The New England Patriots are AFC Champions, headed to Super Bowl LX. Their adapt and win approach helped get them there.
On the morning after the AFC Championship game in Denver, Fred Toucher and Jon Wallach were joined by Paul Perillo of Patriots.com. The three spent the bulk of the morning analyzing the Patriots' 10-7 win over the Broncos. You can revisit their conversation here.
The trio welcomed Mike Reiss during the 7:00 hour. Mike covers the Patriots for ESPN, visiting Toucher & Hardy weekly throughout the NFL season. Mike was stuck in Denver due to the big winter storm, so he wasn't his usual chipper self, as you'll hear in the clip above.
Adapt and Win
Mike put it bluntly: the Patriots blew past his preseason expectations, thanks to a dominant defense and a playoff mindset built around adjusting on the fly. The offense hasn’t been flashy. But tough defenses, bad conditions, and smart second-half changes paid dividends in Denver.
Most importantly, Reiss pointed out, was Drake May's play. The QB stayed calm, protected the ball, and did what was needed to win. Now the Patriots are headed to the Super Bowl, where that adapt and win mindset could bring the Lombardi Trophy back to New England.
