Not really, obviously getting and staying healthy has been a big challenge this year, and Tom Brady’s protection has been inconsistent at times. However we did see some great pass rush against the Dolphins in the second half and they’ll need to keep that off to cover for deficiencies in the other two areas.
I’ve been getting a lot of “yeah the Pats are 6-2 but is this a team that can win the Super Bowl?” questions and here are my thoughts. Even this Patriots team isn’t going to get blown out by anyone and despite their losses to injury, I think this defense is playing as well as we’ve seen any Patriots defense play in a long time.
So in one game is there really any team in the AFC that the Patriots absolutely cannot beat? I don’t see one. They certainly wouldn’t be favored on the road against a few teams, but outside of Denver I’d feel fine going back into Cinci or even Indy.
Let’s remember the Giants won the Super Bowl after going 9-7 and having a lot of adversity and tough games throughout the season. The teams that learn how to win tough games and know how to bounce back are the ones that are toughest to beat.
I’m not going to say the Patriots’ offense looks anywhere close to unstoppable, but at 6-2, they have some freedom to keep working and don’t have to panic.
So is this a team that can win a Super Bowl? Sure. If they peak for those 3-4 games in January/February by playing clean football (avoiding turnovers and negative plays) and the breaks fall their way.
There’s still a lot of football to be played and time for more development and returns from injury. We don’t have to put the final verdict down on the 2013 Patriots yet, but I know for sure they’ll go down swinging whenever the time comes.