Is the Patriots’ dynasty dead?

The New England Patriots fell at home on Saturday night to the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Wild Card round. Does that mean the New England dynasty is dead?

The New England Patriots will not be playing in the AFC Divisional Round for the first time in years. New England will not be playing in the AFC Championship game for the first time since the 2010 NFL season. With their first-round loss to the Tennessee Titans on Saturday night, does that mean the Patriots’ dynasty is over?

On this week’s episode of Stacking the Box, FanSided‘s Matt Verderame and Mark Carman, along with former NFL offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz, take a look ahead at what could be next for New England and if Tom Brady plays another game for the Patriots in his illustrious career (19:55).

Schwartz doesn’t believe the dynasty is over because he expects Brady to be back with the Patriots on a new contract heading into the final three years of his NFL career. He doesn’t buy the idea of Brady looking to make bank on one last contract when he never has up to this point. Plus, he thinks New England is a few offensive players away from contending for another Super Bowl.

Verderame doesn’t seem to be as sure as Schwartz in the Patriots’ dynasty not coming to a close on Saturday night vs. Tennessee. He believes New England will try to bring Brady back on a short-term deal, but with the way, that deal will likely be structured, his new contract might take up half of the available salary cap. New England may not be able to address other holes it needs to fix.

Overall, it’s too early to tell if the Patriots’ dynasty has come to an end. We should expect the Patriots to win the AFC East crown yet again as they do every single year. Do you trust the Buffalo Bills or the New York Jets to take the division title from them in 2020? Me neither. That being said, New England has at the very least been put on notice regarding their dynasty’s overall health.

Ultimately, the Patriots’ dynasty will still be alive if the team makes it to the AFC Championship game next year. New England doesn’t have to win another Super Bowl, or even get to one for that matter, to keep the dynasty intact. However, anything short of a conference championship appearance in 2020 means it’s over for the Patriots to win Super Bowls with their current setup.

Here are a few other topics discussed on this week’s episode of Stacking the Box:

• Saints shockingly go home on controversial call (4:24)
• Should the NFL change overtime rules? (8:39)
• Does Tom Brady return to the Patriots? (25:19)
• What are we looking forward to this week? (57:10)

All this and more!

Subscribe to Stacking The Box and follow Geoff Schwartz, Matt Verderame and Mark Carman on Twitter.