NEEDED TIME to RECOVER

It’s been a little more than 36 hours now, and I still haven’t caught my breath yet.

My New England Patriots, a 14 point favorite, got beat in the closing minutes by the Miami Dolphins in Foxboro this past Sunday.

NO first round bye!

Once again, they looked distinctly un-Patriot-like.

They’ve lost to good teams, struggled to move the ball and, in the strangest twist, Tom Brady has actually looked like he’s 52, NOT 42.

What this means is when the playoffs begin this weekend there will be an unusual sight: the Patriots having to play on wild-card weekend.

The loss dropped them to the #3 seed in the AFC, setting up a matchup with the sixth-seeded Tennessee Titans [who are playing some of the best football in the NFL currently].

To make it to a fourth straight Super Bowl and 10th overall together, the Pats are going to have to buck past precedent.

Keep in mind, the Brady-Belichick Patriots have advanced to the Super Bowl nine times, but they’ve NEVER done it without the benefit of a first-round bye.

NEVER.

If they defeat a very physical Titans team, they’ll have to the 3:10 to Yuma to face a raucous Arrowhead Stadium [loudest stadium in the league] to challenge Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, the #2 seed, who NEVER have problems scoring points against the Pats.

Survive that game, and it’s likely off to Baltimore to face presumptive league MVP Lamar Jackson and the Ravens.

A Long and Winding Road that leads to my door… [sorry about the alteration!]

BOTH the Chiefs and the Ravens defeated the Patriots this season and poked holes in the air of invincibility of New England’s vaunted defense, which set a franchise record for fewest points allowed (225).

The unthinkable looming subtext of my Patriots’ arduous trek to Super Bowl LIV is unavoidable…could it be the end of that incredible long and winding road!???