E-Mail This Article to a Friend Thanksgiving’s over, but Patriots fans are licking their chops BY CHRISTOPHER YOUNG

When the 2004 NFL schedule was published, New England Patriots fans eagerly scanned the ledger — ostensibly for two purposes. First, when would "The Streak" — at 15 games after the Pats’ Super Bowl victory — become an endangered species by virtue of a tough opponent? Second, how would the schedule shape up overall, and where would the pitfalls lie?

Most people agreed that after the NFL season-opener on September 9 against the Colts, the schedule would resemble a veritable bookend of creampuffs. Arizona, Buffalo, and Miami would serve as the lesser-quality adversaries in the first month, similarly challenged competition would loom in the final month, and the true tests would arrive at the season’s midpoint.

And that is how it’s actually played out, with one exception. The meat of the schedule — which began back on October 17 and included home games with the Seahawks, Jets, and Ravens and road tilts in Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and KC — is now over, and though the streak did indeed end in Steel City on Halloween, the rest of the supposed powerhouses were laid to waste by the New England juggernaut. The Steelers have made a case for themselves as the NFL’s best team right now, but their month-old victory over the Patriots still has an asterisk attached to it: the win was accomplished at home while the Pats were Corey Dillon–less, Ty Law–less, and against a Patriot defensive and offensive line significantly depleted by injury. And don’t forget the World Series hangover that all New Englanders were recovering from during that weekend.

Despite all the wounded, the Pats still earned tough road wins in St. Louis and Kansas City, and have also shut down the Seahawks’, Jets’, and Bills’ explosive offenses. On Sunday, they faced the defensive stalwarts known as the Ravens, but the Boys in Blue put up 24 points on Baltimore and gave a lesson in defense that Brian Billick’s bunch could only admire.

New England, like Pittsburgh, is 10-1, and there is a chance that two 15-1 squads could emerge from the same conference. Who has the easier path to that lofty status and the coveted home-field advantage throughout the post-season? The Steelers still have imposing road games at Jacksonville, New York (Giants), and Buffalo (in January!), while hosting the Jets and Ravens. New England, as mentioned, has survived the worst of its ledger. It now has consecutive games against a Cleveland team that just scored 48 points on Sunday — and lost — and the Bengals squad that beat them, albeit while giving up six TDs to QB Kelly Holcomb on its home field. Think that kind of D will pay similar dividends against Tom Brady & Co. in Foxborough two weeks hence?

After those contests, the Pats will finish at Miami, at the Jets (who’ll likely be fighting for a wild-card berth), and host the pathetic 49ers (a team that just lost at home to those same 2-9 Dolphins). Other than the date in the Meadowlands, a 15-1 finish seems more than probable.

Those who occupied the couch on Thanksgiving Day were likely horrified by the level of play exhibited by three of the four teams showcased that day. The Lions were ridiculously inept, the Cowboys were mere shadows of last year’s Parcellsian model, and the Bears and their no-name QB put up zero points against a Cowpoke defense that had surrendered 105 over its previous three games. What that wretched exhibition of supposed top-level NFL football showed New England is that we are currently bearing witness to one of the most dynamic and talented football teams ever assembled — one that, barring injury, will soon carve its name into the monolith of league dynasties. While the Denvers of the world can lose at home to Oakland and 9-2 Atlanta barely beats New Orleans, the Patriots play on another level altogether. Need proof? How about 25 wins in their last 26 contests, and scoring first in an NFL–record 16 straight games?

Whether Pittsburgh will have another chance to show that they are of the same caliber remains to be seen. But should Dillon, Law (whose hamstring is healing along with his broken foot), Tyrone Poole, and the rest of the decimated secondary return at full strength, then even that quintessential AFC title game could be a mismatch of epic proportions.

There are plenty of us who remember when the Patriots franchise was regarded as a laughingstock, but right now the Pats are playing the game right. The Ravens were the latest contenders to find out that even their above-average play is on a vastly different plane than the one showcased weekly by Bill Belichick’s bunch.

There are five weeks left in the season, but Patriots fans are already champing at the bit for their team to make the playoffs. The next quintet of foes will provide marginal competition and could yield injuries, so why play ’em?

Fast-forward to the Steelers for the real Super Bowl.

"Sporting Eye" runs Mondays and Fridays at BostonPhoenix.com. Christopher Young can be reached at cyoung[a]phx.com