AFC Championship: Patriots 36, Steelers 17

And they?re on to Houston

The Patriots will appear in a record ninth title game after Tom Brady set a personal mark for passing yards in a playoff game.

Bill Belichick embraced Tom Brady after the game.

Stan GrossFeld/Globe Staff

Bill Belichick embraced Tom Brady after securing a Super Bowl LI berth.

LeGarrette Blount hoisted the Lamar Hunt Trophy as Patriots fans joined in celebrating New England?s AFC title.

Jim Davis/Globe Staff

LeGarrette Blount hoisted the Lamar Hunt Trophy as fans celebrated.

Tom Brady pointed at his teammates while celebrating New England?s win in the AFC title game.

Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff

Brady pointed at his teammates after securing another AFC title.

Bill Belichick shook hands with Steelers coach Mike Tomlin after the game.

Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff

Belichick shook hands with Steelers coach Mike Tomlin after the game.

Patriots fans in the Gillette Stadium stands seemed eager to make the trip to Houston for Super Bowl LI.

Stan Grossfeld/Globe Staff

Fans seemed eager to make the trip to Houston for Super Bowl LI.

Tom Brady and Chris Hogan celebrated after connecting on a touchdown pass in the second quarter.

Stan Grossfeld/Globe Staff

Brady and Chris Hogan celebrated a second quarter touchdown.

LeGarrette Blount celebrated his third-quarter touchdown.

Jim Davis/Globe Staff

Blount was excited after his third quarter touchdown.

LeGarrette Blount celebrated a third-quarter touchdown.

Stan Grossfeld/Globe Staff

Blount dropped the ball on the turf after scoring.

Rob Ninkovich recovered a fumble in the third quarter.

Barry Chin/Globe Staff

Rob Ninkovich recovered a fumble in the third quarter.

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger seemed to show some frustration in the third quarter.

Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger appeared to be frustrated.

Barry Chin/Globe Staff

Hogan tried to stay inbounds after making a reception.

Tom Brady dove forward during a quarterback sneak in the third quarter.

Jim Davis/Globe Staff

Brady dove forward during a quarterback sneak in the third quarter.

Chris Hogan (left) celebrated his touchdown with teammate Danny Amendola in the first quater.

Jim Davis/Globe Staff

Hogan (left) celebrated a touchdown with teammate Danny Amendola.

Gillette Stadium was awash in the glow of pyrotechnics before the start of the AFC Championship game.

Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff

Gillette Stadium was awash in the glow of pyrotechnics before kickoff.

Foxborough, MA - 1/22/2017 - Tom Brady celebrates with teammates after the victory. The New England Patriots host the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., on Jan. 22, 2017. (Stan Grossfeld/Globe Staff)

Stan Grossfeld/Globe Staff

Chad Finn

They aren?t supposed to be doing this again and again

The NFL is designed for parity and ?any given Sunday,? but the Patriots may not have gotten the memo.

Foxborough, MA - 1/22/2017 - Tom Brady passes in the second quarter. The New England Patriots host the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., on Jan. 22, 2017. (Stan Grossfeld/Globe Staff)

Stan Grossfeld/Globe Staff

BEN VOLIN | ON FOOTBALL

No running game necessary with Tom Brady

New England?s offensive production Sunday was quite different from Week 7 at Pittsburgh.

The Patriots are the first team to reach nine Super Bowls.

BARRY CHIN/GLOBE STAFF

DAN SHAUGHNESSY

For this Super Bowl, history and revenge are on tap

The game on Feb. 5 is an opportunity to make Roger Goodell swallow his shield and present the Patriots with their fifth Lombardi Trophy.

CHRISTOPHER L. GASPER

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2017/01/23/BostonGlobe.com/Sports/Images/Gasper-11370.jpg With this win, Tom Brady gets the last word

Deflategate can go down as just another obstacle Brady had to overcome in the remarkable career he has carved out as the consummate winner.

