One month ago, with our New England Patriots sitting at 4-7 and coming off a last-second loss to the Dallas Cowboys, there was little reason for optimism in Foxborough. Tom Brady was out, Jacoby Brissett was in, and the results had proved that the golden days were finally over. But, carried on the strength of young running back Sony Michel, the Patriots slowly rose back into contention, finishing at 8-8 and sneaking into the playoffs, where a trip to Buffalo awaited. We would be the longest of long shots, a unit many would bet against, guaranteed to be on the road at all times, with an unproven quarterback at the helm and an aging defense that was likely to struggle against the high-powered offenses that were lined up, sniffing blood in the water. Could our Patriots restore faith in the fanbase, or were we just dead meat waiting to be chopped?
Wild Card Round
It's safe to say that Buffalo wasn't prepared for the buzzsaw that was Patriots postseason football. We went into their home and absolutely whopped them, a 31-13 thumping that was the most decisive win in the Brissett era thus far, and a clear statement sent to the rest of the league. We were here to play. N'Keal Harry (6 catches, 88 yards) and Sony Michel (25 carries, 117 yards) both continued to prove themselves invaluable members of the organization, but it was the contributions of recently signed running Trey Edmunds, playing directly against his brother Tremaine, who proved to be the biggest hero. Edmunds was brought in after the injuries to James White and Rex Burkhead, and piled up 91 total yards, split between receiving and rushing, in addition to a rushing score in the 4th quarter that sealed the victory. In the end, the final stats showed complete domination, as we held the ball for 11 more minutes, and finished with 412 total yards, well above the Bills' paltry 189. The only negative was 2 interceptions thrown by Brissett, though he did throw for 273 yards and 3 touchdowns, so it was by no means a poor outing.
Divisional Round
A rematch with the Chiefs, whom we beat in an overtime thriller back in Week 14, was next on the docket, this taking place in KC. To pull off a massive upset on the road, we would need the absolute peak performance from Jacoby Brissett, and playing against Kansas City's lackluster defense, he gave us the best we could've ever hoped for. Brissett kept pace with Patrick Mahomes the whole way, and it would be the former MVP who blinked first, as Pat was picked off by second year linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley, who made the play of his life, lurking while matched up with running back Damien Williams, then jumping in to snatch the ball at the last second. This was deep in the fourth quarter, with us already holding a 7 point lead, and Brissett made the most of his opponent's mistake, delivering a touchdown to Phillip Dorsett to seal it. Brissett was unbelievable in this game, throwing for 370 yards and 5 scores, losing a fumble early but finishing without an interception. Mahomes held serve, with 446 yards and 4 scores of his own, but that pick by Bentley will forever be the defining story of a miraculous triumph by our boys. The stars on offense for us today besides Brissett were Dorsett (8 catches, 106 yards) and Sony Michel (20 carries, 135 yards, 1 touchdown), as we were now somehow off to Cleveland, one win away from the Super Bowl.
AFC Championship
There was no magic for our Patriots in Cleveland this week, largely because we didn't need it. The Browns' high-powered offense never really looked right going against our defense, who sacked Baker Mayfield 4 times, and also picked him off twice, the honors going to JC Jackson and Ja'Whaun Bentley, the latter continuing to elevate his status as a Patriots postseason legend, adding on a sack. Jacoby Brissett wasn't quite perfect this week, as he threw a pick in the end zone looking to make a play, but he moved the ball well, piling up 268 yards passing, 97 of which went to Benjamin Watson. Sony Michel took a little while to get going, but finished with 109 yards rushing after finally start to find room to run in the fourth quarter, with Cleveland's defense tiring. The game-sealing touchdown went to fullback James Develin, who rammed his way to paydirt from a yard out, finishing off a 24-6 win that sent this organization to another Super Bowl.
Super Bowl 54
2020's headliner was a rematch of the previous year's snoozefest, as our Patriots took on the Los Angeles Rams to determine a champion. It definitely looked like a repeat was on the cards early, as we jumped out to a 21-0 lead following a Jonathan Jones pick six. But the Rams stayed in it, with a couple clutch plays on both sides of the ball. Their defense intercepted Jacoby Brissett twice, and forced a fumble by Benjamin Watson after a huge hit stick from linebacker Samson Ebukam. A 74 yard touchdown run by Darrell Henderson was a big part of LA's comeback, as the game would go to the fourth quarter, with our lead now cut to just six, the scoreboard showing 30-24. The lead would've been bigger had Stephen Gostkowski not missed a field goal just before halftime, set up after Jones forced a fumble that JC Jackson returned 71 yards into the red zone. Gostkowski also missed an extra point in the third quarter after Sony Michel's second touchdown, but redeemed himself slightly, knocking through three points in the fourth, which was answered by the Rams. The lead remained six inside of the final six minutes, where we drove down to the field, with several incredible throws by Brissett getting us just short of the red zone, but on a fourth and short. The clock was inside of the final two minutes, so I decided to go for it, something we had done more than anyone else in the NFL this year. But the coverage from the Rams was excellent, and Dante Fowler sacked Brissett for a third time in the game, giving the Rams hope, down by six with two timeouts. Los Angeles got just past midfield before facing a fourth down of their own, and Jared Goff looked to Robert Woods for the conversion, never spotting Jones lurking. For a second time, Jones snatched the pass, quickly running out of bounds to seal the most unlikely ring in this franchise's collection. For the two interceptions, in addition to the forced fumble and a sack, Jones was named the Super Bowl MVP, well deserved, as we couldn't have won this without him. Sony Michel (30 carries, 198 yards) was also tremendous, Phillip Dorsett (9 catches, 99 yards) continues to grow into a steady weapon, and Braxton Berrios (5 catches, 81 yards) stepped in after our starting slot receiver, Cam Meredith, went down hurt.
Well, I certainly didn't expect that we would be this good, this quickly, especially after the struggles with Brissett during the regular season. I have played this game a lot, and know a ton about exploiting the computer's weaknesses, but that was never necessary for this end result. The incredible blend of acceleration and raw power that Michel possesses, plus the clutch play of several of our defenders, most notably Bentley and Jones, proved to be the difference maker, not me. I wasn't controlling those players when they made those plays, that was just them being in the right place at the right time. Either way, the Lombardi Trophy was never going to be the be all, end all for this series, as I wanted to see how the roster would develop in the long term, so while it's nice to have won it, things will continue on as I intended. Next time, we head to the offseason, where we say farewell to, at the very least, Tom Brady and Benjamin Watson.
- Henry
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