NFL Week 10: Tom Brady and the New England Patriots Become Super Bowl Favorites

After a three-yard touchdown run by Tom Brady late in the third quarter vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers last night, he spiked the ball into the ground, sending a shockwave throughout the NFL.

The New England Patriots and Tom Brady sent a message to the AFC last night, letting every team know they are the team to beat, and the road to the Super Bowl goes down Route 1 in Foxboro, Massachusetts.

After an embarrassing loss last week to the Cleveland Browns, the Patriots and head coach Bill Belichick were prepared for last night's game vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers in every way.

The Patriots shredded the Steelers' vaunted defense all night, through the air and on the ground. The Steelers allowed the most points ever for a regular season home game, and the Patriots also hold the most points scored for an away team in the playoffs at Heinz Field (41 from the 2004 AFC title game).

Without a deep threat in the passing game, and running backs anybody outside of New England has heard of, Tom Brady and the Patriots offense picked apart the Steelers' defense like no one else has this season.

Brady completed 30 of 40 passes for 350 yards passing and three touchdowns, all of which were caught by rookie tight end Rob Gronkowski. The Patriots finally found a successful rushing attack, led by BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who rushed for 87 yards on 18 carries.

The whole demeanor of the Patriots was quite different than the Steelers. New England wanted the game a lot more, and showed much more passion and emotion the entire game. 

Television cameras were often focused on Tom Brady yelling at his teammates for not executing several times. In an ESPNBoston.com article written by Mike Reiss last updated Nov. 15, Brady explained the emotions of the game to the media:

"There's only one way to play the game, and it's an emotional game," Brady said afterward. "I think part of being a quarterback is making sure that everyone's into it and I thought all the guys played really hard and stayed focused. It was an exciting win for all of us. We haven't been this happy in a long time."

Brady has shown he's fully capable of leading a prolific passing attack without Randy Moss, and used a short, intermediate passing game to take apart the Steelers. Brady completed a pass to eight different receivers last night, something that is very encouraging. With Moss on the field, Brady looked Moss's way too much, often forcing passes to him when he was well-covered. 

The much maligned Patriots defense bent but refused to break last night, and the turning point of the game was an interception return for a touchdown by safety James Sanders in the fourth quarter. Sanders caught a deflected pass by fellow safety Patrick Chung and returned it 32 yards to the end zone.

The defense will make mistakes, but with each practice, it's getting better. The Patriots admitted they were awful in the Browns game, and set out to have a good week of practice leading up to last night's game. 

Belichick's defense is very young, but is talented and fearless. Captain Jerod Mayo leads the NFL with 105 tackles, and is quickly becoming an elite linebacker. The more experience the young secondary gains, the better it will become.

The rumors of the Patriots dynasty crumbling before our eyes were greatly exaggerated. 

Most importantly, the Patriots are led by Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, the best quarterback/head coach duo in NFL history. As long as these two are running the show in Foxboro, the Patriots will remain the toughest team to beat in the NFL.

The New England Patriots are ready to make a run for their fifth Super Bowl appearance in 10 years, and they have the experience and leadership of the best quarterback and coach of all time leading the way.