola said. “I have a lot of great memories. Any negative thing or anything that’s tried to hinder me, I try to ignore and focus on the positive things that have been going on in this building for the last five years for me. I’ve tried to build off that and be a good teammate, and that’s the only thing I can focus on.”
