New England Patriots: There is still Tom Brady magic left

There is no doubt that New England Patriots QB Tom Brady is one of the best ever, so don’t count him out this postseason.

In January 2010, the New England Patriots suffered their first playoff loss in Foxboro during Tom Brady’s tenure. Kelley Washington and his Baltimore Ravens teammates chanted “The dynasty’s over” into the Gillette Stadium crowd.

The following season, The New York Jets, led by Mark Sanchez, Rex Ryan, and company, defeated the Patriots in the Divisional Round, marking the second straight season in which New England went one-and-done at home. Santonio Holmes went jetting around the field in triumph.

And in the next three seasons after that, the Pats would respectively lose to Giants in the Super Bowl (again), the Ravens at home (again) in the AFC Championship, and finally at Mile High Stadium to Peyton Manning’s Denver Broncos. The Patriots hadn’t won a Super Bowl in a decade.

More from Chowder and Champions

So, for all intents and purposes, Brady had lost some of his magic. Despite the successful regular seasons, countless statistical records, and even deep playoff runs, the Pats had come up short in five consecutive postseason berths. Tom Brady, once the GOAT, was on the wrong side of 35 too.

However, between 2014 and 2017, the Patriots went to three Super Bowls, four AFC Title Games, and came away with two more Lombardi trophies, each won in spectacular fashion and with legendary performances by Brady. He was an ageless wonder, a perennial MVP candidate, and seemed to play better than he did as a 25-year-old.

All of this makes me scratch my head when I hear the likes of Max Kellerman, Rob Porter, and Clay Travis toot the horns of “Brady in Decline” and “The Patriots are dead.” They hint that we could be closer to the end than the beginning. And though they are right when they say Father Time is undefeated, I am not ready to count Tom Terrific out yet.

We may be alarmed with his uncharacteristic bad footwork, his missing open receivers, or the fact that he doesn’t jog the full field in warm-ups. These may be signs of age and injury, though I don’t believe Brady’s resolve and will to win are in decline. In fact, they may never decline.

This combined with the Patriots’ recent dominance of opponents at Gillette, give me optimism that there is still some Brady postseason magic left. It won’t be easy, but has it ever been?

Don't count out a Josh Gordon return. dark. Next

After all, it wouldn’t be magic if it wasn’t improbable.

Home/New England Patriots