FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The season-long question hanging over the Patriots defense asked how they would contain an elite quarterback in the postseason. New England answered that question on Sunday with two key stops in the red zone and two turnovers against Ben Roethlisberger for the franchise’s ninth AFC Championship.
And yet…
That performance can’t possibly suppress the molten-hot take that will surely erupt from the mouths of the most defiant Patriots skeptics over the next two weeks. Prepare to endure an endless discussion based on the premise that New England only passed this test because the most difficult question was removed from the exam.
Without a doubt, the loss of Le’Veon Bell to a groin injury in the second quarter was a setback Pittsburgh could not endure. Bell, the NFL’s best running back, remained anchored to the Steelers sideline for the last three quarters. It was a development reminiscent of the 2007 AFC Championship when the Chargers lost their dynamic running back LaDainian Tomlinson, who entered that game at the height of his powers and barely played with an undisclosed injury.
Much as they did in Week 7, the Patriots defense played well against the Steelers, but were robbed of the satisfaction of stopping all of Pittsburgh’s “Killer B’s” at the same time. In their first meeting, Landry Jones played in place of Roethlisberger, and the Patriots held Bell and Pro Bowl receiver Antonio Brown to 16 points. In the rematch, they held Ben and Brown to 17.
Old stalwart Rob Ninkovich recovered a fumble, and Eric Rowe, acquired from Philadelphia very early in the season, caught an interception to help Tom Brady produce one of his great postseason games. The defense also delivered a goal-line stand to limit Pittsburgh to a field goal before halftime. Then it stopped the Steelers on four consecutive plays inside the New England 6 early in the fourth quarter.
The critics will wonder whether Bell could’ve turned Pittsburgh’s net gain on those two series from 3 points into 14. But this defense has given sound answers to its critics since the team traded Jamie Collins to Cleveland on Halloween.
“We’ve been doubted,” Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler said. “A lot of people said we couldn’t do it, and we used that as motivation. We kept our head down and kept grinding. This is what happened.”
Make no mistake, the final exam will be a lot harder, and if the defense succeeds, it won’t be a victory anyone can pick apart. The Falcons have a quarterback who’s probably going to win the MVP (Matt Ryan), one of the few receivers of Antonio Brown’s caliber (Julio Jones) and two dynamic running backs who can score from anywhere on the field (Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman). Atlanta was the top-scoring team in the NFL, and scheming for that unit will be a task on par with trying to stop the Greatest Show on Turf in 2001.
The Patriots defense will have one big chance to silence its critics for good. Butler said that doubt can’t be silenced with words.
“We ignore the noise and we just go out there and play ball,” Butler said. “We don’t talk. We go on the field and talk. We go on the field and play.”
(Follow Dave Brown on Twitter @ThatDaveBrown.)