You may hate the Patriots, but you can’t deny that they are a compelling story
The New England Patriots sit alone at the top of the AFC standings with a 9–4 record after Monday night’s win against their division rivals, the Buffalo Bills. It was snowy conditions, with insane winds, which made for a very boring style of game. The Patriots only completed two passes for 19 yards. But, a Bill Belichick team knows how to grind one out, and they did at that — winning the game 14–10.
The Mac Jones storyline is a fascinating one. Jones was a quarterback that many wanted to stay away from. Not only was he arrested for a DUI back in 2017, but he also came from Alabama — a great college team that has had a poor history of quarterbacks transitioning into the NFL.
Mac Jones was the fifth quarterback taken in the 2021 NFL Draft. Yet, he has surpassed the four before him a while ago now. He may not have the most talent or the most athleticism — but he clearly fits the Patriots team well. Bill Belichick clearly saw something in him.
Jones took the job from Cam Newton in the preseason, and he’s been their starter ever since.
New England started the season 1–3, and many thought that this would be a long process to get Mac Jones and the rest of the team back to the winning ways that Bill Belichick has become accustomed to.
Yet, here they are atop the AFC after losing only one game since the 1–3 start. If the season ended today, the Patriots would have a home-field advantage and would have a first-round bye week.
They have four games remaining, which three of the four will be a huge test for them. Next week, they play the Colts, who have been playing pretty good football lately, and they’re fighting for a playoff spot. Then they play the Bills, Jaguars, and Dolphins. Jaguars should be an easy victory for the Patriots. The Bills and Dolphins will put up a fight and will really prep the Pats for the playoffs.
Many people celebrated the supposed demise of the Patriots once Tom Brady left them last season. They finished 7–9 in 2020. Not terrible, but they missed the playoffs and Cam Newton didn’t look like a long-term solution for the Patriots.
It was joyful for most fans of football throughout America. There was Patriot fatigue in a lot of people. The same thing happened when the Warriors kept winning in the NBA. It went from a beloved team and story to a team disliked by the majority of fans — merely because they were sick of seeing them in the NBA Finals year after year.
So, to have the Patriots back to their winning ways may irk a lot of fans. But it’s intriguing. There’s no denying that. Bill Belichick has made Mac Jones look like a young Tom Brady 2.0.
It’s a very familiar feeling in the New England area. This situation was similar to 2001. No one thought they had a chance with a guy named Tom Brady coming off the bench and leading the team to a Super Bowl victory.
Brady came in for an injured vet, Drew Bledsoe, in week 2. Mac Jones has started every game thus far. Not exactly identical, but it has the feeling of a magical season.
Especially when you look at the rest of the AFC. Who’s the favorite to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl? Tennessee, Baltimore, and Kansas City all have an 8–4 record.
Tennessee doesn’t look like a real threat — not unless Derrick Henry can come back healthy for the playoffs. Baltimore has been sneaking by a lot of teams. Lamar Jackson also has yet to come up big in the playoffs. Kansas City would be the obvious choice, yet Patrick Mahomes still doesn’t look right. If he had to go to Foxborough in January, I would bet on Belichick and the Patriots.
It would be a remarkable feat if Belichick did it twice in his career with a rookie quarterback (Brady wasn’t technically a rookie, but still).
There’s still a lot of football left to be played, though. Perhaps we’ll get Brady vs Belichick in the Super Bowl? Now that would be a story.
