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AFC Championship game 2013: Patriots' post-season collapse 'falls on Belichick, Brady'

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Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Following the AFC Championship game on Sunday, Pats Pulpit reacts to New England's loss to Baltimore.

The Baltimore Ravens defeated the New England Patriots on Sunday, advancing to Super Bowl XLVII. It was a statement game for the Ravens, who have struggled to get past the Steelers and Patriots in post-season play. They made a remarkable run, eliminating Andrew Luck, Peyton Manning and now Tom Brady.

Tony Santorsa of Pats Pulpit provided us with this post-game reaction:

Ray Lewis and the Baltimore Ravens came into Gillette Stadium and thrashed the New England Patriots with an impressive 28-13 victory as they'll now advance to Super Bowl XLVII to face the San Francisco 49ers.

What this game all comes down to is that Tom Brady isn't what he used to be-he can no longer come through in the clutch in the postseason.

The fault of this loss does not fall on the defense, which seems to be the common scapegoat, but it falls on Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and the offense.

Perhaps Tony is right, or maybe Belichick is putting too much on Brady's shoulders. The three-time Super Bowl winning quarterback has not been as clutch as he has been in the past. The Patriots' defense did play well enough, but the New England offense was not as dominant or precise.

One has to wonder if we are coming to the end of an era.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

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