Coming off a stellar 2014 season and subsequent Super Bowl win, the New England Patriots were poised to go undefeated and do it all over again– and then, tragedy struck. The Pats’ once pristine season was ruined in an instant, with a devastating 30-24 loss in overtime to the Denver Broncos. This loss drove masses of Patriots fans into deep hiding, reminiscent of the emotional-doomsday that was the Pats’ Super Bowl loss in 2008. Dropping to 10-1, the Patriots are hoping for the return of starters like Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, Dont’a Hightower, Jamie Collins, and Rob Gronkowski. Although 10-1 isn’t too shabby, an undefeated season would be the perfect “in your face” to the multitude of haters following the Deflategate scandal. From the outside looking in, we Patriots fans probably look like a bunch of crybabies, but when your team loses as seldom as the Pats do (we can’t all be Cowboys fans), each loss is a hard pill to swallow. A Gronk-sized pill, to be exact. So here it is, a deep look into the troubled post-loss psyche of a devout Pats fan.
1. Denial
“Nope. We did not just lose. I’m dreaming. This is the worst nightmare I’ve ever had. I’ll pinch myself. Oh god, It’s real.”
2. Anger
“Are you freaking kidding me?! Where was the holding call? Where was our defense? Where were the refs? The Boncos are garbage. The NFL is garbage. Football is garbage. Congrats on beating our 3rd string, in OVERTIME.”
3. Bargaining
*Calls Roger Goodell’s office* “Hello? Yes, if you could just quickly veto that Broncos win, that’d be super. What do you mean that’s not how it works? I swear if you do this I’ll never make fun of another Eagles fan again.”
4. Depression
“I can’t go on social media without be harassed by Pats haters. It feels like Gronk just spiked my heart into the ground. I don’t think I’ll ever see the sun again. What was it like before this, to be happy?”
5. Acceptance
“Alright, things could be worse. I could be a Ravens fan. After all, we’re still going to the playoffs. We’re ranked #2 in the NFL. We’ll be alright. Oh, yeah. What the heck am I complaining about? We have the GOAT on our side. I love Tom Brady. I love the Patriots.”