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[Teach]

As we are now just one week away from next Sunday’s 4:25 p.m. matchup, I’d like to focus on the two teams’ records, thus far, in the 2019 NFL season.

Before I do, I’ll mention that both teams are coming of a bye week. The Patriots, under Bill Belichick, sport a 14-5 record after a bye week. The Eagles, on the hand, since 2014, are 2-3.

The Patriots stand atop the AFC East with an 8-1 record; the Eagles, on the other hand, are 5-4. They’re second behind the Cowboys in the NFC East.

As an aside, tangentially, when I was a high school history teacher, I had a colleague whose favorite question was: “Was it the man/woman who made history, or was it the period time into which that person was born that made the man/woman?”

That same question, in a different format, could be asked of the New England Patriots. “Was it the schedule that allowed the Patriots to get off to an undefeated 8-0 start, or was it the team’s overall ability that allowed them to excel? Or was it a combination of the two?” Personally, I see it as combination.

Yet, last Sunday, against a playoff-bound Ravens, “the bubble” burst. The Patriots came down to earth. The question remains: “Is this a harbinger of things to come, or was it just “a blip” on the radar screen? An aberration? If I knew the answer to that question, beforehand, I’d be sunning myself in Aruba on the ‘playa linda’.

I’d first like to look at the Patriots. In the opening week, they trounced the Steelers who, at the time, were trying to establish “their identity.” The “Steel City Boys" have recently won three-straight. They remain in contention for a playoff berth. The Patriots then trounced the Dolphins and Jets. Two teams with a combined record of 2-14. They then defeated the Bills, 16-10, in a nip-and-tuck game. After that, the Patriots defeated the hapless Redskins, 1-8, and the Giants, 2-7 records. In the ensuing week, they again trounced the Jets (“seeing ghosts” and it wasn’t even Halloween).

The Patriots then defeated the Browns in a game that was probably closer than the 27-13 final score. If Nick Clegg hadn’t been stripped of the ball in the “red zone,” the complexion of that game might have changed. Then, of course, they faced the Ravens and came up on short-end 34-20 score.

As for the Eagles, they squeaked by the Redskins and then lost to the cellar-dwelling Falcons. The Falcons have lost 6-straight. The Eagles then lost to the Lions, but they then surprised everyone by beating a very good Green Bay Packers team. The Eagles then trounced the Jets (just about everybody does), but they proceeded to lose to the Vikings. The Cowboys then easily defeated the Eagles, but “the Broad Street Boys” have strung together two-straight against the formidable Bills and the "slip-sliding away" Chicago Bears.

At this juncture I ask: “In which direction are the Eagles headed in their heretofore up-and-down season. Again, If I knew the answer to that question, I’d be de-planing in Oranjestad.