What Would Another Ring Mean for Brady, Belichick, Patriots Dynasty?

The New England Patriots officially have a date with the Seattle Seahawks for Super Bowl XLIX.

The Patriots throttled the Indianapolis Colts 45-7 on Sunday to become AFC champions for the third time in eight years and the sixth time since Bill Belichick became head coach in 2000.

"I only have one thing to say." Belichick said during the postgame broadcast. "We're on to Seattle."

Against Seattle, the Patriots will have an opportunity to make history.

The Patriots under Belichick have already gone on a historic run. The team has taken the AFC East division title in 11 of the past 12 years and posted a winning record every season since 2001. In two weeks, Belichick will join Don Shula (2-4) as the only head coach to appear in six Super Bowls. 

Quarterback Tom Brady, who made his first NFL start in 2001, will become the first quarterback to start in six Super Bowls and the second to appear in six. 

The sustained success is a credit to Belichick, Brady and owner Robert Kraft, who purchased the franchise in 1994.

However, the Patriots haven't won the Super Bowl since defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21 following the 2004 season. New England's last two trips to the big game ended in losses to the New York Giants. This is why Super Bowl XLIX will be a defining moment for Brady, Belichick and the entire Patriots franchise.

If the Patriots manage to defeat Seattle, it will cement these Brady-Belichick teams as the greatest dynasty in league history.

Some will argue that the 2001-2015 Patriots already are the greatest dynasty. After all, the group has set a slew of records and featured perhaps the best coach-quarterback duo of all time. However, plenty will debate on behalf of other candidates. 

There are the Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970s, who appeared in the postseason eight times and won four Super Bowls.

Then there are the San Francisco 49ers of the 1980s and '90s. From 1981-1997, the 49ers reached the postseason 16 times and took home the Lombardi Trophy five times. The 49ers, of course, used two different head coaches and two different quarterbacks to make their five Super Bowl appearances.

Another Super Bowl win would give the Patriots the best of both worlds.

Another win gives Belichick four rings, matching the total for Steelers head coach Chuck Noll. It would also give Brady four, the same number held by Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw and 49ers quarterback Joe Montana. 

Another win would allow the Patriots to match the 49ers in terms of time from first Super Bowl victory to latest. San Francisco won its first following the 1981 season, its last in 1995. 

Belichick would become arguably the greatest coach in league history (tied for most Super Bowl appearances and most wins). Despite not having regular-season numbers like Peyton Manning or Montana's 4-0 championship record, Brady would be up there with the greatest signal-callers in league history. 

People will argue these points, of course. Arguing against the consistency and hardware of this Patriots' run as the best ever would be virtually impossible.

This is only true if the Patriots are victorious in Super Bowl XLIX, which will be a difficult task given the historically great Seattle defense.

A loss drops Brady and Belichick to 3-3 on the sport's biggest stage and leaves them still sitting behind those rare few who have achieved more. This would keep the duo just below the sport's pinnacle, and the Patriots' dynasty would be ranked a cut below the greatest.