Ray Lewis: 'We May See A New Crown In The AFC'
(CBS Boston) -- The New England Patriots, at 11-3, are trudging through another winning season. They also have the inside track on the AFC East division title, which would be their 11th straight, along with a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the divisional round. A win over the Buffalo Bills in Week 16 or the Miami Dolphins in Week 17 will lock up the AFC East. (The Bills need to win their last two and have the Patriots lose their last two to leapfrog into the lead.) The top seed in the AFC remains in play.
The defense, traditionally a relative team weakness, is one of the NFL's best. Their play early in the season put them in conversations about the best in history. While that may have been a slight stretch, the drop-off has been fairly mild as the season has progressed. They still rank at or near the top across any number of statistical categories, including yards allowed (268.4) and points allowed (12.9) per game. Only the Baltimore Ravens topped 30 points against them. Cornerback Stephon Gilmore has been mentioned among the candidates for Defensive Player Of The Year.
So why is everyone so down on the Super Bowl champions? Isn't this the same team who has played in four of the last five title games, winning three of them, and is still led by Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, the winning-est coach-quarterback combination?
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Yes, it is. But this year's offense hasn't bloomed as it has in previous seasons. Something doesn't seem right. While the Patriots still score, their 26.6 points per game has them sixth in the league, they struggle to move the ball. Their 349.9 yards per games sandwiches them between the Baker Mayfield-led Cleveland Browns and Cam Newton-less Carolina Panthers in terms of production. Neither of those teams can be considered offensive juggernauts. They certainly don't measure up to the AFC offenses in line to win their respective divisions.
Tom Brady has topped 200 yards passing just once in his last four games. And only one of those four opponents -- the Dallas Cowboys -- fields a decent defense.
And then there are the injuries. Brady has dealt with injuries this season, due to right elbow, toe and shoulder issues. That's not uncommon for the 42-year-old quarterback, who's enjoyed a rather healthy career. But Belichick recently noted that Brady has lately faced limitations in practice. Wide receiver Julian Edelman also continues to play through pain.
All this and more suggests that the Patriots may have to keep winning despite their offense not because of it.
Inside The NFL analyst Ray Lewis can see both sides, noting of Brady, "he's one warrior that you can never count out." History has certainly taught us that much.
But the future looks ominous as well.
"I just think the road that has to be traveled through the AFC is the road that they have already been down," says Lewis. "And all three of those quarterbacks are getting better. That's Lamar Jackson, Deshaun Watson and Pat Mahomes. When you talk about Tom running into one of them, or two of them, or possibly, all three of them? I think this year we may see a new crown in the AFC."
The playoffs are coming, and the Patriots will be there. Beyond that, who knows what will happen?
You can catch Ray Lewis along with Phil Simms, Brandon Marshall, Michael Irvin, and host James Brown on Inside The NFL every Tuesday night at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime.
