Well I’m not one to predict Super Bowl championships, but I think there’s a lot of truth to your thoughts. It really is about getting hot right in the playoffs. Not even in November and December. January and February.
There’s no magical formula for putting together 3-4 games where you get all the breaks and make all the clutch plays. That’s what makes it so hard to predict, and whether you’re the first seed or the sixth seed, it doesn’t really matter.
I think the biggest hump to get over in winning the Super Bowl for the Patriots will be their defense. They need to take a step forward this year, and with all the high draft picks they have who are now entering their prime, it should be expected of them.
This core group on defense has had a few years together. They know the system. They’ve played on huge stages, in championship games. They have to start consistently controlling games. Dictating.
For too long they’ve been a group that no lead is safe with, especially in the fourth quarter and especially against the pass. There are no more excuses for them. They have a solid mix of all the necessary ingredients, and have shown flashes of being great, but they have been far too infrequent and woefully inconsistent.
If the defense elevates it will be an enormous help to the offense, who will be looking for a new identity this season. But as we all know, you don’t need the record-setting offenses of 2007, 2010 and 2012 to win the Super Bowl.
You need consistent solid play from your defense, and clutch play from the offense in January and February. Put those things together and I think the Patriots have as good a shot at another Lombardi as any team.