Edelman giving Pats vintage performances
His face was still a little flushed from stepping out of the subfreezing temperatures at Gillette Stadium field just minutes following the Patriots’ 41-28 divisional-round win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
Still, Julian Edelman stood at his locker satisfied — at least for a moment.
Then he was asked when he would start his preparations for their AFC Championship Game matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs.
“Immediately,” he said without hesitation. “We’re going to go play the best team in the AFC, the No. 1 seed. It’s going to start with an unbelievable week of practice, preparation. We need to do that to give ourselves the best chance to win.”
Making the most of every one of his opportunities has become a hallmark of Edelman’s 10 seasons in New England.
The Patriots were dealt a blow prior to their final two regular-season games when Josh Gordon was suspended for a violation of the league’s substanceabuse policy.
But what could have created a hole in New England’s receiving group has been plugged by its oldest member.
Edelman, 32, has put together back-to-back vintage performances and is expected to again play a big role during Sunday’s AFC Championship Game. He tied his regularseason high of nine catches and had a career playoff-best 151 yards receiving in New England’s win over Los Angeles.
With 98 playoff receptions during his career, he moved past Reggie Wayne (93) and is second all-time behind Jerry Rice with 151. Edelman’s five career 100-yard receiving games in the postseason trail only Rice’s eight and Michael Irvin’s six.
Edelman, who missed last season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and sat out the first four games of this season for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancers, empathizes with Gordon’s situation.
“He was making plays for us. We wish him the best to get himself right,” Edelman said. “That’s a tough thing to go through. We’re here to support him. But sometimes the train just has to keep on going. … And as much as you miss him, you gotta start thinking about what you gotta do to keep on going out and try to win ballgames.”
The week after Gordon’s suspension, Edelman caught five of the six balls thrown to him for 69 yards and a touchdown.
Over the past three games, including the playoff win over the Chargers, Edelman has been targeted by Tom Brady 29 times, catching 20 passes for 290 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
ELSEWHERE
Eagles: Coach Doug Pederson reiterated that Carson Wentz will be the team’s starting quarterback in 2019. Wentz missed the final three games of the regular season and two playoff games because of a back injury. Nick Foles led Philadelphia to four wins in a row and was 27 yards away from taking the Eagles to the NFC Championship Game before his final pass bounced off Alshon Jeffery’s hands and was intercepted to seal a 20-14 victory for the New Orleans Saints.
Raiders: The Raiders might play another season in Oakland after all. Owner Mark Davis is set to meet with officials from the Coliseum Authority that runs the stadium on Friday to discuss a lease extension. The public agenda for the meeting posted on the Coliseum Authority’s website says Davis will meet with executive director Scott McKibben in closed session over the terms of an extension. The Bay Area News Group first reported that the sides planned to resume negotiations.
Bills: Buffalo hired Bobby Johnson to take over as offensive line coach, and are also offering their special teams coordinator’s job to Carolina Panthers assistant Heath Farwell. Johnson was hired after spending the past season as the Colts assistant offensive line coach. His status in Indianapolis became uncertain after offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo was fired following the Colts playoff loss at Kansas City on Saturday.