Ben Volin | Instant Analysis

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2017/01/23/BostonGlobe.com/ReceivedContent/Images/Davis14.jpg Patriots defense finally passes a big test

The Patriots were able to limit the damage by an elite quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, en route to a convincing win.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2017/01/23/BostonGlobe.com/Sports/Images/hogansideline-11295.jpg Chris Hogan was unstoppable

Hogan set the Patriots? postseason record for receiving yards in a game with 180.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2017/01/23/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/cambridge_belmont.jpg Firefighters battling 3-alarm blaze in Belmont

The fire is forcing the closure of Trapelo Road, a major thoroughfare in the area.

Protests and President Trump

Representative Katherine Clark was one of the first lawmakers in the country to say she would boycott Donald Trump?s inauguration.

David L. Ryan/Globe Staff/File 2016

Mass. lawmakers find silver lining in 2016 election outcome

Senator Elizabeth Warren is antagonizing the president-elect on everything from his business entanglements to the ?disarray? in his transition.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2017/01/22/BostonGlobe.com/Politics/Images/AFP_KI58C.jpg Trump weighs in on protests around the world

The president said in a Twitter message Sunday that he was ?under the impression that we just had an election!?

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2017/01/22/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/Bedford_170122_RALLY_010.jpg Women?s March attendees rest, reflect ? and plan

It was exhilarating, cathartic, history in the making, said Boston-area attendees of several Women?s Marches. But it was just Day One.

Metro

At their home in Brookline, Dawn Oates cuddled with her daughter Harper, who born with a spinal cord injury that left her a quadriplegic. Harper, 5, was denied a spot last year at the Park School.

Barry Chin/Globe Staff

Feds probe claim of bias at Brookline private school

Administrators at Park School are accused of declining to admit a disabled 5-year-old.

Adrian Walker

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2017/01/23/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/walker[1]-5822.jpg Project 351 teaches teenagers the virtues of leadership

What began in 2011 as a one-day service program has blossomed into a year-round effort.

Business

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2017/01/18/BostonGlobe.com/Business/Images/wiggs_Loans1_bizjpg.jpg More and more seniors carrying the weight of student loans

Since 2005 the number of consumers over age 60 with college debt has quadrupled to 2.8 million.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2017/01/23/BostonGlobe.com/Business/Images/4c758adbd94c46c1b564849086fea33f-4c758adbd94c46c1b564849086fea33f-0.jpg Samsung says batteries were behind Note 7 fires

Samsung blamed the batteries? suppliers and said hardware or software were not behind the fires.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2017/01/19/BostonGlobe.com/Business/Images/ryan_payraise2_biz.jpg Big pay raises bring big benefits, Quincy firm decides

Inspired by Dan Price of Gravity Payments in Seattle, PharmaLogics raised its base pay 33 percent, and is reaping the benefits.

Newsletters

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An afternoon recap of the day?s most important business news, delivered Monday through Friday.

Opinion & Ideas

Opinion | Andrew J. Bacevich

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2017/01/21/BostonGlobe.com/EditorialOpinion/Images/AFP_KG37R.jpg Trump?s limited vision of putting ?America First?

He intends to slame the brakes on globalization and roll back policies put in place to create an open world.

Special reports

Brendan Lynch/Globe Staff

INTERACTIVE

Tom Brady: Superfreak?

We break down, body part by body part, what science suggests the average 39-year-old human encounters, and how Brady might be defying those expectations.

Life sciences

STAT, a national publication from Boston Globe Media Partners, covers health, medicine, and life sciences.

Investigations

The Desperate and the Dead | Part 7

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2016/12/05/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/20160923_SAMentalHealth_312.jpg The San Antonio solution

One Texas city took on mental health as a community and became a national model. Why can?t Mass. do the same?

The story behind ?Spotlight?

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/11/18/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/spotlight-9497.jpg Boston Globe coverage and the movie ?Spotlight?

?Spotlight? is based on the stories and the reporters behind the investigation of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.

Globe must-reads

A woman used a computer to visit home rental website Airbnb.

