New England Patriots: 3 X-factors to beating Titans in Wild Card Round

2. Tom Brady

Another X-factor in the AFC Wild Card Game for the New England Patriots will undeniably be veteran quarterback Tom Brady. Brady has been and will always be a key piece to the New England squad and what it is ultimately able to accomplish on the offensive side of the field. It will be no different in the opening round of the postseason on Saturday night against the Tennessee Titans.

When it comes to Brady, we have often seen him be able to step up in the biggest moments and on the biggest stages, further proving why he is one of the best quarterbacks to ever step on the field in NFL history.

During the 2019 regular season, Brady and the rest of the Patriots offense kind of struggled to stay consistent throughout the year, with the quarterback having a limited amount of targets in the passing game compared to in past seasons.

Over the course of the year going and going into the playoffs, Brady finished his 20th professional season with a total of 4,057 passing yards while completing 60.8 percent of his 613 total pass attempts in 16 contests. Finishing the year with 24 touchdown passes, Brady managed to throw for just eight interceptions and threw for an average of 6.6 yards per pass attempt.

The veteran quarterback also displayed the rare ability to run the ball in the red zone for New England, ending the year with three touchdown rushes, which is the most since he ran for three in 2015.

On Saturday night in the AFC Wild Card Round, Brady will be an X-factor for the Patriots and will have to step up and lead the way for the offense to help them try and advance into the AFC Divisional Round.