We hear this every season around this time of year. It’s a holiday tradition I’ve grown to love. Let the haters talk; we’ll be coming!
They said that Tom Brady is slowly falling off a cliff; we hear it loud and clear. They complain about how badly our offense had played since Halloween; they’re working hard on it. They say the defense cannot compete against the “elite” offenses of the Ravens and Chiefs; they might have won those battles, but the war is just beginning.
Loyal Patriots fans have faith, as this team can and will block out the noise. Belichick and Brady will be on the grind, as this is still the most feared team in the playoffs. Remember when this talk happened last year with their 11-5 record? Most franchises would be looking great with an 11-5 record. They are 10-3 with the Bengals, Bills, and Dolphins at the end of their schedule; those are tune-up games. Sure, the Buffalo Bills have a great defense and a good quarterback in Josh Allen, but that team is a wild card team at best.
The Ravens and Chiefs will need some well-due adjustments from now until the playoffs. Opposing teams have seen their formations and schemes, and while they are both amazingly-talented squads, neither have the 20 years of experience that Brady does.
After their loss to Kansas City, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said, “Those guys went and battled for 60 minutes.” He hinted later at “circumstances” around the game that he wouldn’t address further. “It wasn’t always perfect. There were certainly things we could have done better. But we were competitive right down to the final play, and that’ll serve us well going forward.”
He has a point. The team didn’t play a great game, but take away the referees’ mistakes for just a second, and they went toe-to-toe with the Chiefs and almost won that game.
So, until the reign is actually over, we will see who has the last laugh in the playoffs. See you there.
