(Pay no attention to the events of Feb. 3. It never happened.)
In doing so, the Pats scored an NFL record 589 points and finished with a 16-0 record. They didn't achieve ultimate glory with a Super Bowl victory (again, that year's Super Bowl was canceled, despite alleged photographic "evidence"), but their regular-season records were thought to be unbreakable.
Until now.
The New Orleans Saints are truly awesome this year, jumping out of the gates with a 6-0 record and outscoring opponents by a whopping 238-127 margin.
They're such a powerhouse that, as The Associated Press notes, they're on pace to crush New England's single-season scoring record.
If the Saints are to continue scoring at their average of 39.67 points per game, they'll finish the year with 634 points — that's 45 more points than New England scored in 2007. The Patriots averaged 36.81 points per game that year.
New Orleans has gotten it done on both sides of the ball, so Tom Brady's record of 50 touchdowns appears to be safe, as the Saints have scored multiple defensive touchdowns in two games this year.
The scoring has been spread fairly evenly, with six different players scoring rushing touchdowns and six different players registering touchdowns through the air. They're even getting a little help from former Patriot Heath Evans, who was a member of that '07 Pats team.
The Saints have also gotten it done against some of the league's better defenses in the Jets, Bills, Eagles and Giants. They have a good number of soft spots left on their schedule, including a game against the Rams (allowing 30.1 points per game) and a pair of games against the Panthers (24.2 points per game) and Buccaneers (29 points per game).
Fortunately, the Patriots won't have to stand by idly as their records are jeopardized, as the two teams will face each other in New Orleans on Nov. 30 in a Monday night game. The Patriots' defense is stepping up its game, but it will need to bring something extra to try to slow down the Saints and save the Patriots' spot in the record books.
