Facts trump pride, ego and "pundits"

Some "pundits" still have trouble coping with New England's success. Primary among them is Michael Irvin of ESPN.

Irvin refuses to admit that the 2004 Patriots are better than any team of the Dallas dynasty of the 1990s. Of course, Irvin played for those Dallas teams. So it's easy to understand the pride he feels playing for one of the greatest teams in NFL history.

But the Cold, Hard Football Facts know no such thing as pride. They defer only to the harsh, inalterable reality of raw numbers. They have peered intently at NFL history and made these conclusions:

• The Patriots posted better records against tougher opponents than those Dallas teams of the 1990s. The Cold, Hard Football Facts issued this ruling earlier this week.

• The Patriots have beaten 10 teams with winning records in each of the past two seasons. No other team in NFL history has beaten 10 winning teams even once. Over the past two years, New England has a 20-1 record against winning teams (or, as we call them, quality opponents). Quite simply, the Patriots are the most battle-tested team in NFL history and the most succesful team in those battles. The Cold, Hard Football Facts issued this decree earlier this year.

• The Patriots are just the second team in NFL history to beat the No. 1 scoring offense and the No. 1 scoring defense in the same postseason. The Cold, Hard Football Facts handed down this judgment following the AFC title game.

• New England's ability to beat top opponents has continued in the postseason. We looked at every Super Bowl champion since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. We discovered that no team faced stiffer postseason competition than the 2004 Patriots.

Unfortunately, pride clouds judgment. That's clearly the case with Irvin. He insists his Dallas teams are better because they faced the likes of San Francisco and Green Bay in the postseason. But Irvin is wrong. The Cold, Hard Football Facts prove in no uncertain terms that his Dallas teams faced a series of postseason cakewalks compared with the challenges New England overcame on its way to three Super Bowls in four seasons.

Here's a list of every Super Bowl winner since the AFL-NFL merger, with the cumulative records of their playoff opponents. Note that Bill Belichick has played a role in overcoming three of the four toughest postseason records in modern NFL history.

The bottom line is that the 2004 Patriots take a back seat to no team in football history when it comes to the quality of the opponents they faced in the regular season and, again, in the postseason.