Pigskin pundits and bobbleheads are once again dealing with the harsh reality of the Patriots once again in position to make a run at a Super Bowl championship. Reactions seem to range from "Is this the year the Chiefs don't choke in the playoffs?" to "Who's the better story; Pat Mahomes or Andrew Luck?" to "Would the Patriots in SB53 really be good for football?"
Patriots Fatigue. It's real.
As for those obvious questions:
We watch Andy Reid and the Chiefs like some people watching a NASCAR race; we're just waiting for the inevitable crash coming out of turn two. We're going to be surprised if the Chiefs win in the Divisional round, not the other way around.
As for narratives, every team in the NFL has a great storyline or two. The Patriots have plenty of Dynasty-fueled subplots (Are Belichick and Brady cool with each other?, "Tom Brady and the Cliff of Pigskin Doom," Diminished Gronk, Road Woes, Was the failed Josh Gordon Experiment a desperation move that proves Belichick knows this team doesn't have enough talent to win a championship?, Does Chris Hogan actually exist?, etc.). The Chiefs have the Caldecott Medal winner "Andy Reid Learns to Tell Time" and Pat Mahomes with the opportunity to cement his place in NFL history as his generation's Dan Marino by getting to and losing the Super Bowl after an electric sophomore season. The Ravens have "Lamar Alexander and The Offense Time Forgot." The Texans have Deshaun Watson's and J.J. Watt's comeback seasons; the Colts have "Andrew Luck and his Cybernetic Arm." And so on. We'll call this one a wash.
Would the Patriots in SB53 be good for football?
What does that even mean?
The Patriots would probably be good for ratings.
Nobody is indifferent to the Patriots. You love 'em or you hate 'em. You root for them to win or you root for them to lose. It doesn't help that the AFC bracket looks wide open. Despite the Chiefs dominant season finale, they looked vulnerable in December. Nobody trusts the Chargers and Philip Rivers in the playoffs. Who do you trust in the playoffs? Numbers: Tom Brady has played more than two full seasons worth of playoff games, with a 27-10 record. Philip Rivers is 4-5 in the playoffs. Andrew Luck is 3-3. Lamar Alexander is 0-0. DeShaun Watson is 0-0. Patrick Mahomes is 0-0.
Regardless of who New England could face in the Super Bowl (assuming they get there), there'd be plenty of juice…
Eagles - A rematch of SB52 with Nick Foles taking the Eagles all the way from the 6th seed to Atlanta and a chance to take down the Patriots in back-to-back Super Bowls? Who doesn't want to see that?
Saints - Brady. Brees. Every offensive record in Super Bowl history shattered. Let's do this!
Seahawks - The Pete Carroll Redemption Game. Or not.
Rams - The Team of the Future vs. The Team That Wouldn't Listen To History.
Cowboys - The Ultimate Hater Super Bowl. Any football fan outside of Texas and New England is guaranteed a team they hate will lose the Super Bowl.
Bears - Okay, nobody really wants this to happen.
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