Tom Brady has had a lot of clean pockets to throw from during the NFL playoffs, and that's an indication of how dominant the New England Patriots offensive line has been over the last two games.
The Patriots have gone up against some elite pass rushers in the first two rounds, including Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa of the Los Angeles Chargers, as well as Dee Ford and Justin Houston of the Kansas City Chiefs. Even against top-level competition, the Pats' offensive line has done a remarkable job, and the stat below serves as quality evidence.
Not only has New England's offensive line prevented Brady from being sacked, it's also opened up huge holes in the running game. The Patriots have out-gained their two playoff opponents by an astounding 331-60 margin on the ground. This success in the running game allowed the Patriots to control the clock for 23 minutes more than the Chiefs in Sunday's AFC Championship Game, and that helped keep the high-powered Kansas City offense off the field for long stretches.
The Patriots offensive line will face another tough test in Super Bowl LIII against a Los Angeles Rams front seven led by Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh. Donald, in particular, will present plenty of challenges for Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia to gameplan against. The Rams defensive end is a four-time All-Pro and former AP Defensive Player of the Year.
The last time the Patriots won the Super Bowl without allowing a single sack in the playoffs was the 2003 season, and the current offensive line has an excellent chance of repeating that feat in two weeks.
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