The Patriots lost the AFC Championship game at home against the Baltimore Ravens. A game where the Patriots were a nine-point favorites, but came up empty in trying to get back to the Super Bowl and make amends to a heartbreaking loss to the Giants.
While most of New England woke up with the hangover-like fog that a tough loss like that brought, and I admit I felt it too, it’s actually fine with me.
Heck, the better team won. The Patriots didn’t play well and the Ravens played a heckuva game. They made the plays. The Patriots did not. I’d rather be beaten like that than lose on a last-second fluke play or a missed field goal. That’s when the pain of realizing what “could have been” really sets in.
There has been a lot of talk radio blah blah blah about how awful the loss was, and how devastated folks are. But this was no contest. The Ravens came in with the perfect game plan, executed and even though several didn’t hold back in their post-game comments, they had every right.
But perhaps that might be the best thing for the Patriots. At least I hope, and maybe I’m reaching. I lived through the agony of the Patriots getting walloped in the Super Bowl against the Bears and Packers, only to see the team rebound and actually earn the right to lift the Lombardi trophy with my vote for the best New England sports moment with Vinatieri’s field goal to beat the heavily-favored Rams.
The Bruins just couldn’t get past the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup finals. I remember listening on the radio in my dorm in college (yes, we had no cable tv), and while it took several years later, the Bruins finally came through.
The Red Sox. Well speaking of agony, I remember listening to the horrific radio call of the immortal Brett Boone walk-off home run off Tim Wakefield in 2003, but rejoicing with the 2004 World Series title.
The Celtics have a history of titles and the 2008 banner year win against the Lakers was epic.
The point I am trying to stress is the trend of needing to show resiliency in the face of adversity. When times are tough, when it may feel like the end of the world (and remember, it’s only sports as there are much more important real world issues to really be concerned about), these times can be a learning experience and a motivating one at that.
The Patriots will bounce back. Let’s all take a deep breath and enjoy an incredible decade of three Super Bowl titles, two baseball World Series Championships, one NBA Championship, and one NHL Stanley Cup title.
Not too bad.
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