Julian Edelman, who played for the New England Patriots from 2009-2020, played a key role in helping the franchise remain a consistent powerhouse and threat in the AFC, which included three Super Bowl wins during his time there. He was even named Super Bowl MVP in one of them. As a member of the Patriots, the wide receiver started in 15 playoff games, playing in 19 total and winning 13 of them.
Edelman was dominant in the playoffs for the Pats, setting both franchise records and NFL records throughout his career. Despite not playing in the playoffs in 2012 and 2017 due to injuries, he finished second in catches in NFL playoff history (118) behind Hall of Famer Jerry Rice when he retired. He was also second behind just Rice in most receiving yards in playoff history (1,442) and 100-yard receiving games (6) in playoff history.
Even the most dominant players in the playoffs still have teams they do not like to play. Edelman ranked his least-favorite teams to meet in the postseason, bringing back up some bad memories of losses for the WR.
2013 and 2015 in Mile High still gives me nightmares. @WynnBET pic.twitter.com/xeSyjSmQxD
— Julian Edelman (@Edelman11) January 21, 2024
Edelman said the Denver Broncos were at the very top of his list. He captioned the video "2013 and 2015 in Mile High still gives me nightmares," -- though the teams actually met in the 2014 and 2016 playoffs. In 2014, the Patriots lost 26-16 to Denver in the AFC Championship.
New England lost 20-18 in 2016 in the AFC championship game that came down to a failed two-point conversion attempt from the Patriots. With 12 seconds left in the fourth, Rob Gronkowksi scored a touchdown to make it 20-18 with the chance to tie things up with the two-point attempt. An incomplete pass from Tom Brady to Edelman secured the win for the Broncos and long-time rival quarterback Peyton Manning.
"Denver's gotta be one. They beat us twice in the AFC Championship on the road we beat him once at our home. But I hated playing them," Edelman said.
The former seventh-round pick put the Baltimore Ravens at No. 2, saying, "Tough football team. You knew it was gonna be a hard-hitting game."
While Edelman was on the team, the Patriots played the Ravens four times. The Patriots lost to the Ravens in the wild-card round in 2009, lost to them again in the AFC Championship in both 2011 and 2012 and also in the divisional round in 2014.
Coming in third was a team the Patriots defeated before going on to have the greatest Super Bowl comeback of all time: the Pittsburgh Steelers. New England defeated Pittsburgh 36-17 to advance to Super Bowl LI, where they would beat the Atlanta Falcons in overtime.
A very animated Edelman said, "You knew with Pittsburgh, they do what they do. They're gonna put a linebacker on me?! That's three."
The Tennessee Titans were the last team Brady played as a member of the Patriots, his time there ending with an interception in a 20-13 wild-card loss in the 2019 playoffs.
"They sent us home in Tom's last game," Edelman said, but noted that he didn't really "fear them."
In the fifth and final spot are the Kansas City Chiefs, who Edelman beat twice during his career. Edelman said they get the No. 5 spot because he "didn't get them in their heat, their prime," though he did have to face quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
The second time Edeman faced the Chiefs in the playoffs, New England won 37-31 in overtime and would go on to defeat the Los Angeles Rams in the 2018 Super Bowl.
