New England Patriots - NESN.com
The Patriots are gearing up to face the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game this Sunday. They’ve been winning postseason games in a way that differs from their regular season performance.
New England has won a handful of games this season, with quarterback Drake Maye performing exceptionally well. However, during the playoffs, the defense has taken on a significantly heavier load.
Given that the defense has been performing exceptionally well over the last two games, Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon believes they could be a key factor in the Patriots’ shot at winning the Super Bowl.
“They get a lot of pressure and are extremely strong in coverage,” Gagnon wrote on Wednesday. “They also recorded five takeaways in a dominant performance against Houston in the divisional playoffs, and they’ve now surrendered just 9.8 points per game in the last four weeks.
“Mike Vrabel has that unit rolling. And as we’re about to see, there will be offensive vulnerabilities to take advantage of regardless of who they play the rest of the way.”
New England’s defense caught a break this week, as it will face the Broncos’ backup quarterback, Jarrett Stidham. However, Denver’s head coach, Sean Payton is one of the best offensive minds in the NFL, which means he will likely have a game plan in place to prevent the Patriots from having their way with Stidham.
If the Patriots can get past the Broncos, they will either face Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold or Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. Both have been playing like top-five quarterbacks, posing a significant challenge for New England.
