Final Record: 12-4 (1-1)
Finished: 1st Place in the AFC East
2014 Draft Position: 29th
Preseason Ranking: 2
Week 1: Defeated the Buffalo Bills, 23-21
Ranked - 3
At home or on the road, the Patriots should not need a last-second field goal in order to beat the Buffalo Bills. A quick turn-around against a hated rival should help them get their groove back… or knock them further off stride.
Week 2: Defeated the New York Jets, 13-10
Ranked - 3
If a receiver, besides Edelman, on this team could just catch, they'd be just fine.
Week 3: Defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 23-3
Ranked - 4
Despite all the missing parts, the Patriots just keep on winning.
Week 4: Defeated the Atlanta Falcons, 30-23
Ranked - 5
Brady is the definition of winner - no matter who he has around him, no matter how many times they drop the ball - he finds a way to lead his team to victory. It doesn't even matter who they are playing.
Week 5: Lost at the Cincinnati Bengals, 13-6
Ranked - 6
So much for keeping your TD streak alive, Brady. The schedule doesn't get any easier with the Saints coming to town.
Week 6: Defeated the New Orleans Saints, 30-27
Ranked - 4
Tom Brady beats Drew Brees for the first time since their college days. Great win by the Patriots, despite continuing to cobble together a receiving corps for Brady to play catch with.
Week 7: Lost at the New York Jets, 30-27
Ranked - 7
The Patriots are starting to crack under the pressure of playing with a bunch of no-name players. Even the great Gronkowski couldn't bail Brady out this week.
Week 8: Defeated the Miami Dolphins, 27-17
Ranked - 7
The Patriots are better than average, but are they really good?
Week 9: Defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 55-31
Ranked - 4
Finally, the juggernaut offense of old wakes from its slumber.
Week 10: BYE WEEK
Ranked - 5
The Patriots gained ground in the division during their bye week, but lost ground in the race for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Week 11: Lost at the Carolina Panthers, 24-20
Ranked - 6
Tough break to end the game against Carolina, but they should never have been in that situation to begin with.
Week 12: Defeated the Denver Broncos, 34-31
Ranked - 5
The Patriots are winning with no-name players, great coaching and outstanding, clutch play from the few superstars they do have left on the roster.
Week 13: Defeated the Houston Texans, 34-31
Ranked - 4
Brady just finds a way… but the Patriots should not have to rely on comeback magic in order to beat the worst team in the NFL.
Week 14: Defeated the Cleveland Browns, 27-26
Ranked - 5
Tom Brady continues to find a way to win… and with Gronk out the remainder of the season, he'll need to bring forth all the magic he can muster if he hopes to guide the Patriots deep into the playoffs.
Week 15: Lost at the Miami Dolphins, 24-20
Ranked - 7
The division is still theirs, but two straight losses and two wins by the Dolphins could have the Patriots limping into the playoffs as a Wild Card team.
Week 16: Defeated the Baltimore Ravens, 41-7
Ranked - 3
The Patriots are in the playoffs as the AFC East champion. They can clinch a first-round bye with a win or with losses by Cincinnati and Indianapolis. They can clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with a win and a Denver loss this weekend.
Week 17: Defeated the Buffalo Bills, 34-20
Ranked - 4
Somehow the Patriots ended up being the second-best team in the AFC. With the establishment of their running game, who knows how far they can go.
Wild Card Round: BYE WEEK
Ranked - 4
The Patriots have had two weeks to align their mismatched offensive and defensive pieces. We'll see how well those changes hold up when Andrew Luck comes to town.
Divisional Round: Defeated the Indianapolis Colts, 43-22
Ranked - 4
The Patriots have proven they can run the ball quite impressively these past few weeks. The question is - can they run all the way to the Super Bowl?
Championship Round: Lost at the Denver Broncos, 26-16
Final Ranking: 4
Tomorrow, the 2013 San Francisco 49ers...
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