Through seven weeks of the NFL season, it's impossible to ignore the New England Patriots.
The Pats have not only won their first seven games - they've completely dominated. They have scored at least 34 points in every contest, and their closest final score was a 34-17 win over the Cleveland Browns.
Their point differential of +159 is simply outrageous. Teams don't outscore their opponents by that much through seven games.
If that isn't enough to impress you, then how about the fact that with 279 points through seven games, the Patriots have already outscored the entire seasons of last year's Browns, Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans and Oakland Raiders?
The individual statistics are just as eye-popping. Tom Brady's ratio of 27 touchdowns to two interceptions is incredible. His 128.9 quarterback rating is better than Peyton Manning's was during his record year, and he's on pace to break Peyton's single-season touchdown record as well. His completion percentage of 72.5 is on pace to be the best in league history too.
Why is Brady having a career year?
A lot of his success can be attributed to a talented set of new receivers who were brought in by head coach Bill Belichick and Vice President of Player Personnel Scott Pioli.
At the end of last year, the Pats' two leading receivers were Reche Caldwell and Troy Brown. This year, the Patriots added a host of new players: Donte' Stallworth, who was the Philadelphia Eagles' top receiver but is nothing more than a deep threat on the Pats; Wes Welker, a bonafide playmaker who already has five touchdowns on the year; and most importantly, Randy Moss. With this changeover, Caldwell, their leading receiver in 2006, didn't even make the roster this year.
The year before, their top receiver was a disgruntled Deion Branch, a former Super Bowl MVP who eventually demanded a trade and ended up with the Seattle Seahawks, traded for a first-round pick. And then ironically, after turning Branch into a draft pick of Miami safety Brandon Meriweather, the Pats turned around and dealt for Moss, one of the best receivers ever - for a fourth-rounder.
Did anyone doubt that Moss would succeed in New England?
It seemed that all the former Minnesota Vikings star needed was a little motivation. The superstar was inconsistent during his stint with the hapless Raiders, but is now leading the league with 722 yards and 10 touchdowns through seven games. He caught two touchdowns last weekend, both of them while blanketed in double coverage.
With this powerful offense, Belichick's defense might be getting ignored, but that should not be the case. The unit ranks second in the NFL, allowing a mere 257 total yards per game, and sixth with 15.3 points allowed per game. For the first time since signing linebacker Rosevelt Colvin in 2003, they added a premier name on defense this offseason, signing top free agent linebacker Adalius Thomas from the Ravens. With Thomas added to a defense that has been one of the best for three of the past four years, the Patriots are as dangerous as they've ever been without the ball.
With this kind of team, is it too early to start declaring the Patriots one of the best teams of all time? Maybe, but they're clearly on their way, as they have not been challenged in a single game this year. The most revealing game will be their yearly rivalry match with the Indianapolis Colts, the defending Super Bowl champions, in two weeks. If the Patriots win the game, they will be the clear Super Bowl favorites, and people will start talking about an undefeated season.
There's still a long way to go, but no team has been as dominant on both sides of the ball as the Patriots have been this season. Through seven weeks, they are as close to perfect as a team can be.
