If the regular season ended today, the New England Patriots would be the number one seed in the AFC playoffs. While Patriots fans expected the team to take a big leap under Mike Vrabel in his first year as the team's head coach, many probably didn't have the team being this good on their bingo card.
While the team is obviously talented and well-coached, former Patriots great Devin McCourty offered another reason why the team could very well be for real this year and it's probably not something many others would point to. McCourty appeared on The Dan Patrick Show on Tuesday and was asked how threatening the Patriots are this season.
"I think in an AFC this year where it's wide open, the Patriots are just as good as anybody. They have, right now, the best chance [to win the AFC] because being [at Gillette Stadium on Monday night], that atmosphere is different. Different than even when I was there," McCourty said. "When I was there, it was 'We're expected to be here. We'll show up in the AFC Championship and cheer. If the game's close, we'll go crazy and help you out.' Being in that atmosphere after two bad seasons, you could see the fans were like, 'Man, we thought we were going to have to wait maybe 15 years to be good again'. And their energy, the way they're showing up to the stadium early, staying the whole game, I think they feel like 'Hey we got to give this team this boost 'cause we had no idea we'd be this good right now'."
Devin McCourty says Gillette Stadium is Patriots' biggest advantage
This is fun feedback from McCourty, who obviously knows better than anyone what Gillette Stadium was like when the Patriots were amid their two-decade dynastic run in the 2000s and 2010s. For him to say that this atmosphere is different but in a good way, that means something.
It helps that New England has a pretty easy schedule but hey, you can only play who's on your schedule and once the Patriots found their identity early in the year, they've proven to be unstoppable. They finish the year at home against the Bills, on the road against the Ravens, at MetLife Stadium against the Jets, and at home against the Dolphins. Their biggest threat to the one-seed is the Broncos (just like old times, huh?) and they have some tough games in their final five matchups so that could be the difference.
If the Patriots manage to get the one-seed in the playoffs, in a year where it's looking like the Chiefs won't make it into the postseason and no one else looks all that scary, a rocking Gillette Stadium could be what helps push the Patriots back to the Super Bowl. That's a lot of fun for Patriots fans to think about and a nightmare for the other 31 fan bases. Gotta love it!