Patriots’ AFC title hopes hinge on repeating one crucial defensive trick

The New England Patriots go to Mile High Stadium for Sunday's AFC Championship to play the Denver Broncos in an always-tough venue for any visitor. Yet, Mike Vrabel's squad has gone on the road eight times this season and won them all.

One key to any win is stopping the run. And one player in particular has made a difference that makes everyone stand up and take notice. When Milton Williams is in the lineup, the Patriots' run defense is statistically and demonstrably better.

Williams was a hero of the Philadelphia Eagles' win over the Chiefs in last year's Super Bowl. He's a big-game, big-time payer, and he's justified every dollar of the $104M contract with $51M guaranteed that the Patriots signed him to in free agency.

The big defensive tackle's knack for getting big sacks in the biggest moments was evident for the Eagles in that Super Bowl, and he notched two more against the Chargers in the Patriots' first playoff win this year. Yet, his run-stopping ability, while less recognized, is just as impressive and is now getting attention.

Milton Williams plays, and the opposition running game is stymied

There's an old saying about how statistics are only needed when bolstering weak arguments. In some cases, that is quite accurate. Yet, some defensive stats determine the outcomes of most games. Running yards given up per game by defenses is one of them. It's here that Williams presence, or lack thereof, has been a stark reminder of his value to Mike Vrabel's defense.

Ian Hartitz pointed that out clearly in a recent social media post.

Stats can't be much more definitive than the disparity in running yards, touchdowns, and yards per carry allowed by the Patriots with or without Williams. When Williams plays, those three stats are all significantly better. And yards per game are just about half of what they are when he doesn't. Williams played in 14 games, and the difference was 65.5 yards per game more on the ground for opponents than when he didn't.

The Patriots' defensive MVP is Milton Williams

Several Patriots can lay a claim to being the team's defensive MVP. They include top tackler, linebacker Robert Spillane; cornerback, Christian Gonzalez; and slot corner, the irrepressible Marcus Jones (who's also an All-Pro punt returner).

Yet, no single player, as depicted by Hartitz's stats, is more impactful than Williams. If a defense stops the run cold, it makes it imperative for the opponent to pass, making them a one-dimensional offense.

Williams played in only 12 of the team's 17 regular-season games. Yet, his stats from an interior defensive line position were still noteworthy. He had 29 total stops, eight tackles for loss, one pass defended, and 3.5 sacks. And he had those two sacks in the playoff game against the Chargers. But individual stats don't tell the whole story, as Hartitz's numbers connote.

Like Christian Barmore, the Patriots' interior linemen are pocket-collapsing nightmares for any offensive line and quarterback. They disrupt plays, and when Williams plays, he crushes rushing lanes and makes big plays.

That's the definition of a star player, and Milton Williams is just that for the Patriots' defense.