By Chad GarnerFan Fanatic Sports Staff
Nobody asks how you won, they ask if you won.
The only thing that matters is picking up victories, so even though the Patriots didn't play a solid game by any stretch of the imagination, the important thing is that they didn't get tagged with a loss.
Winning is so hard to come by in the NFL, but if anyone in Patriots Nation thinks this team is a shoe-in to go to the Super Bowl, they better not think that far ahead.
The Patriots had been on a great run with Tom Brady posting eye-popping numbers over the last month and the defense coming up with big plays, but last night's game against Green Bay had stinker written all over it.
Who thought this game was going to be a laugher because Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers was out with a concussion and little-known Matt Flynn was the starter?
Well, the Patriots sure made the inexperienced quarterback look good, which they do from time to time (see Cleveland's Colt McCoy as an example).
Actually, just about everyone on the Packers looked good.
But the Patriots found a way to get the job done, even though the Pats should be thankful that Flynn completely blew it with his lack of clock management skills at the end when the Pack had a chance to win the ballgame.
We probably should have seen this coming, too, since the Pats have been decimated by injuries on the defensive line and the loss of inside linebacker Brandon Spikes gave the Packers a gigantic advantage in the running game.
But some old issues resurfaced -- not getting off the field on third down, the inability to stop the run or get pressure on the quarterback, and poor play-calling on offense -- which need to be corrected.
Give the Packers credit, however. They played good enough to win and probably should have, especially given the circumstances of having to start Flynn.
But the Pats proved again that they have that special something going on, with the ability to overcome adversity and produce when the game is on the line.
Those qualities can take you long way in the playoffs.
While it wasn't a vintage Patriots win, it was a victory nonetheless. It also gives Bill Belichick and his staff another reason to push the Pats even harder and demand excellence, knowing they simply aren't good enough to walk all over every opponent they face.
The Patriots are a darn good football team, obviously, but they are definitely beatable.
But it's a lot nicer to be able to correct mistakes when you're winning than if you were losing.
