"There has been plenty of discussion in and around the NFL this season about how these Patriots aren't like "those" Patriots, those Patriots being the star-studded teams that won three Super Bowls in a four-year span.

And perhaps they're not — in the most clinical sense. They did finish the regular season 31st in total defense (yards allowed per game); they did have so many issues in the secondary that they played two wide receivers as defensive backs at times; they haven't always tackled as a fundamentally sound defense should; they've had some injury troubles in the offensive line; and don't always run the ball with any consistency."