FOXBOROUGH — The Patriots lurched to a 34-16 victory over the Houston Texans Saturday night and next Sunday will play in their record sixth consecutive AFC Championship game. A home victory over the Chiefs or Steelers is all that stands in the way of the Pats making it to Super Bowl LI in Houston Feb. 5.Read on for a column chock full of Shankisms and the standard game recap.
Swell. But if Saturday’s game made you feel good about your team, you must be wearing Tom Brady’s Under Armour pajamas. Call it a warning shot or a wake-up call. The sloppy slugfest furnishes fodder for those who wonder if the 2016-17 Patriots — now 15-2 — are championship-driven, or merely fortunate sons of the AFC East, the softest schedule in the league, and the presence of the ever-beatable Texans.
Stolen from the comments is a new nickname - 'Tomato Can Dan'. It's catchy!
So Dan, tell us which quality opponents the Patriots didn't beat this season, and try to make a case why the fact of being a quality opponent is why the Patriots failed. And while you're at it Dan, tell us the Belichick era's record against quality opponents - my quick and dirty count lists 106-62.
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