The Road To MetLife Stadium will leave us with just two teams remaining following the conference championship games on Sunday, with the Denver Broncos hosting the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game, and the Seattle Seahawks welcoming the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. Much has been made of the rivalry between the head coaches and quarterbacks, but there may be one matchup that may be even more telling in who will win on Sunday and advance to Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium, at least when it comes to the AFC Title contest in Denver on Sunday afternoon.
It is not Bill Belichick vs. Peyton Manning. It is not the Patriots’ running game vs. the Broncos front line. It is not even the matchup that most people are looking forward to discussing and analyzing the most, which is Manning vs. Tom Brady. It does involve Brady, but the opponent that leads one to believe that the Patriots have an excellent chance at pulling off the Mile High upset on Sunday happens to be Denver’s defensive coordinator, Jack Del Rio.
In the spirit of full-disclosure, I’m working as part of the Road to MetLife Stadium Preferred Blogger Program. Throughout the year I’ll be receiving special access to MetLife events and be conducting reader giveaways, with prizes provided by MetLife and Sony Electronics. However, no payment was given or expected for posting about the program, and as always, all opinions given here are fully my own.
If you are looking for which team may have an even greater edge, make sure to check out Stats.com. If the temperatures dip below 40 degrees on Sunday, Stats.com will tell you why we may very well be watching the Patriots face the 49ers in MetLife Stadium in Super Bowl XLVIII. Of course, the Broncos and Seattle Seahawks may have something to say in that matter, regardless of how low the temperatures dip.
Brady has faced a team led by a Del Rio coached defense seven times in his illustrious career. He has won the game all seven times. Not only is Brady 7-0 against teams coached by Del Rio, but his numbers are simply amazing.
Brady is 171-of-235 passing [73 percent] for 1,771 yards, 17 touchdown passes and zero interceptions, for a passer rating of 121.1 in those seven wins, which include two playoff victories while Del Rio was head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
I am not saying that this will guarantee a Patriots victory on Sunday. Anything can happen. If Del Rio was ever to make adjustments necessary to at least slow down Brady, this would be the game. Then again, numbers never lie. Between his 7-0 record against Del Rio and his 10-4 edge against Manning, the Patriots may not be a bad bet, given the fact that they are a five point underdog entering this weekend.
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