Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

I get what youre saying saturdaysarebetter, but in that 9-year gap between championships, the Patriots still went to another five AFC Championship games, winning two but losing those SB games in 2007 and 2011. Still dynastic success in my opinion, although those divisional playoff losses in 2005, 2009,2010 take off some of the luster. Even when they didnt make the playoffs in 2008 with Matt Cassel, they still won 11 games.

I can see where the dynasties split in two, but just so much success from 2001 - 2019. The crazy thing is, despite all those SB appearances, players like Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Logan Mankins, Danny Woodhead, Junior Seau and others never got a SB championship.

Eli Manning had something to do with that. Thank goodness or we'd never hear the end of the Patriots glory years.

I think once you lower the bar to playoff and non-Super Bowl years you then can start to add other teams into the mix (opening a Pandora's box?) and water down the greatness of a dynasty. Does the true Steelers dynasty of 1974-1979 then add 1972 and 1973?

Do the Cowboys of the '90s add playoff years 1991 and 1996? Tom Landry's Cowboys won two Super Bowls five years apart and missed only one post-season from 1966-1983. Is that dynastic? Do you add 1970 and 1974 to the Miami Dolphins dynasty?

I stand firm in my belief that the Patriots had two dynasties and no true dynasty went NINE years between winning a Super Bowl or a title in any sport.

Those Patriot dynasties came down to a few plays.

The first one came down to the Tuck Rule and the hard Vinatieri FG in the snow to tie the game. If neither of those works out for them, those three titles may never have happened.

The second one came down to Beastmode not getting the ball. If he does, and the Seahawks score, Brady may have been traded by 2016 (Trey Wingo said this in the "what if" that him and Kevin Frazier did for Wondery Sports in their Alternate Routes series).