New England Patriots: Team Grades for AFC Championship Game
By Nick Ziegler
The New England Patriots were able to defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers to advance to Super Bowl 51. What grades did the team receive in the win?
On Sunday, the New England Patriots were able to defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers by a score of 36-17. As decent-sized favorites, the Patriots were able to handle their business rather easily in the AFC Championship Game.
It must be noted that Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell did get injured early in the game which surely affected the outcome. As one of the best players in the NFL, not having Bell allowed the Patriots to focus on Antonio Brown, and he was shut down for the most part.
On offense, the Patriots looked extremely sharp. After a somewhat disappointing performance against the Houston Texans, the Patriots bounced back nicely. Tom Brady was protected well, and he was given time to torch the Steelers’ secondary. A big game from Brady resulted in some ridiculous stats for Chris Hogan and Julian Edelman, who both played excellent.
The strong game from both the offense and the defense resulted in the easy win for the Patriots. There were a few milestones reached by players, as this was one of the best games the Patriots have played all season.
Now, the Patriots will be turning their attentions to the Atlanta Falcons. However, before we turn our focus to the Falcons, let’s give out some grades for the Patriots in their AFC Championship win.