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Good in-depth preview from Bill Barnwell, who sees Gronk as the biggest key of the game.

Enjoyed this piece from the always good Will Leitch – a big picture take on a team that really has been so fun to hate for so many ever since the tide started to turn against them after winning three of four Super Bowls.

I doubt many are coming back around to like the Pats again and that’s fine. How many teams in history have lost more big stage games than the Pats have? Some may hold this against them (“They haven’t won anything since Spygate”), but that leaves out the obvious fact that their sustained success is unprecedented. They have won something since Spygate – more games and division titles than anyone.

Just because they couldn’t finish it off and win that final game of the season doesn’t change the conversation.

The line between the Pats having won three Super Bowls and having won five is incredibly thin. Both Super Bowls were lost on the final defensive drive. They’re literally two defensive stops of Eli Manning away from five Super Bowl wins.

That’s not much consolation to Patriots fans, but someday in hindsight those Super Bowl and conference championship losses will be closer to feathers in the cap than they are now.

But who cares about the future. The Pats are one game away from going to going to their sixth Super Bowl and there’s still a couple seasons left before we can consider what the legacy of Belichick and Brady will really be.

In the meantime, another Super Bowl win will all but seal the greatest run of dominance the NFL has ever seen. It’s within reach right now.