5 reasons the Patriots will still go to Super Bowl 51 without Rob Gronkowski
By Adam Cox
3. Who challenges the Patriots in the AFC?
Parity and disappointment have ruled the NFL this season. Fully half of NFL teams have a winning record. Only six of these teams have won more than two-thirds of their games. The Baltimore Ravens and the Houston Texans lead the AFC North and the AFC South, respectively, with only six victories.
Many preseason contenders have gone by the wayside. The New York Jets have battled quarterback disappointment and strife on their way to a 3-8 record. The Pittsburgh Steelers are fighting for a playoff spot at 6-5. The Cincinnati Bengals have struggled to a 3-7-1 record. Brock Osweiler has failed to be the answer at quarterback for the Houston Texans, who are 6-5 on the season. Following an offseason of turnover and uncertainty at quarterback the Denver Broncos sit at 7-4 and third in the AFC West.
As of this moment the New England Patriots would be joined in the AFC playoffs by the Oakland Raiders, the Ravens, the Texans, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Miami Dolphins. Of this selection of teams, who scares the Patriots? Who will challenge them for the AFC title and a place in the Super Bowl?
Absent fourth quarter heroics by David Carr the Raiders are a .500 team. The Chiefs struggle to score. The Dolphins struggle to score and stop their opponents from scoring. The Ravens and Texans are excellent on defense but are disastrous on offense. That’s not to say none of these teams couldn’t beat the Patriots, but will they?
Even if the Patriots cannot be viewed as dominant without Gronkowski, neither can any one else.