Dear New England Patriots,

herebynewenglandrules:

Wow. This year has been insane and it was an emotional roller coaster, let’s see if I can break it down.

Before the season even started, I didn’t know what to expect. The lockout just ended and there was little time for training camp, but that applied to every team so everyone’s evenly matched, except we had a little more motivation than most teams. In the offseason, during the lockout, Myra Kraft, Robert Kraft’s wife, passed away. She meant a lot to those players and a lot to the organization as a whole. This season was dedicated to her and every player wears an ‘MHK’ patch on their jerseys, right above their heart. Every player has her in mind and the team is playing this year for the Kraft family and Myra herself.

Preseason was rough, you were 2-2, but that’s acceptable with the rookie qb in and so many other inexperienced players stepping in and trying to make plays.

Miami. The first game of the regular season was going to be on Monday Night Football, a big stage for a big game. It wasn’t looking so great at first, but then Welker’s 99-yard touchdown gave me hope. It gave me hope that the offense had ability to make huge plays and the offensive line can give Brady enough protection to make those big plays. In the end, we were 1-0 which is a great way to start the season, especially after getting rid of some talented players in the offseason/preseason.

You all beat the Chargers in week 2, it wasn’t anything memorable. That was saved for the next week. You played the Bills. I was coming home from my vacation, so I didn’t get to see the first 55 minutes and the last 5 minutes were all I needed to see. I couldn’t believe that game. I had to figure out what went wrong, but that didn’t matter at the time. I just knew we lost. To the Bills. But, hey, they were playing strong football then, it was just incredibly hard to swallow. The second that game clock hit 0:00, I was ready for the next week, you can never dwell on losses (or sometimes wins) for too long and it’s easier just to think about the next game.

The next game was against the Raiders. It was an emotional game on both sides, but the Patriots ended up winning. The Jets were up next and this was a home game. The stakes were high, as they always are when playing our #1 rivals. I don’t really remember that game, I just remember being proud that we beat them. It’s always a great feeling, and it’s even more fun doing it at home. The Cowboys came in in week 6 and really brought a challenge. It was a nail biter, but the Patriots defense stepped up to hold the Cowboys and get Brady the ball back. He scored and we ended up winning. Week 7 was a bye week, so we had time to prepare for the Steelers and the second half of the season.

Week 8 we faced a true challenge. The Steelers are typically a tough team and we know that, so it was guaranteed to be a good game. It was a good game, but the outcome wasn’t. The Steelers were able to exploit parts of the Patriots defense that wasn’t so great. I think I don’t remember much of it because I’ve blocked it out, but I think the next week was worse.

Coming off of a loss, the Patriots wanted the next one. You could see it before the game started. This one was against the Giants AKA the other New York team that the Patriots don’t get along with. It was a defensive match up in the first half and in the end, Eli took his team to victory, meaning the Patriots lost two games in a row and lost one game at home breaking their home game win streak. After the loss, the Jets were next. And the game was in New York. Winning this game meant sweeping the Jets this season, but losing meant that we lost three in a row.

A New York doubleheader. I can’t remember the last time we had to do that. Oh well, last week’s loss was already forgotten and 100% of the attention was now on Rex Ryan and his loudmouth Jets. I remember how loud and obnoxious the fans were in the first half. Then the Patriots scored in the second half and had the lead going into halftime. As the third quarter progressed, the Jets fans quieted down. There were less comments being made to the Patriots fans and the stadium was more silent when the Jets would get first downs. And the best part was that Fireman Ed was seated, watching the game in silence. By the end of the game, the Patriots had broken their losing streak and Bill Belichick and Tom Brady had just became the winningest coach-quarterback duo in NFL history. I was so lucky to be there.

The Chiefs were the next opponent and they were without Matt Cassel at this point. I would have loved to see Cassel return to Gillette Stadium. He was a great player and am so proud of where he’s gone after leaving us. The one moment that made this game memorable was Julian Edelman’s punt return. He ran it all the way back for a touchdown. Not much else stood out because we ended up winning 34 - 3, but it was a great show for our offense. And special teams. Another big win came the next week agianst the Philadelphia Eagles. We ended up winning 38 - 20 and our defense stepped up, especially with putting pressure on the quarterback.

Playing the Colts without Peyton Manning just doesn’t seem natural, but that’s what this years Pats-Colts game was. It was Brady v. some unknown quarterback. A lot of people expected a blowout, but it ended up being a close game with the Patriots edging out the Colts by 7. Speaking of unknown quaterbacks, the next quarterback the Patriots faced was Grossman, not that he was unknown, but he’s most definitely not elite. This game was very back and forth and it was the game where Rob Gronkowski tied the NFL regular season record for touchdowns by a tight end. With only 3 games left in the regular season, the Patriots still had a lot to prove and some things to work on in the coming weeks.

