Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner grab all the headlines, but no Patriots cornerback was leaned on more heavily in Sunday's AFC title game win over the Colts than Kyle Arrington.
After playing 40 percent of the snaps during the regular season, Arrington -- normally assigned to the slot -- was thrust into a starring role, playing all 56 downs against Indy's freakishly talented wideout, T.Y. Hilton.
In holding Hilton to one catch for 36 yards, Arrington eliminated quarterback Andrew Luck's favorite target after holding Hilton to just three catches for 24 yards in Week 11.
"T.Y. Killer. Two games in a row," Browner said of Arrington, per ESPNBoston.com. "That's big because T.Y. is a threat. He poses a threat to anybody across the league. (Denver's Aqib) Talib is one of my favorite corners, but that was a tough matchup for him last week. But this guy right here (Arrington) stands up to (Hilton) and matches him well."
Credit coach Bill Belichick with a foolproof game plan that also matched Browner against Colts tight end Coby Fleener with Revis erasing Donte Moncrief while lining up all over the field.
It was a formula that stymied Luck from the first whistle to trigger his worst game as a pro. We asked on the latest podcast if the championship matchup between the Patriots and Seahawks offers a clash of the two greatest secondaries to play in a Super Bowl. That one is up for debate, but Belichick's skills are not: He's used the surplus of talent on the back end of his defense to tug New England back to the brink of glory.
The latest Around The NFL Podcast recaps Championship Sunday, and breaks down the Seahawks' historic comeback against the Packers. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.