The New England Patriots offense struggled on the road all of 2018, scoring just 21.6 points per game in eight matchups during the regular season. The AFC Championship Game was a different story, however, as Tom Brady and the Pats offense put up 37 points in a thrilling overtime win against the Kansas City Chiefs to punch their ticker to Super Bowl LIII.
Their opponent in Atlanta will be the Los Angeles Rams, whose head coach Sean McVay detailed in a press conference Monday what makes the Patriots offense so difficult to defend.
“They have the ability to personnel-group you, change some different things specific to some things and how they wanna attack a defense,” McVay said. “Obviously, Tom’s understanding and the experience he has with seeing a variety of different defensive structures is what makes him unique. His ability to throw the ball with accuracy and anticipation. The level of detail they operate whether it be in their screen game, their ability to run out of two backs, their ability to run it out of one -back looks, ability to spread you out into empty formations and into some ‘check with me’s’ at the line of scrimmage, they’re not limited in any way.”
Perhaps the toughest part about preparing to slow down this Patriots offense is the resurgence of its running game. The Pats have outgained their two playoff opponents -- the Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers -- by a 331-60 margin on the ground. Sony Michel has tallied back-to-back 100-yard performances and his five rushing touchdowns are an NFL rookie playoff record. James White is among the best pass-catching running backs and has scored three touchdowns in his last two Super Bowl appearances.
And, of course, Brady's passing game often is a nightmare to defend. Tight end Rob Gronkowski was a beast as a receiver and blocker against the Chiefs, and wide receiver Julian Edelman has tallied 247 receiving yards in the last two games.
The Rams have a lot of guys to scout and gameplan to stop over the next two weeks, but luckily for them, they have a defensive coordinator in Wade Phillips who's gone up against the Patriots many, many times in his career.
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