Is the New England Patriots' defense on the level of the 1985 Chicago Bears, aka the "Monsters of the Midway"?
It's too early to tell. But it's not too early to give the unit a similarly sweet nickname.
Dont'a Hightower unveiled the moniker Sunday, dubbing the Pats D the "Boogeyman" after it wiped out the Washington Redskins at FedExField.
Two days later, fellow linebacker Kyle Van Noy followed up with a request: He wants the Patriots' "Boogeymen" on a T-shirt, and there's a solid prize at stake for whoever designs the best threads.
Specifically, Van Noy wants the shirt to feature New England's linebacker corps -- and he wants it done this week.
Get to work, Patriots fans and graphic designers.
There probably isn't room on these T-shirts for numbers, but they're deserving of a scary nickname: New England has allowed just 6.8 points and 238.4 yards per game with 11 interceptions through five games, all of which easily lead the NFL.
With the severely undermanned New York Giants coming to town Thursday night, there's a good chance the Boogeyman will be wreaking havoc again in Week 6.
Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.