It’s Super Bowl Or Bust For New England Patriots Going Forward
Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
Following a dominant performance by the New England Patriots over Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos, the question being posed is whether or not the Patriots can win another Super Bowl. The short answer is yes, but will this be the reality come February?
I still stand by my offseason prediction that the Patriots will finish 13-3 on the season and represent the AFC in the Super Bowl, but a month ago, the Patriots potentially missing the playoffs was not far from anyone’s mind. Now, as the Patriots sit atop the AFC and are arguably the best team in the NFL, the only option for New England is to make it back to another Super Bowl — and win.
Despite their convincing win over the Broncos, the Patriots still must fear Denver the most moving forward, especially when comparing their mid-season schedules. The Patriots will face the Indianapolis Colts, Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions in the weeks ahead — three tough teams that will not be easily defeated. Conversely, the Broncos face the Oakland Raiders, St. Louis Rams and Miami Dolphins. The mismatched schedules give Denver the opportunity to regain the No. 1 seed in the AFC if the Patriots can’t win at least two of these three games.
New England will likely have to go through Denver in order to make it to another Super Bowl, so every game moving forward counts. Even if the two end the regular season with identical records, the Patriots will win the tiebreaker with yesterday’s win, meaning home field advantage if and when the two meet again. Consistency has been a problem for the Patriots in the past few seasons, but if they can keep playing the way they are as of now, there is no doubt that New England will make it back to the Super Bowl.
Kayleigh Hagenbuch is a New England Patriots writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow her on Twitter, “Like” her on Facebook or add her to your network on Google.
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