These Patriots Look Primed to Complete the Journey

In the 10 seasons since the Patriots last won a championship, their combined regular season record is 118-36. They are 41-9 in October, 28-12 in November and 42-7 in December since 2003. They have been an absolute machine in devouring almost every team in their path en route to the playoffs and, more often than not, the AFC Championship Game.

But there’s been something missing from all of those double-digit win, AFC East-winning outfits. As they’ve won and won and won some more, each season they reach January (or February), something short circuits and they go home without a fourth Lombardi Trophy to add to the collection.

Usually, that breakdown comes on the offensive side of the ball, where an injury, a bad matchup, a lack of physicality or some combo of those factors derails the high-octane attack. And what’s left is a defense that lacks the right kind of makeup to stem the tide and win a lower scoring, grind of a game.

There’s a long way to go in this – the 10th anniversary year of the Pats’ third title in four years. Including Sunday’s visit from the Detroit Lions, there will be six more games in the regular season. But, while keeping that in mind and simultaneously attempting to stay as far away from trying to predict the future as possible, it’s tough to avoid thinking that this year’s team just feels different.

The reason why, of course, is the defense, which has been reinvented from back to front via the arrivals of Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner and the emergence of Dont’a Hightower and Jamie Collins. No less an authority on the subject as Ty Law, a player firmly in the running for greatest defensive player in franchise history, believes this is the best defense the Pats have featured since those glory days. So now, as the Pats win in ways we haven’t seen in years, it makes sense to not only hope they can do the same thing come playoff time, but actually believe it too.

Think about it. The Pats have been operating on defense as a bend but don’t break unit for a few years. From 2010 through 2013, they finished in the bottom third of the league in total yards allowed on D (second to last in 2011) but in the top half of the league in points allowed (top 10 in ’10 and ’12).

The import of Aqib Talib in the middle of the 2012 season was a tacit acknowledgement by Bill Belichick that a team with title aspirations couldn’t get there running guys like Antwaun Molden and Phillip Adams out there to play big roles in the secondary. And Talib did his part, bringing an element to the Pats’ defensive backfield not seen since Asante Samuel left following the 2007 season.

But as good as Talib was, he couldn’t stay on the field in the biggest games and that, combined with not enough depth on D in 2012 and too many other injuries (and not enough depth) in 2013, prevented the Pats from being able to get over that same hump that’s haunted them of late.

Talib left last spring but with that loss came a couple of wins which set the Patriots on their current course. As good as Talib both was and is, his replacement, Revis, is the best in the business. Together with Browner, who is big, tough and physical enough to cover tight ends, big receivers and even line up as glorified linebacker at times, some serious burden flew off the shoulders of guys like Kyle Arrington, Logan Ryan and even Devin McCourty.

Now, assuming the Pats can avoid the injury bug beyond having lost Jerod Mayo, Arrington can stick to what he does best (which is play the slot), Ryan can continue to develop as he navigates his second season as a pro and McCourty can oversee the whole operation from his free safety spot without having to bear too much extra responsibility.

Take all of this, mix it in with Hightower’s busting out and playing the best he’s played since being drafted in 2012, and Collins’ emergence as an athletic, open field presence who can hit, tackle, cover and rush the passer – what you get is this current, 2003/2004-esque group.

There’s cover guys, hard hitters, pass rushers, plenty of high football IQs and perhaps most important of all, depth that simply hasn’t been there the past few years thanks to several in-season acquisitions. Akeem Ayers, Jonathan Casillas and Alan Branch all showed up in October and all have already contributed. And all together, this group can morph from one style to the next with relative ease.

The Patriots are now stocked with a variety of players who can perform a variety of tasks and help the team win in a variety of different ways. The onus that’s been on the offense to score 30-plus points for years is gone. It feels like Tom Brady and friends can afford to have an off day, which in these parts means somewhere between, say, 17 and 24 points, and that will be just fine.

And don’t forget, Chandler Jones, only the team’s most dynamic, explosive pass rusher, will be back at some point. Belichick would have placed him on injured reserve by now if Jones wasn’t on schedule to return at some point. Since the defense has played so well since he went down, the team can afford not to rush him and let him heal completely.

Look, I’m not suggesting that if you squint really hard, you’ll see Law and Rodney Harrision and Tedy Bruschi and Mike Vrabel and Willie McGinest and Roman Phifer and Richard Seymour and Ty Warren out there. But really, when was the last time you felt this confident in a Patriots’ defense? Even in 2007, when they were a couple minutes and arguably the flukiest play in NFL history away from immortality, the defense was older and not necessarily 100 percent dependable. This one is better.

And that’s why this team, as a whole, feels different than the big winners who came up a little too small in the postseason over the past decade. That’s why this team is the most complete Patriots’ team since the last time they were champions.