On Brady's off night, Patriots' all-around brilliance on full display
The New England Patriots built a dynasty impervious to external pressure based on a simple tenet: if everyone does their job as expected, the team will glide to victory.
On a night where Tom Brady - the player who best exemplifies the team's governing principles - turned in a rare sub-par performance, the rest of the team stepped up to crush the Houston Texans 34-16. The machine Bill Belichick created keeps on ticking, even if its most important piece isn't working to full effect.
Brady completed 47.4 percent of his passes - the lowest completion rate of his postseason career - and was intercepted twice, matching his entire regular-season total. If the Patriots can scorch opponents with their legendary quarterback nowhere close to his all-world form, how does any team plan to defeat the Patriots? The machine stops for no one.
New England's profound depth was on full display Saturday, with some of it revealed by omission. The Patriots opted to use LeGarrette Blount a mere eight times, despite him leading the NFL with 18 rushing touchdowns. Instead, Dion Lewis became the first player to record a rushing, receiving, and kickoff-return touchdown in a postseason game. Julian Edelman also torched the Texans to the tune of eight catches for 137 yards. The machine stops for no man, even one as colossal as Brady.
The Patriots quietly entered the contest boasting the top-ranked scoring defense, holding opponents to a ghastly 15.6 points per game. Although a Texans team led by Brock Osweiler isn't the litmus test for a great defense, this may be the best unit Belichick's ever coached during his tenure in New England, with due consideration to the 2003 team that won the franchise's second Super Bowl.
Although the Patriots made numerous additions to their defense through trades, free agency, and the draft, the veterans embodied the team's ethos to perfection. Dont'a Hightower led the team with eight tackles, Logan Ryan recorded seven stops, three pass deflections, a sack, and an interception, while Rob Ninkovich dominated the Texans' offensive line. The machine stops for no one, especially not when the team's veteran approach remains pervasive across the board.
New England is the closest thing to sporting Teflon, shaking off any notion of internal criticism, while the defense has improved from a good, well-balanced unit to an absolute house of horrors for opponents. Brady served a four-game suspension, the team went 3-1 in his absence, then he tormented opponents with one of the most efficient seasons of his illustrious career when he returned to the field. The Patriots traded star linebacker Jamie Collins to the Cleveland Browns in October and improved dramatically - a prospect that seemed impossible, until, of course, it didn't. It rings hollow for opposing fans that are well-versed in treating the Patriots like a monolith, but the culture Belichick created truly stands alone and once again held up against external forces on a night where Brady was rather pedestrian.
Upon routing the Texans, New England advanced to its sixth consecutive conference championship game, an NFL record. With either the Pittsburgh Steelers or Kansas City Chiefs representing the last obstacle between the Patriots and Super Bowl LI, "the machine stops for no one" remains a haunting fact for the rest of the league.