Much has been made of the New England Patriots’ schedule this season. After going 4-13 last year, they were gifted one of the easiest schedules in recent NFL history.
Under new head coach Mike Vrabel, the Patriots reloaded and took full advantage, going 14-3 during the regular season and tying for the best record in the NFL. The last time they won that many games during the regular season in 2016, they went on to win the Super Bowl.
New England earned the No. 2 seed in the AFC behind one of the best offenses and defenses in football this year. However, critics have pointed to its soft schedule all season, using it to diminish Drake Maye’s MVP candidacy and invalidate the team’s stunning success.
Well, the Patriots have proven those doubters wrong in the playoffs so far, beating a pair of elite defenses in the Los Angeles Chargers and Houston Texans. They’re now one win away from the Super Bowl, but to get there, they’ll have to go through another outstanding defense in the Denver Broncos.
According to FanDuel’s Kay Adams, New England has a chance to make history on Sunday. If the Patriots beat the Broncos in Denver, they’ll become the first team since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to win three games against a top-five total defense in the same postseason.
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The Chargers ranked fifth in total defense, the Texans were first and the Broncos were second. That’s a gauntlet.
Not surprisingly, Maye has struggled a bit. He’s made enough plays to win, however, and New England’s defense has backed him up with its own historic performance.
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Denver will need its defense to step up if it wants to win with Jarrett Stidham under center in place of the injured Bo Nix. If Maye earns another victory, however, he’ll have completed one of the toughest paths to the Super Bowl in NFL history.
