It’s almost expected after every Patriots win that some talking head will have an outrageous hot take (Max Kellerman’s “cliff” take, for example) about the team. But Michael Wilbon may take the cake from Kellerman and Nick Wright.
There’s been a lot of talk about New England’s AFC Championship Game win over the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, particularly Dee Ford’s offsides penalty and a controversial roughing the passer call Chris Jones drew after swiping Tom Brady.
Wright believes Ford’s penalty saved Brady’s legacy and Kellerman said the 41-year-old was “lucky” to beat the Chiefs, but Wilborn claims the win was a gift for the Patriots. He explained his reasoning during Tuesday’s episode of ESPN’s “Pardon The Interruption.”
“Did the Patriots earn (Sunday’s) win? No, they didn’t,” he said. “… Brady got hit that hard, and that’s a penalty? That’s an embarrassment. The Patriots were gifted a victory, because they scored a touchdown on that possession in an overtime game.”
Sure, the call may have been generous, but it happened with over seven minutes in the fourth quarter. If there was no flag on the play, New England would have been forced to make a third-down conversion … and we all know how well the team did when it was in that position Sunday.
The Patriots have listened to doubters and naysayers all season long, so Wilbon claiming they “didn’t earn anything,” likely will only fuel New England’s fire before its Super Bowl LIII matchup with the Los Angeles Rams on Feb. 3.
