Who Can Beat New England?

     If the Summer of Deflategate was what prompted Tom Brady to be playing at GOAT-status this year, then Robert Kraft should duel with the commissioner every damn summer. Brady has been unstoppable: just look at the numbers. Through 6 games, he's thrown for 2,054 yards, completed 68.9% of his passes, has a 16:1 touchdown to interception rating, and has an average QBR of 113.2 - his highest since the undefeated 2007 season. Brady has controlled the game, setting the pace of every offensive drive, being wickedly (to use a Boston colloquialism) accurate, and, most importantly, knowing his limits as they relate to arm strength and never attempting to do more than he can, which is still a hell of a lot, especially at his age.
     This Patriots team, on paper, is honestly nowhere near as good as many of the Patriots teams of yore, especially last years. Bradley Fletcher is starting at cornerback. If you recognize more than half of the starting defensive line, you're lying. And the offensive line, already shaky and honestly over performing, is one injury away from blowing up. While these units don't seem entirely scary, the way they are performing as a whole is one of the best examples I've seen of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. The Patriots are cruising right now, dismissing their opponents with a simple Gronk spike. Can they continue it? Unlikely. But looking at their schedule, who can beat them?
     The Patriots have to face each of their divisional foes once more, with the exception of the Dolphins, whom they have to face twice. Can any of these teams beat the Pats? The Jets provided New England with their first real challenge, keeping it close past halftime, which no other team has been able to do. The second game, in Week 16, will depend on what they're playing for. If the Jets are fighting for a playoff spot, their urgency could propel them to a win, but Belichek has never been known to give anyone a game, whatever the circumstances. Even if the Patriots have nothing to play for, they won't give in. It should be a close game, barring any serious injuries on either side, but that should be the closest challenge the Patriots will face from in their division. The Bills can always surprise, but I don't think they'll bring anything the Patriots can't handle. The Dolphins have improved since their coaching change, but they've faced two mediocre teams. The defense has seemed out of sync at times, and you can bet Brady and Co. will take full advantage.
     In the NFC East, the Patriots still have to face the Redskins, Eagles, and Giants, all of which are wildly inconsistent. They shouldn't have any problem with the 'Skins or Eagles, but if the Giants can continue with their midseason momentum, and considering the Patriots' vulnerability as it comes to the Giants, they could pose a challenge. Considering the Giants' recent habit of giving away games in the fourth quarter, and the Patriots' ability to absolutely own any fourth quarter and come back from any deficit, I think that the Giants, while a threat, won't be too much of a problem
     In the AFC, the Patriots have the privilege of playing the AFC South this year. Left on the docket are the Texans and the Titans, neither of whom should pose a problem under any circumstance.
     The only other team on the remaining schedule is the Broncos. One may think this would be the Patriots' biggest threat, and it might be. The Broncos are also 6-0, and their defense has been the best in football. Peyton Manning, on the other hand, has been atrocious. The wins disguise it, but he has played with the extremely unconvincingly. Considering that Brady has won the last three Brady-Manning duels, and Manning's ineptitude of 2015, I don't think that this game will be particularly close.
     There's definitely an argument to be made that the Patriots will have an off week, and that the level of success that they're enjoying is extremely hard to sustain. Most of the undefeated teams will lose at some point just because of the improbability of going 16-0. If this were to happen to the Patriots, it would likely be to the Jets, Giants, or Broncos, as I've mentioned. But this unlikely bunch is showing no signs of slowing, and though this team is nowhere as good-looking on paper as the 2007 Patriots, the 2011 Patriots, or even the 2014 Patriots, this patchy defense and gritty while still aerial offense might just find itself undefeated, or close to it, at the end of the season.