New England Patriots - "The Past is Now"

While it was a very nice outcome and a fun game to watch, it's certainly nothing to write home about. The Jets were a scrappy team with a lot of heart that clawed their way into the playoffs. I have a lot of respect for what they accomplished this year, but they were a team that the Patriots, as legitimate title contenders, should have beaten.But even though the outcome was predictable, what's worth noting is the way that the Patriots beat the Jets. I'm not talking about the three touchdown margin, because the game was much closer than the score suggests. The outcome was still very much up in the air mid-way through the fourth quarter. What I am alluding to is the number of small plays by the Patriots that had huge implications.

Tied 10-10 in the final seconds of the first half, and the Pats having been stuffed twice already, Tom Brady found Daniel Graham on 3rd and Goal to take a solid 7-point lead at halftime. And Asante Samuel also had a ridiculous turnaround pick late in the game to ice it. However, perhaps the most notable play was late in the third quarter when Roosevelt Colvin tipped a lateral pass by Chad Pennington. Everyone, thinking it was an incomplete pass and not a fumble, stood around until Vince Wilfork picked it up the ball and returned it for 31 yards.

You might look at some of those and and say they're a cheap play or a lucky break. And you'd be right. But in today's NFL with all it's parity, you can only get so far on talent alone. The teams that make those little plays to get that lucky break are the teams that ultimately win. And the Patriots have three Super Bowl titles to prove that nobody is better at earning those small advantages.

Early in the season, the Patriots struggled with making those small, yet game-altering plays. It was rare to see the team come up with a timely turnover on defense or a clutch offensive play on third down. Instead, New England was forced to win their games the hard way, by grinding it out and physically overcoming their opponents. They kept their drives alive by QB sneaking their way out of 4th downs and limiting their competition to field goals after giving up long drives.They finished with a solid 12-4 record, but for the most part, the Patriots weren't very convincing Super Bowl contenders during the first 80% of the season.

That all changed after their abysmal 21-0 shut-out at the hands of the Miami Dolphins. That embarrassment appeared to wake the sleeping giants. Since then, the Patriots dominated the Texans 40-7, followed that up with a clutch road win against the Jaguars, stormed into Tennessee and took down the Titans who had won six in a row, and notched their latest playoff victory over the Jets.

The Patriots recent story of starting the season with big question marks and non-cohesive play and ending the year on a nice tear where they appear to be more of a team every game, sounds vaguely familiar. And if you can take a look back through all the smoke and confetti of those three Super Bowl celebrations, I think you'll see that this 2006 New England Patriots team is eerily familiar to that "lightning in a bottle" squad of 2001. While it's true that those legendary Patriots were considered to be even bigger underdogs and featured a far less impressive group of stars, this year's team is definitely starting to get that "sneak up on everyone", "come out of nowhere" vibe. In many ways, the past is now. And that's a very, very good thing.

Just like that first Super Bowl team, everyone is looking past the Patriots. It's not even like previous years where they'd go 14-2 and be disrespected because everyone was hopping on the Peyton Manning bandwagon. Like 2001, this team is flying totally under the radar. Because they looked so unimpressive starting out, people have failed to take notice of the major change this squad has undergone in the past few weeks.

That's all very likely to change this Sunday when the Patriots roll into San Diego to take on the NFL's best. People will question how New England will stop the league MVP, just like they have every year. And just like they have every year, the Patriots will have an answer. It may not be a "tuck rule" or an Adam Vinatieri field goal, but mark my words, this Patriots team will do something small to move them one step closer to the big game.

Predictions:

NFC Playoffs:  

Divisional Round:

Saints over Eagles, Seahawks over Bears

NFC Championship:

Saints over Seahawks

AFC Playoffs:

Divisional Round:

Ravens over Colts, Patriots over Chargers

AFC Championship:

Ravens over Patriots

Toilet Bowl XLI:

Ravens over Saints