On Sunday one of NFL's greatest streaks quietly ended, as Patriots were eliminated from AFC East race
Behind head coach Tony Sparano, quarterback Chad Pennington and the running back duo of Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, the Miami Dolphins won the AFC East in 2008.
The next year, behind Tom Brady’s return from a torn ACL, the New England Patriots took back the division crown. That started one of the most impressive streaks in NFL history, as the Patriots won the next 11 division titles. The previous record was seven in a row. In the age of parity, teams aren’t supposed to control a division for a decade straight.
That streak quietly ended Sunday. The Buffalo Bills beat the Pittsburgh Steelers for their 10th win this season. The Patriots, at 6-7, are four games behind the Bills with three to go. The Dolphins are still alive in the AFC East race, but for the first time since 2008 someone other than New England will win the division.
We might never see another streak like the Patriots’ run of division titles again.
Patriots finally having a down season
The Patriots falling out of the AFC East race wasn’t unexpected. Since the middle of the season, when the offense was faltering and the defense was affected by its personnel losses over the offseason, it was obvious the Patriots wouldn’t win another division crown.
The Patriots’ issues have been discussed plenty this season, and how they fix it will be a major topic of the offseason. An appreciation of what the Patriots did the past 11 years is in order.
Most fans are sick of the Patriots. There are many reasons for that, and most of it is their seemingly never-ending success this century. New England had won five straight division titles before the Dolphins won on a tiebreaker over the Brady-less Patriots in 2008, so they had won 16 of the past 17 AFC East championships.
Players other than Brady came and went in those years. Coordinators changed. Like every other team the Patriots had adversity with injuries, suspensions and personnel losses. But they kept winning the division. Perhaps the most impressive part of the streak was they never won the division without double-digit wins. They didn’t back into any of those titles with a 9-7 or 8-8 record in a weird season.
They were just great, year after year.
Nobody has come close to Patriots’ record
The Los Angeles Rams held the record for consecutive division titles. They won seven in a row from 1973-79. That was long before free agency, the salary cap and before a few more rounds of expansion. Teams are much sharper now, with more information than ever available to them. It’s much, much harder to stay on top in the current NFL than it was 40 years ago.
Those who hate the Patriots — and it’s an overwhelming percentage outside of New England — will blame the rest of the AFC East for the Patriots’ streak. The Bills, Dolphins and New York Jets have all been bumbling messes for most of the 2000s.
Still, part of the reason they keep failing is the Patriots keep beating them. To win 11 straight division titles and 16 of 17, a lot has to go right, including your division rivals consistently making mistakes that preclude them from even one great season. But everyone should know the Patriots’ success isn’t just about the Jets, Bills and Dolphins. Suggesting otherwise is incorrect.
The Patriots’ historic streak won’t be celebrated like it should because everyone is ready for them to fall off. It doesn’t make it any less impressive. The longest current streak of division titles is held by the Kansas City Chiefs, who clinched their fifth in a row on Sunday. They can double that and still be one short of the Patriots’ record.
There will be a new AFC East champion this season. It has been a long time since we could say that.
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