Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
No doubt the Patriots are legitimate Super Bowl contenders now. If you had any doubts before, after yesterday's victory over the Colts, you have to at least believe the Pats have a shot to play for another Vince Lombardi trophy.
Seriously, back-to-back games vs. Pittsburgh and Indianapolis and back-to-back wins? Trust in Belichick is back, but it's not like that's ever left this scribe.
The Patriots did exactly what I thought they'd do -- they made a real effort to pound the pigskin, which set up some great play-action looks by Tom Brady. The premier QB, who some had written off, simply doesn't miss open receivers.
And the added bonus that should have everyone gushing this morning is that the defense stepped up and created some crucial turnovers.
And it didn't get any bigger than James Sanders' game-sealing interception of Peyton Manning, who fired three INTs, on the final drive of the game. If Asante Samuel made the catch in the Super Bowl ... well, you get the point. Sanders actually made the big play when the game was on the line.
Just when we all were thinking the Pats were going to blow another lead to these scary Colts -- that's a darn good football team too, even with all those injuries -- the defense rises to the occasion.
These are the type of special ingredients that championship-type teams are made of. The biggest thing, however, is that this team is all about T-E-A-M, it's not about M-E. Doesn't it remind you of another former New England team that beat the Rams in the Super Bowl?
I'm not getting ahead of myself, but it's OK to have big goals. And I'm setting the bar real high on this team.
I know they have some weaknesses (I'd like to see the defense tighten up slightly with a better pass rush), but every team this year has issues.
They say chemistry goes a long way in determining the success of any team, and it's hard to argue that the Pats don't have a special type of mojo brewing. And that wasn't the case when Randy Moss was here (tears).
It always feels better when you're a contender and not a pretender.
