Every team in the league has some sort of flaw, but the funny thing is, the Patriots probably have the least obvious flaw. NE's big advantage, at least to me, is experience and the fact that teams see that flying Elvis logo, with Brady and Belichick staring them down, they get nervous. I think that matters, the Patriots still scare people just from being the Patriots. If we stop the run, and move the ball fairly consistently, I see no reason why we can't get back to the Super Bowl, no matter who we play. We just have to play like we can. NE always shows up this time of year. It'll take an outstanding effort to defeat them, especially in Foxborough. Of those three teams, I'd probably welcome Baltimore the most, then Houston, then Los Angeles. Baltimore runs well, but I feel that with a rookie QB, their offense is a bit one-dimensional. Houston has looked good, but their O-line is porous and Watson will have to do it all himself. They can pressure Brady, but he's had pretty good luck against Houston over the years, especially at Gillette. The Chargers are a big ? for me. They have some nasty pass rushers and Rivers has some definite weapons out there, but they've never been able to put it all together. It'll be interesting to see what happens. But at home, I like our chances against anyone.
IF we get past the divisional round, there's a 50/50 chance we go to Arrowhead (I'm not convinced KC doesn't blow it in the divisional round, especially if they draw Indianapolis. But I think Baltimore and the Chargers can take them too.) I now we've been lackluster on the road this year, but the playoffs, to me at least, are a much different animal. KC will have all the pressure in the world on them this year. They would be FAVORED against any team they play, even the Patriots. For those comparing this year to 2013 or 2015 when we played Denver, this is very different. In 2013 we went into that game walking completely wounded, and Denver had that ridiculous offense and a pretty good defense too. In 2015, Brady had no offensive line and only Gronkowski to make plays...literally nothing else. That 2015 Broncos defense, along with the Legion of Boom, is the best defense the NFL has seen since the 2002 Bucs. They were an all-time unit that completely suffocated the 15-1 Panthers in the Super Bowl that year. We were a 2 pt conversion away from overtime against that 2015 Broncos team, with Brady, Gronk, a swiss cheese O-Line and literally nothing else. We have a decent shot at getting to another SB this year, play the way we can, solid Patriots complimentary football, and we can get to the big game for the 11th time
