It's Jan 21, 2018, with 12:03 remaining in the final quarter of the AFC Championship and the Jaguars clinging to a 20-10 lead. Up until this point, the Jaguars have played an exceptional game; they have been physical in the run game and complemented it well with the occasional finesse play to the edge. The defense has been stout all night long and the Patriots, without Rob Gronkowski out to a concussion, have yet to score in the second half. All the Jaguars have to do to earn their first trip to the Super Bowl in franchise history is stop Tom Brady on three more drives. Here's what happens on this NFL Rewind.

First Drive 1&10 AT NE 15 (12:03)

The Jaguars begin the drive in a soft quarters coverage and give up an easy 18 yards on a comeback route by speedster Brandon Cooks. This would be a reoccurring theme for the rest of the game. The very next play, the Jaguars come out in a combo quarters coverage with Bouye playing press man on the weak side and if not for Marcell Dareus beating Shaq Mason for a sack, Brady would've had another easy big gain attacking the boundary zone again. After an incompletion on second down, Tom Brady converts a 3&18 by manipulating Myles Jack who playing a hook zone in... quarters coverage. This was a monumental conversion in the game and after a flea flicker the next play, where Brady threaded a ball to Dorsett with Jack in tight coverage, the Patriots had all the momentum. On the next two plays, the Jaguars again ran quarters coverage. The Patriots noticing the trend took advantage and ran a boundary bench concept too wide for the seam/flat defender to make a play and the corner receiver shielding Ramsey from making a play on the out route. The very next play in a combo cover 3 the Patriots overload the middle of the field causing confusion between the zone defenders resulting in an Amendola touchdown to make the game 20-17.

Second Drive 1&10 AT NE 19 (6:21)

After conservative play calling the previous drive, the Jaguars come out in cover 1 press man. While Jalen Ramsey gets called for a pass interference down the field on Brandon Cooks, he and the other Jaguars were all in good positions. The Patriots receivers were smothered and Brady had nowhere to go and just took his chances downfield. Especially without Rob Gronkowski, the Jaguars have the matchup advantage against the Patriots receivers in an overwhelming majority of situations making it extremely difficult on Brady. The next play, again in man to man, Brady is unable to connect with James White because of the great coverage by Barry Church who makes the window incredibly small requiring a perfect throw from Brady to even have a chance at being completed. The Jaguars again go aggressive on the next play by bringing pressure while having man coverage where Ramsey follows Cooks on the back end. Again, this makes it difficult on Tom and results in another incomplete pass. Now 3&10 a huge play in the game and the Jaguars tip their hand again, they are playing man to man and have Telvin Smith matched up on the outside with James White. Against the majority of other teams in the league this is a mismatch, but Telvin Smith, like many of the Jaguars defenders, is wickedly fast and is able to break on the hitch route, stick his hand in the bread basket and force the incompletion giving the Jaguars the ball back. The Jaguars dominated this series with man coverage and allowed zero completions.

Third Drive 1&10 AT JAX 30 (4:58)

After a 20-yard punt return by Danny Amendola, the Patriots start the drive already in field goal range trailing by 3. First play screen to James White against a soft quarters combo coverage brings the Patriots into the redone at the 15-yard line. Tom Brady makes an incredible throw against tight coverage over the middle for 8 yards and the following play QB sneaks it for a first and goal at the 4-yard line. The Jaguars backs are against the wall, space is condensed, how will they play out this crucial stretch to try and hold New England to a field goal. The Jaguars man up Brandon Cooks with Ramsey and play zone on the back end. Barry Church, aligned like a Will linebacker, steps up on the play action before retreating to his zone. Tashaun Gipson is charged with covering the middle of the field. Patriots receiver Danny Amendola runs a crossing route along the backend of the end zone behind Gipson, and for whatever reason Gipson remains in a side shuffle technique while Amendola in a full sprint creates a window for Brady. Had Gipson reacted to Amendola's crossing route and picked him up as if it were man coverage the pass is likely not thrown and the go-ahead touchdown does not occur. This play typifies how the Jaguars got lost or manipulated in zone coverage and how the Patriots were going to capitalize on every opportunity.

Ultimately, the Jaguars conservative defensive play calling allowed for Tom Brady and Josh McDaniels to attack specific zones and manipulate zone defenders for big gains leading to yet another AFC Championship for New England. The Jaguars were given a gift by not having to deal with Gronkowski in the second half and failed to capitalize on it. What makes the Jaguars pass coverage so special is they are so athletic and technically sound that they can be thrown a wide variety of receivers and still have a favorable matchup man to man. The Jaguars demonstrated this dominance for much of the game and especially so on the second to last drive against the Patriots, but the fear of Tom Brady frightened the defensive coordinator into putting his team in bad ("safe") positions wherein two drives Brady scored 14 points and ended all hopes of Jacksonville Super Bowl appearance.