New England Patriots - NESN.com
As Super Bowl LIX nears, with the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles preparing to do battle, one can’t help but think of the legendary country music band Lonestar when reflecting on how the Patriots should view the NFL’s title game.
Lonestar had a relatively unheralded single release in 2005 titled “Class Reunion.” The song is about, unsurprisingly, a high-school reunion. However, the chorus starts “That used to be us, we used to be cool,” a line that should hit painfully close to home for Patriots fans watching the Super Bowl these days.
And while the glory days have since passed in New England, there’s renewed hope for a return to glory amid a pivotal offseason. As that gets put on the back burner for The Big Game on Sunday, here are 40 Patriots-related Super Bowl thoughts to chew on.
(Why 40, you ask? Because we were gonna do 59, but that’s just too many thoughts, man.)
1. No matter what happens Sunday, the Patriots’ dynasty is safe. Six is greater than four, and while a Chiefs three-peat would be unprecedented, there’s still separation between the two franchises.
2. Similarly, Patrick Mahomes is a long way behind Tom Brady. Just don’t forget this: At 41 and again at 44, Brady’s teams knocked out the Chiefs on the way to titles. Insane.
3. A win Sunday would be Andy Reid’s 302nd of his career, including the playoffs; that would match Bill Belicick’s regular-season win total.
4. Former Patriots offensive lineman Joe Thuney is trying to win his fourth Super Bowl in nine seasons. Already a two-time All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler, another ring could put him among the future Hall of Famers in this game.
5. Thuney’s versatility — he’s kicked out to left tackle — is a huge reason KC is still dancing.
6. Speaking of ex-Patriots: The Chiefs have a bunch of ’em, as expert troll and Boston Globe reporter Ben Volin pointed out this week.
7. Looking to potentially return the favor, NESN.com’s Keagan Stiefel circled six Chiefs who could be Patriots next season.
8. The most sensical of that group might be edge rusher Charles Omenihu, who has been productive when healthy.
9. DeAndre Hopkins also made that list, and while he might not make sense for the Patriots, it would benefit New England to grab a veteran wideout in that mold to help Drake Maye’s progression.
10. Speaking of progression, in Mahomes’ second full season as starter, KC won the Super Bowl. In Jalen Hurts’ second full season, the Eagles went to the Super Bowl.
11. This is a good read comparing the Patriots and Chiefs dynasties from The Ringer. Will KC ever get as hated as New England was?
12. How much different would the Patriots-Chiefs conversation be if Dee Ford wasn’t offside, though?
13. Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie is already elite. KC drafted him at No. 21 overall in 2022 — a pick the Chiefs got from the Patriots, who traded down … and...
