It’s not like the New England Patriots haven’t been here before. They twice lost Super Bowls in agonizing fashion to the New York Giants. They have had to bid farewell to key assistant coaches, and they have watched Coach Bill Belichick make unsentimental decisions about players. And always, the presence of Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady was enough for them to come back for more.
And, of course, that very well could be the case again. Theirs remains, even with Sunday night’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in a compelling Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis, probably the greatest dynasty the NFL has seen.