New England has returned to a familiar stage: the Super Bowl.
At the start of the season, few Patriots fans would have dreamed the New England Patriots would be one win away from being crowned Super Bowl champions come January. Now, it’s reality. The Patriots are back in the Super Bowl once again.
Ask any fan of a championship team — or any player or coach who has won one — and they’ll tell you the same thing: the narratives don’t matter in the end. All that talk fades once the ultimate prize is secured. Still, as Patriots fans have dealt with all season, the national media continues to harp on why New England is supposedly “lucky” to be here.
Whether it was because the Patriots beat a weak Chargers team, faced a Texans squad without Nico Collins, or most recently played against backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham, there has always been a qualifier attached to each win. That’s especially ironic considering Stidham was hyped before the game as a quarterback capable of starting in the league.
Honestly, I hope the media — and everyone who hates New England — keeps coming up with reasons why this team isn’t worthy of being in the Super Bowl. At the end of the day, the Patriots played whoever was in front of them and beat them. They earned this spot by doing it all season long and doing it on the road, finishing a perfect 9-0 away from home — something that has never been done before.
If the Patriots win the Super Bowl, none of these narratives will matter. What should be talked about instead is just how good this defense has been all year.
When Mike Vrabel was hired, the first thing he wanted to change was the culture. After back-to-back 4-13 seasons, it had become a losing culture, far removed from what Vrabel experienced as a player in New England. Just months later, that culture has shifted. This team is player-centered, and Vrabel makes that clear after every game — win or loss — by praising his players and giving them credit for the result. He has become the ultimate players’ coach.
Now New England heads to San Francisco in a couple of weeks with a chance to bring home Super Bowl trophy No. 7.
And here’s the thing: history doesn’t remember how you got there. It remembers banners, rings and Lombardi Trophies. Style points don’t exist in January.
The Patriots are in the Super Bowl. That’s the only fact that matters. One more win, and every excuse, every narrative and every doubt disappears — just like it always does.
