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How the New England Patriots arrived at Super Bowl LII
Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

How the New England Patriots arrived at Super Bowl LII

The Patriots are going for their second consecutive Super Bowl victory after earning the No. 1 seed in the AFC and taking care of business in the Divisional Round and AFC Championship Game in Foxborough.

It was a season of turmoil in New England as rumors of a rift between Tom Brady and Bill Belichick swirled, but it sure didn't seem to affect the Patriots this season. Here's how they arrived at the game this year.

 
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Week 1 - Chiefs d. Patriots, 42-27

Week 1 - Chiefs d. Patriots, 42-27
Greg M. Cooper / USA Today Sports Images

New England's season began in shocking defeat with a Thursday night home loss against Kansas City. Rookie running back Kareem Hunt had 246 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns, while Tom Brady was just 16-of-36 passing.

 
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Week 2 - Patriots d. Saints, 36-20

Week 2 - Patriots d. Saints, 36-20
Derick E. Hingle / USA Today Sports Images

Tom Brady and company got back on track after a brutal Week 1 loss, blowing up a struggling New Orleans defense. Brady was 30-of-39 for 447 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Mike Gillislee also had his fourth touchdown in two weeks.

 
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Week 3 - Patriots d. Texans, 36-33

Week 3 - Patriots d. Texans, 36-33
David Butler II / USA Today Sports Images

New England got all it could handle in a home win against the Texans. Trailing near the end of the game, Tom Brady threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Brandin Cooks with 23 seconds remaining for the game-winning score. Brady finished the game 25-of-35 for 378 yards and five touchdowns.

 
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Week 4 - Panthers d. Patriots, 33-30

Week 4 - Panthers d. Patriots, 33-30
Stew Milne / USA Today Sports Images

New England suffered its second home loss of the young season and allowed at least 30 points for the third time in four weeks. Tom Brady threw for 307 yards and two scores, but Panthers quarterback Cam Newton wreaked havoc with three throwing touchdowns and one rushing score.

 
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Week 5 - Patriots d. Buccaneers, 19-14

Week 5 - Patriots d. Buccaneers, 19-14
Kim Klement / USA Today Sports Images

Playing their second Thursday night game of the season, the Patriots escaped Tampa Bay with a 19-14 win. Tom Brady was busy, finishing 30-of-40 for 303 yards and one touchdown.

 
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Week 6 - Patriots d. Jets, 24-17

Week 6 - Patriots d. Jets, 24-17
Brad Penner / USA Today Sports Images

New England paid a visit to the division-rival Jets and got quite the scare. Down 14-0 in the first quarter, the offense rallied behind two Rob Gronkowski touchdown receptions. The defense struggled again, allowing Jets quarterback Josh McCown to throw for 354 yards.

 
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Week 7 - Patriots d. Falcons, 23-7

Week 7 - Patriots d. Falcons, 23-7
Greg M. Cooper / USA Today Sports Images

The rematch of Super Bowl LI wasn't much of a contest. New England's defense stiffened, holding the Falcons' offense to only 343 yards and seven points in the fog of Foxborough. Tom Brady was 21-of-29 for 249 yards and two touchdowns.

 
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Week 8 - Patriots d. Chargers, 21-13

Week 8 - Patriots d. Chargers, 21-13
Bob DeChiara / USA Today Sports Images

The Patriots had a relatively easy win before their bye week, as the defense continued to rebound from a poor start to the season despite allowing 7.5 yards per carry. Tom Brady provided much of the offense for the Pats, finishing 32-of-47 for 333 yards and one touchdown.

 
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Week 10 - Patriots d. Broncos, 41-16

Week 10 - Patriots d. Broncos, 41-16
Isaiah J. Downing / USA Today Sports Images

A well-rested New England team dominated a fading Broncos squad on the road. Tom Brady threw three touchdowns, while Dion Lewis had a 103-yard kickoff return for a score. Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler was held to only 221 yards passing.

 
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Week 11 - Patriots d. Raiders, 33-8

Week 11 - Patriots d. Raiders, 33-8
Kirby Lee / USA Today Sports Images

New England brought its dominance to Mexico, beating the Raiders 33-8 in Mexico City. The team led 30-0 heading into the fourth quarter, and Tom Brady finished the game 30-of-37 for 340 yards and three touchdowns.

 
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Week 12 - Patriots d. Dolphins, 35-17

Week 12 - Patriots d. Dolphins, 35-17
Winslow Townson / USA Today Sports Images

It was just another day at the office for Tom Brady against the Dolphins, throwing four touchdown passes. Matt Moore started at quarterback in Jay Cutler's stead for Miami, throwing two interceptions.

 
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Week 13 - Patriots d. Bills, 23-3

Week 13 - Patriots d. Bills, 23-3
Mark Konezny / USA Today Sports Images

New England made it eight straight wins with a commanding defensive performance. The Patriots held Buffalo quarterbacks to only 85 yards passing, while running back Rex Burkhead scored twice for New England.

 
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Week 14 - Dolphins d. Patriots, 27-20

Week 14 - Dolphins d. Patriots, 27-20
Jasen Vinlove / USA Today Sports Images

Were the Patriots overlooking the division-rival Dolphins for the Steelers in Week 15? That might have been the case when they suffered a 27-20 loss at Miami. The Patriots were held to 248 total yards of offense, while Jay Cutler threw three touchdowns.

 
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Week 15 - Patriots d. Steelers, 27-24

Week 15 - Patriots d. Steelers, 27-24
Charles LeClaire / USA Today Sports Images

New England won arguably the game of the year in controversial fashion. Pittsburgh trailed by three points in the closing moments when Ben Roethlisberger completed a pass at the goal line to Jesse James that was ruled a touchdown. Upon replay review, the pass was ruled incomplete, and Roethlisberger proceeded to throw an interception in the end zone. The game effectively determined home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs.

 
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Week 16 - Patriots d. Bills, 37-16

Week 16 - Patriots d. Bills, 37-16
Bob DeChiara / USA Today Sports Images

Competing for a playoff spot, Buffalo was dealt a crushing blow at Foxborough. The Patriots dominated on the ground with 193 rushing yards, mostly from Dion Lewis, who had one rushing and one receiving touchdown.

 
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Week 17 - Patriots d. Jets, 26-6

Week 17 - Patriots d. Jets, 26-6
Brian Fluharty / USA Today Sports Images

Head coach Bill Belichick refused to rest his starters in Week 17, and his team took care of business. Tom Brady was only 18-of-37 passing but did have two touchdown passes, while Dion Lewis scored two touchdowns.

 
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Divisional Round - Patriots d. Titans, 35-14

Divisional Round - Patriots d. Titans, 35-14
David Butler II / USA Today Sports Images

New England allowed Tennessee to score first before waking up. The pass-happy Patriots saw Tom Brady attempt 53 passes, throwing for 337 yards and three touchdowns. Danny Amendola finished the game with 11 receptions for 112 yards.

 
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Conference Champioship - Patriots d. Jaguars, 24-20

Conference Champioship - Patriots d. Jaguars, 24-20
Robert Deutsch / USA Today Sports Images

The Patriots came back in the fourth quarter trailing 20-10 to score two touchdowns and beat the Jaguars. Danny Amendola was the star of the game, finishing with seven receptions for 84 yards and two touchdowns. Tom Brady overcame a hand injury to throw for 290 yards.

Seth Trachtman is a fantasy sports expert and diehard Kansas City Chiefs fan. He doesn't often Tweet, but when he does, you can find him on Twitter @sethroto.

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