New England Patriots: Offensive Line Was Great in AFC Championship

The New England Patriots were able to defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game. One of the reasons why was because of a dominant showing from their offensive line.

One of the reasons why the New England Patriots fell short of their goals in the AFC Championship Game last season was because of their offensive line. The inability to protect Tom Brady against the Denver Broncos last season was one of the reasons why the Patriots fell short. However, that was not the case this Sunday.

With a little help from the Steelers’ defensive game plan, the Patriots were able to protect Brady without a problem. In the win, Brady was only pressured six times, and the Steelers were only able to take him down twice.

When pressured, Brady was sacked twice and complete two of four passes for seven passing yards. If the Steelers were able to get to Brady more often, they might have been able to prevent him from having such a great game.

According to Pro Football Focus, Brady was the highest graded member of the offense. However, he was followed by four of his offensive linemen. Coming into the game, the real pressure was one both tackles against the edge rushers of the Steelers. Both Marcus Cannon and Nate Solder were able to win their matchups and came in as the second and third highest graded offensive players.

As the Patriots prepare for the Atlanta Falcons, they will need to continue to get good play from their offensive line. In the NFC Championship Game, the Falcons were able to pressure Aaron Rodgers 20 times on 49 dropbacks. The pressure the Falcons were able to get on Rodgers was extremely surprising. If they pressure Brady like that, the Patriots will be in big trouble.

Next: Patriots Team Grades vs Steelers

It will be interesting to see how the Patriots’ offensive line is able to perform against the Falcons. If they protect Brady, the Patriots will likely win Super Bowl 51.