The New England Patriots played in their seventh consecutive AFC Championship on Sunday, erasing a 10-point fourth quarter deficit to the Jacksonville Jaguars to punch their ticket to the Super Bowl.
After the game, Bill Belichick and the Patriots took to the center of the field to accept the Lamar Hunt Trophy, awarded to the AFC Champion every year. For most teams, accepting the award would be something of an honor — a way to commemorate a successful season before hitting practice hard for two more weeks in an effort to win the Super Bowl.
But judging by Belichick's reaction to the award, the trophy means little, if anything to the Patriots.
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This isn't the first time Belichick has shown his contempt for the Lamar Hunt Trophy. Just last year, he showed a similar disdain for the award, although he did hold onto it for a bit longer than in the clip above.
It's not all that surprising that Belichick might be less than enthused by another AFC Championship. This is his and Brady's eighth trip to the Super Bowl since 2001, and from his perspective, a statue celebrating your AFC Championship may be nothing more than a Super Bowl participation trophy.
Belichick and the Patriots will have the chance to play for the Lombardi Trophy on February 4, when they take on the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis. Should the Patriots prevail, you can bet that Belichick will hold that trophy with a bit more pride than he showed on Sunday.
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