Why The AFC Is Still The Patriots’ Conference To Lose

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NFL

The New England Patriots Are Still Kings Of The AFC

The New England Patriots have won the AFC East every year since 2003 with the exception of 2008. They have won the AFC seven times since 2003, and three times in the last four years. Since 2001, the Patriots have taken home the Vince Lombardi Trophy five times. This level of dominance throughout two decades is unmatched by any other sports franchise in history.

The Patriots have greater odds of making it to the Super Bowl than some teams have of making it into the playoffs. However, every year seems to be dubbed “the downfall” season. While talking heads drum up ideas for why the Patriots won’t reclaim their thrones atop the AFC, the personnel in Foxborough continue doing what they’ve been doing for almost two decades now, working and winning.

The Patriots’ First Six Weeks

New England was handed its first two losses of the season after Week 3 pushing them to the bottom of the AFC East for a time. After beating the Houston Texans 27-20 in Week 1, the Patriots lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2, 31-20 in an AFC Championship rematch. Their second loss came the following week to the Detroit Lions. The 26-10 loss to Detroit prompted a media firestorm. Was the Patriots’ season on the brink? No.

The Patriots have not lost since Week 3. They’ve beaten the Miami Dolphins 38-7, the Indianapolis Colts 38-24, and now the Kansas City Chiefs 43-40. The Patriots this season are fourth in points per game, 13th in yards per game, and 18th in yards allowed per game. The Patriots are seeing weekly improvements, most notably with their offense.

Personel Problems And Roster Changes

The Patriots lost defensive coordinator Matt Patricia along with a handful of players after the 2018 Superbowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. New England came into Week 1 with one of the weakest wide receiver corps in the league. WRs Brandin Cooks and Danny Amendola were both gone, and Julian Edelman was on a four-week suspension.

It wasn’t until Week 5 that Tom Brady had Julian Edelman back on the active roster along with new acquisition Josh Gordon healthy and in uniform. Not to mention, rookie running back Sony Michel able to take carries in the backfield. It’s probable that the Patriots could be 5-1 or 6-0 had their roster looked in Week 1 the way it looks now in Week 6.

Full Steam Ahead In Foxborough

The Man Wearing The Cut-Up Curtain

Bill Belichick understands that football is chess not checkers, maybe better than anyone in the NFL. Belichick, the head coach, and general manager of the Patriots became the winningest coach in NFL history with some of the most lackluster rosters; his current roster is better than some of his championship years.

Belichick avoids big trades, lucrative contracts, and loud personalities. Instead, New England’s front office has won championships in the draft and on the practice field.The Patriots are the least penalized team in the league for a reason.

The discipline in New England starts in the front office and trickles down to the locker room. With a Belichick led coaching staff and front office, any quirks with the Patriots will be figured out.

Tom Brady

After Sunday’s win, Tom Brady is now the first quarterback in NFL history to record 200 regular season wins. Brady, who is now in his 40’s, shows little signs of slowing down. Brady is completing over 67% of his passes and is averaging 266.5 passing yards a game.

These numbers will continue to climb now that he has several offensive weapons available around him. Numbers aside, some players possess the intangible traits that make them great. Number 12’s ability to put a winning drive together in the finals minutes of a game is just that.

Barring injury to the sure hall of fame quarterback, the Patriots’ offense will continue to dismantle defenses around the league regularly.

AFC Standings And Playoff Picture

The talk of the AFC is the Patrick Mahomes led Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs were undefeated up until Sunday Night’s game against New England. The Cincinnati Bengals are leading the AFC North and the Oakland Raiders are painfully underperforming.

Cleveland have a strong chance at winning the Wild Card all while the Jaguars are 3-3. It’s an odd time in the American League. The only constant is the Patriots near the top of the rankings.

The Patriots obviously need to get into the playoffs before they can win the AFC or be strong contenders for it. The Patriots will face little opposition within their division even with Miami performing the way they are.

New England beat the Dolphins 38-7 without Edelman or a fully healthy Gordon. While New England could suffer another loss within their division before season’s end, it is hard to imagine the Bills, Jets, or Dolphins ending the season with more division wins than Patriots.

Outside of the division, the Chiefs are the largest threat to the Patriots returning to AFC glory. The Steelers cannot be ruled out of the postseason however their current state makes them less potent of a threat than usual.

After Kansas City, it is a race of dark horses. The Bengals will likely fade out of the conversation as they’re set to face the Chiefs, Buccaneers, and Saints in the next weeks. The Baltimore Ravens don’t seem to have enough ways to win. Their mediocrity on offense won’t keep them alive in this conference for long.

The Texans have suffered from inconsistency by their own hand. Bortles’ turnover rate simply doesn’t allow Jacksonville to win games. Other than the Chiefs, the last real threat the Patriots have are the Los Angeles Chargers who aren’t known for finishing seasons strong.

Looking Forward

New England’s defense needs to get better. This current defensive squad is ranked 20th in the league. However, the Patriots won a Super Bowl in 2016 with a 25th ranked defense. In addition, if there was ever a coach to work out defensive hiccups, it would be Belichick. For now, there isn’t a great reason to worry about this side of the ball.

After the completion of Week 6, the Patriots will face the Bears, Bills, Packers, Titans, Jets, Vikings, and Dolphins before facing the Steelers in Week 14. Coming into the contest against Pittsburgh it is not unreasonable to assume the Patriots are 11-2 or 10-3 with a potential loss to the Vikings or Packers, both NFC teams.

The New England Patriots have won championships with less offensive weapons and tougher competition. With Tom Brady at the helm, the Patriots’ offense has WRs Julian Edelman, Josh Gordon, and Chris Hogan, RBs Sony Michel, and James White, and the powerhouse tight end Rob Gronkowski. As this still new roster begins to calibrate and synchronize with each other, they will only improve.

The Patriots are not definite AFC Champions, and the Kansas City Chiefs are certainly not to be discounted. It is a long season, and several teams have yet to make their case to represent the conference in the Super Bowl. However, as long as the Patriots stick to the Foxborough formula, they are not only contenders, they are kings until someone takes their crown.