The first few weeks of the 2014 New England Patriots season were a rollercoaster ride. While the Patriots escaped the first three matchups with a 2-1 record, they played uninspired, lackluster football.

On opening day, the Miami Dolphins rallied with 23 unanswered points in the second half, defeating New England 33-20. Sure, the Pats routed Minnesota 30-7 thanks in large part to the defense as the defensive backs racked up four interceptions and the front seven sacked Matt Cassel six times. But, a week later in the home opener in Foxboro, the Oakland Raiders were well on their way to at least tying the game and potentially taking the lead, until Vince Wilfork picked off rookie quarterback Derek Carr, sealing a nail-biting 16-7 win for the Pats.

The New England fan base was largely unhappy with the Patriots’ performance after the first three games. Sports media lashed out against the Patriots front office for not providing the team with the resources to make legitimate a Super Bowl run, despite being under the league salary cap. Bill Belichick’s coaching was called into question, as well as his moves as de facto general manager. Fans and media alike criticized the team for trading Logan Mankins, the anchor of the offensive line for the last several years.

Prior to week 4 at Kansas City, former NFL quarterbacks Trent Dilfer and Steve Young ripped the Patriots on ESPN’s Monday Night Football pregame show, going after management for not surrounding Brady with enough weapons to succeed. “The biggest story it seems is how the Patriots left Tom Brady naked,” said Young, referring to the thin core of wide receivers and the undependable offensive line that has their fair share of trouble protecting the quarterback. Dilfer noted that the Patriots are simply content with making money, filling the seats and making the playoffs.

Dilfer and Young were half right, half wrong. Yes, the Patriots offensive output the first few games was dismal, and yes, there should have been more of an effort to improve the 37 year-old Brady’s supporting cast. Yes, it’s been 10 years since Brady led the Patriots to a Super Bowl victory, and the Belichick and Brady era’s window for one last title continues to close fast.

Where Dilfer and Young were not totally correct in their assessment is the fact that the Patriots have done absolutely nothing to build a Super Bowl contender. They just happened to spend the money on the other side of the ball, on their weak secondary. The Pats signed Darrelle Revis to a hefty $12 million contract with a $20 million option for next year, while they also locked up Brandon Browner to a three-year deal.

After the interesting comments from the two former quarterbacks on the pregame show, the Chiefs promptly went on to embarrass the Patriots, 41-14.

Without missing a beat, fans along with media members close to the team wondered if the Belichick and Brady era was coming to a screeching halt, and began questioning Brady’s performance, some even calling for backup Jimmy Garoppolo to slide into the starting role sooner rather than later. ESPN’s Chris Mortensen wrote a column describing some serious tension between Brady and the team, claiming that Brady has a decreased input in game plans and pre-snap audibles, and is discontent with personnel decisions. Mortensen also echoed the notion of Garoppolo possibly taking over at some point in the near future.

Controversy and criticism swirled around the team in the week leading up to their next challenge against the then-undefeated Cincinnati Bengals. Silencing their critics, the Patriots made a big statement on Sunday Night Football, handily upsetting the Bengals by a score of 43-17. Brady finally looked like himself again, and the rushing attack exploded for 220 yards, with Stevan Ridley leading the way with 113 yards.

While the Patriots came out on top against the Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets the following two weeks, they did not escape unscathed, as Ridley and linebacker Jerod Mayo both suffered season-ending knee injuries at Buffalo, and Chandler Jones, the centerpiece of the Patriots’ pass-rush, will be sidelined at least a month, if not more.

Nevertheless, the Patriots welcomed the Chicago Bears and the abysmal, overpaid Jay Cutler to Foxboro on Sunday, sending them home with a 51-23 blowout, highlighted by 31 points in the second quarter (including three touchdowns in 57 seconds). Brady put up more video-game numbers, completing 30 of 35 passes, throwing for 354 yards with 5 touchdowns.

Now, the Pats are rolling at 6-2, and are preparing for an important five game stretch that will no doubt either make or break their season. The toughest task of the season comes this Sunday, as Peyton Manning and the high-powered Denver Broncos visit Gillette Stadium. The Broncos are rolling at 6-2 overall, winning their last four.

But this time, the Broncos come into Foxboro with a much better defense than the one that ultimately fell short to Seattle in last year’s Super Bowl, as Von Miller and newly-acquired DeMarcus Ware have bolstered their top-10 pass rush. But what favors the Broncos on paper in this matchup and in all subsequent games is their offensive attack. Manning is surrounded by dangerous weapons like Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders (who was on the Patriots’ radar in the offseason), Wes Welker (who we are all quite familiar with), and Julius Thomas (tied for the league lead in receiving touchdowns).

The road won’t get any easier. After their bye week, the Patriots will travel to Indianapolis to face the Colts on Sunday Night Football. After returning home to face the surprising Detroit Lions, it’s back on the road, at Green Bay in week 13, and one final Sunday Night Football appearance at San Diego in week 14.

Sure, the Patriots are currently riding a four game winning streak. Brady has come back to life in the weeks following the Kansas City beat-down, and the inexperienced, untrustworthy offensive line has done a better job protecting him. Rob Gronkowski is returning to the force he was prior to all of his hampering injuries. Brady has been able to stretch the field with Brandon LaFell. The defense hasn’t been as nauseating as in years past.

On the flip side, every team that New England faces from this Sunday through week 14 would make the playoffs if the season were to end today. The Patriots’ pass rush will take a hit with the loss of Jones. Mayo’s absence will accentuate the Pats’ difficulties stopping the run. Ridley’s injury is significant since he surprisingly did not have any fumbles at the time of his injury.

New England will have to bring their A-game on Sunday against Denver in an AFC Championship rematch that could quite possibly be a preview of this year’s AFC Championship. With the way the Patriots have played as of late, there is no reason why they should lose to any team from here on out. Obviously this Sunday will be a major challenge, but they should be able shut down Andrew Luck, they will easily beat the Lions, and while Green Bay and San Diego are tough road games that could go either way, the Pats should come out on top in those two games.

If they can close out the regular season with three wins against the divisional opponents, then we should be looking at the same old 14-2 or 13-3 Patriots, depending on this Sunday’s outcome. But it wouldn’t be a typical New England Patriots season without a surprising or aggravating loss down the stretch, so stay tuned.