At the quarter mark of the season, I rang the death knell for the New England Patriots dynasty.
Four games in, they were sitting at .500, and lucky to be there. They'd been handled by the Miami Dolphins, given fits by the Oakland Raiders and pantsed by the Kansas City Chiefs. Tom Brady looked awful, the offensive line soft and the defense adrift on Revis Island.
Since then, they've been nothing less than the best team in football.
They won their next seven straight, and 10 of the final 12. Their only two losses were an all-time classic against the contending Green Bay Packers and a meaningless Week 17 game against the Buffalo Bills. They finished as the No. 4 scoring offense in the NFL, and the No. 8 scoring defense. They won the AFC East, extending their division-title streak to six seasons and raising their total to 12 of the past 14.Over the last 12 games, the Patriots pulled off one of the most dramatic in-season turnarounds the NFL has ever seen. They didn't just lose some close ones, then win some close ones like the 2013 San Diego Chargers; they elevated their play from mediocrity to excellence.
Before Week 5, a statistical analysis of the Patriots compared to the rest of their historic run dramatically revealed this.
After spending years on end parked at the top of statistical metrics like points scored, points allowed, Pro Football Focus grades (subscription required), the Simple Ranking System and Football Outsiders DVOA, at the quarter pole of 2014, the Patriots weren't in the top 10 of any of them.
The Patriots finished No. 1 in DVOA six of the previous 13 seasons, but after that disastrous Monday Night Football performance, they sat 23rd—in the bottom third of the NFL.
Source http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2320943-new-england-patriots-pull-off-historic-turnaround-now-they-must-capitalize
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