Before their Week 8 bye, with Tom Brady eviscerating defenses, the Patriots looked primed to steamroll their way through the AFC and into the Super Bowl. November pumped the brakes on any early coronation.
The AFC East leaders had to spend every ounce of available energy Sunday to rally past the Jets for a 22–17 win, capping a month that also saw them lose (at home) to Seattle and grind out an aesthetically unappealing victory in San Francisco.
As long as players can suffer injuries in the NFL, every team is vulnerable, to some degree. The Patriots are no different.