Tom Brady just wasn’t on his game like he usually is, but that didn’t stop the New England Patriots from clenching the AFC Championship and moving one step closer to a perfect year. The Patriots have yet to lose and while much of the emphasis has been on New England’s star quarterback, Tom Brady (a man many believe is the best quarterback of his time), this game really showed how important and worthy the rest of the team is at backing Brady up and seeing that any mistake he made did not turn into a gain for the underdog, San Diego Chargers team.
Brady turned over the ball three times, once in the end zone, something that has not happened in two years since another AFC playoff game. Still, the Chargers were unable to make nothing out of these turnovers thanks to a stellar defense, which held off a battered, albeit better played (than earlier this season), Chargers team. In the third quarter, things looked shaky for the Patriots with the Chargers trailing by 2 (14-12) and Brady turning over the ball in the endzone. While he came back with a TD on the next play after the Chargers were unable to convert the turnover into something playable, the rest of the game seemed standard if not slightly sub par for the team that has now gone 18-0.
The man responsible for keeping the lead this game was RB Laurence Maroney. Maroney ran for 122 yards, scored a 1 yard touchdown in the second quarter, and his successful cuts, spins, and leaps made sure the ball moved throughout the entire game. It was pretty clear that New England planned to rely on their running game more than Brady, who will have two weeks to rest before taking on the winner of the NFC Championship in Glendale, Arizona. Ultimately, doing that ensured a win for the Patriots and rightfully so.
This game saw very little of star WR and Brady favorite, Randy Moss. The two were unable to connect throughout the majority of the game with heavy coverage on Moss nearly every play from the Chargers defense. This attributed to much of the trouble Brady faced, as he had to rely on other receivers including Wes Welker who scored a 6 yard touchdown in the fourth and Jabar Gaffney who scored a 12 yard touchdown in the second.
While the Patriots may not have shown off their impressive scoring abilities they did manage to pull off a 21-12 win and in football, all that matters is that you have the higher score at the end of the game. The Patriots will try to go 20-0 and do what any team in the NFL has yet to do, making them what many consider the best football team in NFL history. With three weeks and one more game to play to determine their opponent, only time will tell whether Brady and the Patriots will win the Superbowl in their 4th attempt in seven seasons.
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Written by Dominick Evans - Visit Website
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