New England Patriots: Tom Brady Receives Highest Grade in AFC Championship
By Nick Ziegler
The New England Patriots were able to defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game. Which player received the highest grade in the win?
It was a great overall game for the New England Patriots. In the 36-17 win, it was a total team effort by the Patriots. Despite it being a total team win for the Patriots, one player stood out for the Patriots.
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Quarterback Tom Brady didn’t play his best against the Houston Texans in the Divisional Round. His two interceptions in that game resulted in the Texans being able to hang around a bit longer than many would have expected.
Against a talented Steelers team, Brady was much sharper for the Patriots. In the win, Brady totaled 384 passing yards and three passing touchdowns. According to Pro Football Focus, Brady was the best player on the Patriots in the win, and he received an 88.8 grade in the win.
Brady really dominated the Steelers in pretty much every possible area. In passes targeted longer than 20 yards, Brady was a perfect three-for-three with 74 passing yards and one touchdown pass.
Even though the Patriots didn’t run the ball all that well, Brady excelled on play action passes. Against the Steelers, Brady went eight-for-nine on play action passes for 135 passing yards and one passing touchdown.
Brady did struggle under pressure on Sunday, but he was only pressured by the Steelers six times in the game. After seeing the Texans cause problems with their pressure, the Steelers were unable to duplicate that. Brady was blitzed six times by the Steelers, and he burned them each time. When blitzed, Brady was a perfect six-for-six with 108 passing yards, one passing touchdown, and a perfect 158.3 rating.
Next: Patriots Team Grades vs Steelers
Although there were a lot of good performances by players on the Patriots, Brady was the best. Now, he will look to do the same against the Falcons in Super Bowl 51.