Patriots: Which players had the biggest impact on 2018 season?

Though the New England Patriots’ 2018 season was defined by team success and cohesion, certain players made more of a dramatic impact than others.

Football is the ultimate team sport.

When Bill Belichick preaches the simple but profound mantra, “Do Your Job,” he’s not just talking to Tom Brady, Julian Edelman, or any of the other few remaining “stars” on this Patriots squad.

He’s directing it at each and every player on the active gameday roster, because he knows better than anyone that the difference between victory and defeat is one player missing one assignment, one tackle, one reception, one block, one juke, one kick, etc. Especially in low-scoring games (like Super Bowl 53), where points are at a premium and one mistake could swing a championship, it’s crucial that a team becomes greater than the sum of its parts.

The 2018 New England Patriots are the embodiment of just such an idea. There were certainly more talented teams in the playoffs, with better players at various positions, many of whom enjoyed better seasons than their New England counterparts on the whole. But when push came to shove, the Patriots emerged from the fray triumphant and with another Lombardi in tow, largely because they played exceptionally well as a team in the playoffs.

Still, certain individual cogs in the Patriot Way machine really stood out this past season; their singular achievements and contributions set the bar high for their teammates and the personnel around them. Which players had the greatest impact on the outcome of the 2018/2019 season?