Walking into Gillette Stadium, one of the first things you’ll notice is the six huge banners that read “World Champions” on them.
All six of those New England Super Bowl teams share at least two qualities: they all rostered a quarterback named Tom Brady, and their defense was championship-caliber.
This Sunday, the Patriots will compete in their 16th AFC Championship game, their first since Brady left in 2020. And their high-powered offense isn’t the reason they’re in Denver; it’s been the defense.
As the old saying goes, defense wins championships, and New England’s defensive unit appears to have come together at the perfect moment.
Mirroring the Greats
Every championship-winning Patriots defense has made a game-changing play on football’s biggest stage.
Ty Law’s pick six in 2001, Dont’a Hightower’s strip sack in 2016 to spark a record-breaking comeback, and Stephon Gilmore’s game-sealing interception in Super Bowl LIII. Without those plays, the Patriots wouldn’t have the championship-filled legacy that defines them.
It’s now midway through the postseason, and New England still has to get the job done in the AFC Championship. But the defense is proving to be just as impactful as those legacy units that came before. In New England’s 28-16 Divisional round victory over the Texans, the Patriots dominated on every level of defense.
Marcus Jones, Carlton Davis, and Craig Woodson all intercepted passes from C.J. Stroud before halftime, with Davis snagging two picks and Jones returning his for six points.
And while those intercepted passes have been the headline coming out of the game, it’s the run defense that stepped up.
In their previous five games, the Texans averaged 128.4 rushing yards per contest. Houston ran for just 48 yards all game, a season low. No Texan ran for more than 17 yards all game, which forced Houston to throw more and led to those interception opportunities.
Carry That Weight
So far in the playoffs, the offense has been struggling.
Drake Maye has shown flashes of potential, but he’s not yet playing at the MVP-level he displayed during the regular season. He has more fumbles than touchdowns this postseason, and the defense has had to carry the team.
“This defense was so fun to watch,” Maye said after the Patriots’ Wild Card victory over the Chargers. “They won the game for us. I didn’t throw very well. Need to be better.”
New England’s pass rush has recorded 72 pressures so far this postseason, with the Rams coming in second at 59. They’ve made life a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks, making Maye’s job much easier.
The team has heard the noise around them: that the schedule was too easy and that they don’t deserve to be where they are.
But the Patriots’ slogan this postseason is “we all we got, we all we need,” and the defense has truly embraced that mentality.
This unit proved itself during January football; only time will tell if they’ll get the chance to play on the world’s biggest stage in February.
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