FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Even as a ghoulish fog swallowed this Super Bowl LI rematch whole, it was clear enough to see that the 2017 New England Patriots finally fielded a team worthy of having Tom Brady on it.
At 40-years-old, an age demanding that the Patriots carry him (and not the other way around), Brady had a burden heavier than a grand piano on his back. New England's defense had spent too much time this season doing a Frank Caliendo-esque impression of the defense that showed up for much of the first three quarters against the Atlanta Falcons last February in Houston.