After Monday night’s victory over the Jets, there is no doubt that the New England Patriots are the best team in the NFL.
Led by Tom Brady, the Patriots are 10-2, and if they do not collapse in the remaining month, they will have home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Tom “Terrific” is having another great season. He has only thrown four interceptions and has 27 touchdowns.
He has also thrown for 3,029 yards through 12 games. Brady is the only QB in the league to have had a perfect passer rating in a game this season.
He could have done it for a second time if he had one more yard per completion Monday night against the Jets. Surprisingly, he is putting up these numbers without a standout receiver, a more impressive feat than his record 2007 season. Brady has led a very young team to the best record in the NFL. If he continues pace, Brady should also win the MVP with ease.
Danny Woodhead is turning into a key player for this team and the addition of Deion Branch seems to be the catalyst that separated the Patriots from the rest of the league.
Wes Welker is not putting up numbers that he is accustomed to, but, since opposing teams must focus on him, it allows Woodhead and Branch to have monster games. Interestingly, none of these players are taller than 5-foot-9-inches.
The best team often has the best coach and the Patriots do with Bill Belichick. Belichick has led the Patriots to four Super Bowls, winning three, and also has one of the best defensive minds in the game.
His defense has forced seven interceptions in the last three games. Fronted by Jerrod Mayo, who leads the league in tackles and rookie Devin McCourty, who is second in the league in interceptions, New England’s youthful defense has given opposing offenses little chance to win games.
Another reason why the Patriots are so dominant is due to their offensive line. Led by Matt Light, the line has only allowed 18 sacks and 38 quarterback hits this season, giving Brady all the time in the world to throw.
With the sixth toughest schedule in the NFL, New England is battle-tested. They now have wins against elite teams such as the Jets, Colts, Steelers, Chargers and Ravens. They also have the second best point differential in the league of plus 110.
With two games at home and road trips to Buffalo and Chicago remaining, Tom Brady may be unstoppable. Consider that he is 31-4 in games below 40 degrees and 11-0 when it snows.
Brady has also won 26 consecutive home games.
This Patriots team will be a force to be reckoned with for the rest of the season and into the postseason.
Joe Beaudoin can be reached at jbeaudoin@spartans.ut.edu.