For 30 minutes on Sunday, the Miami Dolphins dominated both on the scoreboard and on the field of play. Fortunately for the New England Patriots, the NFL still hasn't changed the ruling on the length of the games.
For the past three weeks, the Patriots have been fortunate in that regard. They've have had to fight back from three straight second-quarter deficits: They were down three against the Redskins, down nine against the Denver Broncos and most recently, 17 against the Dolphins.
But all three times, the Patriots buckled their chin straps and did what Bill Belichick tells the media after every game: They did what they needed to get the win.
"We showed some resiliency, some mental toughness again and we pulled out a tough game," said quarterback Tom Brady, according to Patriots.com.
Brady struggled mightily through the first half behind a reconstructed offensive line, going just 3-of-13 for 37 yards while being sacked three times for 13 yards before the final drive of the first half. But the Patriots were able to capitalize on a key mistake by the Dolphins, when Vince Wilfork recovered a fumbled snap by Matt Moore. The game was never the same from that point.
Capitalizing on mistakes to get the win...where have we heard that before? Perhaps as recently as 2010?
And in many respects, this is very much the same identity as the Patriots team that rolled to 14 wins last season, including eight straight to close out the season, only to crumble in the first round.
Trace it all back to adversity. It's the one thing they faced virtually none of in their final eight games in 2010, outscoring opponents 299-125 in that span. It's what brought them down against the Jets in the divisional round of the playoffs. And it's what they've proven they're able to overcome on several occasions this season, including their past three games.
And of course, the Patriots are better off getting an early lead, dictating the tempo and keeping the foot on the gas. What team isn't?
The team has failed to score more than six points in the first quarter of seven out of 15 games thus far. They have failed to score any points in the first quarter of four games. Their average of just 5.5 points in the first quarter is indicative of their early struggles.
However, their average of 30.9 points per game is indicative of their ability to overcome those struggles.
And now, to come back three straight weeks with their backs against the wall is a statement to their mental toughness.
"We had some situations where we got off to bad starts and didn't come back and didn't play particularly well in the end," said guard Brian Waters, according to Patriots.com. "And we've had some things happen for us where we've gotten off to bad starts and end up finishing well. Today is just another lesson learned."
One of those things that has happened for the Patriots has been turnovers—getting them on defense, and avoiding them on offense. And the players know it.
"Really, the last seven games it's been a huge key for us," said Brady. "It's hard to win games when you turn it over. We were the benefactor of some good plays by our defense that I thought the offense capitalized [on] when we got those plays, when we got short fields and we did a good job getting the ball in the end zone."
To say it's been a "huge key" may be the understatement of the century, but give Brady credit for trying. The Patriots have gotten 16 turnovers from opponents while turning it over just twice of their own accord for a turnover differential of +14. But that mantra applies to Belichick's entire tenure.
The Patriots have won games at an historic clip when getting defensive turnovers, and don't win when the defense is unable to get those turnovers. This chart shows New England's win-loss record as it relates to defensive turnovers.
And though this team has shown a great deal of resiliency, they've also gotten a few good bounces along the way. The fact of the matter is that the Patriots have been able to be that resilient team because their defense has capitalized on those opportunities and because their offense hasn't given their opponent those opportunities.
The overriding question all season long has been, which New England Patriots team will we get in the postseason?
Will we get the team that couldn't protect Tom Brady, couldn't get stops on defense and couldn't score a single point in the first half for the second time all season? Or will we get the team that came out fired up like a yule log in the second half? The team that hung 27 unanswered points on those very same Dolphins?
That remains the great unknown, and will remain as such until the clock shows four zeroes in a postseason game. That being said, they've proven that they can't be counted out, and as mentioned in a previous post, it's not as though the AFC playoff teams have been great with ball security.
Although the Patriots preach playing 60 minutes of football, it may come down to whichever team gets closer to that total in January, and with the resiliency this Patriots team has shown, there's no reason to count them out just yet.
Erik Frenz is the co-host of the PatsPropaganda and Frenz podcast. Follow Erik on Twitter.
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