Tom Brady is the primary reason why the Patriots are perennial Super Bowl contenders. The New England franchise and its now-legendary coach, Bill Belichick, were both stumbling somewhere below mediocrity before Brady stepped onto the field and rebuilt the legacies of both.

 

But Brady’s not the only reason why the 2007 Patriots are the first team in the history of football to see the signature “18-0” after their name.

 

For that engagement with pigskin perfection, we must credit the two most widely criticized elements of this historic team: its defense and its ground game.

 

New England beat San Diego 21-12 Sunday to reach the Super Bowl for the fourth time in Brady’s seven years as an NFL starter. The Patriots are now two-touchdown favorites to beat the Giants for the Lombardi Trophy and to claim one of the handful of four-title decades in NFL history.

 

But the possible penultimate victory in what could prove to be the first 19-0 season in NFL history came on a day when Brady was something less than an immortal.

 

Hell, Brady wasn’t even very good – certainly not by his standards. He completed 22 of 33 passes (66.7%) for 209 yards, 6.3 YPA, 2 TD, 3 INT and a pedestrian 66.4 passer rating – barely better than your typical Peyton Manning postseason performance.

 

But the victory also came on a day when:

 

ONE - New England’s defense held an opponent out of the end zone for the first time this season. The Chargers mustered just four field goals when they needed four touchdowns. It was a colossal accomplishment for a Patriots defense that, at one point late in the season, boasted the single worst red-zone defense in the NFL; and

 

TWO - New England’s ground game had its single most dominating half of the year. Second-year running back Laurence Maroney – perhaps the most widely criticized player on New England’s record-setting 589-point offense – cranked out 106 of his 122 rushing yards in the second half.

 

New England's defense and ground game looked like they struggled all season long – especially compared with the record-setting productivity of the offense.

 

But the Cold, Hard Football Facts assured football fans throughout the season that these aspects of the team were not weaknesses. They were just solid parts of an amazing team that looked downright humble compared with the historic productivity of a passing game that garnered all the headlines this year.

 

As recently as last week, we pointed out that Maroney was one of the single most productive backs in Patriots history. With 4.51 YPA this season, he was just the second Patriots ball carrier in more than two decades to average more than 4.5 YPA (min. 100 attempts).

 

As recently as a couple of days ago, we pointed out that the Patriots defense had surrendered just 288.3 YPG this year – the stingiest average by a New England defense since 1979, and were among the league leaders in most major defensive categories.

 

The defense and ground game proved their merits in the AFC championship game. Historically speaking, the Patriots should have lost.

 

Consider this: in the entire history of the Super Bowl Era, a total of 133 teams have thrown three or more picks in a game.

 

Their cumulative record in that game is a dreadful 18-115 (.135).

 

The legend Brady himself has been responsible for two of those 3-pick games. And his Patriots are 2-0 in those two games, utterly defying the dictates of the laws of average.

 

His first three-pick playoff game came in the 2006 divisional playoffs at San Diego. Somehow, the Patriots overcame the errors and earned an improbable 24-21 victory.

 

His second three-pick playoff game came Sunday, in the 2007 AFC title game, also against San Diego. Somehow, the Patriots overcame the errors again, this time to post a 21-12 victory that seemed quite – well – pre-ordained, as New England overran the overmatched Chargers in the fourth quarter.

 

But historically speaking, the Patriots should have lost. Most teams in the history of football – the .135 postseason winning percentage speaks for itself – would have lost.

 

But there’s a reason why the Patriots are the first 18-0 team in the history of football. They just may be the most complete team in the history of football.

 

The Patriots have been seeking a championship-caliber ground game and defense throughout their first 17 games. And Sunday night, in the AFC championship game, they found they had both.

 

Of course, Cold, Hard Football Facts readers knew they had both all along. The "pundits" just missed the story ... as usual.