Last week, I wrote about my own curse. A curse that has plagued me for years. A curse that has caused me unwanted stress and anxiety over the most minuscule decisions. To ease my pain, I turn on God's greatest creation to the sports world, the New England Patriots. Super Bowl after Super Bowl, I did not mind my cursed luck. My team was winning. Therefore, I felt like a winner.
On December 8th, 2019, I felt something I have never experienced as a Patriots fan. A feeling of emptiness watching a super team dominate for my entire life look like they were missing a step. They were a bit slower than the Chiefs. The Chiefs had more space between defenders and were quicker getting to the quarterback than the self proclaimed, "Boogeymen." Tom looked lost and frustrated. So did I. I searched for an answer. Halftime. The boys just need to get back into the locker room. Belichick is the best halftime adjuster football has ever seen. He will make it happen. And then it happened, the combination of bad luck and poor performance.
I made my way to the Bud Light deck to meet up with friends and suffer together. The stadium played clips of the greatest moments in Patriots history as a tribute to the 100th season of the NFL. It made the experience better. Even though we were watching chickens with their heads cut off on the field, we could look up and remember how Ty Law picked off Kurt Warner in Super Bowl 36. My hopes returned. Never count out the Pats. It's not over until the fat lady sings.
The Patriots looked like they were going to do it. A couple defensive stops got the offensive ready to make a push. That is what should have happened. As I said, this game had the combination for a disaster. Bad luck entered the chat.
The Boogeymen were caught using illegal hands to the face and called for holding every time it seemed like they were going to get Tom and his bunch back on the field. Boos filled the stadium as Pat Mahomes led the Chiefs down the field for a touchdown. But have no fear, Gillette played the Malcom Butler pick in the end zone before kick off. Hope came back just in time.
Hope left the door wide open for poor performance to sneak into the party. The Patriots offense consistently struggled to move the ball down field and secure first downs. The Patriots needed an unlikely hero to find the end zone for them. Brandon Bolden carried the team into the end zone for their first touchdown since their first possession of the game. Let's. Go.
The Boogeymen scared the Chiefs offense off the field priming Tom Terrific for his 36th career fourth quarter comeback. Absurd stat. While the folks at home enjoyed a commercial break filled with CBS six number one comedies, the faithful in Foxboro saw the greatest moment in Patriots history. The greatest comeback in Super Bowl history. Their eyes glued to the jumbotron reminiscing of Jules impossible catch, Hightower's forced fumble, and who could forget James "Sweet Feet" White dive into the end zone for the Patriots 5th Super Bowl. The perfect transition to a nice Sunday afternoon comeback against a conference rival. Ben, my 4th and Goal co-host, went into the pit expecting to see our hero save us. Save us from the dragon of Kansas City. Bad luck was not done.
Tom led his troops on the gridiron posed for a comeback. It was happening. They finally gained first downs and moved the chains. Until the unthinkable happened, fate. N'Keal Harry caught a pass heading toward the sideline. He planted his foot down.......you know what? you guys just see for yourself.
Poor officiating costs the Patriots a game winning touchdown. Another blown call the Patriots want to challenge, but cannot because they lost their last challenge of a potential first down. Have no fear, just a bump in the road. The Patriots will score.
Tom rallies his troops one more time to find the end zone and win this game. It almost happened, until the zebras saw something different. Brady throws a dime down field to 'King" Phillip Dorsett. Dorsett goes up for it, until this:
No call. Brady attempts one last time finding the Buzz to his Woody, but "Zerge" came out in the form of the Chiefs defense to stop the fairytale ending. I have my own theory about the refs, but you'll have to tune into 4th and Goal and to listen *Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify*
The Patriots lost it. They started out as the most dominant force in football. With Antonio Brown, Josh Gordon, Ben Watson, and the first rounder crowned the next "Randy Moss," paired with the Boogeymen, the Patriots looked to make the 100th season of the NFL their year. Until it happened, the curse originating.
The Patriots started training camp with a few weapons along with a ten year veteran to pair with a first round wide out. Thomas leaves before week one, but is replaced with Clowntonio Brown. The answer to our problems. Until, he decided to go full heel and ostracize himself from the league. Injuries to the offensive line and wide receivers such as Julian Edelman and Phillip Dorsett. The dream start to a season quickly faded away once the Patriots touched down in Baltimore. Lamar Jackson exposed the Boogeymen's weaknesses dethroning the kings of the AFC.
Since that game, the Patriots cannot find the offense. It has disappeared. Brown is gone. Gordon is gone. Hope is gone. Brady struggles to find open receivers. Once Edelman is double covered, that makes it easier to focus on Dorsett and the Walmart version of Gronk in Matt LaCosse. Don't even get me started on Jakobi Meyers. I want to love him; I really do. I can't love someone who consistently drops passes, cannot get open, and pisses off New England's king. It looks like the front office does not want to find an answer. They expect Brady and Belichick to figure it out come January so they can raise the ultimate prize high in February.
News flash, Bob, kiss that dream good bye this year. You screwed up. The greatest football team ever assembled took the field in Miami, but instead of playing for a Super Bowl, they played for a 2-0 start. This is the worst Patriots team I have watched in my fandom. In September, I bragged about how this was the greatest team ever.
You said it, Mike.
I will finish with this statement. The New England Patriots will not win the Super Bowl this year. They will not make the Super Bowl. They will lose to Baltimore on the road. Boston media will go into a frenzy annoying Bostonians with the question no one wants to hear, "Is this it?" Will it be the last time we see Tom Brady? I do not have that answer, but I have an answer to a different question. Lamar Jackson will be raising the Lombardi Trophy as the first Quarterback to win both regular season and Super Bowl MVP since Kurt Warner. There is a new show in town. They are the Baltimore Ravens. The only show Patriots Nation will be enjoying will be of a man who has cursed their franchise for a long time.