Earlier this season, the Patriots looked like anything but the team we have come to expect to represent the AFC East in the playoffs. The defense was an absolute mess, the offensive line was inconsistent, and Tom Brady looked, well, human. He was making mistakes in the pocket and New England was losing football games.
Back-to-back defeats at the hands of the Steelers and the Giants caused some consternation among the faithful but it didn't take long for the Pats to right the ship and get back to doing what they do down the stretch as they prepare for the postseason: winning football games.
After the November 6 loss to the Giants, the Patriots beat the Jets, Chiefs and Eagles to run their record to 8-3. To say that New England dismantled Philadelphia Sunday would be an understatement. They whipped the Eagles, a team in desperate need of a win, and they made it look easy in the process. That was the toughest remaining matchup on New England's schedule.
They face the Colts next week, then the Redskins, Broncos, Dolphins and Bills. The Pats lead the Jets in the division by two full games and there's virtually no chance that New York will overtake them.
By the way, if you didn't notice, Chad Ochocinco was inactive Sunday. Originally, he was thought to have a hamstring injury, but the Boston Globe's Greg Bedard writes that Ochocinco, who came into the game with 11 catches for the season, wasn't sidelined because of an injury.
"After making solid progress in previous weeks, Ochocinco really looked unprepared against the Chiefs and may now be in the doghouse after being a somewhat healthy scratch," Bedard wrote Sunday evening. "Figured Taylor Price would get a look, but Tiquan Underwood, who was just signed this week, played more and dropped a touchdown pass. It’s a joke what they’re getting out of that position."
Think about that for a second: Ochocinco, acquired prior to training camp for his ability to stretch the field, was scratched for a guy that's been on the team for less than a week. After Bill Belichick and Tom Brady spent the first 11 weeks of the season defending Ochocinco for his hard work, he might soon suffer the same fate at Albert Haynesworth, the team's other big-name offseason acquisition who now plays for the Buccaneers.
That said, New England is still 8-3 and have a realistic chance to be 13-3 by the time the playoffs roll around, with or without Ochocinco.
