Football teams look for any and all motivation they can find. The Associated Press has given them a little something in advance of their first home playoff game since 2019.
The Patriots, despite going 14-3, have no first-team All-Pros. As noticed be researcher Dan Kelley, and confirmed by NBC Sports research, it’s only the second time since the AP started picking All-Pro teams in 1940 that a team that won 14 or more games had no first-team All-Pros.
The other? The 2016 Patriots, who went 14-2.
That year, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan was the first-team All-Pro over Tom Brady. Of course, the Patriots ultimately had the last laugh, winning Super Bowl LI after falling behind in the third quarter, 28-3.
This year, the failure of the Pats to put any player among the first-team All-Pros could provide an extra little kick in the butt as the Patriots prepare to face the Chargers tonight.
