Deion Sanders may have been right about the Patriots.
The Broncos defense again showed its prowess in the AFC Championship Game, but when Tom Brady is your leading rusher, then you know the Patriots were missing a spark in their running game.
Deion Sanders: Patriots Made Mistake Not Signing Ray Rice
Could that spark have been Ray Rice?
New England came into the game in a bind. The Super Bowl XLIX champions lost their top two running backs, LeGarrette Blount and Dion Lewis, to season-ending injuries and had to draw Steven Jackson out of retirement to bolster their depleted rushing attack.
Not Signing Ray Rice May Have Cost Steelers Shot At AFC Title Game
Meanwhile, Rice, who hasn't played since the 2013 season, was physically fit and hungry -- not only to atone for his domestic violence transgression, but also to reward the team willing to take a chance on him -- and waited in the wings, hoping for a call that never came.
Sanders said earlier this month that if he was the Patriots, he would've taken a chance on the much-needed offensive weapon.
Rice was a coach for the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl the day before the AFC Championship Game. He continued to express his desire to return to the NFL and educate whoever would listen about his horrible decision two years ago next month, when he punched his future wife in an Atlantic City casino elevator.
The incident was caught on camera, leading to his banishment. Rice, who turned 29 on Friday, talked this weekend of how having had football taken away from him has affected him.
"It was just a total process of total rehabilitation," he said, according to The Los Angeles Times, "making sure that I was going to be able to take care of myself to be in the best position to take care of my family.
"So on the outside looking in it might have been that it looked difficult, but for me it was mind, body, spirit and taking care of things I needed to take care of in life, so it was a humbling experience.
"I'm going to keep helping kids and helping out the next generation of football players to understand the severity of my actions, but at the same time I'm going to keep my body, and keep myself focused and be hopeful for a second chance."
The Patriots finished with 44 rushing yards on 17 carries during their 20-18 loss to the Broncos on Sunday. Whether Rice could've padded New England's rushing stats is debatable.
But in a game where New England came up one or two plays short, Rice certainly is capable of making one or two plays -- whether it was recognizing that help was needed in blocking Von Miller, or giving Tom Brady a safety outlet with the potential to turn a short screen into a big play.
The Patriots will never know, but at least they're on the same page with Rice in one aspect. Both are at home while football still is being played.
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