Why Tom Brady's linemen deserve Patriots QB's cool Instagram shout-out

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Tom Brady shared a photo of his New England Patriots jersey on his Instagram story Wednesday.

But unlike teammate Julian Edelman, he wasn't trying to hawk merchandise.

Instead, Brady showed the world the (clean) jersey he wore in Sunday's AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs as a way of thanking his offensive linemen, who didn't allow a single sack in the 37-31 overtime win.

That's a pretty cool tribute -- and it's also well-deserved.

The Patriots' offensive line arguably has been the team's best unit this postseason. Brady is the only QB who hasn't been sacked all postseason, and his blockers have only allowed three QB hits on Brady's 90 pass attempts in the playoffs. New England's offensive line also has opened huge holes in the running game, allowing Patriots rushers to amass 331 yards and eight touchdowns -- yes, eight -- over two playoff games.

If those numbers aren't eye-popping enough, check out Pro Football Focus' grades for every lineman in the playoffs. New England boasts the No. 1 and No. 3 guards in Shaq Mason and Joe Thuney, respectively, while David Andrews is PFF's highest-rated center.

Trent Brown is PFF's second-highest-rated tackle in the postseason behind only the Los Angeles Rams' Andrew Whitworth, leaving right tackle Marcus Cannon as the Patriots' only offensive lineman not ranked third or higher at his position by PFF. (Cannon is 21st.)

The unit's success is a huge credit to New England offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia, whom Brady called "the greatest offensive line coach in the history of the NFL" Monday during his interview with WEEI.

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Scarnecchia will need his group at its best in Super Bowl LIII against the Rams, who boast a ferocious pass rush led by the "unblockable" Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh.

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