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If you were extra exuberant over a Cincinnati Bengals win on Monday night, you certainly had good reason.
As most of you know by now, the Patriots have clinched the top playoff seed in the AFC for the 2014 playoffs. The road to Super Bowl XLIX runs down the Boston Post Road for the fifth time in Patriot history. And if past history holds true when this happens, chances are pretty good that your home town boys will be making a trip to greater Phoenix towards the end of next month.
The Patriots have been the one seed in 2003, 2007, 2010, 2011 and now 2014. In three of the previous four seasons of being the top seed, the Patriots have advanced to the Super Bowl. Their only win came in Super Bowl XXXVIII against Carolina. The other two Super Bowl appearances both resulted in losses to the New York Giants.
Here is a closer look at the other four seasons where the Patriots were able to secure the top playoff seed in the conference.
 Bill Belichick's Patriots are the top playoff seed for the fifth time in team history, clinching the top seed Monday night. (USA TODAY Images) |
The Super Bowl was one of the best in history, as both New England and Carolina combined for five touchdowns and a field goal in the fourth quarter. Vinatieri nailed a 41-yard field goal with three seconds left to give the Patriots a 32-29 win and their second Vince in three seasons. Historians debate whether this team or the one the following season was the finest in team history.
2007 saw the Patriots finish the regular season at 16-0, still the only team in NFL history to do so. Some of the wins were jaw-dropping. Both Tom Brady and Randy Moss set NFL records for touchdown passes and touchdown receptions. A late November Sunday night home win over Philadelphia was nearly a loss, and the late Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson showed the league how to attack the Patriots.
The playoff games were all difficult. Jacksonville came to town and lost, 31-20 in a game that was much closer than the final score indicated. In the AFC Championship Game, the Patriots beat San Diego 21-12 despite no LaDainian Tomlinson and severe injuries to Phillip Rivers and Antonio Gates. The Super Bowl against the Giants (at Glendale, Arizona, like Super Bowl XLIX) was a brutal struggle, but a miracle catch by David Tyree, a missed interception by Asante Samuel and an injured Ellis Hobbs getting burned for the final touchdown added up to a 17-14 loss to the Giants and an excruciating 18-1 final record for the season.
If the offensive line doesn't fix what almost lost them the game this past Sunday against the Jets, you will see a repeat of 2010. The top seeded Patriots were the shocked victims of the Jets, and the most unlikely one and done of all time happened. Mark Sanchez threw three touchdown passes, and the Patriots never recovered from an early Brady interception. The final score was 28-21 Jets, who lost the conference championship the following week to Pittsburgh, who lost the Super Bowl to Green Bay. 2010 remains the only season in Patriot history where they were the top seed but did not make it to the Super Bowl.
A year later, the Patriots were once again seeded tops in the conference. The Patriots took apart Tim Tebow and sent the Denver Broncos home with their tails between their legs, 45-10. The conference championship against Baltimore was another story. The Ravens, who hate the Patriots more than any other species on the planet, battled the Patriots in a death struggle. It unfortunately (for football purists, not for Patriot fans) came down to a missed field goal by Billy Cundiff which gave the Patriots a 23-20 win and a trip to Indianapolis for Super Bowl XLVI.
This game offered a rematch with the Giants, with Eli Manning playing in his brother's new crib. Again, the Giants were the more inspired and the more physical team. And again, it took a miracle catch, this time by Mario Manningham, but this also featured a now legendary key dropped pass by Wes Welker, and a dropped Hail Mary by Rob Gronkowski on the final play to give the Giants a 21-17 win.
While it is now much easier for the Patriots to get to the Super Bowl, it guarantees nothing. As previously stated, any team could come in and do what the Jets did four seasons ago. Between Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Denver and either San Diego or Kansas City, any of these teams could come in and knock off the Patriots. Only Pittsburgh would not foster a rematch, and only Kansas City would give the Patriots the revenge factor. Give the Patriots credit for being 4-1 against these teams, but the playoffs are a different story.
With literally two weeks to get ready, Bill Belichick will know exactly what to do and how to do it. Belichick cannot afford to get starters hurt in the meaningless finale on Sunday against Buffalo. But he can use the game as a playoff tune-up. The two biggest drawbacks from having the bye week is that you run the risk of getting rusty after the week off, and you don't know your opponent for at least a week. But you take the week off whenever you can get it, and playoff home games are among the most precious commodities in pro sports.
Most every Patriot fan who watched Cincinnati's win Monday night over Denver had to be elated. Being the one seed is fantastic for the Patriots, and a week early at that.
Having the home games is wonderful. But the Patriots still need to win them.
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