Study: Airbnb likely doing little damage to hotels

David Epstein

Nor?easter will bring heavy winds, rain
Gypsy moth caterpillars devoured trees across more than 100,000 acres in large swaths of Massachusetts last year.

Yet another gypsy moth infestation ahead for Mass.
US actor Matt Damon smiles as he takes part in a meeting on the opening day of the World Economic Forum, on January 17, 2017 in Davos. The global elite begin a week of earnest debate and Alpine partying in the Swiss ski resort of Davos in a week bookended by two presidential speeches of historic import. / AFP PHOTO / FABRICE COFFRINIFABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images

Matt Damon says he?ll pitch clean water to Trump
Carolyn Rubin (left), Stephanie Fan, and Lydia Lowe of Friends of the Chinatown Library discussed the proposals.

Will Chinatown finally get a public library?

Globe Magazine

Debate is over. Belichick is greatest NFL coach.

CLIMATE CHANGE: In this Thursday, May 12, 2016 photo, coal miner Scott Tiller walks through the morning fog before going underground in a mine less than 40-inches high in Welch, W.Va. For over a century, life in Central Appalachia has been largely defined by the ups and downs of the coal industry. There is a growing sense in these mountains that for a variety of reasons, economic, environmental, political, coal mining will not rebound this time. Coal's slump is largely the result of cheap natural gas, which now rivals coal as a fuel for generating electricity. Older coal-fired plants are being idled to meet clean-air standards. According to the Labor Department, there were 56,700 jobs in coal mining in March, down from 84,600 in March 2009, shortly after President Barack Obama entered office. There are stark differences between the two parties on energy and environment issues that underscore the sky-high stakes for both sides of the debate in the 2016 presidential race. Many environmental groups and Democrats fear a potential rollback of the Obama administration?s policies on climate change and renewable energy under a Republican president. Republicans all support coal production and enthusiastically back nuclear energy. They along with business groups are eager to boost oil and gas production following years of frustration with Obama. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Perspective | Magazine

This is the economic future we should fight for
President Trump left after being sworn in on Friday.

On ?SNL,? Putin seeks to reassure worried Americans
Boston-01/21/2017 Thousands of people filled Boston Common for the Boston Women's March for America. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff(metro)

Boston rally draws up to 175,000, officials say

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

What is it like to live in South Boston?

An inaugural speech like ? and so unlike ? those before it
President Donald Trump deliverd his inaugural address at the US Capitol.

Trump stresses unity mixed with dark imagery

Sports

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Penguins forward Sidney Crosby (87) was on his knees but still tried to put the puck past Bruins defenseman Torey Krug (47) and goalie Tuukka Rask.

Penguins 5, Bruins 1

Bruins swamped by Penguins in fourth straight loss

Sidney Crosby paced Pittsburgh with a goal and two assists.

Metro

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Police Commissioner William B. Evans (left), Lieutenant Detective Thomas Hopkins, and Superintendent-in-Chief William G. Gross at Sunday?s news conference.

Suspect charged with leaving explosive device near police cruiser

Asim Kieta, 42, a homeless man who formerly lived in Dorchester, was taken into custody in Charlestown.

Real Estate

Home of the week: A double-size condo in Back Bay with river views, a private entrance, and garage parking

This home comprises two of the five units in this condo building and boasts its own front entry, a doorway into the past and into a very comfortable present.

Politics

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FILE - In this April 2, 2016, file photo, former President George H. W. Bush waves as he arrives at NRG Stadium before the NCAA Final Four tournament college basketball semifinal game between Villanova and Oklahoma in Houston. Houston-area media are quoting former President George H.W. Bush's chief of staff as saying that Bush has been hospitalized in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

George H.W. Bush improving, wife staying night in hospital

The former president?s health continues to improve and his wife will remain hospitalized one more night to be ??closer to her husband.??

Cars

Search This Week's Specials

What the experts say about the 2017 Hyundai Elantra

A Kelley Blue Book analyst, a car dealer, and a safety official weigh in.

