New England Patriots

Tom Brady and the Patriots say good luck

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The New England Patriots are playing against themselves in a quest for another Super Bowl title.

New England is the best team in football. You don’t want to admit to yourself, but we all know the truth. The Patriots are going to go into the AFC playoffs with the top seed and have a great chance to represent the conference once more in the Super Bowl.

If you are keeping track, that would be the seventh time since Bill Belichick and Tom Brady showed up to New England back in 2000. This sustained run of excellence is continuing in 2016, with the Patriots now 4-1 after their clobbering of the Cleveland Browns, 33-13.

The idea that New England somehow is inferior to anybody in the league is only an illusion to keep us interested. This is a team that without Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski went 3-1 with all the ease in the world. With the two of them back, it’s almost like a big brother getting to put his little brother in a chokehold and then give him a noogie.

It’s hard to see the Patriots losing more than three games this season. If that happens, New England rolls into the postseason with Gillette Stadium as the morbid backdrop for opponents.

While we are still in Week 5 of the season. Some will argue that’s all of this talk is simply rhetoric and premature. The Patriots could suffer a litany of injuries or simply begin to fall apart down the stretch. They would not be the first team to have it happen, and certainly won’t be the last.

The other problem with an argument of a Super Bowl not featuring New England is the rest of the AFC. The Eastern Division has no real competition, and outside of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the North looks weaker than it has been in a decade. The entire South is a dumpster fire. The AFC West has a trio of good teams, but does anybody really see the Kansas City Chiefs or Oakland Raiders beating the Patriots in Foxborough? Maybe the Denver Broncos can do it, but they would need to win with Trevor Siemian or Paxton Lynch. Lots of luck, Denver.

Some can’t stand the Patriots, reasoning they are cheaters and frauds. Some of that may be true, but here is what certainly is true. New England is a great, great team. The Patriots are better than your team, and they are one of the greatest groups of all-time.

Should Belichick and Brady win again, the argument that they are not the greatest at their respective posts is paper thin. Brady would have five championships, the first quarterback to establish that feat since Bart Starr. Belichick’s five rings would be more than anybody since Starr’s coach, Vince Lombardi.

Hate them, love them, respect them. The Patriots are historic.

Power rankings

Top 10 coaches on the hot seat

1. Mike McCoy, San Diego Chargers
2. John Fox, Chicago Bears
3. Jeff Fisher, Los Angeles Rams
4. Gus Bradley, Jacksonville Jaguars
5. Chuck Pagano, Indianapolis Colts
6. Todd Bowles, New York Jets
7. Jim Caldwell, Detroit Lions
8. Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints
9. Ben McAdoo, New York Giants
10. Hue Jackson, Cleveland Browns (it’s Jimmy Haslam…)

Quotable

“Tony is our No. 1 quarterback.”

– Jerry Jones, Dallas Cowboys owner, after beating the Bengals.

It’s going to be tough pulling Dak Prescott out if the Cowboys keep winning. Romo is the better player, but Prescott is the future and he’s growing together with Ezekiel Elliott. If the Cowboys can find a way to go into Lambeau Field and beat the Green Bay Packers this weekend, the conversation will really heat up.

Random stat

The Chiefs and Raiders have one of the best rivalries in pro football historically, especially in the days of the old AFL. The two teams will square off on Sunday in the Oakland Coliseum. Going into the game, Kansas City leads the all-time series 60-52-2.

Info we learned

1. Dolphins, 49ers will compete for top pick

The San Francisco 49ers caught the Arizona Cardinals at the right time. It was a short week, at home, and with Drew Stanton under center. It didn’t matter. The 49ers still started Blaine Gabbert, and eventually lost. At 1-4, this is a dead team walking and virtually guaranteed a top-three pick.

Not to be outdone were the Miami Dolphins. Everyone assumed that Miami would improve offensively when Adam Gase was hired away from the Chicago Bears, but that has proved incorrect. The Dolphins are a complete mess on both sides of the ball, getting waxed by the Tennessee Titans at home on Sunday.

2. Bills making strong push after horrid start

Buffalo looked dead on arrival after losses to the New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens in the season’s first two weeks, but fortunes have turned. The Bills have an impressive string of three straight wins against the Cardinals, Patriots and Rams.

I called for Rex Ryan’s professional head in this space a few weeks ago, but give credit where it’s due. The Bills are playing winning football and have two very winnable games ahead with the Dolphins and Titans. Buffalo could be 5-2 and making noise in the AFC playoff picture.

3. Falcons are ready for primetime

The Atlanta Falcons earned their stripes on Sunday with a convincing win over the Denver Broncos in the Rocky Mountains. Denver went into the game undefeated, and despite blanketing Julio Jones the whole game, Atlanta rolled to a 23-16 victory.

While the Carolina Panthers remain the favorites in the NFC South for now, that hold is mighty tenuous. Even with Paxton Lynch, Denver is a good team and a great one at home. The Falcons took them apart. This team has to be a favorite in the NFC.

4. Texans are faux contenders; Vikings are not

Minnesota continues to make loud statements, beating another team with a winning record. The Vikings have won all five of their contests, and each time have beaten a team either at 0-0 or above .500. On Sunday, the outcome was never in doubt.

Houston is showing two things. One, the offensive additions of Lamar Miller and Brock Osweiler are not paying off, especially in the latter. Two, the coaching has to be called into question. Despite some major talent, the Texans look like a team that can win a weak division (again), and get blown out by a real playoff team (again).

5. Elimination game in NFC South

Yes, it’s time to go that far. Whoever loses on Monday night between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers is likely done in the playoff chase. The Wild Card spots are likely to be taken by the other divisions, and the loser here is three games behind the Falcons.

Carolina would have the better chance of clawing back, but this is a team with real problems. If the Panthers can’t get healthy and fix the secondary, turn out the lights.

History lesson

Since becoming an entity, the AFC North has been won each year by the Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers or Baltimore Ravens. The last team to win the old AFC Central other than those three? The Tennessee Titans in 2000.

Parting shot

The NFC East was supposed to be terrible, but it’s anything but. The Philadelphia Eagles may have picked up their first loss on Sunday, but Carson Wentz and his team are for real. Wentz continues to impress, despite a last-second interception in Detroit.

Of all the teams, the Dallas Cowboys are the most impressive. At 4-1, there is real reason for talk of a contender in Big D. Prescott is yet to turn the ball over and has the NFL’s leading rusher behind him in Ezekiel Elliott. Dallas is not going away.

Finally, the Washington Redskins earned a big win over the Baltimore Ravens on the road. Washington looked ready for its autopsy after two games before turning the corner and nabbing three consecutive victories.

This race should be very intriguing as the leaves fall.