The Patriots cheat. The NFL is rigged, and officials are in on it. The fix is in.
In other words, Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and New England are heading to the Super Bowl again.
Conspiracy theories involving the Patriots have jumped the shark. Each cycle is more absurd than the last, and it has mutated into something almost as painful as the Patriots' long-term success is for many.
MORE: The 13 most stunning sports conspiracy theories, ranked
New England's 24-20 victory over Jacksonville in the AFC title game amplified the theories, and by now you know the routine. Max Kellerman questioned the officials on ESPN's "First Take." Memes of smiling referees and detailed video compilations of how the Patriots cheat were generated in excess after Brady led a fourth-quarter comeback. The narrative was scripture long before CNN's Jake Tapper branded the Patriots "cheaters." That's how broad the reach of the perception runs.
When you put it all together, it's a bunch of loose strands that stretch too far off the field. The Patriots won the game. Moreover, the Jaguars lost the game. Jacksonville choked, plain and simple.
But who wants to believe that?
SUPER BOWL 52:
Odds, picks against spread | SN's predictions
Conspiracy theorists point to a pass interference call on Jacksonville's A.J. Bouye. But there's no follow-up about the Jaguars leaving two timeouts on the board with the ball and 55 seconds left before halftime. There's no mention of a third-and-18 pass from Brady to Danny Amendola that kept a touchdown drive alive in the fourth quarter. That was the biggest play of the game, and it happened without a penalty.
There's no accountability for Jacksonville. What about the costly delay of game penalty late in the second quarter before the Pats' touchdown drive? What about Leonard Fournette not laying out on a wheel route on what could have been a game-winning touchdown drive?
There's also no mention of the fact that the replay booth upheld a Myles Jack fumble recovery when it could have been argued Dion Lewis was down. That doesn't fit the "Roger Goodell is the replay puppet master" narrative. At least, not this time. Maybe there will be a call against the Eagles in the Super Bowl, and Charlie Day of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" (language NSFW) can break it down at that point.
New England's success under Belichick and Brady created this irreversible phenomenon. And it's not like Duke or the Yankees — it's much worse. Fans aren't rooting against the Patriots. They're too busy looking for flags. They're looking for controversy. They're looking for clues, like a ref patting Brady on the back; anything that allows a trip down the wormhole of the Spygate or Deflategate controversies, the asterisks that smear the NFL's greatest dynasty.
If you want to put asterisks on the Patriots before Spygate, that's fine. Spygate and Deflategate will always be taglines for Belichick and Brady. All of that has been addressed. Brady served a four-game suspension. That's not coming off his bio. Yet it's the same story.
The Patriots cheat. The NFL is rigged, and officials are in on it.
MORE: Brady among worst MVP whiffs
There are two big issues the supposed fix doesn't address. One, the Patriots easily could be 0-4 in Super Bowls since Spygate. They lost twice to the Giants, and unless you believe Seattle's Russell Wilson intentionally tossed an interception at the goal line and Atlanta offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan threw the game with play-calling, there is no cheat code for those New England victories. Had the Patriots lost those two games, the narrative around Belichick and Brady would be a hell of a lot different.
Two, there is never a good explanation for the entanglements within Goodell's web. Does Goodell instruct officials not to call penalties on the Patriots? Do Belichick and Brady have knowledge of the situation? Is a ref patting Brady on the shoulder indicative of a league-wide conspiracy that if uncovered would destroy the NFL? If such conspiracy existed, millions would never watch again.
If the league is guilty of anything, it's allowing Patriots paranoia to permeate each year. Last week, there was the accidental NFL Facebook post that showed the Patriots and Vikings in the Super Bowl. Concepts such as "rigged" and "WWE" have been attached to the Patriots; the NFL villain that just won't die. Goodell hasn't done anything to stop the controversy, and the more the NFL becomes like pro wrestling, the less popular it will be with its football-first fans.
I watched Sunday's game looking for flags and came up with two conclusions. One, it's no way to watch a football game. Two, other than a third-and-9 pass to Marcedes Lewis, on which the Pats might have gotten away with a defensive holding on a 50-50 call, there's not enough to block out what really happened.
Jacksonville ran into a badass quarterback and blew a 10-point lead.
New England being back in the Super Bowl is also a product of a league that doesn't have another dominant team. Other than Philadelphia with Carson Wentz, there wasn't a team this year that stood out as a hands-down contender. The Patriots have exposed that more than anything, and it's a reality few want to accept.
MORE: Brady, Gronk among all-time hated players
Conspiracy theories aren't going to end this dynasty. Super Bowl 52 might not end it, either. After all, if there's a hot take that burns brighter than the rest, it's the one that proclaims the Patriots' dynasty dead after each monumental defeat. Remember Week 1 against Kansas City?
It's no different than Alabama football, which comes with a lesson. Belichick has preached the same thing over and over again to his team, and he said as much at the Ohio State coaches clinic last spring.
"We can't win until we keep from losing," he said.
Belichick is telling you the answer. The best way to keep the Pats from winning? Don't lose the game on your own.
There's no other fix right now.
