We've seen it week in and week out. We've seen it year after year. We've seen it season after season. The Patriots are just unstoppable. There's no disputing it. Tom Brady is still the best quarterback in the NFL. Bill Belichick is still the best coach in the NFL.
And the Patriots are still the best team. For the seventh straight week, the Patriots captured a win. This week over division rival Miami by a score of 35-17. Brady wasn't spectacular (by his standards), completing 18 of his 28 attempts for 227 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. Next on the schedule for the Patriots is their annual trip to Buffalo for a matchup with the Bills, who come limping into this game with a record of 6-5, and losing three of their last four, allowing 30+ points in each of those losses. With 5 of the last 6 games for the Pats all within the division, we pose this question: can anyone realistically take down New England? Well, the simple answer would be no. But, in the interest of fairness, we'll take a look at each team that's currently in the playoffs if the season were to end today and how they stack up against the defending champs. #6 seed: Baltimore Ravens (6-5) Baltimore is a team that's no stranger to playoff battles in Foxboro. Tom Brady has an all-time record of 6-1 against Baltimore, most recently defeating them in the 2014 Divisional round of the playoffs, a year in which the Pats went on to win their fourth Super Bowl championship. This year, the Ravens are considered somewhat of a dark horse to some. They picked up a gutsy win last night over the Texans 23-16 on Monday Night Football last night. Their defense has been, quietly, very good, as they are ranked 7th in the NFL in total defense. But, at the end of the day, the Ravens don't stand a chance. Why? The Patriots have Tom Brady. He's been in this spot enough times, with enough experience to know how to win against certain teams. That's just how it is. Brady and the Patriots just have Baltimore's number. #5 seed: Jacksonville Jaguars (7-4) This is a game nobody should take lightly. Jacksonville is ranked 1st in the NFL in total defense, and that is how they win games, with their defense. That's also how you beat the Patriots. To beat the Patriots, you have to rough up Tom Brady, make him uncomfortable in the pocket, and force him into bad decisions. Jacksonville won't outscore New England, but, if they can keep Brady off the field for long enough, and wear down the Patriots injury-riddled defense, Jacksonville might have enough to pull out this monumental upset. Might. But they won't. Again, Tom Brady in the playoffs is just a different animal. Much like LeBron James in the NBA and Madison Bumgarner in the MLB, you just can't stop them. No way does Brady lose to a young, inexperienced playoff team like Jacksonville. We aren't saying the Jags couldn't make a game out of it, but we aren't saying they would either. #4 seed: Kansas City Chiefs (6-5) Remember back to week one of the season when Kansas City came into Foxboro and stomped all over the Patriots and looked like instant Super Bowl favorites? We certainly do. Alex Smith was receiving MVP type praise, Andy Reid was getting coach of the year picks from the media. Boy, times sure have changed. Since that game, the Patriots are 9-1, and the Chiefs are 5-5. Huh. They're on a three game losing streak, even losing to the lowly 2-9 Giants. That should tell you all you need to know about Kansas City. They're a mess, and a team spiraling out of control. No match for a powerhouse like New England. #3 seed: Tennessee Titans (7-4) Before you feed into the Marcus Mariota hype, the Titans are NOT as good as their record shows. Yes, I know the saying "you are what your record says you are", I agree with that statement in every case. Except this one. Out of the games the Titans have won, just two of them are teams that have a chance at locking up a playoff spot (Jaguars and Seattle). The games they've lost however, have been to non-playoff teams (Oakland, Houston, Dolphins) with the exception of the Steelers which was a blowout 40-17 thumping. So, the Titans are not as good as their record shows, and they can not compete with New England. #1 Pittsburgh Steelers (9-2) *virtual tie with New England This is the big one. The one that concerns me. Pittsburgh's offense is extremely high powered, as is New England's and this game, if it does happen in the playoffs, is likely to be a back and forth shootout, and could come down to who has the ball last. Now, who would you take in a drive with 2 minutes to go and you have to have a touchdown to go to the Super Bowl? Tom Brady or Ben Roethlisberger? Hmm. Let me think about that one. Obviously, Brady is the answer. The man has conducted a ridiculous 52 game winning drives in his career, including 7 in the playoffs and one in each Super Bowl he's won. However, as much as this potential playoff matchup concerns me, there is one thing that showed me why the Patriots should still be able to handle the Steelers. This past Sunday night when the Steelers took on the Packers, they struggled into the fourth quarter, and needed a four touchdown performance from Big Ben to be able to come out with a win. You only get so many mistakes against Tom Brady before he makes you pay. Week 15 should be fun. There aren't many teams that can match up with New England. Maybe on paper, but not on the field. The Patriots have been on another level for the nearly a decade, and I don't see it slowing down this year. Prediction: Patriots win AFC Championship.
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