New England Patriots: Team Grades for AFC Championship Game
By Nick Ziegler
Passing Defense:
One of the keys for the Patriots coming into the game was that they had to slow down Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown. Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler is emerging as one of the best in the NFL, and on Sunday he won the battle with Brown. Butler shadowed Brown often with help over the top. This resulted in Brown totaling just seven receptions and 77 receiving yards. Keeping Brown under 100 receiving yards was certainly an accomplishment for the Patriots’ defense.
As expected with Brown being shut down, Ben Roethlisberger didn’t perform up to his usual standard for the Steelers either. In the loss, Roethlisberger totaled 314 passing yards with one touchdown pass and one interception. With Brown being taken out of the game, Roethlisberger was forced to throw often to Eli Rogers and Jesse James. Even though they both had nice games, the Patriots were willing to let them both try to beat them rather than Brown.
Bill Belichick is famous for taking away a teams best player. After the injury suffered by Bell early in the game, stopping Brown became a much easier for the Patriots’ defense. With a lot of the damage coming from the Steelers late, the Patriots’ passing defense was certainly very good in the win.