But Patriot haters do need to face some reality. The Jets and Bills are (once again) really bad teams. There is a glimmer of hope for the Dolphins...but you have to figure the Patriots get spotted their usual 5 or 6 division wins. So then they just need to play 0.500 against the rest of their schedule to finish around 11-5 or 10-6.

So, they will definitely be in the playoffs. You just need to hope the path to the Superbowl goes through Pittsburgh, Oakland, or someplace other than Foxborough.

I give the Patriots credit for their long run. But I don't think any team has seen a streak of division-futility like the Patriots have been gifted over the past 15 years. Normally a team within the division will "hit" on a stud QB over a 15 year period. The Jets/Bills/Dolphins have swung and missed that entire time. That's 45 years of missing.