NFL Playoffs: Here’s how Titans might actually upset Patriots

3. The Patriots might have cracks in the armor

Throughout the past few years, New England has been seen as a merciless and soulless machine whose sole purpose was to win football games. They were the NFL version of the Terminator, back in the first movie when the Terminator was the bad guy. There was simply nothing that knocked New England off track from the primary objective: winning Super Bowls and a ton of games along the way.

This season, they have now had to deal with a major report from ESPN’s Seth Wickersham that detail potential strife within the facility. While opinions are split over how true the reports are and the Patriots have categorically denied everything in it, some of the reports do make sense. The one thing that is indisputable is that quarterback Tom Brady is 40 years old. While his level of play is still incredibly high and he could be the MVP, he’s left throws on the field that are uncharacteristic of him.

The Patriots also had three games this season that were within one score and saw New England come out on the right side of the nebulous catch rule. They beat the Steelers, Texans, and Jets this year and had the call go their way. Tennesse could potentially take advantage of the Patriots being a little closer to the pack than usual.