It’s difficult to come up with words to describe not only the superlatives but also the range of emotions of New England Patriots fans who endured and ultimately celebrated with their team on Sunday in yet another come-from-behind victory. This one propelled the Pats to their unprecedented eighth trip to the Super Bowl during this Brady-Belichick-Kraft era.
But can you, we implore, make the next game a little easier on yourselves and on us?
Here in New England we loved it, of course. At least after the second Tom Brady to Danny Amendola - forget his “Dola” nickname, “Amen” is the better response to answered prayers – touchdown catch that provided the winning margin with just 2 minutes to go. The same for new cornerback Stephon Gilmore’s swatting away the desperation-but-on-target, fourth-down Jacksonville Jaguars pass that brought an emphatic end to a game in which it had appeared the underdog might defeat the Pats.
We’re sure the rest of the country is now rooting for the next underdog, the Philadelphia Eagles, when they meet on Sunday Feb. 4 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis for Super Bowl LII. It’s no surprise that our favorite football team’s winning ways over the years have turned it into Goliath punching out a series of Davids. That’s exactly how Sunday’s network broadcast opened. And who, except hometown fans, roots for Goliath?
Except the narrative of guaranteed victory is wrong.
The fourth quarter execution on a number of plays that changed the course of the game was the product of smart coaches and players, discipline, communication and execution by everyone gave the Patriots a chance to win. Talk of inevitability dismisses how hard it is to win at this level, and what it takes, including luck. Small differences by individuals at any time, and by either team could have changed the outcome.
There are no football gods to declare inevitable outcomes. It’s individual and team grit, playing together at the highest level for a full 60 minutes. And even then, sometimes you lose.
That the Patriots had a successful regular season and then won the AFC Championship game in a year in which they lost Julian Edelman, their best wide receiver, before the season even started, then lost Rob Gronkowski to a concussion in the first half of Sunday's game, is a testament to their coaches and players and "next man up" approach to playing.
Despite the closeness and miraculous outcomes of the last two Super Bowl victories and this past weekend’s escape, despite the injuries on both the offensive and defensive sides, we’ll still have to endure the David and Goliath comparisons over the next two weeks. And of course, the haters – and there are many – who will relitigate the Tuck Rule, Spygate and Deflategate.
Meanwhile we’ll enjoy the great good fortune of rooting for the best football team of the modern, free-agency era. And the boon of living in New England, where Duck Boat parades for all four of our major professional teams are as common as birthday celebrations.
Wait ‘til next year? Not a chance. This current season has one more game to go.