Even after seven fallow years, no franchise in American sports surpasses the New England Patriots’ six titles so far this century: only the Lakers in the NBA equal it. What in historical terms would be a lapse – the Chicago Bulls have not won for 28 years since Michael Jordan left, the New York Yankees have not reigned in baseball since 2009 and Canada has not had a champion in the NHL since 1993 – has not been a quick digestion for an entity that did not want to lose, perhaps to show Tom Brady, the quarterback with whom he won those titles between 2003 and 2019, who made a mistake by leaving.
So much frustration ended with the other spouse of the most fruitful marriage in the NFL, the coach, Bill Belichick, who left after 24 seasons without expanding his record in the divorce, something that Brady did achieve. In a similar way to that story, which began by accident, those from Massachusetts have turned around a year of four wins and 13 losses in a season with 14 wins and will fight on Sunday in Denver to return to the Super Bowl. To the winners’ corral.
Brady created an unexpected legend, as he was chosen in the sixth round of the 2000 Draft: 198 players came out before him. Without a single complex, he told the owner, Robert Kraft, that he had made the best decision of his life. Unprecedented in his first year, he took advantage of the injury of veteran Drew Bledsoe in 2001 to lead the team in the play-off, between merits, such as coming back ten points against the Raiders, and circumstances such as a referee error that ignored the ball he lost in the possession that sent the game to overtime. Not only did they win that night, but they also won the franchise’s first Super Bowl, the one in 2001 against the Rams.
Belichick’s decision, which came a year earlier – with 5 wins and 11 losses – could no longer be reversed and both won three titles in four years. A union that endured even after a decade without trophies, losing two dramatic finals against the New York Giants along the way. Brady smiled again in 2015 in a final that the Seahawks had won before losing the ball in the final seconds. There began another golden period with three titles in five years, including an impossible comeback against the Atlanta Falcons in 2017. The two years they did not win they fell in the conference finals in Denver because their kicker He missed a procedural kick and lost another Super Bowl to the Philadelphia Eagles. Success by decree.
Brady followed the pattern of other greats quarterbacks who left the team of their lives in the epilogue of their careers. From Peyton Manning, who managed to win with the Broncos after doing so with the Colts, to Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers, unable to repeat their crown with the Packers elsewhere. In his last year, 2019, he let his sadness fall despite winning the first eight games. Thus came January 4, 2020 and their elimination at home against the Tennessee Titans. Two months later, he announced his departure to win the title with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the following year. The Patriots led the record along with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but that icing on the cake put an individual above any franchise. Brady, 7; Patriots, 6.
There began the mourning in New England, with the demand of a large market to never stop winning. Where others take on bad seasons to rebuild themselves through high rounds of the draftKraft advocated for tweaks in free agency. Brady’s first successor was Cam Newton, who arrived at a bargain price – $1.5 million – and did not avoid the first year without a play-off since 2008 – with Brady out due to a torn cruciate ligament – and the first negative balance since 2000. If the goodbye of Rob Gronkowski, Brady’s best partner – he brought him out of retirement and won with him in Tampa – did not help Belichick, neither did that of Julian Edelman, another receiver for history. He chose Mac Jones at number 15 in the draft and managed with him as quarterback their last play-off game, in 2022, a beating against the Buffalo Bills in the first round (47-17).
Along the way he lost his great offensive brain, coordinator Josh McDaniels, who found work as head coach. Without a quarterback reliable and with leaks everywhere, everything ended in January 2024 with its worst balance (4-13). Belichick and Kraft broke ties by “mutual agreement.”
Paradoxes of fate, the Brady-Belichick marriage was broken by someone in the family, Mike Vrabel, part of the first three titles with the rarity of contributing in attack and defense: 12 passes touchdownIn addition to hunting quarterbacks. That broad understanding of the game made him prosper quickly as a coach. His Titans eliminated New England in Brady’s last game and were one step away from the Super Bowl with a lesser quarterback like Ryan Tannehill in a great tactical demonstration. He couldn’t repeat the miracle, the franchise fired him and when Kraft was looking for a coach after repeating the fiasco last year (4-13 again), he called him. A decision as good as choosing Brady in the draft?
After starting 1-2, the Patriots have won 15 of their last 16 games. They have a solid quarterback like Drake Maye, with enough maturity and offensive arsenal to be the favorite for MVP and to be the third quarterback under 24 years old—he is 23—in a Super Bowl. Added to a stellar defense that put up video game numbers on Sunday against the Houston Texans, intercepting their quarterback CJ Stroud three times in a quarter for a total of five ball recoveries.
With that global solvency, they visit Denver this Sunday to face some Broncos who lost their teammate at 9:00 p.m. quarterback starter, Bo Nix, on the last play of their victory against the Bills: he broke his ankle while kneeling to place the ball to his kicker. Those circumstances that built dynasties in New England. Symptom, perhaps, of the birth of a new one. The Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams play the other conference final at 12:30 a.m. on Monday.
