The Rise and Fall of the New England Patriots: Blame Belichick

I’m not sure the Patriots previous 18 wins this season actually served them as well as history and Bostonians might have liked.

Had they lost tonight with a regular season of, say, 14-2, as they had in 2004 when they won the Superbowl, I don’t think they infamy of their loss would be great. Or even noticed. And the Giants would still have had an upset by any sports writing standard.

Patriots-Dolphin Game Exposes New England’s Weaknesses

Final Score: New England: 49, Miami: 28.

Well, congrats to the New England Pats. Brady executed a near flawless game against a torn, deflated, and winless Miami secondary. Despite a few incomplete passes and nearly being sacked four times (only one of which was official), Brady got a perfect passer rating, mostly due to a whopping six touchdowns.

In fact, no one expected much less from New England and they performed as well as expected, if not better against the worst team in the NFL (Miami) - at least as far as the standings go.