I always thought it would be hard to top the fan experience I had in 2006 when I saw the Pats upset the Chargers in the playoffs from about 15 rows in back of the New England bench, but it might’ve just happened on Sunday.
First, a huge thank to NRG who gave us a ton of swag bags and two pairs of tickets to give away. Walking through the lots with my sister Mary, Nick “Fitzy” Stevens, George “the other guy in those funny videos” Kippenhan, and the one and only Jerry Thornton, handing out free stuff, making people’s day and meeting many passionate Patriots fans, it was just awesome.
The Pats could’ve gotten blown out and it still would’ve been a legendary day, but obviously the game ended up topping the pregame.
What more could you ask for out of a game? A blow out of a long-time rival and arguably the best team in the NFL (coming in), interceptions, a punt return TD, multiple fourth-down stops and a ridiculous catch by Gronk. The entire day could not have been scripted better.
I’m still in the afterglow two days later. Glad it’s the bye week so I can draw out breaking down the game without having to turn the page to the next opponent immediately.
Now as for the game, it’s always amazing to me the difference between watching the game on TV and in person. In person you can really see the matchups and strategy unfold a little clearer because you can focus on what you want, like when I saw Chung manned up on Julius Thomas and called the coming touchdown to my sister.
So now everyone comes running back to the Patriots band wagon. Tom Brady for MVP! Pats #1 in the Power Rankings! Yay!
Around here we’ll do our best to Ignore the Noise. The Patriots are good enough to win the Super Bowl, we are assured of that now. But can they put together three perfect games where they get the bounces needed to win the Super Bowl? That’s still a big question mark.
For now let’s just enjoy seeing the team once again overcome significant injuries and turnover and start to round in to shape.
How good are these Patriots really? Offensively, if they stay healthy, they’re just going to keep getting harder to stop. Could the offensive line regress for another game or two and some point? Certainly. And as long as they get that out of their system before the playoffs, the Pats should make another Lombardi run.
What we saw Sunday was a team that is completely tuned in and, for lack of a better phrase “in the zone”. Are the Patriots really that good? Probably not. The game unfolded almost perfectly for them. But they’re certainly not as bad as they looked against the Chiefs either.
So now what do we hope for during the bye week? First and foremost is a chance for all the little nagging dings to heal up. It will also be a chance for Akeem Ayers, Alan Branch and Tim Wright to get even more caught up on the playbook.
It will be a chance to step back schematically and see what’s working and what’s not as well.
I will say this though, this Patriots team is more well-rounded than the’ve been since 2007. They have size and speed and a secondary that can be difference-makers. If they can continue to compensate for the losses of Chandler and Mayo, they could be in position for a bye.
But make no mistake, there’s little margin for error and the schedule is unrelenting. The win over the Broncos was a nice feather in the cap, but the biggest challenges are still coming.
