Their Perfect Legacy

During the Giants final drive I looked at my dad and said, “If the Patriots keep blowing opportunities, they’re going to lose this game.” They let an interception slip through their hands and let Eli slip out of a critical sack. They lost the game because of these and other missed opportunities, as well as a relentless Giants pass rush.

I don’t know how the Patriots will bounce back from last night’s Super Bowl loss. I doubt they, or any other team, will ever again go 16-0 in the regular season. This was their one chance to go down as an elite team in American sports history. It would’ve been the pinnacle of success – an undefeated season. Even if they win another Super Bowl they may always think, “What if.” They’ve already won three, and a fourth championship will still be just a fourth championship. It won’t be perfection. I think they’ll be sick about this loss forever.

For the legacies of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, it would’ve been better if they had never gone perfect and hadn’t reached the Super Bowl. Losing one looks so much worse than not making it. If they had won they would’ve been viewed as one of the best quarterbacks and head coaches ever, respectively. That will have to wait, if it happens at all.

People will downplay the Patriots' 18-1 season, maybe even calling them chokers. I think that is unfair. Winning 18 straight before losing the last game of the season is an incredible feat. If they had lost their only game earlier, they would've been considered one of the best NFL teams ever. Now, they're not even in the running. It's funny how the placement of that single loss changes everything.

I commend the Patriots for providing such a memorable and exciting football season. I watched many of their games, and they either blew teams away putting up incredible numbers, or went down to the wire with each play as intense as the last. If nothing else, they were fun as hell to watch.