For Christian Barmore, Christmas came a day early. The New England Patriots defensive tackle, who has played some magnificent football so far this season, delivered a career performance on Sunday night against the Denver Broncos.
Barmore, who had entered the game with a team-leading 5.5 sacks to his name, took Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson down three times. It was the most sacks the 24-year-old has had, ever.
Most importantly, Barmore’s performance helped the Patriots contain the ever-elusive Wilson and slow down Denver’s offense enough to secure a victory. Led by the behemoth defensive lineman, New England celebrated a 26-23 win on Christmas Eve.