Denver was looking good with Tim Tebow running the show and the media made this week seem a lot more important than it was. It was just a regular season game, but the hype behind it made it seem like much more. The Denver defense was tough to break, but Brady found a way and ended up scoring 41 points while the defense only gave up 23. At the end of the game, Brady told Tebow that he is a great role model and that he hoped to see him again soon, it’s as if he knew….

The final two games were division match ups. First, the Dolphins on Christmas Eve. I did not get to watch this game because of work, but I heard about it. It was close and very stressful. The Patriots almost let the win slip away, but they held on to secure their victory. One more game left. The only thing between the Patriots and the #1 seed in the playoffs was Buffalo. They pulled out all the stops and the defense definitely showed what talent it really had. Brady also had a good game, even allowing Hoyer to come in and take a snap or two. The season closer was a great game, for Patriots fans mostly. A 49 - 21 victory seemed like a great way to head into the first round bye of the wild card round of the playoffs. They earned it.

The Broncos were going to challenge the Patriots again during the divisional round of the playoffs. There was a lot of talk going into this game, but probably not as much as there was when these two teams faced each other during the regular season. Although, the new buzz was about Tebow’s touchdown pass on the first play of overtime, pushing them through to the next round over the Steelers. This game wasn’t very memorable. It was even worse than the first match up. The Patriots steam rolled over the Broncos by 35 points. During the game, Brady tied the postseason record for most touchdown throws with 6. They now just had to sit and wait for Sunday’s game to be over to find out who would be traveling to Foxboro the next week for the AFC Championship.

The Ravens beat the Texans and were coming to Foxboro. The last time these teams played was two years ago and the Patriots came out on top, but putting that aside, this was an important game. Winning this game meant that you were going to the super bowl, going to play for all the marble, everything you’re worked for all year. This game was rough, on both sides of the ball for both teams, but the key moments came in the final minutes. The Ravens were down 23 - 20 and were in the red zone. Flacco dropped back and threw it too Lee Evans in the end zone, but Sterlig Moore was there and stripped the ball. Then, on fourth down, Cundiff was going to kick a field goal to send the game into overtime. But, the holder didn’t get the placing of the laces right and the kick was no good. The stadium went nuts. Patriots fans were overjoyed. Ravens fans were disgusted. This was it. The Patriots were AFC Champs once again and one game away from ‘winning it for Myra.’

The pep rally and media day had come and gone. Now it was game time. The Patriots had worked so hard to get to this moment. They had an explosive offense and a lacking defense, but it was apparently enough to get them to the biggest game of the year. The game was now underway, the Giants came right out of the gate scoring a safety. 2 - 0 Giants. Then they managed to get a touchdown in the first half, ending it with a 9 - 0 lead over the Pats. The second half started and you could see a glimpse of the mastermind Tom Brady is peeking through. The Pats put up 10 while the Giants scored none giving them the lead going into the half by 1. 10 - 9. Halftime was, uh, interesting, but that’s not football related. The Pats got the ball back at the beginning of the second half and put up 7 while the Giants up 6. This means that going into the final quarter of the NFL season, the Patriots were leading 15 - 17. It all came down to these final 15 minutes. The clock was winding down and with a minute to go, the Giants scored a touchdown. Brady had 57 seconds and one timeout to pull what seemed like a miracle. There were a few dropped passes and the Pats had :05 left. They threw a hail mary, but it failed. I couldn’t believe it. The Giants were world champions, defeating the Patriots in the super bowl again and for the third time this season.

It’s over now though. So we all just need to look forward to next season. It may be tough, but it’s for the better. I know you guys tried your hardest, but sometimes it’s just not enough and I want every player who thinks it’s their fault to stop. Everyone put their heart into this game, the Giants just played harder than we did. Myra would be so proud of you guys. I hope all of your fans are too. I’m sending much love to everyone who is a part of the Patriots organization and wishing them much luck going into next season.

Sincerely,

A dedicated member of Patriots Nation

THIS.

Yeah, it sucks that the season didn’t end the way I and the rest of the fans wanted to, but dammit we fought a long way to get there. I’m proud of my team & I will continuously say that. I take a lot of shit for being a fan of Patriots, but every fan goes through that. When you have a team like the Patriots who are a generally a young team & play with a lot of heart, it makes you want to keep rooting for them…or at least that’s how I feel. We’ll make it again soon, that I’m praying for. We fought this hard for Myra & I know that they’ll continue the fight because that’s what she would have wanted.

(Source: herebybostonrules)