It's weird how much better the Patriots are in reality than perception

If you've been watching the New England Patriots play this season, they don't seem like a very good football team, especially when compared to years past.  Tom Brady may finally be getting a little old, and he can't quite make all the throws as consistently as he used to.  And the guys catching (or not catching) his passes are definitely not on par with what we have become accustomed to (quick sidebar - I said this before the season started and I'm going to put it in writing now, I don't expect to ever see Rob Gronkowski put up Pro-Bowl type numbers again for this team).  As a whole the offense has been extremely unreliable and inconsistent.

Yet somehow they are still 5-1, a record that ranks among the 5 best in the NFL.  If you look ahead at New England's 10 remaining games, the Patriots will most likely be favored in all of them except Denver.  There's a very good chance we're watching another 12-4/13-3/competing-for-a-first-round-bye type of season.  Even if the Pats stumble to a 5-5 record the rest of the way, they'll still finish 10-6, and probably with another AFC East crown.

When you've been spoiled with greatness for so long, "really good" feels like a disappointment.

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