Bit of a hosejob against the Pats at the end. Interference is interference ... or so I thought.
Then again, if that Pats had come up with something in their first three possessions, that last play might not have mattered. Pats just can't score consistently from the red zone.
50/50 calls are just that, 50/50 calls. Can't depend on them to win games, and if you lose a game because of one, well, you should have put yourself in a better position.
The Panthers fit the mold of the type of team that manhandles the Patriots. They're going to be a legit playoff team this year. I could see them going deep with the formula they have.
The Pats don't have the pieces on defense to make up for the inconsistent offense. Brady just doesn't have the weapons, even with Gronk and Amendola and Vereen healthy.
I agree that they should've put themselves in a better position than the one they were in on the last play, but I'm not sure that was a 50/50 call. The DB had Gronk just about wrapped up.
The announcers had a former official on hand, and he said that no call was the correct call because, since the ball was intercepted, Gronk had no chance to catch it, thus no interference. But I've seen interference called away from the ball, so I don't see why this wouldn't have been a penalty.
You make a good point, though, in comparing the Brady/Belichick Patriots to the Doc/New Big 3 C's—they have a certain way of doing things, for good and for bad, and it isn't likely to change. I, too, think the Brady/Belichick Pats are done winning Super Bowls—and they may not even make it to another one. Certainly not this season with half their defense missing.
