The Patriots will find out if scheme trumps talent

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They were defeated again by the Giants in Super Bowl XLVI. During Belichick’s tenure with the team along with quarterback Tom Brady, the Patriots have also compiled the longest winning streak consisting of regular season and playoff games in NFL history, a 21-game streak from October 2003 to October 2004. The Patriots’ rivalry with the New York Jets is considered one of the most bitter rivalries in the NFL.

I say “some order” because I think you could make arguments for any of those five being the best of the bunch. If you would’ve asked me a few weeks ago, it would have definitely have been the Patriots in my eyes, but after losing Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski and Nate Solder this year, their offense has struggled a little bit to get to where they were. They’ve lost two in a row and face the reality of losing their third straight game for the first time since 2002 (which is totally ridiculous, by the way).

Do you see the Patriots having any trouble with the Texans this week? Until getting beaten by the Bills last weekend I would’ve thought that the Houston defense was the best in the NFL and they still may be, but their month-long run of complete dominance ended and they look human again. Do you think the Texans have a shot?

When the NFL and AFL merged in 1970, the Patriots were placed in the American Football Conference East (AFC East) division, where they still play today. The following year, the Patriots moved to a new stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, which would serve as their home for the next 30 years. As a result of the move, they announced they would change their name from the Boston Patriots to the Bay State Patriots. The name was rejected by the NFL and on March 22, 1971, the team officially announced they would change its geographic name to New England.

Stephen White: First, I do want to point out that the Chiefs are 5-0 over their last five games and the only other teams that can say the same are the Panthers and Cardinals, so considering how their season has gone I might actually put him in that top tier, as well, because it at least it appears that they are peaking at the right time. I think a lot hinges on how soon they get Justin Houston back, but Eric Berry, coming back from beating cancer (!), is playing out of his friggin’ mind right now, so I’m not really sure anybody wants to see them early on in the playoffs.

By Danny Kelly and Stephen White on Dec 12, 2015, 10:47a

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