Patriots begin a quest that is not too absurd

Tonight's game against Denver is the first step.
DENVER (AP) -- Denver's quest for a third straight Super Bowl title was over almost as soon as it began.
John Elway had retired, paving the way for Brian Griese.
Terrell Davis suffered a knee injury while making a tackle on an interception return.
Shannon Sharpe soon joined Davis on the bench with an injury. The Broncos started 0-4.
"We weren't even close, for a number of reasons," coach Mike Shanahan said.
Unprecedented
The New England Patriots visit the Broncos tonight for a playoff game that could move them two wins away from the third straight championship.
It's an unprecedented feat and, much like hitting .400 in baseball or breaking 60 on the PGA Tour, it has long stood as one of the most elusive of challenges in sports.
And while every sports fan knows what an amazing feat it would be, nobody quite relates like the Denver players who were around in 1999, the last time anyone in the league had a chance.
"It's impossible," defensive lineman Trevor Pryce said. "I have one statement: I went to the Pro Bowl the year the Ravens won it. Ray Lewis was at the table, talking crazy about repeats and three-peats.
"I said, 'OK, remember this. You've got an 'X' on your back. We had it twice. It's hard to win it. You will not win it again.' And they didn't."
Buying into the system
In one sense, the Patriots have been lucky in that they've been able to keep their core together and still have the means to fill in missing pieces.
Part of that is because some of their best veterans -- like Troy Brown and Tedy Bruschi -- have been willing to play for less in New England than they could have gotten elsewhere.
But if it's not one thing, it's another.
This season, injuries almost did in the Patriots: Bruschi, Richard Seymour, Rodney Harrison, Corey Dillon, Matt Light and Kevin Faulk.
All are key cogs who missed significant time. When the Pats came to Denver for a regular-season game on Oct. 16, they barely resembled playoff material, let alone a wannabe dynasty.
A weakened defense and a struggling offensive line that caused Tom Brady to take a beating were a big reason they fell behind 28-3. Their championship mentality is a big reason they rallied and nearly tied it, before falling 28-20.
Won't enumerate
"There are a lot of things that are different" between now and then, Brady said. "I don't want to sit up here and rattle off all the things that I think we can accomplish. We have to just play better football."
Since then, they certainly have.
Over the final six games of the regular season, they allowed only 2.9 yards per run. Brady has thrown for a career-high 4,110 yards. They won six of seven before falling in the regular-season finale, a game in which coach Bill Belichick rested many of his starters.
Still, all those stats only speak to the bigger point -- that the Patriots are champions, they know how to win, and they know how to do it with everyone else targeting them.
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