INDIANAPOLIS — One 10-hour day of football destroyed all the narratives remaining from the first four weeks of the 2014 season.
The New England Patriots didn’t have any weapons, right? And the Denver Broncos wanted to win more, since they were willing to spend up to the cap. The Patriots were just content to make the playoffs, and they weren’t built to win a Super Bowl. Tom Brady was finished, Darrelle Revis wasn’t living up to expectations and time finally had caught up with Bill Belichick, who obviously hated Brady and was looking to trade the superstar quarterback ASAP.
The Patriots have done their best to make those story lines look pretty darn foolish over the past six games.
The Patriots put a whooping on the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night, refusing to relent on their way to a 42-20 victory. Brady looked flustered in the first half, but he finished 19-of-30 passing for 257 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. The Patriots quarterback successfully spread the ball around, and wide receivers Julian Edelman and Brandon LaFell, running back Shane Vereen and tight end Rob Gronkowski all had big nights.
The biggest game of all belonged to first-year pro Jonas Gray, who rushed 38 times for 199 yards with four touchdowns. The Patriots’ run defense was equally spectacular, limiting Colts running backs Trent Richardson and Ahmad Bradshaw to 14 carries for 4 yards (!). This is, somehow, the same team that allowed 218 yards on 43 carries to the New York Jets in Week 7.
The Patriots now hold a one-game lead over any other team in the AFC, including the Broncos, who lost 22-7 to the St. Louis Rams on Sunday. The Broncos have a much easier schedule than the Patriots to close out the season, which is why they still were 13-4 favorites Wednesday to win the Super Bowl, compared to the Patriots, who had 13-2 odds.
If the Patriots aren’t favorites to win the Super Bowl after this week, then apparently Vegas is out of the business of making money. The Patriots systematically have destroyed every other division leader in the AFC, and their remaining schedule, which features tough games against the Detroit Lions and at the Green Bay Packers and San Diego Chargers, doesn’t look as imposing with a one-game cushion.
The Patriots must stay persistent, though. The benefits of home-field advantage are gigantic, as proven last season when the Patriots traveled to Denver and were stomped by the Broncos in the AFC Championship Game. Something tells me the Patriots won’t relent this season, however, and their effort Sunday can be summed up in one play.
Already leading 35-20, Gronk didn’t just go into beast mode, he went into superhero mode, like the big tight end was a member of Marvel’s “Big Hero 6” or “The Guardians of the Galaxy.”
The 6-foot-6, 265-pound tight end shouldn’t be able to move with as much agility, power and speed as he possesses unless he was created in some super lab.
The Patriots are the best team in the NFL as long as Gronk, who is playing the best football of his NFL career, is healthy.
Photo via AJ Mast/Associated Press
