[sportscurmudgeon]

One reason the Pats are so successful is that the just don’t beat themselves. Here is a stat I ran across that is very telling.

Usually, stats are for losers who use them to justify how close they came to winning or to justify how unlucky they were or to blame the game officials. This stat is for winners because it is part of why the Pats win.

In their last 5 playoff games – dating back to January 2002, the Pats have had 356 offensive plays. Their offensive line has committed only 5 penalties in those 356 plays – 4 false starts and 1 holding penalty!