The Mother Lode on the NFL: Patriot Games

What's going on in the NFL? Have the commentators lost it? I know the New England Patriots haven't. They are 12-0. Yet, lately all I hear about is how the Patriots are being "broken down" and the other teams have finally found "the way" to beat the Patriots. But has that happened? No. So what's the deal? The Patriots have won all of their games. Maybe the reality is that the Patriots are finally playing teams that want to win. Frankly, all of this talk about the Patriots being "broken down" leads me to question, did people actually believe other teams were not capable of beating the Patriots?

Okay, I know the Philadelphia Eagles and the Baltimore Ravens have had less than mediocre seasons, but they are the only two teams in the NFL (that have played the Patriots) that have stayed within a field goal when losing to the Patriots (remember the Indianaplois Colts lost by 4.) The question I have, is did they come so close because they figured out the "secret to stopping the Patriots" or because they are capable of playing good football?

I believe all of the teams in the NFL, minus one or two, are capable of winning at any given time. As fans and viewers, we witness this week after week. The spreads are out there. There are teams that "should win" and don't. In fact, sometimes its the underdogs that have the blowout victory of the week. Reviewing last week's games, the Miami Dolphins were favored by a slight margin over the New York Jets. But who won? The Jets won 40-13. A twenty-seven point margin. Was that inconceivable? Were people shocked? Miami stinks. How about the Oakland Raiders and the Denver Broncos? Denver was favored, but Oakland won 34-20. This happens. Teams that aren't favored to win, do, making the spreads seem insignificant.

Sure, the Patriots came out strong early in the season. They had some huge wins, but realistically do teams often win by twenty to thirty points week after week? I suppose only if they are playing teams like the 2007 Miami Dolphins. (Oops, I didn't say that!) The twenty point spreads in favor of the Patriots have become insurmountable. Case in point, they were favored by 20-22 points over the Eagles and the Ravens and only managed to win by three. Is this because New England fell apart? No. They played against two teams who played like they wanted to win. In fact, if I were an Eagle or a Raven, I would have been pissed that my team was the underdog by twenty points. If those spreads weren't a slap in the face and motivation to play tough football, I don't know what would be?

Its a given, the Baltimore Ravens are notoriously known for their crappy offense, but they are also known to have one of the best defenses in the NFL. That is how they ended last season with a record of 13-3. So, why is it suddenly so inconceivable that a team with their great defense would not be able to contain the New England Patriots? And can't people remember, especially the commentators, that teams play harder near the end of the season. Even the teams with losing records like to take away playoff hopes for the teams that have a shot at making it. Here's how I see it, the Ravens and the Eagles didn't somehow unlock the "secret to stopping the Patriots" they just went out in did what they were capable of all along, playing good football.