... the defining characteristics of this Patriots team have begun to emerge.

What we have seen is a decent team—a team that performs well in spurts, but lacks any kind of sustained excellence. Basically, a team like every other NFL team.

The Patriots are emerging from an era in which excellence was a given, an expected quantity in any given game. This year's team, though, has several exploitable, well-defined weaknesses.

How does one beat the Patriots this year? The following are important factors:

 

Have an accurate, risk-averse quarterback

Denver had several long drives against the Pats basically centered around their short passing game. They did not really connect on any long plays of ...

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