16-0? Really?

I try not to be the biggest homer on the block (which is hard in Massholeland where seemingly everyone drinks the Red Sox/Patriots kool-aid on a daily basis) but it's hard to find anything negative about the 4-0 New England Patriots. They make it look too easy. Last night, they went to Cincinnati and beat an average Bengals team, 34-13. Brady had three more TD's, including two to Moss.

Normally when people bring up a modern team going undefeated in the NFL, it cannot be taken seriously at all. It's nearly impossible to go 16-0 in today's league because each game exists solely upon itself. Every week there's upsets and parity has been a key theme of the last 10 years in the NFL. The Patriots seem intent on putting all conventional wisdom aside as they trample hapless opponents, one after another. Looking ahead, a few games stand out as the ones most likely to trip up the Pats (if possible): at the Cowboys (Oct. 14), at the Colts (Nov. 4), at the Ravens (Dec. 3) and vs. the Steelers (Dec. 9). Thus far, the Colts and Patriots appear to be the teams to beat league-wide. The Cowboys are really starting to come on strong but one has to wonder how much that is a measure of them and how much it highlights the inferiority of the NFC.

The Dolphins, Jets and Bills are all god-awful. Miami is 0-4 (possibly the worst team in the league) while the Jets and Bills both check in at 1-3. You can print the AFC East Champs t-shirts right now. There's not a more sure bet in sports. These teams have all had some good games against far superior New England squads in recent years so it wouldn't be surprising to see one of them hang around a game before the Pats put them away.

Even when the Pats went 14-2 in 2004 and won the Super Bowl, it didn't resemble this powerhouse. That year they always came out on top thanks to many small plays and general coaching advantages. Now, it looks like it'll be hard to find teams that can make a game of it. Sammy Morris had a 100-yard game last night as Maroney sat with a groin injury. The Pats have scored 38 in their first three games and then 34 last night. They've given up 14, 14, 7 and 13. For the 2007 New England Patriots, the sky is the limit as the late, great Notorious B.I.G. once rapped.