Two weeks changes a lot

There was a time when we all wondered if the 2012 Patriots might be destined for an undefeated season.

Im not saying we believed that they would, but we just wondered if they might. And that alone speaks volumes about our expectations.

Back thenwaaay back in early Septemberwe looked over the schedule, weighed all the possibilities and even if no one was short-sighted enough to think that 16-0 was all that likely, there were momentseven if it was just one momentwhen you talked yourself into it.

Their toughest games were at home. They had plenty of cupcakes on the road. They had the easiest schedule in the NFL with a BYE week smack dab in the middle and all the talent in the world on their roster. Why couldnt they win every game? Why wouldnt they?

But through all the insane optimism, there was one week that always stood out. The one game all season when the Pats wouldn't be favored, when you could analyze every angle of the match-up and come to a logical conclusion that New England wouldn't and shouldn't come out on top. Week 3: Pats at Ravens.

Back thena whopping two weeks agothe Ravens game was the major, if not only, potential obstacle standing between the Pats and history. Today, it means so much more. It's not a matter of history, but more a matter of reality. The reality that we were all truly out of our minds to ever consider another undefeated season. The reality that the Pats are far from perfect. The reality that this one game now stands between New England and their first 1-2 start in more than a decade.

Of course, even in the worst case scenario, it's not a huge deal. The Pats can and will comeback from a 1-2 start. Remember, they have the easiest schedule in the league, the perfectly placed bye week and still enough talent to challenge their fair share of fantasy teams. But with a loss on Sunday, you know it just won't be that easy. You know you'll have to live through a week of non-stop panic, commotion and listening to the same people who wondered if the Pats might go undefeated now wonder if they might miss the playoffs all together, or if Tom Brady's over the hill or if the game's passed Belichick by.