The New England Patriots’ defense continues to unleash a new level of dominance in the postseason. In their two playoff victories, the Patriots' defense has allowed just 448 total yards and has forced six turnovers.
While the defensive unit has been pivotal to helping the team reach the AFC Championship Game for the first time since the 2018 season, the credit for their success must go to the defensive line. Led by Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, Harold Landry III, and K’Lavon Chaisson, the Patriots’ pass rush has wreaked havoc, combining for nine sacks, 70 pressures, and 13 quarterback hits.
Although they flourished in their first two games, it’s worth noting that the Los Angeles Chargers and the Houston Texans’ offensive lines were both depleted. If the Patriots’ defensive line wants to prove that they’re legit, it must do so against one of the best offensive lines in the Denver Broncos, with a Super Bowl appearance on the line.
Patriots' Defensive Front Must Make Life Difficult for Jarrett Stidham
When Broncos’ head coach Sean Payton joined the team in 2023, he emphasized building a superior offensive line–he did just that. Denver signed tackle Mike McGlinchey and guard Ben Powers to play alongside Garett Bolles, Quinn Meinerz, and Luke Wattenberg, and the unit has been tremendous this season.
They did a fantastic job protecting quarterback Bo Nix, tying the Los Angeles Rams for the fewest sacks allowed (23), and both Bolles and Meinerz were rewarded for superb performance with Pro Bowl selections. Despite not having Wattenberg, the Broncos held off the Buffalo Bills’ pass rush, allowing just four quarterback hits and zero sacks in their monumental win.
Generating pressure against this unit will be a difficult challenge for the Patriots, especially if Landry III continues to be hampered by his knee injury. Fortunately for them, the Broncos will be relying on backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who hasn’t attempted a pass since the 2023 season.
Even though Stidham isn’t nearly as great a quarterback as Nix, he’s proven to be serviceable in his four career starts. Stidham has been in Payton’s system for three seasons and should be well-prepared to manage the offense. Against the Broncos’ elite offensive line, the Patriots’ defensive line will determine if they move on to the Super Bowl.
While they likely won’t be able to replicate their pass rush success over the last two weeks, they must force the Broncos to rely on Stidham’s heroics by dominating the line of scrimmage and shutting down their run game. Although the Patriots are among the league’s best against the run, ranking sixth in rushing yards allowed per game (101.7), they’ve allowed over 100 rushing yards in seven of their last eight games.
Even though the Patriots defense has returned to form with Robert Spillane and Williams back, the Broncos will likely want to take some of the pressure off Stidham by getting their run game going, which ranked 16th in rushing yards per game (118.7).
Forcing the Broncos to be one-dimensional should be a top priority, given that this has been their formula for winning over the last two weeks. If the Patriots’ defensive line doesn’t show up, it decreases the likelihood of them winning, considering how up-and-down their offense has been the last two weeks.
The Patriots’ offensive line has been abysmal in the playoffs, and it won’t get any better against the Broncos, who led the league in sacks this season (68). It doesn’t matter whether they have their starting quarterback or not; beating the Broncos won’t be easy.
Hopefully, the Patriots’ defensive line will be able to prevail and overcome the Broncos' formidable offensive line.