DHL Dan CCLXXXVI - Lazy Narrative Established

Shank has the first of his Super Bowl columns out, and it covers some well trodden ground:

Patriots need to finish the job to avoid being called ‘lucky’ to get to the Super Bowl, and other thoughts

Picked-up pieces while still wondering if the Fortunate Sons of Mike Vrabel are truly great or just really lucky …

⋅ It’s a tired issue — ever a hot button — but won’t go away. New England is an underdog against Seattle in next Sunday’s Super Bowl, and if the Patriots are routed by the Seahawks (unlikely), this stuff will rear its head forever.

It happened once with our local football team. The 1985 Patriots came out of nowhere, ran the table on the road in the playoffs, winning at New York, Oakland, and Miami (gulp), then were destroyed in the Super Bowl by Mike Ditka and the Refrigerator Perry Bears, 46-10. Ouch.

Far be it from me to go all negative at a swell moment like this, but I’m a little worried as we head to Santa Clara, Calif., for Super Bowl week. The Patriots have been the real deal in these playoffs, and the Seahawks are not the ’85 Bears … but here’s hoping we don’t get a Boston belly flop at Levi Stadium next weekend.

If that happens, Patriot Haters Inc. and cynics (like me) no doubt will fall back on the lazy narrative that the 2025-26 Patriots were the product of good luck as much as anything.

I get the feeling the lucky label gets slapped on the Patriots, win or lose - they had a historically easy regular season schedule, few bad and serious long term injuries during the season to their own roster, then key and timely injuries to playoff opponent's players just before those games are played. Granted it's not the only factor involved (ace QB, solid coaching staff, ascendant defense, etc.), but the lucky factor is established fact by now.