Tom Brady will have nightmares about the Broncos’ pass rush all offseason
Brady is one of the best postseason quarterbacks in NFL history, but he struggled against a ferocious Broncos pass rush.
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Jeanna Kelley has been covering the Falcons for The Falcoholic since 2011 and the NFL for SB Nation since 2015.
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has been one of the best postseason quarterbacks of all time. Brady has more playoff wins than any other quarterback in league history, and he holds career postseason records for completed passes, passing touchdowns and game-winning drives, among others.
On Sunday in the AFC Championship, however, Brady had arguably the worst postseason performance of his career en route to New England’s 20-18 loss to the Denver Broncos.
Brady completed only 48 percent of his attempted passes, marking the first time in his career that he finished a postseason game with a completion rate lower than 50 percent, according to Elias Sports Bureau. This was primarily because Brady was hit by Denver’s defense nearly twice as much as he had been during any other game this season:
Tom Brady was hit a season-high 23 times Sunday. He hadn't taken more than 12 hits in a game this season prior to Sunday.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 25, 2016 Brady was pressured throughout the game. He was sacked by the Broncos four times and was hit 19 more times by Denver’s defense, and he threw just one touchdown and two interceptions in New England’s loss.
The Patriots’ inability to get any kind of run game going allowed Denver to attack Brady throughout the game. Brady was New England’s leading rusher on the day, contributing 13 of the Patriots’ 44 total yards on the ground.
A larger issue was that pass protection was inconsistent at best for Brady. The Patriots lost left tackle Nate Solder for the season when he tore a bicep in Week 4 against the Dallas Cowboys, and his absence was felt. New England moved right tackle Sebastian Vollmer to the left side in Solder's absence, and Marcus Cannon took over on the right side. Vollmer and right guard Josh Kline were both dealing with injuries heading into Sunday's game.
Vollmer didn't allow any sacks in the Divisional round and Cannon allowed just two pressures against the Kansas City Chiefs, but Von Miller looked dominant in the AFC Championship, sacking Brady two times on his own and combining with teammate DeMarcus Ware for another shared sack.
A quick release is one of the key elements of Brady’s success as a passer, but the pressure came so quickly from the Broncos that it disrupted his rhythm.
“I think you get into some rhythm out there, and then when you do have time you’re still in that quick rhythm,” Brady said following the loss. “There were definitely times where I had opportunities to hold the ball and didn’t really have great awareness of where people were around me.”
Against the Chiefs, Brady was able to keep their pass rush at bay with that quick release. His average release time was under two seconds in that game, but Broncos linebacker Von Miller was undeterred.
“You said two seconds? Sometimes I only need like one,” Miller said Thursday before the game, via Mike Giardi of CSN New England.
Miller showed he was up for the challenge when he picked off Brady early in the second quarter.
The pressure Brady faced appeared to rattle him. He looked off his game for most of the afternoon, with the notable exception of the fourth-quarter drive that nearly tied the game.
But Brady didn’t blame his line for his performance, saying his linemen “hung in there all day.”
The Patriots should have more stability along the offensive line next season when they get Solder back and move Vollmer back to right tackle. They’ll also have a new OL coach after they parted ways with Dave DeGuglielmo the day after the AFC Championship loss.
But there's a reason the Broncos were able to accomplish so much this season despite lackluster offensive performances. Denver finished the regular season at the top of the league with 52 sacks, and their ability to disrupt the Patriots by bringing pressure and keeping Brady off rhythm throughout the game punched the Broncos' ticket to the Super Bowl.
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