CHESTNUT HILL, MASS. — It was a classic case of strength versus strength as the University of New Hampshire (UNH) Wildcats (11-10-1, 5-7-1) played the No. 20 Boston College (BC) Eagles (10-8-3, 5-6-2)...

Foxborough, Massachusetts is a town built by underdogs. A franchise that nearly folded and moved, a sixth-round quarterback in Tom Brady and a seventh-round QB turned wide receiver in Julian Edelman. Edelman was in every fiber of his being an underdog. He stands at only 5-foot-10, wasn't invited to the NFL combine and was the 232nd overall pick. Nothing about Edelman in 2009 said he was going to be one of the greatest postseason receivers the game has ever seen – he was.

Tom Brady advanced to his 10th career Super Bowl last Sunday when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers went on the road to defeat Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game. Brady’s performance late in the season with a new team may be providing clarity to a question people have been asking themselves for years. This may also serve as a well-needed wake-up call to Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots – at least that’s what many may have thought.

The New England Patriots returned from a two-game trip to Los Angeles after a dominant win over the Chargers and an equally woeful loss to the Rams. The same week that Tom Brady said he never plans on returning to the cold of the Northeast, in all likelihood, the Patriots won’t be returning to the playoffs this year either. Sitting at third in the AFC with a record of 6-7, the Patriots are on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. However, this doesn’t mean there isn’t anything for the Patriots to be playing for in their final three matchups.