The New England Patriots are notorious for their ability to maintain tunnel vision, but that doesn’t mean the Gillette Stadium walls are impervious to outside noise.
Countless members of the football world and media members alike gave the Patriots little chance in their divisional-round matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers. New England emphatically made these naysayers eat their words, however, as it secured a spot in the AFC Championship Game with a 41-28 win in Foxboro.
Tom Brady immediately acknowledged after the game that he’s aware of the common conception of the Patriots, who will look to advance to their 11th Super Bowl in franchise history when they battle the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium. Devin McCourty also is cognizant of what’s being said, which was made abundantly clear in a video shared to the Patriots’ official Twitter account Monday afternoon.
Well played.
It’s understandable why some might doubt the Patriots, who didn’t exactly look like worldbeaters at any point during the regular season. But New England historically has turned it up a notch once the playoffs roll around, and it certainly is carrying out that trend thus far.
But given how impressive the Chiefs have looked on the campaign, we have a feeling those who picked the Chargers to win last weekend will roll with Patrick Mahomes and Co. to claim the conference title.
