Losing the turnover battle is one of the most difficult obstacles for teams to overcome in the NFL playoffs, but the New England Patriots found a way to win despite their sloppiness in the AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Patriots committed two turnovers -- both of them interceptions thrown by quarterback Tom Brady. He had another interception wiped out late in the fourth quarter because of a neutral zone infraction penalty by Chiefs linebacker Dee Ford.
The Chiefs committed zero turnovers, resulting in the Patriots losing the turnover battle by two. In doing so, they accomplished a pretty rare playoff feat, as explained in the tweet below.
So, how did the Patriots overcome losing the turnover battle?
Well, they dominated in time of possession by controlling the ball for 43:59 compared to the Chiefs' 20:53. New England also outgained Kansas City by 234 total yards and dominated on the ground with a 176-41 advantage in rushing yards. The Patriots ran 47 more plays and earned 18 more first downs as well. The Pats dominated the box score and their best players, most notably Tom Brady, Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski, stepped up when it mattered late in the game.
The Patriots, however, will need to do a much better job protecting the football in Super Bowl LIII because the Los Angeles Rams defense has plenty of playmakers capable of punishing mistakes.
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