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Super Bowl XLIX – New England Patriots’ return to the Super Bowl remains controversial

Nate Ebner #43 and Chris White #59 of the New England Patriots (credit: Elsa/Getty Images)

The New England Patriots’ return to the Super Bowl for the first time in three years remains controversial after their victory over the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC championship game.

The ongoing debate concerning the under inflated footballs has detracted from the remarkable fact that the Patriots have won the AFC East Division in 11 of the last 12 years, missing out only in 2008 when quarterback Tom Brady was lost for the season in the opening game.

Certainly part of that success has been driven by the generally awful nature of the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets and Buffalo Bills.

The trio afforded the Patriots six games each season that were there’s to lose, but still it remains an impressive accomplishment. Three Super Bowl titles and five overall appearances in said game over such a span is a record that will be hard to match in the salary cap era.

Like the Seattle Seahawks, New England somewhat stumbled out of the gate with defeats to the Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs sandwiching victories over the Minnesota Vikings and Oakland Raiders.

Indeed, the Chiefs hold the dubious distinction of triumphing over both Super Bowl participants and yet failing to make the playoffs this season.

From the setback at Arrowhead Stadium, however, the Patriots would win 10 of 11 before a meaningless game against the Bills on the final week of the season. By that time, New England had sown up the top seed in the AFC and looked every inch the top team in the Conference.

The Seahawks are 10/11 on the money line to retain their championship, while the Patriots are 10/11.

Leigh is, without a doubt, the most over worked writer here at Crunch Sports. A statistician at heart, she can reel off Superbowl plays from decades ago. If we need a deep-dive into the numbers in any sport, we call Leigh first.

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