Hall of Famer and football analyst Deion Sanders remains a firm believer that the New England Patriots can make it to Super Bowl LIV despite their failure to clinch a bye in the playoffs. “I’ll ride or die,” Sanders said Sunday on NFL Network’s “NFL GameDay Prime” when asked if he’s ready to alight from the Patriots train after they lost to the Miami Dolphins 27-24 in their regular season finale. “My confidence level is tremendously high,” added Sanders, who insisted that the Patriots not clinching a bye in the first round is the best that happened to them.
Sanders said the Patriots have had a bye all year when it comes to offense, saying their receivers have enjoyed a “bye the whole training camp and everything”. He added that the Patriots need work on their game and persevere to getting back to the Super Bowl, where they rightfully belong.
Sanders says Patriots shouldn't be counted out
If the Patriots win over the Tennessee Titans in the Wild Card Game on Saturday, Sanders believes that head coach Bill Belichick and company has a strong chance of avenging their losses to the Kansas City Chiefs and probably the Baltimore Ravens. “The Patriots, they got something, they got something special. You cannot just count them out, especially when a guy named Bill Belichick is on the sideline, and Tom Brady, Julian Edelman and they got the best defensive player of the year at cornerback,” said Sanders.
The Hall of Famer reminded viewers that he won’t give up on the Patriots because they are still Super Bowl champions, unless another team wins it. The Patriots are 4.5-point favorite when they take on the Titans on Saturday at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots missed out on the first round bye for the first time since 2009 following their surprise loss to the Dolphins, where they were 15.5-point favorites.
Irvin believes Patriots will show their greatness
Another Hall of Famer, Michael Irvin, weighed in on the Patriots’ chances of making it to the Super Bowl by playing in Wild Card Weekend. Irvin said it would be hard for the Patriots from a mental standpoint when they failed to clinch a first-round bye. Previously, the Patriots enjoyed having a first-round bye en route to their Super Bowl appearances.
However, Irvin believes that the Patriots will show their greatness by overcoming these obstacles. “It will be a tough task, but not insurmountable,” Irvin said, referring to the Patriots’ chances of making it to the Super Bowl for the third straight season. Earlier, Belichick expressed confidence that his team will bounce back following their disastrous finish to the regular season. The veteran head coach insisted that failures are part of the NFL, but they have to move on and prepare for their important game against the Titans.
