Bill Belichick and company are in position to repeat as NFL champions. How can the New England Patriots capture Super Bowl LIV in South Florida?
Considering the franchise has been to half of the last 18 Super Bowls, perhaps it would be a better idea if one of the other 31 teams in the league consulted the New England Patriots on how they can win the Super Bowl this year.
All kidding aside, Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and a well-run organization is once again in position to repeat as NFL champions. The club is coming off its third league championship in five years. It now has an opportunity to become the first team to capture back-to-back Lombardi Trophies since they did it themselves in 2003 and ’04.
The Patriots can also become only the second club in league annals to reach the Super Bowl four years in a row. It was first done by the Buffalo Bills from 1990-93 and many felt that it was something that would never been seen again. As most have learned, never is not in New England’s playbook. So how can Belichick’s squad pull this off once again?
5. Perform when it counts
This past season, the Patriots did not finish with the best record in the NFL or even the American Football Conference. In the NFC, the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams were 13-3. Both the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers posted 12-4 records. Belichick’s club won the AFC East with an 11-5 mark and was a disappointing 3-5 away from home. A team known for playing its best football down the stretch lost back-to-back games in Weeks 14 and 15 at Miami and at Pittsburgh, respectively.
But then came the playoffs and before you could say Dante Scarnecchia, the Pats were back in the Super Bowl for the third straight year and the fourth time in five seasons. The club played power football in conquests of the aforementioned Chargers, Chiefs and Rams on the way to a third title in five years and a sixth Lombardi Trophy since 2001.