New England Patriots: The Top 5 Moments Of The 2014 Season
By Cyrus Geller
Oct 5, 2014; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) runs the ball against the Cincinnati Bengals during the first quarter at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
2. Bounceback Against Cincy
The game in Buffalo was huge for this team. But the contest that preceded it was even bigger, and it was one of the most emotional games I can ever remember watching as a Patriots fan.
Let’s go back in time for a minute. The high and mighty New England Patriots, who had dominated this league for the past 13 years, had just suffered a 27-point defeat in primetime at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs. Bill Belichick was called out, Tom Brady was “washed up”, the Pats empire was dead.
Well, that certainly didn’t remain true.
Led by Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady, the Pats came out on ‘Sunday Night Football’, one of the biggest stages in sports, and absolutely annihilated the previously unbeaten Cincinnati Bengals. I mean, this one was over after the first Pats’ possession. New England got the ball first, and led by a quarterback playing possessed, marched right down the field for a touchdown, as if to say to the rest of the league: “We aren’t dead, and we’re coming for you.”
Everything was clicking for the Patriots in this game, and they sent a message to everybody in the AFC, one that I am sure still resonates with every single one of those other teams.