Hype aside, Patriots hope to rebound
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FOXBOROUGH -- The game has been hyped on national television for a week. It will be played in a stadium full of fans wearing T-shirts made for that night. One player has dubbed the contest, &quot;Super Bowl No. 2, Round 2.&quot;
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They're back, probably better than ever and just as hungry to stay on top. The third Super Bowl in four years is anything but old hat for the New England Patriots.
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Willie Andrews's 77-yard kickoff return against the Miami Dolphins last Sunday wasn't an accidental trip to the end zone, a football fluke. It was a strategic strike on par with anything the Patriots' offense or defense has done this season.
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New England Patriots have won 14 consecutive home games including play-offs and so on the face of it should be very confident of extending their unbeaten record.
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_ The New England Patriots might have a better chance of winning their 24th game in 25 tries Monday night if they were 1-8 instead of 8-1.
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While some injured Patriots were either practicing or working out yesterday, coach Bill Belichick said it was too early to tell if they'd be available for tomorrow's game with the Ravens.
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Three years ago, when the Patriots were starting their run to the Super Bowl, a lot of New England fans suspected something special was percolating in Foxborough, even though the team was only 2-3 going into Game 6.
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There are mathematical chances and real chances, and with two weeks to go it is probably time for Patriots fans to face the real ones, which are that there will be a long row to hoe for their team to return to the Super Bowl this year. It is hardly Mission Impossible, given the shaky caliber of their competition in ...
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FOXBOROUGH -- You are a fool if you prepare for any National Football League game expecting to thrash your opponent. The Patriots are far too sophisticated to err in that manner.
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The early-season dominance that set the bar so high for the Patriots has eased and they have found themselves in more close calls in the last month.
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The Patriots can be healthy or hurting. The field can be drenched or dry. The opponent might have a stingy defense or a high-scoring offense. New England just keeps winning.
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FOXBOROUGH - No, they're not invincible. But they definitely know what they're doing. Looking back, those first 10 Patriots games, with the exception, of course, of the Colts game, were a joke, a travesty, a mockery of football. It was fun, sure, and they certainly had us all swooning over the ridiculous numbers, whether it was Tom Brady's touchdown passes, ...
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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - One of the Patriots' mantras during their run at a perfect 16-0 season has been that they can focus only on the game and the opponent that week. Another constant theme was that they had more important goals, meaning the Super Bowl.
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FOXBOROUGH -- If you're going to measure the performance of the Patriots running backs by just their running yesterday you're going to be disappointed.
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The stunning 29-28 loss to the Dolphins Monday night in Miami was not the proverbial wake-up call for the Patriots. But it was a grim - and rare - reminder of how vulnerable
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The New England Patriots needed a big play Sunday to keep their record winning streak alive. They got it from a familiar place: the defense.
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It was not like the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots needed any extra motivation for their upcoming AFC Divisional playoff tilt against Peyton Manning and the high-powered Indianapolis Colts.