Patriots crush Steelers, improve to 13-0

The Patriots have joined an elite group of teams that have gone undefeated for the first thirteen games in a season and looking forward to the remaining three, it doesn't appear as if there will be any serious obstacles to finish the regular season without a defeat. 16-0. Wow. No matter how much of a Patriots hater, no matter how much you despise/envy/criticize the Patriots for Belichick/Spygate/Running up scores/defeating your team, you must admit beyond any doubt of your biased imagination that what we have seen from the Patriots offense is something we have never seen before. Neither the Greatest Show on Turf, nor the Moss and Carter Vikings, nor the Manning attack is close to the Brady machine. Every part fits comfortably and critically within the machine and the machine functions as a sum total of its parts. Moss stretches the D. Welker slips underneath. Watson stabs into its heart. Faulk is the reliable safety. Stallworth has depth. Gaffney has snaring hands. Brady is Oz and Belichick (and McDaniels) are behind the curtain. It's a well oiled machine. Really, what team lines up in shotgun and passes on fourth and 1?
Ok. You have heard it all before. Either the blueprint or the undefeatable. Either way, stories on the Patriots are getting old, but the stories that come out are still delicious. These are Bob Ryan's "good old days" after all. The Patriots have gone from the scrappy, "lucky" and determined team that squeaked out victories by the slimmest of margins on the back of a quarterback and supporting cast with the calm in critical plays similar to meditating buddhist monks to a team that blows out opponents without mercy. The times have changed. But, football is not a western where good and bad battle it out, and the Patriots are not the bad guys playing football. But they certainly aren't the underdogs anymore and this Goliath has gone up against spreads that are unlike any ever seen. Here's the only problem: With three less-than-capable opponents upcoming, and with the perfect regular season becoming more likely, you must immediately see how hollow a perfect regular season would be if the Patriots stumble beneath the Colts or are outscored by the Cowboys. Losing after 16-0 will make all 16 games look like meaningless exhibitions in a disappointing season.