ATLANTA _ As the confetti fell inside U.S. Bank Stadium, Tom Brady and Bill Belichick walked off the field with dejected looks on their faces. All of the Patriots left that cold Minnesota night last February upset and probably wondering if they lost their last opportunity to win a Super Bowl when Brady's Hail Mary fell incomplete.
Brady was 40 after all, and not many quarterbacks are still at the top of their game in their 40s. There were stories about the fracturing relationship between the once-in-generation quarterback and once-in-a-generation head coach, as well as the head coach and the owner.
Then 2018 started with the Patriots losing two of their first three games. All eyes shifted to the Kansas City Chiefs with their hot young quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, and their exciting and seemingly unstoppable offense. The Patriots were too old to make another Super Bowl was a popular belief, albeit a wrong one.
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