PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

Patriots to face Ravens in AFC Championship

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There will be no Cinderella in the AFC this year, as the two best teams in the conference will play for the right to go to the Super Bowl for the first time in a long time.

The Patriots hung on to beat the Ravens in overtime last season in Foxboro. It was a game they had to fight back in, and got huge boosts from the defense and Zoltan Mesko’s punting in the extra session.

Redemption is the story line that is coming to light for the 2011 Patriots. Let’s look back at who’s ended the Patriots seasons since they last won Super Bowl 39:

  • 2005: Denver – just pounded
  • 2006: Indy – Pats beat them and it looks like Peyton Manning may never play for them again.
  • 2007: Giants – TBD
  • 2009: Ravens – playing next Sunday.
  • 2010: Jets – beat them twice and now watching them implode.

So it’s still in play to effectively right every major loss this franchise has had since it’s last Super Bowl title. There’s definitely something poetic in that.

It should be a great game, and a true test of the direction of the NFL game. Will the team with the best defense win? Or the team with the best quarterback?

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New England primarily used three down lineman – Kyle Love started at the nose with Vince Wilfork and Brandon Deaderick at either side – while Mark Anderson played to the outside as a rush linebacker, and linebacker Rob Ninkovich had a combination of assignments on the other side.
This was the same personnel package the Patriots used in the second half in Week 15, though the spacing was slightly different, as Love stayed on the nose rather than a little more to the outside. And the Patriots attacked, and attacked and attacked much more than they did in the first half in their initial meeting.

Patriots’ Defensive Game Plan, Execution Stifles Tim Tebow, Broncos’ Offense – New England Patriots – NESN.com

https://www.patspropaganda.com/new-england-primarily-used-three-down-lineman/

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ROB NINKOVICH IS THE X-FACTOR

The veteran linebacker struggled to set the edge early in the Dec. 18 win over the Broncos in Denver, as he (and the rest of the Patriots run defense) looked bad early against the Broncos. New England settled down and made the adjustments, but the image of Ninkovich whiffing on a pair of big tackles against Tebow and the Broncos was an enduring image. On Saturday he was the Patriots’ best overall defender, doing an excellent job setting the edge and working as a pass rusher, bringing constant pressure from both sides. He had a first-quarter strip sack, and working as an outside linebacker and defensive end throughout the evening he ended with five tackles (four solo), 1.5 sacks (for 9.5 yards), one tackle for loss, two quarterback hits and one forced fumble.

patriots – Ten Things We Learned Saturday: Brady, Pats reward faithful with dominating win over Tebow, Broncos – WEEI | Christopher Price

https://www.patspropaganda.com/rob-ninkovich-is-the-x-factor-the-veteran/

This time, defense was a hit, too – The Boston Globe

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This time, defense was a hit, too – The Boston Globe

I know this victory will be undercut all week, but here’s a positive look at the defense’s performance from Bedard.

The Patriots flew all over the field and, statistically, hit all their marks. The Broncos only converted 39 percent of their third downs. The Patriots held Denver to a season-low 252 total yards, and after it gained 252 on the ground during the first meeting, New England almost cut that in half to 144. The Patriots tied a season high with five sacks, had 14 plays for losses of 54 yards, and three quarterback hits. The Patriots were robust, and what was even better is that they took the field with a mentality that it was going to happen. That’s something we haven’t seen in some time. The Patriots knew they would shut down the Broncos, and they did it.