The NFL is a quarterback-driven league, and typically, it is the elite quarterbacks (read: not the Mark Sanchezes of the world) who are playing deep in January. If the best signal-callers have time and operate in rhythm, they’ll pick opposing defenses to nothing. More often than not, the teams that have won in the playoffs lately have done so in large part because of a physical, aggressive pass rush that consistently managing to knock the best off their spot.

A look at the last 10 Super Bowl winners reveals you need a good pass rush if you want to win a championship. With the understanding that there are several different ways to judge a successful pass rush -- including superior team defense and quarterback hits -- here’s a look at the sack totals for the last 10 teams that won a Super Bowl title, where they ranked that season and the individual team leaders that year:

2011, Giants: 48 sacks, tied for third. (Jason Pierre-Paul, 16.5 sacks)

2010, Packers: 47 sacks, tied for second. (Clay Matthews, 13.5 sacks)

2009, Saints: 35 sacks, tied for 13th. (Will Smith, 13 sacks)

2008, Steelers: 51 sacks, second. (James Harrison, 16 sacks)

2007, Giants: 53 sacks, first. (Osi Umenyiora, 13 sacks)

2006, Colts: 25 sacks, 30th. (Robert Mathis, 9.5 sacks)

2005, Steelers: 47 sacks, tied for third. (Joey Porter, 10.5 sacks)

2004, Patriots: 45 sacks, tied for third. (Willie McGinest, 9.5 sacks)

2003, Patriots: 41 sacks, sixth. (Mike Vrabel, 9.5 sacks)

2002: Buccaneers: 43 sacks, tied for sixth. (Simeon Rice, 15.5)

Of the last 10 teams to win Super Bowls, eight of them finished in the top eight in total sacks. The interesting statistical anomaly is the 2006 Colts, who bucked all sorts of numerical trends on the way to the title -- they were not only one of the worst teams in the league when it came to sacking opposing quarterbacks, they were also last in the league when it came to defending the run, allowing a mind-bending 173 rushing yards per game. As for the 2009 Saints, let’s call them the exception to the rule. (However, there’s no denying they went hard after quarterbacks -- just ask Brett Favre and Kurt Warner, who may have been apparent victims of the New Orleans bounty system.)

With all this in mind, it’s no surprise that when you look at the teams remaining this year, the league’s elite franchises put a priority on getting after the quarterback. Of the 12 teams that advanced to the postseason, eight of them are in the top 17. Denver is best in the league when it comes to sacks (52 as a team, led by Von Miller’s 18.5). They’re followed by Cincinnati (third with 51); Green Bay (fourth with 47); Minnesota and Houston (tied for fifth with 44 each); San Francisco (tied for 11th with 38) and New England and Baltimore (tied for 15th with 37 each).

That brings us to the Patriots. In 2011, sparked by veterans Andre Carter and Mark Anderson, the Patriots had 88 quarterback hits and 40 sacks, which was good for 14th in the league. When Carter went down with a quad injury late in the season, Anderson was able to provide a spark that helped the New England defense reach the Super Bowl. (Carter and Anderson finished with 10 sacks each, but both failed to return for the 2012 season.)

This past season, it was defensive end Chandler Jones and edge rusher Rob Ninkovich who provided the bulk of the pass rush duties for the Patriots. After a slow start, Ninkovich had 12 quarterback hits and 8.5 sacks (for 51 yards), while Jones finished with 10 quarterback hits and 6 sacks (for 33 yards) as a rookie defensive end. With a late-season push from rookies Dont’a Hightower (nine quarterback hits and four sacks) and Justin Francis (seven quarterback hits and three sacks), the Patriots finished with 67 quarterback hits (tied for 20th in the league) and 37 sacks as a team (tied for 15th in the league).

Going into the postseason, however, there are questions about both Jones and Ninkovich. The former had an excellent start -- there was serious talk about him being a candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year -- but his numbers fell off dramatically after a November ankle injury. (According to official NFL gamebooks, Jones has just one quarterback hit since the end of October.) As for Ninkovich, he finished strong, surging past Jones for the team lead in quarterback hits and sacks down the stretch, but he suffered a hip injury in the regular-season finale against the Dolphins. (He’s expected back for the divisional playoff round.)

Regardless of what happens to Jones and Ninkovich and despite the fact that they are middle of the pack when it comes to sacks, the Patriots could take heart in the blueprint created by the 2009 Saints. Like this New England team, that New Orleans defense didn’t have a lead pass rusher who would be considered consistently among the league’s elite (Will Smith led the team with 13 sacks), but the team was one of the best in the league at takeaways and giving its offense a short field -- it was second in the league in takeaways with 39, trailing only the Packers, who finished the year with 40. It’s clear this New England team has the same ability: The Patriots had 41 takeaways on the regular season, and have the capability to continue that practice this postseason. 

Still, the effect that a nasty, physical pass rush can have on an elite quarterback is difficult to overlook. Even without generating a ton of sacks, we saw that with the Saints in 2009, who won the Super Bowl despite a mediocre pass rush. And while the Patriots were minutes from winning two Super Bowls in the previous five seasons, there’s a reason why they fell both times to teams capable of delivering one bone-crushing hit after another on Tom Brady.