I'm not much of a football fan, but the Patriots have me tuning in at odd hours of the night just to see the point spread.  I'm wondering if they might possibly hold on to their "undefeated" moniker for the entire season.  And that possibility really makes me want to tune in to all the antics on the field (even if I don't understand every play or call that is made).   

This week, I found the game in just in time to see them losing.  Before I had the chance to be shocked, I was cheering away at the touchdown made in the final few minutes of the game, giving them a 27-24 come-from-behind win, one of the closest and most intense of the season.  Flags were thrown.  The play was as controversial as any other this season, but in the end, their "undeafeated" title remained intact.  The replay showed that Gaffney had both feet in bounds and (though some would disagree) the ball firmly in control.  At least I thought so.  The refs agreed and another win was on the books for the winning Patriots.

I keep hearing this is New England's year for sports.  First it was the Red Sox.  Now it's the Patriots.  Whether it's "their year" or not - denoting some sort of magic spell cast over the region - it seems to me that they should be credited for having a near-perfect team, a great quarterback, an amazing coach, and a whole lot of momentum working in their favor.  It also makes me wonder why they aren't being applauded for having won three Superbowls since 2001.  I mean, we are talking about one of the best teams in football, like it or not.

For what it's worth, the game drew the largest-ever cable audience averaging 17.5 million viewers, beating out Disney's High School Musical 2 movie in August with 17.2 million viewers.  Someone's paying attention.  That's for sure.