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New England Patriots: 5 unsung heroes of the 2018 NFL season

By Tarringo Basile-vaughan

ATLANTA, GA - FEBRUARY 03: The New England Patriots celebrate after winning the Super Bowl LIII at against the Los Angeles Rams Mercedes-Benz Stadium on February 3, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. The New England Patriots defeat the Los Angeles Rams 13-3. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - FEBRUARY 03: The New England Patriots celebrate after winning the Super Bowl LIII at against the Los Angeles Rams Mercedes-Benz Stadium on February 3, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. The New England Patriots defeat the Los Angeles Rams 13-3. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
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New England Patriots. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Getty Images)
New England Patriots. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Getty Images) /

Following an up and down regular season, the New England Patriots put it all together to win their sixth Super Bowl title.  Here are five unsung heroes from the regular season.

It wasn’t supposed to be the New England Patriots year.  Fueled by offseason turmoil, the 2018 regular season got off to a rocky start.

Following back-to-back losses to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions, it looked like the dynasty was finally coming to an end.  Not only did Tom Brady start to look his age, the team couldn’t find an identity on the road and the star that is Rob Gronkowski seemed to be dimming fast.

The Patriots did bounce back stringing together impressive victories over the Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers.  Despite the inconsistent play, the team showed flashes of dominance, but the lack of an identity was still there.

More prominent in the team’s up-and-down ride was the struggles of Brady himself.  With rumors that he was nursing and hiding an injury, the 41-year-old quarterback made uncharacteristic mistakes giving his haters fuel to drive the Brady falling off a cliff narrative.

But somehow the team rose above the late-season loss of Josh Gordon to put it all together.  The defense got tougher and the offense found another way to win football games.  Like a chameleon, the 2018 New England Patriots morphed into whatever kind of team they needed to be to beat whoever they were playing that particular week.

Perhaps that was their identity?

A power running team utilizing the blocking of Rob Gronkowski barreled over teams.  The defense led by Stephon Gilmore was reminiscent of the Bill Belichick defenses of old despite the lack of talent.  And a man in Tom Brady took all the noise about his decline and used it as motivation to bring another Lombardi Trophy back to One Patriot Way.

It was a memorable season and here are five unsung heroes who were vital parts in the New England Patriots turning a up-and-down season into a championship season.

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