Columnists

Protesters took part in the women's march on Washington D.C.

Joan Vennochi

Trump succeeds where Clinton failed
The inside of the Church of the Woods.

Alex Beam

Brrr! Time for the outdoor church?
Thousands of people filled Boston Common for the Boston Women's March for America on Saturday.

Yvonne Abraham

In protest marches, a chance to see hope
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump arrives on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. In today's inauguration ceremony Donald J. Trump becomes the 45th president of the United States. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Renée Graham

Dear President Trump
This is the entrance to TD Garden where a homeless man was allegedly assaulted by a security guard last month, according to authorities.

Kevin Cullen

Recognizing the humanity of the homeless
Closeup of an empty conference room before meeting

JEFF JACOBY

Curb the commission addiction
Foxborough, MA 01/14/17 Patriots Stephen Gostkowski reacts after making a field goal in the fourth quarter. The New England Patriots play against the Houston Texans in the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Gillette Stadium Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017. (Barry Chin/Globe Staff

CHRISTOPHER L. GASPER

Stephen Gostkowski doesn?t feel the pressure
Newly elected baseball Hall of Fame inductees Jeff Bagwell, second from left, Tim Raines, third from left, and Ivan Rodriguez, second from right, are joined by President of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Jeff Idelson, left, and Chairman of the Board of Directors Jane Forbes Clark as they take part in a news conference, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Bob Ryan

Time to expand voting ranks for Hall of Fame
In 2012, lab technician Sherri Wang worked at Gen9, which produced a gene printer that could produce large quantities of genes and nucleic acids.

Scott Kirsner | INNOVATION ECONOMY

How a biotech startup rose, and then fell
US President Donald Trump leaves after being sworn in followed by first lady Melania Trump on the West Front of the US Capitol on January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States Friday -- ushering in a new political era that has been cheered and feared in equal measure. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / Win McNameeWIN MCNAMEE/AFP/Getty Images

SCOT LEHIGH

Trump?s epic inaugural failure
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump arrives on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. In today's inauguration ceremony Donald J. Trump becomes the 45th president of the United States. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

THOMAS FARRAGHER

The chapters of Trump?s memoir are now in his hands

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: President Donald Trump delivers his inaugural address on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. In today's inauguration ceremony Donald J. Trump becomes the 45th president of the United States. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Eric Fehrnstrom

Trump is a true force of nature

Nation & World

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Jeff Bullard and his daughter Jenny viewed the ruins of their home after a tornado Sunday in Adel, Ga.

At least 16 die as tornadoes sweep Southeast

Twelve people were killed in Georgia, and there were four deaths in Mississippi.

Business

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Dr. Augstine Choi studies CO.

STAT

In poisonous CO gas, scientists seek treatments, too

Carbon monoxide is a poison. Could it also be a medicine?

Arts

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James McAvoy stars in M. Night Shyamalan?s ?Split.?

?Split? tops the weekend at the box office

The psychological thriller raked in an estimated $40.2 million through Sunday.

The Big Picture

President-elect Donald Trump waits to stop out onto the portico for his Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Friday, Jan. 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Associated Press

The inauguration of President Donald Trump

Trump, who upended American politics and energized voters angry with Washington, was sworn in today as the 45th president of the United States.

Ground Game

Ground game

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2017/01/20/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/05731458.jpg These are the craziest moments in inauguration history

Trump may add his own eloquence to American history. After all, crazier things have happened during prior inaugural festivities.

Design New England

Design New England

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2016/03/04/BostonGlobe.com/Lifestyle/Images/gardeners.jpg A Gardener?s Garden

The lush landscape around Andrew Grossman?s home and studio is a showcase of possibilities.

Magazine

The cover for the January 22 2017 issue

Forget coal mining. This is the economic future we should fight for.

The cover for the January 15 2017 issue

These retro French chicken recipes are easier than they sound

The cover for the January 8 2017 issue

A widow in unfamiliar territory

The cover for the January 1 2017 issue

How I feel about my daughter?s search for her birth parents